As I've mentioned several times recently, I've never seen this country so paranoid and so fearful.
So that even a small marine police exercise in the bay the other day, had some people wondering whether the terrorists were coming.
The ones Stephen Harper would have us believe would behead us in our bedrooms.
Which helps explain why I've never seen him look so happy, and yet so deranged...
To see the Fear Factor glowing red, even on Parliament Hill.
A chill has descended on Parliament Hill over the past month, and it has little to do with the capital’s long winter.
The shootings at the National War Memorial and Centre Block, followed by a chain of allegations about sexual harassment in political offices, have ratcheted up the fear factor on Parliament Hill.
Because as he once told one of his cowed flunkies, there is nothing he enjoys more than seeing fear in the eyes of others.
And watching how it boosts his polls...
And being able to dream again of winning the next election.
Conventional wisdom says the Conservatives benefit when the population is fearful, so all the nervousness in Ottawa and beyond these days is supposed to be good news for Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the 2015 election.
And Susan Delacourt is right, this is the Big Question:
So, will fear be a theme for the 2015 election too? If so, will the voters reward the politicians who soothe their fears, or the ones who whip them up?
And what makes all of the above even more disturbing is that Harper isn't just trying to scare Canadians.
Like all other Cons he's scared shitless HIMSELF !!!
A study published last year in the American Journal of Political Science would seem to support that view — in part. By looking at the connection between individuals’ political leanings and their tendency to be afraid, they found that fear and conservatism were closely linked.
Rose McDermott, a Brown University political scientist and one of the authors of the study, put it this way: “It’s not that conservative people are more fearful, it’s that fearful people are more conservative,” she said.
And actually it's even worse than that, because other studies have shown that the Cons can't help themselves.
It's the fear gland in their BRAINS !!!
Peering inside the brain with MRI scans, researchers at University College London found that self-described conservative students had a larger amygdala than liberals. The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure deep in the brain that is active during states of fear and anxiety.
And it explains EVERYTHING...
Most societies are divided into a party that wants change (the more liberal party) and one that is afraid of change (the conservatives). The liberal party is generally more intellectual and the conservative party is more anti-intellectual.
The conservative party is big on national defense and magnifies our perception of threat, whether of foreign aggressors, immigrants, terrorists, or invading ideologies like Communism. To a conservative, the world really is a frightening place.
And the question is how do we fight the Fear Factor, and those Con chickens?
Before they scare themselves silly, and turn into hawks.
Or FASCISTS...
And start taking away our freedoms to make themselves feel safer. While scaring Canadians into voting for them anyway.
And the good news? In times like these, hope is a mighty weapon.
An election campaign built around fear has a big problem — it crowds out that other powerful political commodity, hope. These may be fearful times around Parliament Hill and in Canada at large, but one assumes that Canadians, conservative or otherwise, want to hear that these fears will pass, someday.
And if and when the progressive parties finally start framing the election as a choice between the darkness and the depravity of the Con regime.
And a vision of a brighter more hopeful future...
Something Stephen Harper can never match, because for him the world is a fearful ugly place, full of real and imagined enemies.
They will find a lot of Canadians hungry for what they have to offer.
Our vision of Canada will prevail.
The Cons will be defeated.
And hope will conquer fear...
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Looks like Harper is trying to instill fear in Putin now by ALLEGEDLY telling him to get out of Ukraine.I don't believe a word that comes out of Jason MacDonald's mouth.Of course the MSM Presstitutes jumped all over it.Looks more like the PMO trolling for votes for Great Warrior Leader.If Putin wanted to he could finish that war in Ukraine in 24 hours.If Obama wanted to he could end that war with one phone call.Neither would require anything from Harper.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Jason could tell us how many Canadian companies are currently working inside Russia.
Good grief!! Harper called Russia and Putin evil Communists and then sold Canada to Communist China, as of Oct 1/2014. Communist China is now, financing Putin. Harper still sells arms to Russia. Of course Harper would be the only one at the summit, to insult Putin once again. Harper thinks he is a big shot and the only thing bigger than Harper's mouth, is his gut.
ReplyDeleteOnce again Harper was told, he was not wanted in the war with ISIS. Right from day one Harper was told, he was not needed. Obama thanked all of the other countries for their support. Harper didn't even get a honorable mention. This time Harper was told? He should train the other countries soldiers, with their boots on the ground. Harper just doesn't get it? He is a pariah and no-one wants anything to do with him.
Wonder if Harper attended the meeting on climate change? Harper runs this country, based on his religious beliefs.
Longist Sitting Asshole, and everyone in Canada knows his name!
ReplyDeleteyes, the war could be finished very quickly, but it won't be. things in that area are very complicated. Putin knows it, harper just isn't smart enough to have studied history. If harper actually said to Putin what it is alleged, he would look like the idiot he is. No world leaders go around mouthing off like that. harper had better watch out. If Putin get bored he might decide he wants the Artic and there would be nothing harper or Canada could do about it.
ReplyDeleteharper likes to run things on fear, but many conservatives, who are fear based, are afraid of harper now. he is something to be removed. You see he has made people afraid of being taken into a war they don't want. they are afraid he may remove their health care. vets are afraid he may further reduce their benefits. people who care about the environment are afraid of harper Harper scares a lot of people and those people are more scared of harper than of some imaginary terrorists.
Most people understand the murderers of the two soliders were not terrorists but mentally ill people. It doesn't matter how often old Lisa at CTV runs the "crazy" eyed picture of the one shooter.
I'd suggest people are more "afraid" of not having a job, not having health care, etc than they are of any "terrorist" threat harper and his herd can dream up. It may be conservatives' brains function differently, but when times get tough, people get more afraid of the near than the far.