Jiang Wanan’s Facebook question about Shen Boyang’s drug issues triggered a 13-hour message war, and was pointed out four strategic mistakes

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan publicly questioned on Facebook that DPP challenger Shen Boyang once advocated "providing drug users with drugs and clean needles." In the end, it turned into a situation where more than 350,000 comments were poured into it in 13 hours. The mayor of the capital declared that there is nothing wrong with anti-drugs. The key lies in four strategic mistakes made by his staff:

1. Pattern translocation

The core assets of local chiefs seeking re-election have always been solid municipal performance and big-picture vision. The essence of a challenger is to "raise questions and describe ideas." The advantage of a ruler is to "have real power and produce results." When the mayor of the capital chooses to stand on the front line and initiate a proactive confrontation with the challenger's past words and deeds, he has already given up the commanding heights in strategic positioning.

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2. Check failure

The iron law of campaigning and defense is to see who the gun is aimed at before shooting. Jiang Wanan asked, "Is it allowed to provide drugs and needles in Taipei City communities?" He tied the discussion of drugs and needles, but ignored the "Clean Needle Project" that the Taipei City Health Bureau has implemented for more than 20 years, and even affected his past proposal record in the legislative committee. He treated professional public health treatment as a moral stain, exposing the roughness of his staff.

3. Personality is out of touch

Jiang Wanan has maintained a moderate, rational and stable image for many years, which is an important asset in attracting cross-party voters. In the face of doubts from the community, Jiang's team responded with words such as "Shen Boyang is anxious" and "funds are burning." This emotional tone was completely out of touch with Jiang Wanan's persona. It not only failed to calm the controversy, but also made the middle voters feel awkward.

4. Only look at the stratosphere

The key to victory or defeat in the Taipei City election lies in the median voters who value professional governance, human rights values, and rational discourse. While the mayor's "anti-drug card" attracted applause from the stratosphere, the Taipei City Police Department's inspection of a gay bar in Ximending triggered a controversy over law enforcement. The lack of focus on public health harm reduction policies and the anxiety of being targeted by sexual minorities instantly intertwined, completely shattering the originally set election script.

A mature election campaign in the capital is about demonstrating a well-structured policy blueprint and a deep understanding of complex governance issues. If the current ruler spends all his propaganda energy on questioning challengers instead of "selling Taipei of the future," how can he convince voters to support him in the next four years?