Mark Carney wurde nicht für das Fernsehen gemacht – Gott sei Dank an Güte

Some of the main points:

>But if Carney doesn’t quite dazzle the cameras, he’s proving himself a capable TV performer.
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>That matters. Political success in today’s hyper-televised environment has more to do with camera performance than it does with policy acumen. However you felt about former prime minister Justin Trudeau, he clearly enjoyed being on air. Ontario Premier Doug Ford can make swallowing a bee on live TV look natural. Carney’s biggest domestic adversaries, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, are both excellent on camera. And Donald Trump, Carney’s foreign foil, is the apotheosis of reality TV.
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>In many ways, Carney is Trump’s opposite. A man of immense policy experience and zero dramatic flair, Carney has never lowered himself to the mud-slinging theatre of political debate. That’s been a selling point to many — at last, a man of substance who doesn’t speak in slogans! But high-mindedness doesn’t always work out for aspiring politicians; ask former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. And while Carney managed to avoid disaster during last month’s campaign, he didn’t blow any minds either. He seemed to coast to victory on the strength of his resume, sliding through a fleeting portal of opportunity that Trump (as Trump well knows) inadvertently opened up for him.
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>So, the question of how Carney would navigate the biggest public confrontation of his life was entirely unresolved going into his sit-down with Trump. Yes, he kept his cool at the federal leaders debate. But staying calm amongst three bickering Canadians at Radio-Canada’s HQ is one thing; going toe-to-toe with a volatile gorilla who keeps threatening to annex your country, and who tore apart the president of that other country being annexed when he was sitting in the chair before you, and who posted a blistering rant against you on Truth Social moments before you arrived for the meeting — well, that’s a different thing.
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>Carney’s body language at the White House betrayed him a little. He laughed nervously, pursed his lips, touched his face and had trouble sitting still. Then, he turned that into his opening joke: When Trump invited him to say a few words, Carney said, “Thank you, Mr. President. I’m on the edge of my seat, actually.”
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>And there it is, Carney’s secret, unexpected weapon: Humour. The ability to make his opponents smile, which is a way of startling and catching them off guard, is emerging as a key arrow in Carney’s public-speaking quiver.
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>For all Carney’s evident wit and the momentum his recent victories have provided, this game is new to him. His reluctance to play it has been part of his appeal — the way he reflects on questions and answers them directly, rather than pivoting instinctively to pre-crafted messaging.
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>But his adversaries, and the political ecosystem he’s stepped into, won’t let Carney rest on that higher ground forever. Carney needs Alberta to cooperate for his nation-building plans to bear fruit. He’ll soon be squaring off against Poilievre in Question Period – a face-off we never really saw during the election campaign, when both men kept their gloves on.
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>Sooner or later, in other words, events will force Carney down to the muddy ground we got a glimpse of in the Oval Office. Politicians say the craziest things in that pit. Unlike real, untelevised life, you can’t just roll your eyes. You have to play ball. However quick a study Carney may be, that’s not a home game for him.

So far it’s been refreshing to see someone who hasn’t trained to deliver specific messages only and to perform for media. It will be interesting to see if he’s able to maintain this direct manner in the years to come.

I love how fidgety he is. Because I am also fidgety.

And I don’t think it’s nerves. It’s like, high-paced mental processing kinda fidgeting.