Nov 7, 2008

Death Of The Hydra

We have been encouraging Cameron "Karl Rove"Slater to re-do his graphic of the hydra to show the seven headed monster with only four remaining heads and with blood spouting from the wounds left following the removal of the two Maori Party heads and that of Winston Peters. According to Vernon Small the hydra should be redrawn lying dead on its side.

Another poll, another nail in the coffin of Labour's hopes for a fourth term.
Today's Fairfax Media-Nielsen poll is sounding the death knell for Helen Clark's Government, matched by the results of TV One and TV3 surveys last night.
These results slay what John Key described as a "five-headed monster". The idea that Labour and the Greens, "plus friends", including a deal with the Maori Party, could pull this election out of the pyre was briefly given oxygen by a brilliant campaign launch.
Even a fortnight ago the Government still dared to hope, buoyed by a couple of polls that put Labour's bloc within reach of National.
But it would require a poll- defying reversal by voters tomorrow, amid signs that even ACT is starting to rise, as the right- wingers in National have granted themselves the luxury of voting with their hearts.
If, as expected, Labour cops a trouncing it can put it down to a handful of errors during the campaign that exacerbated its existing problems: the world economic meltdown, growing unemployment and the electorate's fatigue with a nine-year government.
The first error was the decision to run all three televised debates face to face. Miss Clark clearly thought she could better the inexperienced John Key, but he proved more resilient than she imagined. At the same time she gave him several hours of "face time" with voters who had not been exposed to him before.
And she ruled out attacks that would have put him on the defensive – and would have crowded out his message – from the wit of Winston Peters, the experience of Jim Anderton, and the palpable integrity of Jeanette Fitzsimons.
The second mistake was the failure, after an initial flurry, to drive home the big policy negative for National – its attack on KiwiSaver and the skewing of its tax-cut package toward higher earners.
The third was letting out of the bag Labour Party president Mike Williams' trip to Melbourne to "dig dirt" on Mr Key, and the last was running the "trust" theme – initially useful in casting doubt about Mr Key – for too long.