This is a Bit Much
So I wrote a post back in November about the Sask NDP leaership race called "when will this race heat up?"
I guess winter is a bad time to ask these sorts of questions.
Nothing has happened yet.
No one else has announced.
I thought the end of session would be the prompt for the sitting MLAs to get involved but I guess not. However, there is no excuse for those who are not in caucus that could be announcing (Pederson, Thomson, Wiebe, Tchorzewski) and yet still nothing.
So the list still looks like this:
Deb HigginCam Broten
Len Taylor
Yens Pederson
** Dwain Lingenfelter **
Andrew Thomson
Frank Quennell
Nettie Wiebe
Dion Tchorzewski
Pat Atkinson
And I am starting to wonder if that is ever going to change. Has the entire party just decided that Lingenfelter is the one? Even if you support Link you have to want a race. A race is good for the party and it gives all of us a chance to discuss the issues of the day and decide where we stand on them.
On the bright side it seems that Link is starting to build-up some of the grassroots activities that we need.
I am very interested to see if this works. So far the only letter to the editor has been a pretty stupid one from Brian Sklar. I doubt this was the idea. In fact, that letter probably made the Link camp look stupid as well and I doubt they are pleased by it.
We’re building a network of volunteers who will take on the job of monitoring local newspapers and radio and television stations, so they can weigh in on political issues by phoning the call-in shows and writing letters to the editor.
I am glad to see that using e-mail to get facts and figures out to party members is being done. There is the commonwire that is generated at our provincial office, which is pretty good but only comes out every so often.
I would dearly LOVE to be comparing and contrasting the leadership candidates' approach to this sort of stuff, their use of the web and new media in general, but there is only one guy in the race so guess I will cover him until things starts to happen.
For the record, this is what they call the "first announcer advantage" If you are the only game in town, you attract 100% of the attention.
