Prime Minister Helen Clark came out clearly ahead of National Party leader John Key as the two party leaders launched their election campaigns in Auckland yesterday.
Mr Key in his "My Key Commitments to You" - was that a clever play or words - promised to the 1000 or so party supporters at the opening fresh leadership focused on the issues that mattered.
"Fresh leadership with a fresh focus on the economy and your financial prosperity. Fresh ideas, fresh solutions and fresh resolve. The will needed to turn this economy and this country around.
"My friends, it's time for a change. Let's go out and deliver it."
Time for a change? Was not that also the slogan Norman Kirk used to get Labour elected in 1972?
Fresh ideas and a change is exactly what Miss Clark provided by announcing a Government-backed retail deposit guarantee scheme.
Sure, she also announced a huge spend-up in infrastructure and more apprentices, Labour policies to be introduced when all else fails. But if leadership in times of a financial crisis was required, yesterday Miss Clark provided it.
She even got to make mention of free-wheeling unregulated money traders and financiers - greed merchants who should never again get the chance to destroy the lives of ordinary people in real jobs trying to put food on the table of their families.
For those who do not remember, Mr Key was a money trader in New York. Although he was not mentioned by name, Miss Clark will keep reminding New Zealanders that Mr Key made his estimated $50 million fortune on Wall Street.
For his part, Mr Key made some good solid points about economic management and his plan for economic recovery. But if the election is about the economy, then Miss Clark won the first round.
Taking the Pulse will keep a score of how things rate during the campaign. So far it is Clark 1, Key 0.
