Belinda's Jagged Pill Still Hard To Swallow

Today my wife took an extended lunch to attend the Women of Influence Luncheon at the Chateau Laurier where guest speaker Belinda Stronach pitched "Earning Influence". In the description on their website, Stronach was to talk about "how she makes tough decisions, sets priorities and tries to get things done."

Not one paragraph in and I've already hit a fork in the road. I'd could go in a number of directions from here, most of them unflattering toward Stronach, so perhaps I'll pull over and check my moral compass again.

My big question would be, was she earning influence or outright buying it when she two-stepped across the floor to tip the scales just enough to pull Paul Martin's fat out of the fire?

While I may be grateful for Stronach's part in engineering the Alliance/PC merger to repair the damage to our democratic fabric, it's questionable now just how much political will was she responsible for exciting and how much of the influence she wielded was simple financial clout, seeing as she substantially supported both parties, including Peter MacKay's PC Leadership bid - reportedly to the tune of $100,000. To me, that's not earning influence. That's waving it around in tens and twenties.

For Belinda Stronach to have any lasting influence in politics, crossing the floor as a fledgling MP was a big rookie mistake. Selling your vote is, again, not earning influence. It's whoring it. There, I said it. Now I feel dirty.
But, whatever her moral argument, be it that she A) didn't like the direction of the Conservative Party or that B) the Government had a workable budget (a: Very moderate policy for her out of Montreal and b: Not after Jack Layton got a hold of it) she would have kept her integrity intact by merely sitting as an independant. Instead, she chose the motherlode. Ironically (as you may choose to view it), she can forever enjoy the title of the Honourable Belinda Stronach.

And, while my wife had economic pie for dessert, Belinda served up a leftover (insert Ginger Rogers high-heel joke here) speech and I was catching up on shows that I had missed this week, including This Hour Has 22 Minutes. It featured Stronach regurgitating a pre-fed Viagra joke aimed at Stephen Harper. And, yes it was pre-fed. The placement required a contrived set-up and it was stiffly executed. See for yourself here and then ask yourself, "who choked on the pill?"

Perhaps I'm being too harsh. Comedy is a complex file.

Fear Factor: Canadian Style

The Reality Show "Fear Factor: Canadian Style" is the sweeping the nation with riviting coverage, spectacular spin and dramatic overtone. But the contestants on this show are not lowered into a plexiglass box filled with scorpions, no one has to eat living insects or capture a flag while tethered two hundred feet in the air. Instead, the challenge is more metaphoric though equally dangerous.

"Fear Factor: Canadian Style", you see, is about our politics. From Friday's National Post comes this headline: Voters frustrated with Grits, fearful of Tories: poll

Much like the last 3 weeks of the 2004 federal election, we can expect to see a full writ period of desperate, fear-packed campaigning by a minority ruling party in its last throes pulling out all stops to retain power. Many tories I've talked to over the past few weeks have said that they expect as much. Stephen Harper was right in March of last year when he said "The tired, old, corrupt Liberal party is cornered like an angry rat. They are going to attack us like never before." But, as he couldn't have been more right then, the rat is bigger and angrier this time around.

As with the television show, the test is "how long can you stay in the ring" with the angry rat and "what will it take" to beat it down? As for the voter, how much can they swallow before their gag reflex kicks in?

One of the most critical tools used successfully by the Liberal Party is polling. Not only are they adept at push-polling, they enjoy the benefit of Liberal friendly firms and outlets to provide their spin for them. This isn't a whiny complaint, rather a statement of mere fact. Stephen Taylor wrote a very insightful entry on his blog regarding the recent Strategic Counsel post-Gomery results. Suggestive questioning is employed in these surveys and its only design is to elicit desired results. It was no surprise that, after the first Strategic survey showed a Conservative lead, they went right back to work - only to release a very different result not three days later, knowing the power of the pollster to not only reflect public opinion: It AFFECTS public opinion.

The Decima results from Friday's Post suggest what's been suggested for far too long: Voters are pissed at the Liberals but fearful of the Conservatives. It's interesting that, while nowhere is it found in the quotes or the description of the current poll, the spectre of last year's same-sex, abortion, health-care burns became highlighted. While abortion will not be a factor this time, same-sex and health-care will be hot fodder for the Grits who will wrap themselves in the Charter and Canada Health Act as will be the tired old wale of Stephen Harper dragging us through the war in Iraq. Admittedly, our damage control record isn't exactly stellar on some of these elements.

This time, the Conservatives have to be prepared for what's coming, cap the spiggots and move on to the positive platform issues. Warren Kinsella offers up an example of what I'm talking about in his November 11th blog entry regarding Paul Martin's address at the Empire Club, once again fear mongering about Harper and Iraq. It lists "I really think Canada should get over to Iraq as quickly as possible." - (Paul Martin, North Bay Nugget, April 30, 2003) as the kind of hypocrisy Martin has been getting away with for years.

The spin machines are in high gear, mud is being stirred in the buckets as we speak, the dirty tricks desk is already in operation (Yes, Virginia, I said "dirty tricks". It's time you grew up and stopped believing in Santa Claus,too! Besides, he'll be too busy campaigning to come to your house this year). The Liberals are as ready as they can be. The Conservatives had better be ready like we've never been before.

Want to know what you're playing for? Only a country who's future hangs in the balance of this election.

The biggest fear of all is that the damage to the Canadian fabric is done and irreparable. The unknown is what's killing us. Will Quebec stay or go? Better question: When? Then, who's next and when, Ralph? One thing we all know is who's responsible for the mess. Returning them to power is to bid adieu to Quebec and good-bye to Canada in fast-track fashion. How's that for a fear factor?

Fear Factor: Canadian Style can be seen nightly on your local and national news stations.