Categories: Andrew Coyne, Capital Read

None dead in crash of metaphor

by Andrew Coyne on Tuesday, July 13, 2010 10:10pm - 0 Comments

The bus carrying Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff broke down just outside the Eastern Ontario town of Hawkesbury Tuesday, just before 6 p.m.

The breakdown occurred on the first day of the Liberal Leader’s six-week, cross-country excursion to promote the Mr. Ignatieff’s and his party’s fortunes.

A similar malfunction on the first day of Ontario Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty’s 1999 election campaign was seen as emblematic of the party’s mismanagement and inexperience, leading to its defeat at the hands of Conservative leader Mike Harris.

In 2008, Mr. Ignatieff’s predecessor faced similar woes. Stéphane Dion’s Air Inuit plane was forced to make an unexpected landing in Montreal in the early days his failed election campaign.

For the last time: the physical world does not conform itself to journalists’ desire for metaphors! Mechanical breakdowns are not “emblematic” of anything, except to reporters who like to press the facts into pre-defined templates of spurious significance (see: narrative), or who think the universe is governed by magic.

Tags: bogus metaphors, lazy journalism, Michael Ignatieff

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Newf out West!

Poor Mr Coyne, his Liberal bus is as defunct as his blogalism. Cant really call this crap journalism.

RDB

Did you mean Kant really called this "crap journalism" or did you mean can't really call this crap journalism?

Orson Bean

I saw the CTV report last night, and the thing is, they had a clip of Iggy slagging the Tories, getting the sort of talking points out that the LPC wants him to get out. I still think this bus tour will probably on balance be good for Iggy and the Liberals. They will get coverage, and particularly in whatever media market they happen to be visiting. In particular, they'll get noticed by people, unlike us political junkies on this board, who don't normally follow politics. That's exactly what the LPC wants and needs. Obviously the broken down bus sucks, but that is a one-off, one day event.
http://intensedebate.com/people/LoyalSubject LoyalSubject

The bus was repaired by a shop in Cornwall, Ont. called Harper Diesel. Now tell me that the world is not governed by magic!
orval

It would have been a PR coup if Ignatieff was photo'd under the hood (or is it a bonnet?) of the bus, with his tool box open and flashlight (or is it a torch?) clenched in his lips, turning a wrench (or is it a spanner?) and fixing (or is it mending) whatever ails the bus. It would be "emblematic" of Ignatieff the Everyman – getting his hands dirty and doing something both practical and useful like helping fix a broken bus (because he knows how!).

Heaven sent opportunities are fleeting and then quickly are lost forever
a-non

Geez, AC, if you're going to take a vacation from the Maclean's site, the least you can do is link to this blast from your past. It says volumes about the current census brouhaha.
http://andrewcoyne.com/2008/05/new-treason-of-ant…
http://intensedebate.com/people/john_g2708 john g

They forgot one
http://hudsonvillage.blog.com Jeff Casselman

Soon the old witch says it will rain frogs and bad tidings, too…

Sigh, I digress, he is the Basil Fawlty of the LPC.
http://twitter.com/4westcoast @4westcoast

At least it wasn't a wardrobe malfunction.
http://intensedebate.com/profiles/saskboy saskboy

Don't anyone lose your head over this. Yes, you were all thinking of that weren't you? Well don't, because you're just as likely to lose your head off a bus as you are on it.
danby

If this was an old time movie from the 30s, Michael Ignatieff would set up shop next to the broken bus and spin a folksy, populist message, spellbinding passersby into an enthusiastic crowd of supporters! Soon food baskets and pies would appear and everyone would cheer the impromptu musical show put on by the neighborhood kids. Those darned old lemons would be made into lemonade and Michael would ride into office on the shoulders of the people……..

But here in 2010?…………… sigh
W.B.

I'm not ruling out sabotage.
I guess some of our always suspicious, cynical, crack investigative reporters in Ottawa are on the case already.
Oh, sorry, we don't have any of those.
DPT

that being rather hard on Basil, don't you think?
http://intensedebate.com/people/LoyalSubject LoyalSubject

But the universe IS governed by magic. Don't be so prosaic!
Anon 001

I blame Bob Rae.
http://intensedebate.com/people/VinceClortho VinceClortho

Andrew,

Where did your sense of humour go. In the Martin campaign you were posting things like this headed by a picture of the Hindenburg and a quote "Oh the humanity…."

That being said, who knows what it means, other than the obvious…the bus broke down……if it keeps happening then it is a problem. But this is why you do summer tours, as practice for the real thing and work the kinks out. Doing summer tours is why real election tours run smoothly.

The Liberals reaction to inevitable things like this will be the real thing to watch. Do they turn on each other or do they use this as an excuse to pull together and identify and fix things. It all comes down to what they expected pf this tour and what its purpose was. If it was a dry run, then people fix things, if its the Iggy last chance salvation tour, then they will turn on each other.

But dont lose your sense of humour Andrew.
http://intensedebate.com/people/VinceClortho VinceClortho

I almost forgot….."The Mole, The Mole"

I miss funny Coyne
D.D.S

here in 2010…………it is the MSM that chooses what is "important"……..and relevent
Chris

He thinks he's an economist now, having appeared on CBC's The Lang & O'Leary Exchange. And we all know economists aren't fun.
http://intensedebate.com/people/VinceClortho VinceClortho

I like his economic focussed articles, I am in general agreement with him and his writing is clear and cutting, one likely having something to do with the other. But economists usually arent that funny, the dismal science and all that.

So either;

a) he is working on an economics article in the background, hence humour is banished for the moment
b) the Southern Ontario humidity is making him a crankypants
c) he is really wishing Iggy would prove to be a decent opponent, which he hasnt been to date.
d) he actually takes journalism seriously as a "profession" and is just trying to raise the bar, a Sissuphean task if ever there was one.
Chris

I like the boring Coyne's articles too. He brings a little decor to what can sometimes be trashy Lang & O'leary show. But I too miss the Coyne that smiled once in a while. Now it feels like everything he writes is with clenched fists and gnashing teeth, but I won't stop reading.
danby

This is my attempt at some folksy humour, at Mr Ignatieff's expense.
Sure it's a media story, as it would be if it happened to the Conservatives – no argument from me.
My admittedly convoluted point is that adversity is a big part of the job he's applying for; you've got to roll with the punches and make lemonade with the lemons.
A quick quip like: well that's the last time I let Bob Rae pick the bus would have given everyone a chuckle and then he could have followed it up with All kidding aside, haven't you ever had a car break down on you just when you really needed it? and diffused the entire thing.
Newf out west

No it was that devil Harper and his minions ;-0 Te hee hee!