Campaign 2009 -- "Keep ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Strong" versus "Take Back Your ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½" -- goes down in the books as an odd one.
One candidate quit because there's a picture of him holding a (clothed) woman's breast. A cabinet minister got part of his job taken away over some speeding tickets. Then he slept on it and quit the post entirely, which prompted driving record checks and revelations about assorted other candidates.
New Democratic Party Leader Carole James and former radio host Rafe Mair led the media on a tour of the devastation caused by run-of-the-river projects, but the media discovered you can't see much of anything from 4,000 feet.
Premier Gordon Campbell hugged a striking paramedic, missed four free throws in a row and started a debate about being patronizing after his debate performance.
The public reaction to all the above and more can be summed up in three words: "Go Canucks Go!"
If the campaign had a fraction of the energy that emanates from GM Place during Canucks playoff home games, voter turnout would be 100 per cent. But it doesn't.
Party leaders struggled to overcome apathy and playoff preoccupation, drawing relatively small crowds in the early going.
It started with a preemptive strike by some environmental groups against the NDP. They went public the day before the official launch with a news conference expressing dismay at James' firm promise to abolish the carbon tax if elected.
Conservation groups have hailed the innovative tax as a North American breakthrough. But the NDP decided last year to oppose it, in favor of a different strategy: Imposing cap and trade on emissions.
The news conference was the culmination of a bitter argument between the two camps, who were once fairly simpatico.
James ignored the three-pronged attack by ForestEthics, the Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation.
"We believe it's a bad tax and it's very clear the carbon tax isn't working."
Campbell visited Government House the next day to ask the Lieutenant-Governor to sign the election writs.
He hoped for a positive campaign with no personal attacks, but then pointed out: "Ms. James doesn't have a lot of business experience. She clearly doesn't understand a lot of the challenges."
He said the stakes this time around are enormous. "All of the progress British Columbians have made over the last eight years is at risk. It can all be lost in a single day."
James later trooped off to Kamloops to blame a proposed $20 a month bus levy there on the Liberal carbon tax.
Campbell retaliated with a trip to Dawson Creek, where he said the NDP version of a climate change plan -- which included new royalties on oil and gas -- would cost jobs.
(An error in the NDP royalty plan -- they vastly overestimated gas lost to flaring -- continued the argument days later.)
Both sides took a time out to grapple with Facebook. A Liberal candidate complained that NDP candidate Ray Lam was pictured on Facebook as a teenager fooling around with women.
He stepped down, and both leaders endorsed that move, which had the effect of scaring everyone under 30 away from politics.
With that silliness out of the way, they returned briefly to the environment.
The duelling leaders marked Earth Day in markedly different ways. James burned 90 gallons of fuel on a float plane looking for environmental damage caused by small-scale independent power projects. She said she saw it, but it escaped the notice of the press crew.
Campbell spent it paddling around the $900-million Vancouver convention centre expansion, showing off the artificial reef built to sustain marine life.
Then came the "ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½'s Worst Driver" contest. Former solicitor general John van Dongen led off, with the revelation his licence had been suspended.
He relinquished responsibility for ICBC and the motor vehicle branch, with the premier's approval.
Two days later he quit cabinet entirely. In the meantime, two other careless Liberal drivers came to light. Candidates Jesse McClinton in Victoria-Swan Lake and Laura McDiarmid both have messy records.
New Democrats were winning on this issue -- until van Dongen's NDP opponent, Bonnie Rai, waded in with three tickets, one of which she blamed on lying police.
"I tell you, the cops lied."
Running concurrently with that argument was a remarkably vicious online commercial sponsored by the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union Local 378.
It portrayed Campbell as falling-down drunk, stumbling around a Maui party while political events like the carbon tax and the raid on the legislature take place.
It was the type of American-style attack ad that creeps into Canadian politics from time to time, usually when the stakes are high.
The next big moment was the televised debate. Campbell, James and Green Party Leader Jane Sterk squared off for an hour of questions and argument last week.
It's a subjective judgment, but the verdict was virtually unanimous. James won, by taking the argument to Campbell at every turn.
He also lost points when he told James how big and complicated the job of premier was, a remark that sounded condescending to many.
Sterk appeared to disappoint people hoping for the fabled Green breakthrough, at one point blurting out; "I feel like I'm not here."
After that showcase event, the leaders bolted back on to the road. They've spent days on chartered aircraft and campaign buses criss-crossing ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ They draw middling-sized crowds of supporters and the occasional uncommitted voter. James usually gets a good, fairly friendly response and Campbell has been much more outgoing and gregarious this campaign compared to previous ones.
Both main camps are racing toward major finishing events tomorrow, after which they'll sit back Tuesday night and see whether it all paid off.
