A thread about prosecuting the #WEscandal, in ten parts. Here goes.

One: voters aren’t as motivated by scandal as journalists and politicos are. They’ve heard cries of “scandal” too often. Leaders and policies matter more, to them. But.

Two: the role of every war room I’ve run is not to win the election. Our role is always to knock the other side off their agenda, so they can’t showcase their leadership and ideas. You can’t score when you are constantly trying to keep pucks out of the net.

Three: that’s the political value of #WEscandal to the opposition. It gives them an opportunity to totally dismantle the #LPC’s leadership (the Trudeau brand, which is huge in Canadian politics) and the #LPC’s policies (their response to the pandemic, which has been popular.)

Four: #WEgate is lethal to the Trudeau brand not just because it hurts @JustinTrudeau - this thing also touches his wife, his brother and (critically) his mother. This scandal reaches back in time. It muddies the name of PET and the family’s public service. That’s huge.

Five: the defining political event of our lives is the pandemic, and how governments respond. It’s why Trump will lose & why Trudeau could. Kickbacks to Trudeaus? $1B contract for friends? That means they used the pandemic - their key strength! - to line their pockets. Deadly.

Six: the #LPC is dropping in the polls because this scandal is damaging personally (to the Trudeaus) and politically (vis-a-vis the pandemic). Deep wounds. The opposition need to keep picking at those scabs until they’re infected. Make those the ballot questions; nothing else.

Seven: the smarmy Keilburgers, et al., aren’t on the ballot. The Trudeau brand, and his response to the pandemic: those are. Focus only on those. And use every means at your disposal to do so, but not with prosecutors who turn people off (Poilievre, et al.). Be disciplined.

Eight: political reputations aren’t shredded in a single day - it takes many days to build one up, and many days to take one down. Commit long-term to prosecuting this scandal, use your best people, and never let up, even when the media claim to be bored. Be relentless.

Nine: the fact that the House isn’t really sitting is irrelevant. Hacks love QP, but voters don’t. They see it as what is wrong with the system, not what’s right. Be creative: prosecute the scandal in every possible venue - and not just in Ottawa. Make it ubiquitous.

Ten: in any war room I’ve led, I tell the kids the same thing every day: if we force the other side to play defence 24/7, they can’t score and we can. So use this time to showcase your own leadership/policies. Scandals don’t win elections - but they create opportunity. Use it.