While the emergence of a new candidate can be an exciting time for civic affairs reporters who often toil away in dark rooms wearing tan chinos trying to make the minutiae of municipal politics appear slightly more sexy than an egg salad sandwich left in a hot car for an afternoon, it can be a windfall of inspiration for headline writers. A new candidate represents an opportunity to employ a slew of new puns and sly pop culture references into headlines, which is often the only glimmer of light at the end of the dark tunnel of page layout. In a word, a new candidate represents hope.
Which is why we’re stoked about Kirk LaPointe officially announcing he’s running as the NPA mayoral candidate in the Nov. 15 election against Vision Vancouver incumbent Gregor Robertson, and not just because the two candidates are certifiable manthers who are pretty easy on the eyes.
LaPointe brings with him a wealth of media experience but also a fairly malleable name when it comes to headlines.
We expect to see a few “Kirk gives the mayor a few LaPointers” headlines after a particularly heated debate. On the other hand, if LaPointe fumbles in the debate, you might see “LaPointe blank range” or “Grosse LaPointe blank” or “LaPointe break.”
“LaPointe and shoot” is another no-brainer. As is “Power LaPointe presentation.”
And while we’d advise headline writers against picking the low hanging fruit that is “Captain Kirk,” they should by all means utilize such gems as “Kirkin’ for the weekend,” “Men at Kirk” and “Kirk hard, play harder.” We don’t even know what that means.
Needless to say, it’s going to be an exciting run-up to the election. And we can’t wait until the likes of Larry Bagina, Turds Macdonald, Abigail Taint and Crusty Slats announce their candidacy.
