Why does the Conservative party vet people attending Harper events?

Every person at Harper events is vetted. Thus, the only people attending are ardent supporters. At first I thought this seemed odd. If you only allow people who you already know are supporters, then how do you hope to meet and influence new supporters?

 

Then I started seeing the news cycle and I understood. And, it’s a smart tactic.

Harper travels around the country making announcements and the stump speech. This makes his supporters happy. But, he knows that there will be questions from the press. And, with a totally partisan crowd he knows that the sound bites will be great. Every answer he gives (often the same answer over and over) is greeted with cheering and applause. Nice. It’s a smart move. The brief clips we see on the news all look great. They all feature crowds which are wildly supportive of his answers.

Harper knows that he will get the lion’s share of the press. He has a plan that makes him always look polished and popular.

Presumably, getting the message out to new voters or to marginal voters is left to the candidates and the door knockers.

Smart game play. The Conservatives do it very well.