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Susan Delacourt on Shopping For Votes

Journalist Susan Delacourt believes Canadians' relationship with their politicians has changed since the consumer boom of the 1950s. Consumers have wants, she says. Citizens have needs. Susan Delacourt joins us to talk about Shopping For Votes....
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The Current24:00Susan Delacourt on Shopping For Votes - Oct 3, 2013
Journalist Susan Delacourt believes Canadians' relationship with their politicians has changed since the consumer boom of the 1950s. Consumers have wants, she says. Citizens have needs. Susan Delacourt joins us to talk about Shopping For Votes.


 

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The production values may have been a little threadbare, but the political ads for Stephen Harper's 2006 election campaign were carefully tailored to speak to Canadians --- as consumers. The campaign rolled through the Christmas season, and the Conservatives won a minority.

Long-time political reporter Susan Delacourt suggests we've become a nation that shops for its politicians, and they're returning the favour.

Choosing a politician is like choosing a product in a store. If you are good at influencing people's product choice, chances are you should be good at influencing their political choice.Susan Delacourt

Susan Delacourt has captured this shifting relationship in her new book Shopping for Votes: How Politicians Choose Us and We Choose Them. She was in our Toronto Studio.

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This segment was produced by The Current's Josh Bloch.

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