If you think the federal election has been a snooze fest so far, don’t worry, all the really fun stuff is going to happen over the next few days.
I say that because, typically speaking, it’s only in the last week of an election that the legions of undecided voters out there actually make up their minds.
Before then, they’re really only half paying attention to all the political shenanigans taking place on the electoral stage.
The fact is, for a huge number of people in this country (or in any democracy for that matter), the game of politics is just not that interesting, which explains why there are so many undecided voters.
In other words, they’re undecided not because they’re diligently studying all the various competing political party platforms, or studiously comparing all the pros and cons of the leaders, or carefully pondering the issues put on the table, they’re undecided because they’re simply not engaged in the electoral process. (This is one reason why you should take all those political opinion polls conducted in late August with a huge grain of salt.)
Yet, the closer we get to Election Day, the more the undecided voters will get caught up in the electoral drama and the more their minds will become focused on politics.
Knowing this, political parties will always unleash their best, most persuasive messaging campaigns in the last week of the race, a time when they figure voters will be the most receptive.
It’s not a coincidence, for instance, that Jody Wilson-Raybould releases her book this week.
So, brace yourself; each party is about to launch a full-scale propaganda assault.
And since these ads will be geared toward the undecideds, don’t expect much in the way of subtlety or substance.
After all, if you’re reaching out to people who don’t care about ideology or policy, your ad campaign shouldn’t focus on ideology or policy.
Nor will you have time to “educate” voters on policies or issues.
The only persuasive tactic that will work during this short but crucial period is to manipulate emotions.
So, watch for all the parties to bash us over the head with strong appeals which will tap into our hates, fears and hopes.
The exact tone of the ad messaging, of course, will depend on what the internal polls are telling the party strategists.
If, for instance, pollsters are telling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he’s falling behind, expect the Liberals to accelerate their efforts this week to demonize Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole.
It won’t be pretty.
In fact, if they’re truly desperate, the Liberals will throw everything they’ve got (including the kitchen sink) at the Conservatives. (Expect the name “Donald Trump” to pop up a lot.)
Also, if the Liberals are holding any dirt on O’Toole, now’s the time they’ll release it.
On the other hand, if Trudeau’s doing well in the polls, he’ll push a more inspirational, “vote for a happier Canada” sort of message.
Meanwhile, the exact same political calculations are going on in the Conservative camp, meaning if O’Toole is in trouble, he’ll drop the hammer on Trudeau; if he’s ahead in the polls, he’ll take the high moral road.
As for the New Democrats, well this is where their lack of fundraising success in the past, will come back to haunt them.
My point is, I seriously doubt they’ll have the financial resources needed to match either the Liberals or Conservatives when it comes to pushing a last week advertising blitz.
What that means is it’ll be much more difficult (but not impossible) for NDP leader Jagmeet Singh to make any sort of surge at the finish line.
Anyway, watching all the parties for broke this week should be entertaining.
So, grab some popcorn and enjoy the show.