Just over two weeks ago, Stephen Harper made a surprise appearance at the National Arts Centre Gala. He ambled onto the stage, sat down at a grand piano, and to a chorus of surprise-inspired laughter and a smattering of applause, sang the Beatles’  ‘With a Little Help from my Friends.’

Showcasing his modest talent on the ivories and singing in the Key of Ringo (but devoid of vocal passion — the “ahhs” and “umms” are stiff. It’s like watching a mannequin whistle) to some self-deprecating lyrics (“what would you do if I sang out of tune”), Harper had the media buzzing. A three-minute song did more for Harper’s image than three weeks of Rockwellian sweater-vest advertisements during the 2008 federal election.

It was another attempt, this time engineered by his wife Laureen who is the NAC’s honourary chairwoman, to humanize the Prime Minister. And this effort left some pundits musing aloud about whether we finally have a “cool” Prime Minister. John Ibbitson at the Globe and Mail asked if Harper could “actually be cool” and said that the “Prime Minister amazed us all.”

Globe and Mail blogger Andrew Steele opined that “the sight of a happy Stephen Harper playing the Beatles with Yo-Yo Ma at the National Arts Centre is a big deal.”

A former colleague of Harper’s at the National Citizens Coalition, Gerry Nicholls, writing in the National Post, called Harper’s performance a “game changer.”

And Toronto Star columnist Vinay Menon stated that Harper is playing against our image of him as dour and uncharismatic and that Harper is “becoming rather likeable.”

That’s all it took? Never mind the cuts to the arts, slashing women’s programs, an environmental agenda that’s earned global scorn, secrets and deceptions around the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan, a Science Minister who doesn’t “believe” in one the most basic elements of science, tax cuts at the expense of solid social program spending and numerous mean-spirited policies that have been enacted since 2006; all wiped away in three minutes because the PM made an expected appearance at an arts gala and played piano?

This is the problem with rating our politicians on the “have a beer with” index. It’s ludicrous and childish. I don’t want the electrician who wires my house to be a woman I want to share a pint with; I want her to be the best at what she does. Because the consequences are potentially fatal.

Similarly, I don’t want my Prime Minister to be “cool.” I want her or him to make my country better by making it more equitable.

But we, the great unwashed, seem to be entranced with politicians getting their groove on.

Following Harper’s piano performance and the fawning support of some pundits in the media, polling firm Ekos surveyed Canadians’ vote intentions.  Between October 7 and 13, almost 3,000 Canadians were asked who they would vote for if a federal election were held tomorrow.

The Conservatives have almost 41 per cent support — the highest level of support since they were re-elected in 2008. The Liberals have experienced a precipitous drop to 26 per cent from the mid-thirties, and the NDP are more or less steady at 14 per cent.

The gender gap is somewhat pronounced with 45 per cent of males supporting the Conservatives compared to 37 per cent of females. While 18 per cent of females support the NDP compared to 11 per cent of males.

The remainder of the Ekos questions asked respondents about the economy. Although most respondents across party lines agreed that we are in a “mild recession”, 27 per cent of those who support or are leaning toward the Conservatives agreed that we are “in a period of moderate growth.” Only 11 per cent of Liberal supporters and 13 per cent of NDP supporters agreed with this statement.

And when asked how their personal financial situation will be within the next year compared to today, NDP and BQ supporters were most pessimistic with 32 and 31 per cent, respectively, saying they will be worse off. Conservative supporters were more likely to say that they would be better off (41 per cent) compared to Liberal supporters (36 per cent) and NDP supporters (32 per cent).

Although the most important poll is the one held on Election Day, the Conservatives are starting to sense that a majority government is within reach. Their supporters seem to be more optimistic about the economy; a feeling that will surely be exploited by the Conservatives whether they are bragging about the amount of stimulus cash they’ve released (or thought about releasing, but haven’t yet) or are slapping the party logo on giant novelty cheques used for stimulus funding photo-ops.

Whether Harper’s piano performance has anything to do with this bump in the polls is difficult to determine since so many variables influence why and how people vote they way they do. But the Conservatives might, after months of declaring that no one wants an election, finally decide that everyone wants an election after all.

 

Eric Mang served as a political aide in the Harris government in Ontario and the Campbell government in British Columbia. His politics have since shifted left. He works full-time in health policy, part-time on a graduate degree, and writes whenever he can. You can read more at www.ericmang.com.

Eric Mang

Eric Mang

Eric Mang served as a political aide in the Harris government in Ontario and the Campbell government in British Columbia. His politics have since shifted left. He works full-time in health policy, part-time...