MacDonald compares Dexter to car thief in televised [NS] election debate

[Posteritatis]

Just..wow:

The battle of the three main party leaders in Nova Scotia's election campaign took a nasty turn Thursday night when Conservative Leader Rodney MacDonald compared NDP Leader Darrell Dexter to a car thief.

During a televised debate, MacDonald attacked the NDP over a controversial campaign donation of $50,000 from 10 labour unions. The party returned $45,000 of that amount Monday when it learned the donations may have violated the contributions law.

"What this is like is someone going out and stealing a car and two weeks later, they take the car back and say, ‘Well, nothing’s been wrong since I took the car back.’ People don’t buy it, Darrell," MacDonald said.

Note this is after the Conservatives ran an attack ad nasty enough that the NDP were making noises about a defamation suit. MacDonald's entire campaign consists of saying the words "union bosses" as often as possible while pointing at the NDP. In the interest of being classier, he equates the leader of the opposition party to a car thief on live TV. Brilliant!

I'm kinda sad about it by now. I actually liked MacDonald when he first showed up, even if I voted Liberal that time around, since he had that strange "not a raging asshole" characteristic so rare in Canadian politics. (I also met him briefly via my brother when I was much younger; anyone playing an instrument in Cape Breton has probably gotten drunk in everyone else's house at one point.) I'm torn between annoyed and depressed that he cast it aside when time came for an election.

On the other hand, it's looking like he's going to be destroyed. The NDP are polling pretty close to 50%, which the Canadians reading this know is pretty ridiculous for an all-ridings polling average. The Conservatives have been consistently beating out one of the other parties poll wise, but that other party's the Greens.

(Also, slightly OT, but has anyone else realized you need to take headache medication before reading comments on CBC articles anymore? Ugh.)

[CHIMO]

1. Congratulations

N.S. voters elect 1st NDP government
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nsvotes2009/story/2009/06/09/nsvotes-main.html