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Politics : Al Gore vs George Bush: the moderate's perspective -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Eashoa' M'sheekha who wrote (4683)	11/4/2000 12:25:14 AM
From: Eashoa' M'sheekha	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10042

Some call minor error,but others say may lead to Majority. Has Chisholm blown it? herald.ns.ca Nova Scotians will have the final say on whether Robert Chisholm made a mistake in not telling them sooner about his 22-year-old drunk driving conviction. But politicians and pundits weighed in Friday, predicting it could mean anything from a minor blot on the NDP leader's career to a possible Tory majority government. "My feeling is that the political fight now is on the ground and this is a minor gaff that a leader has performed . . . and I doubt very much it will affect candidates in the ridings," said Jim Guy, political science professor at the University College of Cape Breton. Mr. Chisholm admitted Friday that he "could have been more forthcoming" when asked by a reporter earlier in the campaign whether he had broken any laws. At the time, he said he had been caught for speeding when he was 16 but didn't mention the 1977 drunk driving conviction. In an election where credibility is a major factor, the NDP could suffer from Friday's turn of events, Acadia University political science professor Agar Adamson said. "Suddenly here you are at a time when credibility was being questioned anyway about (if the NDP) had come clean with all of the things they were going to do with their program. That was a credibility issue, and now you've got the personal credibility issue." He predicted it could even mean a Tory majority government, especially because of Tory Leader John Hamm's popularity in recent polls. "I've always thought John Hamm was another Bob Stanfield. . . . He's sort of always been this sort of father figure," said Mr. Adamson. The public holds political leaders to a high standard, he said. "It's the sort of thing that we've seen creeping in from the U.S., because of the Clinton situation and because of others where people now expect their politicians to be honest and say if they have blotted their copybook." But Mr. Guy said Mr. Chisholm's failure to come clean is a "forgivable offence." It would be a natural instinct to be vague when asked about convictions, he said. "I think it is understandable under the circumstances. However, we do expect our leaders to be honest and upfront with information about this." Federal NDP Leader Alexa McDonough, who was campaigning with metro candidates Friday, said the conviction or events that followed will have no effect on the election. "I think people know the context in which this (first) interview took place was an extremely light-hearted item about when did you last skinny dip and how many pairs of shoes do you have in your closet. . . . It's pretty hard to be thinking very seriously and earnestly in those conditions." Ms. McDonough said Mr. Chisholm has learned from his mistakes. "Nova Scotians over the last eight years have come to know Robert Chisholm as an adult, not as a 19-year-old kid . . . and what they know about him is that he is a very fine, fine person." Dennis James, the Liberal campaign chairman, said Mr. Chisholm's conviction isn't as significant as the fact he kept it secret when asked if he had broken any laws. "If it was just a matter of non-disclosure, that would even be a different issue, but when he was asked an expressed question and lied about his record, I think that's significant," Mr. James said. "How significant is for the voters to decide." Mr. James said he didn't expect Liberal candidates to bring up the issue in the last three days before the vote on Tuesday. "I think people will be aware of it and I think on something like that, it's a matter that speaks for itself," he said. Karen Oldfield, the Tories' campaign co-chair, said she would like to see people focused on issues in the dying days of the campaign. "We hope that it's going to have a nil impact," she said. "From our perspective, we're into the issues and we want the people of the province to be into the issues that have been discussed." Derrick Burton, who was prevented from running in Cape Breton North because party officials said he didn't disclose a drunk driving conviction, agreed that Mr. Chisholm looked less credible Friday. "The thing is, you can't have a double standard. You can't be good for one and not for the other." But several party workers insisted their leader simply withheld information he considered irrelevant to the campaign. Most said it would have no impact on the campaign. "If you don't tell somebody something that's way in your past and has nothing to do with the issues . . . is that lying?" said Bernie Larusic, riding president for Cape Breton South. "We all have things we've done when we were kids that we'd just as soon not talk about once we turn 45." "Obviously it was a mistake," said Rick Janson, riding president in Halifax-Fairview. "But we have to ask, how relevant is it? . . . What is the obligation to give the media personal details that are totally irrelevant to the campaign?" With Steve Maich, staff reporter