Smears? Meaner political discourse in Ottawa?
February 20, 2012 | No Comments
When messages appeared on Twitter about details of the divorce of Canada’s minister of public safety, I thought nothing of it. Unlike most of my friends and acquaintances, I have not signed up. Then, thestar.com published this column and Calgary Herald published this column. I prefer the tenor of Kris Kotarski to Tim Harper. Politicians in Ottawa are in the public eye, and they are less so compared to Jeremy Lin in New York, Henry Tang in Hong Kong, or bakers and chefs in Vancouver. Everyone feels they know you, and everyone has an opinion about you–because you have been on television or in the news everyday. There will always be gossip and scandal–look up Silvio Berlusconi, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich and Dominique Strauss-Kahn. I will even assert that citizens and voters have low opinions of politicians. The more important things are how politicians communicate and what politicians say to the public. Do politicians say things perceived as selfish or self-interested? Have they the emotional quotient to say anything believable, genuine or sympathetic? Do public policies reflect public opinion? And will the media chase either sensational scandals or dull debates? These are the questions for editors, politicians and reporters.
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