> What amazes me, and this is not meant to be a snide comment at all....
> is that people expect the government (any government) to be 
> open and honest (caveat: I live in Canada, not the US, but 
> politics is fundamentally the same here).
> 
> Why are people surprised that the real facts are different to 
> what was presented as fact before? The whole campaigning, 
> electing, lobbying, and other political processes are 
> predominantly based on at the best times compromise, and at 
> the worst times manipulation. The conduct required from a 
> political candidate to get elected is the exact conduct that 
> we don't want in elected politicians ... yet, it should come 
> as no surprise that once elected, politicians don't change.
> 
> In other words, political campaigns are based on spite, 
> defamatory conduct, manipulation of information, lying, 
> deception, making impossible promises, and general arrogance. 
> Yet, we expect politicians to become honest, principled, and 
> "open" once they are elected.

Question: How are Canadian political campaigns run?

Much is made of the fact that US campaigns are overwhelmingly negative, and
usually against the person.  In other words, the message isn't "Vote for me,
I'm a top bloke", it's "Vote for me because he's an arsehole".

Australian campaigns tend to be negative too, but more towards the party or
the policy, but that's beginning to change.

And Canada?

Tony

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