A puzzling election-night Brownout

Was he being petulant or proud — or was he pouting?
Whatever the reason, Kamloops-North Thompson NDP candidate Doug Brown was acting mighty odd on election night for someone who wanted to represent the people.
The man who would be MLA, the man who carried the flag of the party long known as that which champions the ordinary voter, essentially shut out the public throughout the day and night, refusing to speak to reporters and only granting his supporters a concession speech as the clock inched toward 11 at night.
Perhaps Brown was simply heeding the advice of Salomé Cerqueira and the rest of the campaign staff from Ontario as he watched Liberal Terry Lake ride to victory.
This would be the political gang that couldn’t shoot straight, as evidenced by its inability to discern between a mill that had burned down and one that had been closed due to economic conditions.
Whatever the reason for Brown’s reluctance to interact with those he wished to represent, it was a poor decision.
And it was an attitude highlighted even more by the gracious demeanour offered by Tom Friedman, the Kamloops-South Thompson NDP candidate who lost to Liberal Kevin Krueger.
While Brown became the reclusive political spider, Friedman offered a wide web of access, inviting KTW into his living room as Krueger’s lead increased and making sure to be at Krueger’s campaign headquarters at a decent hour to offer congratulations and his help.
The tale of two candidates was instructive — the margin of victory doesn’t account for the margin of error in simple human behaviour.