I agree with JJ’s assessment of the latest polls; people need to chill a bit. I will also note that the Angus-Reid poll that has everyone in Liberal blogging land in angst today (as it shows a 14 point Tory lead as compared to a 2 point lead last week) needs to be reminded this is an online survey, not a traditional phone survey. Jason does have a point that those surveys need to be taken with a grain of salt, and that’s not just his usual optimistic Liberal spin either. I can tell you from being a longtime regular reader of the US blogging scene that most of the liberal blogs wont even look at Zogby’s online polling as an indicator, because the results of his polling have had a spotty record at best when it comes to predicting results - and his polls tend to seem to skew Democratic, so if the liberal bloggers make the caveat of taking his polls with a grain of salt, that same warning can be given up here for any online polls being an accurate indicator.
Still.. I’m not one to completely discount the trend of these polls, and if JJ has a solution to getting Liberal communications out more effectively on policy, I hope she has someone’s ear in Ottawa. Dion going on a 2 week tour of Canada after Parliament takes a break is a start.. but I think there needs to be something more then just that to get voters re-interested in voting Liberal.
I’ve already said previously it’s time the Liberals stop being so cautious and vague on certain policy initiatives. Playing safe is for when you’re in government or in the lead in polls.. not when you’re behind or in Opposition. I believe we need to be showing some concrete ways of being different then the Conservatives on policy rather them just stating we’re uh.. different then the Conservatives. My suggestions have been to support the NDP’s climate change bill and/or the basic tenets of that bill to replace or amend the CAA, and also to use proportional representation as a serious way to counteract Harper’s Senate stuff; I am sure there are other issues we can be looking to highlight as well.
As an aside, I have been told by at least 1 prominent Liberal blogger who has good ties to the Party establishment that more and more Liberals are bringing up PR as the issue we need to be using beyond the environment. (I’ll provide them with the model I prefer if they want one - the Globe and Mail’s versions of the Mixed Member PR that they detailed and supported in a series of articles in May 2005. I have the saved PDF’s of those articles on file which I’ll be happy to pass along to any inquiring Liberal mind.. and it will disprove the allegation that all forms of PR do nothing but cause constant minority governments - this model doesn’t).
I’m pleased to hear that.. I would suggest they speed that consideration up a tad, and on other issues.
UPDATE: While I slightly disagree with some of his premise, Jonathan at TDH Strategies makes about the same points as I do on getting more concrete policy out there to the voting public.
Repeating: The public is guided by headlines… the CPoC propaganda machine knows this and will say anything to get the headlines they want. You need a serious counter message team… before it is too late.
The online polls exist to generate headlines… the content is irrelevant to the propagandists. Opposition parties have been MIA in the headlines, which makes free reign on the headlines even easier for those that will say anything, and eventually do anything, to control the headlines.
Gov promised spending up 15% in one year… but no action on healthcare nor the environment. Saying anything and doing anything to control the headlines…that is all the CPoC has… there is no national interest in their agenda… but they are organized and will pump up the BS even more as they get worried they are stalled.