Stephen's Bad Err Day

Watching Harper issue his talking points to his followers this evening, I was struck by just how panicked he looked. Gone is that bravado that he so loves to flaunt. This was a man who knew he'd made a mistake and is in danger of losing the job he believes he deserves.

That said, the country is in for a hell of a ride this week. Be prepared to be bombarded with ads, e-mail and if you can stomach it, talk radio on steroids. What Harper telegraphed tonight was that he is at war and as is his custom, he will take no prisoners. It's interesting really to see just how flummoxed he is that his tactic didn't work. I suppose arrogance does that to you. When you believe you are above it all, it must be quite a shock to feel the ground shifting under your feet.

So, he will delay what was in the public domain today for a week, in an effort to get his troops out there, spreading fear and lies in the hope that the country will rally to his cause. His base will rally of course and if you've wandered over to the BT's recently you'll take my point. I've already heard John Baird and Ezra telling us that either Jack Layton or Bob Rae will be the new Finance minister in a Dion led government. It's not a factual statement, but that's never stopped them in the past. Anyway, they said this prospect, terrifies them and it should terrify every Canadian out there! It's difficult not to laugh while listening to these particular attack dogs bloviate, isn't it? In fact, I was certain that I heard a chuckle from the host on the radio tonight.

I think we can anticipate that everything and everyone will be considered fair game by these guys. We know they have no respect for Parliament, so their attacks will go on about the illegitimacy of a coalition government and I wouldn't be surprised to hear the occasional, coup, thrown in there. It will be framed as being undemocratic which, when you consider what they were trying to pass and how they have behaved since first being elected, well it's beyond ironic.

In the end, I think they could harm their cause more than help it though. You see, to my mind the Conservatives have this bad habit of believing that everyone thinks the way they do. The bubble they keep themselves in prevents them from understanding that their 'take' on a situation is not how most people view things. Furthermore, in making such assumptions, they fail to realise that as they insult the Liberal party or the other opposition parties, they are insulting their supporters as well. Not a very clever way to bring people around.

So, be prepared for a campaign this week. It won't speak to making parliament work, because they clearly didn't hear that message on October 14th. Nor is it likely to feature a sweater vest of any colour. No, we will witness something that perhaps we've not seen before for any extended period of time and that is the full wrath of Stephen Harper when he has been crossed.

Buckle up! It's going to be an interesting ride.