Politicians only seem to be focusing on the negative these days

By Lethbridge Herald on November 19, 2025.

Editor,

A friend of mine from Coaldale sent me a post by Rick Welin Recordist on Facebook entitled “Canadians Against Pierre Poilievre.” In it was the Finkelstein Formula for political candidates. 

Aurthur Finkelstein was a Republican consultant from New York. He had helped the likes of Ronald Reagan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Stephen Harper and Donald Trump win elections. 

It appears to me, after reading this approach to politics, that Poilievre is following its advice. The formula talks about  an approach entitled “negative campaigning,” in which Finkelstein says that candidates don’t need a vision to win, they just need to reveal what people are against. 

And once that was said, the candidate would tie the unpopular thing(s) to their opponent. Finkelstein also talked about a process called “rejectionist voting” and deemed it very simple. One would just need to avoid talking about their own positions or policies and demonize and destroy their opponent. 

Our politics today are filled with this type of maneuvering and it is causing a great deal of dissension and polarization amongst the Canadian voters and political parties. 

It would be very refreshing if our politicians could return to working together for the good of the country and its people. 

Kent Perry

Lethbridge