Stephen Harper and his campaign bubble, does Harper even believe what he`s saying, there is something different this time with Harper, he`s robotic and sterile, maybe because we have seen this play before but I don`t think so, his corporate tax cuts, prisons and fighter jets or the three heathen mafia option that includes the Bloc, families and fragile recovery are standard buzz words with Harper's speeches but they don`t seem to be resonating, his words are definitely not resonating with me, Harper peaked in the polls the day the election was called and he`s been plunging into purgatory ever since and I don`t see anything that pulls him out of this funk, Harper is campaigning in a bubble, everything is so scripted, so uniform it feels flavourless and stale, will the fall be big enough for Harper to lose his grip on power, i`m not sure about that, yet.......
And there`s Jack Layton, he too is saying the right things, cut taxes, health care, educations, end subsidies to big oil and go at the banks, I applaud Jack for his effort however as much as his mind may be ready for the fight clearly the body signals emanating from Jack speak volumes and the polls seem to be confirming my concerns, there are three dynamics going on simultaneously in this Federal election, the NDP is showing weakness at the top, physical weakness through Jack Layton himself, that damn prostrate cancer treatment coupled with hip surgery have taken a big toll on Jack and there is no offense meant by me in saying it, it`s what I see..
Stephen Harper, cold dead messages being delivered by a robotic replublictron disguised as a human being, maybe it was his pathetic promise of a tax cut 5 years out if the budget is balanced, in that same time frame big profitable corporations would receive $60 billion in tax cuts....That is 30 years worth of his family tax cuts, that 5 year out proposal was too cost about $2 billion per year, I stated it last week, it was a fatal move that told you everything you needed too know about Harper`s agenda and pretend concern for real people....
The second dynamic going on is traditional NDP supporters are in such fear of a Harper majority they are switching horses in ridings where their guy can`t win but their vote can help the Federal Liberal beat the Conservative, I believe many are thinking the same way, the thought of a Federal Liberal Government is less threatening than a Harper majority and the third dynamic happening is no other than a transformation before our eyes, the transformation of Michael Ignatief from distant elitist to one of us, a human being with human failings, now don`t get me wrong, I am no Federal Liberal and still hold anger against Trudeau, Cretian and Martin, while the Mulroney and Harper Governments have equally failed in my mind, my leanings Federally are still with the NDP however I too may slide Red, maybe because I believe the NDP can`t do worse than the established parties, my vote in my riding will be strategic......Back to Michael Ignatief.....
I can`t explain what is going on in simple words it`s like Iggy has decided he has nothing to lose, what we might be seeing is the real back room friendly Michael Ignatief, the smug look is gone, the persona of knowing what`s best because he`s an elitist has been dropped, the man is laying out his soul on the campaign trail and it comes across as real and it`s resonating with voters, both with traditional Federal Liberals and people afraid of Harper....
I don`t know why but I believe Michael Ignatief, do I trust the Federal Liberals, not whole heartedly but I trust them more than the Conservatives, who I will vote for is still up in the air, it won`t be for Harper.....
I know many of you won`t be thrilled with this assessment but sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due, Michael Ignatief is on fire and he hasn`t even launched his platform, that starts tomorrow, what Ignatief has done is lay his feelings and soul out there for all to see, it`s as if he was at a family function with nothing to hide, not very often can the one man make the difference, the old Iggy was dead before this contest even started the new reborn Iggy is stealing the show and on his way to changing the Federal landscape, you faithful may want to disagree, honesty works for me
A tip of the hat to you Mr. Michael Ignatief...........Honest feelings and a big sky platform, laid out there for all to see, a winning strategy.
(PS...It appears that the Horgan express is picking up steam, they`re starting to notice)
The Straight goods
Cheers Eyes Wide Open
10 comments:
Ignatieff has taken me by surprise too. He seems to be in it for the good fight - to give Canada something better. Meanwhile, as you say, Harper seems to be even worse than usual. What I can't understand is the polls show Harper staying strong as ever, even increasing a bit. Maybe many people aren't paying attention to the election yet.
Grant, good insightful post. What is going on in BC? A CTV poll today shows Iggy in a strong 2nd place and the NDP sliding badly into 3rd place. Maybe you are right. Maybe we have to vote for the Reds to keep the HarperCons out!
Maybe everyone thinking what you are thinking?
I am a bit suspicious of the polls at present - given the big business bonuses that Stephen harper hsa doled out. I am getting pretty cynical over the way the MSM and the Polls have, for the most part, sung the praises of Campbell and the BC Liberals - and they appear to be doing the same with the federal conservatives.
There is a huge amount of money at stake just now - HST, business tax breaks etc. and I can see that the benificiaries will do what ever they can to get Harper returned to Ottawa.
Gotta make sure the Conservatives don't get back in.
Thanks
I'm old time NDP but live in a riding where the neo con will get voted in again.
Haven't heard hide nor hair of the Lib candidate in the riding; not one sign anywhere.
I'm voting NDP; our guy came in 2nd last time. And will again. The Lib was a distant 3rd.
I'd rather see Iggy beat Harper though.
Two small points:
* I wish to gosh that people would look at Jack Layton and say "What a guy! He must be exhausted; he must be in pain; but he's marching onward to defeat the Harper gang.: He's OK.
* The big advantage with Michael Ignatieff is that he isn't dragging old baggage into the fight. What could be better than a strong academic background and his familiarity with the wide world? He's OK too.
There's a strong possibility, in my opinion, that we might get it right in this federal election.
Stephen Harper should stick to music. He plays piano well, and can sing, too. He would be bigger than Buble and Bieber.
The thought of Harpo is scaring a lot of people and the neo-con machine rolled right through Delta, dumping long time political type, Dale Saip, in favour of a shrill Harpo clone-ette.
Sadly, Layton and the NDP just do not have the political savvy to get elected and it is high time the NDP start some soul searching about politics and candidates or they will face getting the booby-prize for many election yet.
I see that May's Greens are taking votes away from Harpo (see Alex T.'s blog) and the right wing is dumbfounded, but do as they always do, smear, attack, libel their opponents.
Good old Canadian politics, democracy for a day, every 2 to 4 years, at its glorious finest.
Where is Mr. Peanut when you need him most.
And Mr. Gordon Wilson has quite a bit to say on Harper. Canada will not be Canada if Harper receives a majority.
http://gordonfdwilson.com/
Thanks Mr. Wilson
If Harper wins a majority, we can kiss Canada goodbye. He has given the wealthiest corporations in the world, billions of our tax dollars. They already get huge tax reductions. I watched this motion pass in the Federal House. Now Harper wants to give these big outfits, another tax reduction. This reductions will be taken off Canadians paychecks. Harper is giving this country away, and citizens are being exploited by him to, give our money to big business. The HST was designed for big business also. That is who the HST benefits, not the people who are forced to pay it. The HST is nothing other, than a tax grab for greedy, huge outfits.
Sorry Grant, can't agree with you about Ignatieff. He will be just like Chretien before him - say anything to get elected and then dump his new Red Book in an outhouse somewhere. The only hope we have to survive as a nation is to have a minority government with the NDP holding enough seats to hold at least some power in decision making. Think about it; after this election which nobody wanted, Canadians will have no stomach for yet another one. The Liberals are the nice guy in the two cop interview technique, but they are the same lousy side of the capitalist coin they have always been. Mark my words; if Igantieff gets elected to a majority he will sell out Canada just like Harper did. Just like Campbell sold out BC. Just like Chretien did when he reneged on his promise to renegotiate NAFTA. Just like Mulroney sold us down the river with the FTA and then NAFTA. Globalism is a world wide scam and Ignatieff is in it up to his eyeballs. I can agree that we only get 'democracy' when there is an election, but it's not really democracy in any sense of the word. You want effective government? Look at China: Take away the human rights violations and what is left is a government which thinks of its own country first, second and third. Soon they will own most of BC; so exercise your 'democratic' right to vote and then go back to sleep. Move along folks, nothing to see here, just politics as usual. Same media lies. BTW, did you notice in the news that Taiwan is advising its citizens to not go outdoors unless absolutely necessary? And to discard their clothes when they get home; and have a shower to wash off any radiation which is still on them. You won't get that kind of truth here in BC or Canada, although there is that guy in Masset who sent off rainwater to a private lab and found that radiation levels on the Haida Gwaii (in the rainwater) are 30 times above normal and he had the sense to advise the people there to stop drinking it. As we all know, once radiation gets inside your body, the effects can be multiplied by up to a million times. We're talking about cesium 137 here; half life 30 years - if your children live that long. All the media talks about is iodine - because it has a half life of 8 days. All the Government of Canada says is that levels are too low to be of any concern. BS. After Chernobyl the radiation didn't just sort of dissipate in the air - it fell in rain on places hundreds and even thousands of miles away - in Sweden to this day there are areas with high rates of cancer with lakes which are still too irradiated to fish from or swim in. Same as Germany where some agricultural areas are still too unsafe to take food from. Iggy never mentions it, Iggy is in it for Iggy. And if he gets elected we will be in the same rotten, corrupt ship of state. The only answer is elect representatives who can have a free vote on every bill. Or even better, to return the power to the people in the form of a binding vote on issues at every election. You might think we are too stupid but I ask you - could we possibly have screwed things up worse? It is that middle layer of 'representative party government' which is so susceptible to corruption which keeps the rich people happy and the rest of us up to our eyebrows in taxes. BC should be one of the riches areas in the world, yet we don't have enough for decent health care, let alone education and a decent standard of living for the poorest 20%. Something very wrong with that picture. Which is why you are absolutely right about at least one thing: Encana and the Northern Gateway. They are part of the whole system which has been set up for centuries to benefit the rich at the expense of everyone else. It's the system, and you can't change it.
Post a Comment