Who else enjoys the image of the friendly NDPer, working tirelessly on behalf of the common woman?
In my mind’s eye they’re orange scarf, Birkenstock-wearing types, cashing in hard nationally on the memory of Tommy Douglas and universal health care — making earnest attempts provincially to wash fast ferries from the collective palate.
These men and women tend to represent the idealistic side of politics and where we are in the economic cycle dictates their relevance at the polls.
That could all be wrong. Stereotypes usually are.
Even at the far end of my imagination, the NDP — let alone any other Canadian party — don’t belong huddled over a computer hacking into a political opponent’s website.
That’s the fodder of a low rent spy movie from the ’90s.
Premier Christy Clark alleged earlier this week that someone from the BC NDP broke into the BC Liberal website to gain access to the party’s Vancouver Island election platform.
It’s a crime punishable with 10 years of jail time, so you’d think she’d be minding her Ps and Qs before sharing such news.
When asked to offer evidence about the act, however, she couldn’t back her assertion.
“It’s illegal. It’s a criminal act. Whether or not they would admit to doing it, I don’t know, but I’m not spending a whole lot of time thinking about whether or not and how the NDP is going to conduct the campaign,” Clark said at a news conference in Victoria on Wednesday, referring to the coming provincial election campaign.
“I mean, honestly, British Columbians do not care about that stuff, all that inside-baseball stuff.”
What? I hate sports almost as much as sports analogies, but I do care if political leaders are cheating.
Luckily, I’m not alone and British Columbians tweeted up a storm prompting Clark to take a new tack. As of Thursday she was saying she “jumped to conclusions” when she accused the NDP of hacking and had no evidence to substantiate the claim.
Again … What?
Where do we start with this kind of thing?
Was she just trying to drag the NDPs earnest orange image through the mud in advance of the election?
Does she actually not realize that false allegations are serious?
Does she think that British Columbians are stupid?
We aren’t. And neither is she. We know she isn’t. Like her or hate her Clark is a savvy politician and knows her way around an election so this latest so-called jump-to-conclusion stinks a lot like something wafting up from south of the border.
In the US politics have become foul, confusing and strange, and we don’t need that kind of garbage here.
It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing pricey patent leather pumps or cork-soled birks, there is only one set of facts— no alternatives.
