Personal attacks?

I have been vaguely amused that John Key is saying he feels he's been personally attacked by Labour in the past few days, since the Congress.

To me a personal attack in politics has some or all of the following characteristics:

• it is based on something untrue - that is, it is dishonest
• it is an attack on something personal about the candidate that isn't relevant to their public office *
• it attacks aspects of the candidate's performance that aren't relevant to the job

Now I am fairly sure that none of these apply to Labour's attacks on Mr Key.

What we have been criticising is his inability to defend a position; his patent unwillingness to paint a picture of National's true agenda; his inability to communicate effectively what he thinks; his political values; and so on.

Those are all perfectly reasonable criticisms of someone who would like to lead the country. As Michael Cullen said yesterday, the election is about who will hold political power in New Zealand, and who that is matters because the alternative governing coalitions are motivated by different values and will do different things.

The * on my second bullet point relates to hypocrisy. If hypocrisy exists (look at that US congressman who was pushing law on child porn, but also behaving in a disgusting way with young interns) then that is a reasonable focus for political attacks.

Do others have more bullet points, or disagree with the point?

Comments

[rjs131]

So would your describe Michael cullen calling Key as a 'rich prick' as a personal attachk. Surely his personal wealth is irrelevant to public office?

[Monty]

uuummmmm i think that rather silly song fits the category as well. the reality is that helen Clark "hates" the National party and expecially it's leaders from Jenny Shiply (first female PM) Don Brash who doubled suport for National after the 2002 election and nearly tossed her out of parliament except for the south Auckland "vote early and vote often" scandal and now John key who has built on the solid support base established by Don Brash and will destroy the labour Party in the next election. Her Hate is all consummingand obsessive. As Micheal Bassett wrote recently ( http://www.michaelbassett.co.nz/articleview.php?id=180 )

" In 1990 at the very last Labour caucus that I attended, when everyone was moping over our well-deserved trouncing, Helen Clark, then Deputy Leader, told the assembled Labour MPs something that I wrote down carefully at the time. She said she would be – and I quote from my caucus notes – “as vicious, nasty and opportunist as anyone” in the fight to return Labour to the Treasury benches. Those remarks were a forewarning. The only religious belief most modern Labourites seem to hold is their divine right to govern, to impose their views on others."

Enough said.

[burt]

rjs131

His wealth is enormous political capital to a workers rights ancestry of the Labour party. Ultimate tall poppy just ready for cutting down to size. Expect the Labour MP's with their multiple trusts and multiple properties to make capital on him being a rich prick, truth is weirder than fiction.

[Razorlight]

Labour has attempted to paint John Key's statements on the issue as murmurs of someone who can't handle the pressure. The reality of what he was saying is, if they spent as much time concentrating on getting ourselves out of this fast approaching economic storm, as they did trying to think of witty ways to denigrate Key, or writing 'hillarious' lyrics, they might not be so far behind in the polls.

[Monty]

Labour no longer have the capacity to offer anything to NZers. So all that is left in their arsenal is nasty vile and vicious attacks to try and freighten then punters.

Unfortunately for labour no one is listening to them anymore. The public do not read your blog Jordan, so your justifications fall on deaf ears. All the public is seeing is a desperate nasty government who have resorted to school yard bully tactics and name-calling.

The public perception of John Key remains strong. It was helen Clark who has noted that it is important to remain positive through the year. Petty put-downs are not interpreted as "postive". Expect to see labour slump even further if they keep up the attacks - they have not worked in the past and will not work now.

[Spam]

So Jordan, by your criteria, attacking Helen Clark about having no children when she is progressing the anti-smacking law, isn't a personal attack?