I'd just be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on something that has been troubling me:
Since 2004, Canadians have had a love affair with truly one of the most right-wing creatures to ever hold the leadership of a major political party (with 100 seats or over in the House of Commons) Canadians flocked to him in 2004 ready to give him a majority government. It was ONLY the complete ineptness of the Conservatives and sheer arrogance combined with enough of the press doing it's job in the closing days of the campaign that resulted in Canadians rejecting him in large enough numbers that Paul Martin was able to get a surprise minority albeit a very unstable one. Still, however, he maintained a solid standing in the polls and was able to oppose the Martin minority easily and with impunity. In April/May 2005, he was again in position to form a majority government. Canadians were again flocking to him. It took the utterly stuning move of Belinda Stronach and principled stand of Chuck Cadman to deny him his "precious" and save us from the most right-wing government Canada has ever seen. Then, of course, we came to November 2005 where the Martin government fell. The liberals held a comfortable and growing lead for the pre-Christmas portion of the campaign but then the income trust scandal (which certainly didn't result in Ralph Goodale going to jail as was bandied about at the time) broke and Canadians again flocked to this lunatic. Indeed, in early January, it looked like he was headed to a majority! Fortunately for us, however, he opened his mouth and spewed hate and ended up with not only a weak minority government but weaker than Paul Martin's! Still, though, he maintained a lead in the polls and was able to govern the parliament as if he had a majority. Every time that the opposition made a prinicipled stand and threatened to topple him, his poll numbers shot up. Canadians again flocked to him. Then, we come to August 2008 and again Harper is polling in majority territory! WHY? Then the hatred that fills his heart along with the hearts of the rest of his reform alliance party spewed out with the disgraceful anti-Dion AD, Quebec arts funding debacle and his incompetence showed with the listeriosis outbreak. Combine that with the greatest economic crisis in years and he was denied his majority but JUST BARELY and only because of the voters in Quebec who elected BQ MP's (god bless them) English Canada was ready to jump off a cliff and into bed with Harper. A man who had been proven time and time and time again to be an unprincipled power hungry lunatic.
So, next we come to November 2008 when Flaherty issues his joke of an economic statement that makes no effort to tackle the deficit nor to tackle at ALL the existential economic crisis facing millions of Canadians. The opposition calls him on it! What happens?? The public doesn't see a brute dictator willing to break his own election law to call an election when it suited him and ready to crush all opposition through denying their funds at the same time that he ignores the economic crisis and hides the deficit. They get all outraged at the coalition of the Libs-NDP-BQ that was formed to HELP THEM and flock to Harper in huge numbers sending his poll numbers to like 50% at their peak.
We see the same thing again in May 2009 when the Liberals/NDP reject the disgraceful EI reform package and threaten an election but AGAIN the voters flock to their hero, Harper, and send his poll numbers up to majority territory making an election call untenable. We see the same thing happen just in the past few weeks.
Now, to the point: WHAT do Canadians see in this thug?? If you look at the United States, President Obama's approval ratings have taken a HUGE hit due to the economic crisis and he has political skills 1000 times that of reformatory Harper but yet Harper manages to see his poll numbers rise during the great recession? Is it the biased reporting of CTV that has blinded Canadians? Is it the National Post? How can a leader with a $56 billion deficit be soaring in the polls? HOW? Also, the United States for heavens sake (no bastion of Liberalism) is tacking to the left due to the economy and Canada is embracing the right-wing lunatics? Again, I ask what is the hold that Harper has over the Canadian people? He's led in the polls since 2004 for heavens sake. By this time, Brian Mulroney was in total collapse mode and a national disgrace. Also, what can the oppositon do to make Harper less teflon? Jack, Gilles and yes even Michael have more integrity, more honesty and more compassion in one bone than Harper has in his whole body and have an agenda that will benefit the lives of millions of ordinary Canadians but yet they're rejected. Jack is berated as "Taliban Jack" and Iggy is labeled as "Just visiting" in a Karl Rove/Lee Atwater politics of personal destruction ad.
The GOP of the north is running Canada and voters are flocking to them. Chantal Herbert said on the National's at issue panel on Thursday that "Harper has never been closer to a majority". Huh? What's happening to this country? This isn't the Canada I recognize. This isn't the country of Pearson, Clark, Trudeau, or Chretien anymore. It's a country that I can't recognize. Were it not for the BQ, we'd all be living under a reign similar to Bush's. What do we have to do to stop this madman and also is there anything that I can do personally? I can't stand by while my fellow Canadians lose their minds and march towards giving this madman a majority.