The Commerce Times

An interview with David Plouffe

Improving voter turnout and political awareness in Canada may be as easy as looking south of the border, says David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s former campaign manager.

The political strategist and “mastermind” behind Obama’s ‘08 campaign spoke at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Jan. 31st to a crowd of 500 people about the unconventional strategies he used to land the Chicago underdog the most powerful job in America.

According to Plouffe, Canadian politicians should be apt to take advantage of these strategies because it has shown to be very effective. “Canadians were inspired by the principled outcome of the Obama campaign,” he says “…It was always the same person and [the] same message.”

Obama’s astounding popularity here in Canada has come to represent how importantthe relationship between a politician and their voters really is. Former Liberal party leader Stephane Dion is a prime example of this. The prime minister hopeful was undone by his inability to connect with the average Canadian, a connection that Plouffe flaunted was Obama‘s “best asset.” University of Toronto professor, Robert Logan, saw Dion as a causality of his inexperience and saw his lack of charisma as the real problem. “Canadians [were] totally fascinated by the American elections because it was interesting. In Canada our politicians are not inspiring, ” he says. “I don’t think we’ve had a politician like Obama since Trudeau.”

Logan sees current Liberal leader, Michael Ignatief, as Canada’s Obama. The answer to the dreary world of Canadian politics by infusing the “high drama” America is famous for and parliament needs. “Ignatief will inject more drama than Dion because [he] is a good speaker and intelligent. He has my support. ”

It wasn’t just Obama’s enthralling charm that put him ahead of Republican John McCain, it was the well-organized machine of volunteers . Over four million donors and one million volunteers pushed the campaign forward in times of despair, which Plouffe says shows enormous shift in the country. People believed in him and wanted to be apart of that change,” says Logan.

However how does a politician go about engaging the public in a way that it citizens feel inclined to volunteer their time, especially in Canada, where political interest has decreased at an alarming rate since the Trudeau era. Elections Canada says informing the youth is one way to do it. Among the many recommendations is to get youth involved. “Bring the election to youth by engaging them where they are – youth groups; universities; sports organizations; coffee shops; concerts; Friendship Centres.”

Plouffe thought along the same lines. He saw the youth as an untapped resource that once informed would be an ally, but only if were informed. “Young people and first-time voters were our only hope,” he says, “They will participate if they’re motivated.”

In Canada, youth have the lowest registration rates in the country and even lower voter turnout when compared with other western countries. Plouffe’s specific attention to these non-partisan individuals is what saved the campaign in the early days when Hillary Clinton was still the frontrunner.

While Canada’s politicians battle the current economic recession and a looming election that could be called at anytime, leaders need to start looking to different approaches to win over apathetic voters. Now is the time that Plouffe’s strategies should be taken into consideration. “I’m not inspired by today’s political leaders and Canada needs one if we are to move forward,” Logan says.