When Senator John F Kennedy ran against Vice President Richard Nixon for the presidency, one major change in the format of campaigning was the advent of television. The major advantage that Kennedy had over the more experienced Nixon was his cool, handsome, confident demeanor on television sets across the United States. Nixon, on the other hand was sweaty, nervous, agitated. When Americans were asked who won the debates; those who watched on television answered Kennedy while those who listened on the radio answered Nixon.
Flash forward to the 21st century. Television is nearly obsolete. The internet is the primary source of news, communication, and just about anything else in creation. Social media could tilt any campaign in a direction not imagined in the past. Nobody knows this better than New Brunswick’s New Democrats. Or the “new New Democrats” as their campaign proudly states. Drawing upon the allusion to the 1960 Presidention Election, Premier David Alward might play the part of draconian Nixon; unable to connect with voters through new outlets. Seemingly, it would be Dominic Cardy playing the part of Kennedy for having mastered the art of new campaigning. Cardy and his NDP have reached out across social media outlets suchas Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube in fun, creative, youthful, ways while staying informative and maintaining a sense of professionalism.
It started with the pre-campaign “just for fun” videos which featured a woman representing NB voters trying to upgrade a cellphone. She is offered the “GritPhone 5” by a Brian Gallant doppelganger. He tells her that she’ll love the new features but has to first buy the phone to discover what any of the features are. She declines the obviously bad choice and leaves the store. The video is fun, well produced, and puts into plain focus what New Brunswick has done in elections past.
Dominic Cardy was the first NB leader to take part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. In a playful way, poking fun at the “more seriously serious” disposition of unnamed New Brunswick politicians; Cardy took the plunge and raised some money for a worthy cause. He challenged other leaders to follow his lead- and they did.
One of the most surprising videos released was the Kelly Lamrock film noir video announcing his heroic return to politics to thwart the dastardly premier. If you ever thought that politicians take themselves too seriously, you really must watch this video.
Other, more serious videos have been hitting the web on an almost daily basis. Clips of Dominic Cardy addressing voters on his intentions should he be handed the reigns of power, or Tony Sekulich explaining why he decided to return to Saint John and run for Portland-Simonds. Other candidates have candid videos where they explain what matters to them and how they want to help you.
In a province where local politics are often eclipsed by any other “news” across the nation, social media becomes increasingly important. Last night, watching the national news broadcasts on three major networks, the New Brunswick Election was not mentioned once. What was mentioned was nude photos of celebrities, gun violence in America, and the state of things in the Ukraine. I applaud Mr Cardy and his team for keeping information accessible and current.
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