Warren Kinsella's mission is a dubious one. The Liberal party strategist and political columnist for the Ottawa Citizen hopes to prove, with Kicking Ass in Canadian Politics, that Canadian politicians and their handlers can be just as venal and conniving as those in the next democracy. Fair enough. But he makes his point, that "going neg" is not only not a new campaign device but a necessary one, more or less in the first couple of chapters. The author trots out negative campaigns that didn't work--including a 1994 attempt by the Conservatives to discredit Jean Chretien by running ads with the caption "Does this look like a prime minister?" alongside a close-up of the (then) Liberal candidate's face--and some that did. In the latter category is Kinsella's own "Barney" brainstorm, in which he appeared on a Canada AM panel holding a big, stuffed purple dinosaur, effectively making fun of Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day's belief in creationism. "Of all the things I have done in politics, over many, many years, probably nothing has had the impact of those few seconds on Canada AM--waving around a Barney dinosaur and suggesting that The Flintstones... 'was not a documentary,'" writes the operative.

That's about as good as the anecdotes get. Kinsella also includes interviews with such political luminaries as James Carville; unfortunately, the most insightful thing the Clinton aide can muster is, "We're not in this business to be mean or negative. We're in it to draw distinctions, and to draw distinctions that favour our side." The final third of the book is given over to such ephemera as Kinsella's "Twelve Handy Tips for Surviving Encounters with Unethical, Unscrupulous, Unprincipled Political Journalists" ("Politics Is War," "Leave No Charge Unanswered," "The Media Is a Special Interest Group") and his so-called "report cards" on several of those same journalists (the satirical magazine Frank gets an F, while BC columnist Vaughan Palmer gets an A+). Interesting in its own right, but one would hope for more than the grinding of a few unworthy axes from the man who takes such great pride in his Progressive Conservative-bestowed title of "the Prince of Darkness." --Shawn Conner

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Warren Kinsella is Canada's own "Prince of Darkness." From the moment he was recruited to help the Liberals in the campaign to unseat Kim Campbell in 1993, Kinsella became an enthusiastic advocate of tough, in-your-face politics — politics that infuriates opponents, but wins votes. Just last November, the national media reported that his style and tactics were crucial to the campaign that won Prime Minister Jean Chrétien his third term and an unprecedented majority in the House of Commons. Now, for the first time, Kinsella lifts the veil on what really goes on inside campaigns — and it's not pretty. This is the good, the bad and the ugly of partisan politics, and Kinsella argues that all three are necessary for a healthy and democratic political dialogue.

But this isn't a cynic's book on how to manipulate the voting public. The advice from the Prince of Darkness is "stay on message, and stick with the truth." Those practitioners of the black arts who resort to lies and cheating are most often burned at the stake by the voters. And he marshals plenty of evidence and insider stories from the hottest campaigns and campaigners in Canada and the United States — among them, James Carville, Betsey Wright, Haley Barbour and Dick Morris — to prove his point.

You'll learn about push-polling, frugging, ratf**king, quick response, dirty tricks and oppo, and you'll learn how to counter them all. You'll be treated to Kinsella's Twelve Handy Tips for Surviving Encounters with Unethical, Unscrupulous, Unprincipled Political Journalists, as well as to his unique rating system on whose political reporting you can trust.

This is a must-read not only for political junkies but also for marketers and PR flaks alike: it is a handbook, not only on how to win, but how to make sure your opponent loses.

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2.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, but for political insiders only, Oct 8 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Kicking Ass In Canadian Politics (Hardcover)

Personally, I found it interesting because I work in politics and have ran election campaigns. Actually it is more of a text book than anything else. I wouldn't recommend it to the average Canadian citizen who is looking for a good read.

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2 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nauseating, Mar 26 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Kicking Ass In Canadian Politics (Hardcover)

This guy is such a self-important dweeb. Buy any book by James Carville and save yourself the hassle.

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