Dear Editor,
I’m old enough to remember the days when Robert Muldoon decided that he would bypass the media and take his message directly to the people. You really know you are old when you can remember blackboards and chalk. But that’s what he did. He took his message to the people and spoke to them in town halls all over the country – with a blackboard and some chalk.
It seems to me that if any centre right politician wants to make headway these days, they need to find a way to speak directly to the people and marginalise the media. The media are never going to give them a fair go. If they try to use the media to get the message out, they might as well start composing the hymn for their own political funeral.
A couple of years ago, my wife and I were visiting some of our children, who live in the States. We all decided that we would go to a Donald Trump rally. I know, call me hare-brained, guilty by association and all that. Just put the obligatory insults to the side for a minute. We were in the States, and we wanted to get a handle on what this Trump phenomenon was all about. Plus, we wanted to experience a slice of history and have something crazy to talk about with friends when we came back to Godzone.
Anyway, we soon began to realise that this rally was an EVENT. We saw people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds, LOTS of people, coming together. It was standing room only. The mood was upbeat, light hearted, and everyone was clearly enjoying themselves. When Trump finally came on to speak, the crowd erupted like they were welcoming some sort of rock star to the stage. One thing about this guy, love him or loathe him, he knows how to connect with people. He speaks the language of the ordinary man and woman. He listens to them and they love him for it. Trump also has a terrific sense of humour. There were numerous times when the crowds were laughing out loud, and it was pretty hard not to join in. One of the things that my wife and I enjoyed the most was watching the phalanx of MSM who had a special platform of their own. There they were peering sternly down the barrels of their huge camera lenses and every so often, Trump would make some off hand reference to those “beauties” who occupied that stage. The crowd loved it. And the MSM had to sit there and take it.
Then there were the chants. “Build the Wall” was one that clearly resonated. We looked around and everyone was grinning. The thing is: This is what the PEOPLE wanted and they were calling out to their guy to deliver it for them. And he was saying to them: Yes, I get it. I promise you, I will deliver that wall. And again, the crowd loved Trump for it.
We came away thinking that this surely had to be one of the main reasons why the left and the MSM, their propaganda arm, saw Trump as so much of a political threat and why they had to get rid of him at all costs. This guy had managed to nullify their influence and engage directly with ordinary people. He listened to them and he cared for them more than he cared for the Republican Party, the United Nations, the WHO, the Party of Davos, and the rest of that globalist crowd. He clearly loved these people and they loved him right back. Politically speaking, the results were nothing short of spectacular.
So here’s a suggestion for Luxon: Bypass the MSM and don’t start trying to filter your message through them. That’s a losing strategy. If you try that, you are doomed from the start. What say you take your message directly to the people, holding rallies up and down the country? How about using humour to lighten everyone’s mood (we could all do with a good laugh) and poke some fun at your opponents while you are at it? Your opponents will freak out! When the joke is good, some of their number will even feel like joining in. Humour is a POTENT political weapon. Reagan had it in spades. Trump’s got it. Biden couldn’t tell a joke if he tried. It’s hard to make jokes work when you have to read them from a teleprompter and lose your way long before you get to the punchline.
How about it? Don’t start fretting about how you came across in the latest soundbite on the six o’clock news. If you want to win the HEARTS of the people, book some plane tickets and take your message to the stadiums. Just make sure that you take off your mask before you get anywhere near the lectern.
Michael Flinn
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