Ex-astronaut seeks Liberal leadership, Twitter puns ready for lift off
Storified by Maclean’s Magazine · Thu, Nov 29 2012 05:36:52
Marc Garneau, the first Canadian in space / Marc Garneau, le premier Canadien dans l’espaceMarcGarneauMP
Canada has a new social media darling. Marc Garneau, the first Canadian in space, announced Wednesday that he is running to become the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. While he has slightly more than 8,500 Twitter followers (significanlty fewer than Liberal rival Justin Trudeau with almost 170,000), Garneau’s leadership bid resulted in a plethora of puns and space jokes in the Twitterverse.
Marc Garneau announces he will run for the leadership of the federal Liberal Party of Canada / Marc Garneau annonce qu’il sera candidat à la direction du Parti libéral du CanadaMarcGarneauMP
Warning: there were plenty of puns, some courtesy the man of the hour:
Je décole – Blast off #Cndpoli #LPCLdrMarc Garneau
Marc Garneau should follow Neil Armstrong’s lead and tell unfunny jokes about space. Then end by saying "Ahh, I guess you had to be there".Andrew Potter
Imagine the Conservative attacks on Marc Garneau: " …He didn’t come back to Earth for you" #cdnpoli #lpcScott Brison
How about a deal: WE won’t write headlines like "failure to launch" if YOU won’t say "let’s take Canada to new heights" http://www.ipolitics.ca/2012/11/28/ex-astronaut-marc-garneau-launches-federal-liberal-leadership-bid/Andrew Coyne
Marc Garneau http://fr-ca.actualites.yahoo.com/photos/les-caricatures-slideshow/ http://pic.twitter.com/HapPiDLDfleg
Astronaut Marc Garneau is running for the leadership of the Liberal party. Finally, someone who will know his way around Newt’s moon colony.Bruce Arthur
Hey, Mark Garneau, are you an astronaut? ‘Cause your Liberal leadership bid is outta this world!Sheena Goodyear
Marc Garneau dévoile une partie de sa stratégie dans ceci! Tsé un gars à mode?! http://pic.twitter.com/R4vh3fn9Ben
Desperately trying to avoid a Garneau space joke in my headline because they’ve all been taken. #journalismDale Smith-Journo
The puns became so prevalent that the hashtag #garneauslogans offered even more potential catchphrases for the man who wants to become Prime Minister.
To majority … and beyond! #GarneauSlogansWilfrid Laurier
I can see Russia from my spaceship #GarneauSlogansAdam Quirk
you want someone with a global vision? elect a person who’s been to space. #garneauslogansnoah saber freedman
I’ll give Stephen Harper a one-way ticket to the moon #garneauslogansNickie
In space, no one can hear you yell "CARBON TAX." #GarneauSlogansJustin Ling
If you thought @JustinTrudeau had star power, you ain’t seen nothing yet. @MarcGarneau #garneauslogansBrodie Thomas
Space, The Final Frontier. Well, also Alberta. #GarneauSlogansAndrew Coyne
It’s the Astronomy, Stupid. #GarneauSlogansEmmett Macfarlane
I will replace the F-35 with the Millenium Falcon. #garneauslogansSteve V
The next Liberal that opens his yap about Alberta gets airlocked. #GarneauSlogansJohn Groves