Campaign Phase Two - Operation Who Do You Trust?

Layton takes on the Libs' "strategic voting" argument head-on, pitting his credibility against Martin's in what has to be a winning battle for the NDP:

Today’s Liberal Party isn’t what it once was. And for anyone considering voting for it because they think Liberals are the same as the NDP, just remember. Mr. Martin’s budget this spring did have an opposition leader supporting it. His name was Stephen Harper.

So voting Liberal isn’t being smart – it’s being played.

In general Layton's speech looks like a much more aggressive stance than the NDP has usually taken. And as a result, the public's general distrust of the Libs has to be applied to PMPM's repeated claims that the NDP should be ignored.

For a party which needs only to get the two main parties and the mainstream media to acknowledge its existing popularity, that challenge will be hard for PMPM either to ignore or to refute directly...which at the very least should make for a fun set of debates. And at best, if the media starts paying attention to Layton before the debate forces it to do so, this could be the message that solidifies the NDP's current soft support.

Update: In typical style, the Globe somehow spins Layton's speech with the title "Layton worries about strategic voting". Because apparently "Layton argues against strategic voting" would be too accurate.