The image counts enormously in politics, even more in our hypermediatized societies obsessed with the look. This series “Images and Leaders” examines how party leaders in the electoral campaign use their representations to seduce the electorate.
In the not-so-distant past, before being propelled to the leadership of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Éric Duhaime heated people’s minds daily on Radio X and FM93. From now on, it is with his image – in addition to his speech and his voice – that he tries to seduce his voters.
From his years as a radio host, he retains mastery of speech: he knows how to keep control of interviews, even if it means invariably stating the same facts, which he directs as he sees fit.
As for appearances, he does not disdain wearing a tie, wears trendy glasses with thick frames and is always well dressed. “He’s a fashionable guy,” said former Liberal minister Nathalie Normandeau, who briefly shared a radio talk show with him. “But that’s not what strikes you. What is striking is his patter. He’s a young chef, but he has a lot of experience. »
Childless, and while his spouse has chosen not to campaign by his side, the conservative leader notably uses his dog to attract attention and smiles on social networks. “Pets — dogs, cats — play into the humanization of the character,” says Mireille Lalancette, professor of political communication at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières.
“The man and the woman politicians need to show that they are not alone at the top, that they will be well surrounded when there will be difficult decisions to be made”, she notes.
Libertarian, Éric Duhaime also defused the debate on his homosexuality a few years ago by publishing a book The end of homosexuality and the last gay, where he believed that the emancipation of homosexuals was so complete that it would be necessary to reduce subsidies to organizations that defend them. He recently made the same speech on the status of women, making it a battle already won that does not deserve special attention.
A man on his guard
Considered “dangerous” by some observers, Éric Duhaime would take care of a more calm image in the campaign, more reactive than aggressive, playing more at the offended than at the offender.
“He looks harmless,” says Michel David, political columnist at the To have to. “You could pass him in the street without recognizing him. But it goes well with the clientele, which is unpretentious. But in fact, Éric Duhaime is “on his guard” in the face of the media, he says. “He has a right-wing ideology and most analysts are quite progressive. He knows we’re gonna try to find the loophole and make him look bad. He complains about media elites, but he knows the game — and he’s not surprised,” he continues.
Failing to appear with his spouse, Éric Duhaime has decided to rub shoulders with a few stars. He notably parachuted with Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge and trained with mixed martial arts champion Georges Saint-Pierre. “When we show up with stars, it allows us to get some of the credibility of these celebrities and to attract some of the aura of the person who is with us, continues Mireille Lalancette. [De poser] with Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge [qui a eu des ennuis parce qu’il n’était pas vacciné], this is consistent with his posture. »
“This is done a lot in the United States, also a lot in English Canada. It’s called the celebrity politics. […] But it can be a double-edged sword,” when the celebrity in question chooses a path that strays from ours, she says.
The right buttons
In his speech, Éric Duhaime frequently refers to the “sacrificed of the pandemic”, notes Professor Lalancette. Not surprising, therefore, to see him posing while doing cross fit in a sports hall in Quebec while promising subsidies to these establishments which have extensively challenged the health measures of the Legault government.
Accustomed to juggling with an audience, “he will also use the expression ‘we agree on that’ to attract the sympathy of his opponent”, notes Mireille Lalancette.
“Duhaime is extremely skilful” in his management of the media game, confirms Michel David. “He knows his customers very well. He is not trying to convince Quebecers as a whole. It weighs on the right buttons. He plays the role of the victim of the “elites”, and the media is part of it. »
The Conservative leader is also a master of sophisms, “those arguments that appear strong and relevant, but which, when you look closely, are misleading and can be criticized,” notes Professor Lalancette. He also went to a good school in the matter: it is a specialty of Radio X of Quebec, she underlines.
The fact that Éric Duhaime has relied heavily on the negative consequences of the measures against COVID-19 could, however, play against him, notes Mireille Lalancette, because – we hope – the pandemic will not last forever.