When Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff gave a televised speech to his caucus on Tuesday afternoon, his passion was evident when he asked whether the Liberals were ready to govern, replying, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” The response quickly drew comparisons in the media to former Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean’s infamous 2004 “I have a scream” speech. Dean’s 2004 scream was a game changing moment and is thought to have been the primary reason for the end of his campaign. Clearly, Conservatives are trying to capitalize on the Dean comparisons, having just released two more Liberal attack ads both using a clip of Ignatieff’s Yes! moment out of context.
It would seem that passion and politics go hand-in-hand. However, it is clear that in the digital age where a video can go viral with a few clicks of the mouse, politicians must be wary of everything including their intonation and volume during speeches. One only has to remember Republic candidate Phil Davidson’s impassioned speech from last September to know that there is a fine line between making your points in a passionate way and losing your audience because your passion is actually distracting.
Personally, I thought it was nice to see a little fire in the belly of the Liberal leader.
