Quick Review》Jiang Wanan’s “Pig Teammate”

The capital's mayoral election has entered a close-quarters battle. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan, who had previously had little time to relax and had the advantage of being an incumbent, is facing the "ocean current" set off by DPP challenger Shen Boyang. His lead in the polls has narrowed significantly from a distant lead. From the "Big Removal 2.0" that was demanded at the beginning, to the "drug issue" that still refuses to let go, the Blue Camp's series of high and low offenses and defenses are the best portrayal of a large group of "pig teammates" disrupting the leader's position.

Shen Boyang's vivid colors in preventing cognitive warfare and assisting in general recalls in the past have a high level of hatred and recognition in the hearts of blue-camp voters. The Kuomintang has brought the election campaign to the level of "anti-splitting", which can indeed quickly stabilize the psychological defense line of the pan-blue base and deepen the doubts of traditional conservative voters, becoming a structural ceiling that is difficult for Shen Boyang to overcome.

However, labeling alone cannot expand its lead. While the Blue Camp angrily criticized the "Ocean Current" as "Great Recall 2.0" and vowed to tear off the mask of opponents, Shen Boyang adopted a flexible "de-radicalization" strategy to deliberately cool down the situation - going to the market to sweep the streets, standing on street soap boxes to talk about life and politics, and even stepping into the Deep Blue program to accept exclusive interviews. This not only gradually opened a gap between the third force and young votes, but also weakened the impact of the Blue Camp's continued high-decibel mobilization.

There are also essential differences in the electoral system between the two elections. A general recall is a threshold mobilization in a single constituency, prompting a defensive battle among the die-hard base through high-intensity confrontation. However, the logic of winning the election of Taipei mayor is to win a relative majority in the city. When the focus of the election campaign continues to remain on ideological mobilization, middle and independent voters who attach great importance to governance practices and are tired of political rhetoric will not only not be intimidated by "Recall 2.0", but will gradually lose their sense of identification with the blue camp.

Jiang Wanan's trump card in the battle for the capital was supposed to be his "stable current position" and his performance over the past four years. However, several waves of out-of-control rhythms consumed the leading dividend. Take drug attack and defense as an example. The Blue Camp oversimplified the "harm reduction policy" to "Shen advocates distributing drugs in the community," triggering a backlash from the social welfare and medical circles. The originally black-and-white moral attack and defense turned into a complex professional discussion. When Jiang Wanan proposed the municipal vision of "relocating Songshan Airport" (regardless of whether it was comprehensive or not), the Blue Camp civilians insisted on it, and even broke out in a gaffe controversy, forcefully dragging the leader back into a mud war.

With less than 50 days left for the election, what citizens in the capital have to test is the mayor's maturity and team leadership. Although Jiang Wanan still maintains an advantage in the polls, there is a saying that "you are not afraid of god-like opponents, only pig-like teammates." When Jiang Wanan is fighting for re-election, what he has to worry about may not be how strong the "ocean current" is, but how many stormy waves his teammates behind him can stir up.