Paul Forseth is a commentator from BC and served as a Member of Parliament from 1993 until 2006.The final days of the BC provincial election are here, with the election on October 24. There are only two party leaders who matter or receive significant media coverage: David Eby (NDP) and Lorne Doerksen (Conservative). The broader issue of trust in leadership is significant. It relates to the subtleties of TV images and the impressions the two party leaders leave. Voters can't seem to articulate it when asked, yet they feel strongly about the leaders emotionally. Each party has now put forward a so-called “costed platform," and academics have panned both documents. The NDP spending plan is slightly more aspirational, with no serious commitment to get the debt and deficit problem under control. The Conservatives have put forward a modest financial plan that calls for some reductions, a focus on internal waste, and a host of regulatory changes to get government out of the way to supercharge the economy. The Conservatives have optimistic expectations of new revenue from economic growth to address the persistent deficit. Many voters do not read the full platform documents but instead decide at a more impressionistic level. They rely on pundits, podcasters, and social media waves to interpret them. The persuasive power of the mainstream legacy media is in steep decline.Many voters are motivated by image and how likeable each party leader seems. In Premier Eby’s case, some resentment lingers from the election call itself. His campaign started with a stumble when he tried to blame Trump for his administration's problems. His last gaffe came when he wrongly mused about the Wainwright tragedy at a press conference, and he later had to apologize after the backlash. Premier Eby has not had an easy ride in terms of likeability. His personal approval numbers lag behind his party's. He is 50 years old but still looks somewhat like the casual-appearing activist lawyer, which is his personal history. .In comparison, Lorne Doerksen comes across as a non-threatening, middle-aged, likeable guy without sophisticated pretensions. He is not a city-slicker, smiling salesman. He is 58 years old and appears to have life experience and maturity that exude responsibility. Therefore, in the age of social media, short clips of leaders have emotional persuasive power. What was said at a media scrum seems to matter little. What lasts is the feeling after the public appearance ends, the emotional memory of the presentation.The days of the firebrand political campaigner are clearly history. The calm and matter-of-fact style is preferred, perhaps in reaction to the extremism seen in street protests. The cool, flat style is the media handlers' calculation. Consequently, the campaign has seemed, on the surface, somewhat boring. The effort has been for leaders to imply, "trust me, as I have everything under control." However, voters know they don’t have control of events. In contrast, the electorate may be silently outraged by personal circumstances they cannot control, as kitchen-table finances collapse.BC just had province-wide municipal elections. It was a huge "change election" in which a new slate of mayors and councillors replaced many incumbents who dared to run again. Voters were looking for change and answers to their circumstances and angst.I predict another close election in BC. The two offbeat OneBC and CentreBC parties may not have the influence that had been predicted. Even the Greens have seen support fall, as voters coalesce around either the NDP or the Conservatives in a final two-horse race to the finish line.Paul Forseth is a commentator from BC and served as a Member of Parliament from 1993 until 2006.
