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
10-9
some “great” names on the list the writer has shared. netanyahoo is, perhaps, a fair trial away from being found guilty for nasty war crimes and human rights abuses; reagan was a pocket lining stooge for the oligarchy – under his 8 years of bobbleheading he oversaw the uas going from being the world’s leading creditor nation to being the its leading debtor nation, where it still remains firmly entrenched; harper, whiles the least insidious of that lot, also gave away a lot of our public monies to the wealthy corps, particularly the banks and the auto sector; and, trump, well, that something like can still have so much support sure reflects poorly on the quality of humanity in the so-called developed world, and, gives up an in the moment insight into how and why human history is so full of instances of flocking behind the very worst that humanity has to offer.
While Poilievre continues to prove there is nothing conservative about him like his pal Danielle Smith both putting taxpayers in financial ruin and showing no concern doing it, while stupid Albertans don’t care and let them do it.
You are correct. This is on example of what the Conservatives in Alberta did to Peter Lougheed’s excellent legacy. Also, this is another fine example of what Danielle Smith was doing.
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