On consistent messages

While I've cited Warren Kinsella's take on a party's hopes for an election campaign as an example of the gap between the interests of parties and those of citizens, let's note that there's some reason to question how well it reflects a party's goals as well. That is, unless one assumes that the messages which avoid being trampled also make for a consistent narrative which can actually create momentum during the course of the campaign, rather than consisting of disconnected pitches which fail to build on previous efforts.

And on that front, there's particular reason for hope that all elements of a strong coalition challenge to the Harper Cons are coming together about as well as can be expected given the Libs' determination to target the NDP.

While the Libs have been working on trying to poach NDP voters, their most enduring message has involved the contrast between Stephen Harper as a secretive, controlling leader, and Michael Ignatieff as one more willing to engage with a broader audience. Which makes his refusal to consider a coalition all the less logical, but at least lays some principled groundwork for working with other parties if the opportunity arises.

Meanwhile, despite the commentariat's failure to connect the dots, the NDP has managed to earn a regular stream of coverage depicting it as making strong efforts to keep expanding its reach. And the image of the NDP as the plucky underdog fighting for its principles even in the face of naysayers fits nicely with the well-advertised message that Jack Layton "won't stop until the job's done" - serving both as a new form of inoculation against the Libs' usual attempt to narrow the range of options, and a response to the Cons' whispering campaign about his health.

Mind you, the one unfortunate message that has favoured the Cons is the suggestion that their series of scandals and missteps hasn't registered in the polls. But while it might be theoretically possible for the Cons to cling to their polling numbers even in the face of unfavourable coverage, the chances of a positive outcome surely look to be improving based on the messages that are coalescing around each party.