The call for an election finds Harper's Conservative Party holding up a mirror to our own dark politics:
The Tories [that's what they call Conservatives up north] expect to make this campaign about leadership, hoping to bank on Harper's popularity.
Harper is "a minivan-driving hockey dad from the suburbs" and "the most middle class prime minister this country has ever had," the aide said.
In contrast, [Liberal Party leader Stéphane] Dion is "an elitist professor whose leadership is marked by indecision and dogmatic adherence to ideological theories" such as his Green Shift carbon tax plan [Mia Rabson, "Tories Focus on Bashing Dion," Winnipeg Free Press, 2008.09.06].
A conservative politican facing economic troubles and promising a campaign focusing on personal image. Imagine that.
I really wish politicians would fall on their own sword more when they mess things up. Right now we just either ignore, spin, or go after anyone accusing the politician of failure. And falling on one's own sword doesn't mean exiting politics forever. It means significan self demotion so others can have a chance and it gives one a chance to hone ones skills in a less critical position.
ReplyDelete"Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper dissolved Parliament this weekend and called an election for October 14."
ReplyDeleteImagine the reaction if a U.S. President did such a thing.