Oh, Google Cache, what would we do without ye?

This morning greets us with another “controversy” about a political blog gone awry. This one for a Ontario Liberal insider who (surprise!) does government relations for a living.

Mike Klander has already been purged from the memory banks of the Liberal Party, and his membership has been resigned. His credentials include being elected Executive Vice President of the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario).

Try and find this info on the web and much of it has been pulled. Why? Because it’s embarrassing to the party he represents, and there’s an election campaign on.

Thanks to Google’s caching feature, I can still get Klander’s blog entries. I found a couple of enlightened nuggets, which I thought I’d share with you here.
Check out this mirthful passage by Klander:

Jack Layton…A-hole of the Week
I’m going away for a couple of days so I thought I would find something smart and witty to put up on my blog before I left. Unfortunatley (sic) I couldn’t think of anything so I just want to say that I think Jack Layton is an asshole… for no reason other than it makes me feel good to say it…and because he is.

Or how about this knee-slapper:

Top 10 Reasons the Liberals Will Win
1. Our tax cut is better than theirs
2. Harper creeps people out
3. Our jet is bigger than theirs
4. Layton is a weasel
5. They have Ralph Klein
6. We have Earl Provost
7. Unemployment is down to 6.6%
8. Inflation is at 1.8%
9. We won’t knock on your door
10. Ontario

Clever stuff, huh?

Nevermind that this David Letterman Top 10 list convention is old and tired. Can you believe that this guy was an executive vice president of Canada’s most powerful political institution? These blog entries have been up for weeks and no one thought to bring this guy in check until he posted an offensive “separated at birth” (thank you Spy magazine circa 1988 for another tired comic convention) comparison between Olivia Chow and a dog.

Is this a setback for political blogging? Yes and no.

No — Political blogs are here to stay. Their influence will continue to expand, and they may tip the balance for many voters, if they haven’t already.

Yes — Political parties will in the short term reign in internet communication even tighter. It’s every campaign manager’s nightmare when a candidate goes “off message”. In a time when political parties must do just the opposite and open up, blogs are making that process both easier and more challenging.

Klander’s gaffe is not quite as damaging as a candidate or leader making a slip of the tongue. If this were the last 2 days of the campaign it could cost the Liberals several seats and a shot at another term in government.

While it might be hard for campaign strategists to see, blogging may have a more positive effect. It might help to weed out the chaffe from party ranks. Wit-challenged operatives like Klander can work their way through the system unchecked for decades (his bio claims he’s been a Liberal since the early 80s). Yet when he blogs he becomes as welcome as a bad rash in the halls of power.

Canadian election campaigns are adopting internet, albeit akwardly. Old school campaigning – the door knocking, burma shaves and negative ads – won’t be replaced by blogs and podcasts. But it’s the parties that innovate with these communications tools, rather than trying to manipulate them, that will be the ones who will lead us.