When Stephen Harper decided to launch the election campaign into the midsummer storm of the Duffy trial, he must have thought he could get away with it.
His criminal mind must have hoped that the campaign would distract Canadians, and limit the damage to him and his Cons.
But as even John Ivison points out, with every passing day that decision is looking more and more disastrous.
The thinking must have been that Stephen Harper’s appearances on the campaign trail would deflect attention from the goings-on in court. Those hopes look increasingly forlorn.
While most people won’t delve into the minutiae of the testimony, they will remember the prime minister looking like a character from the poster for the Usual Suspects, as he was peppered with reporters’ questions about the murky behaviour of his most senior staff.
Making him look even more ridiculous and beaten...
Standing behind a podium with a large sign reading “Leadership,” while denying any knowledge of what was happening in his own office does not bolster the prime minister’s credentials on the accountability file.
Which as I pointed out in my last post, may actually be fuelling the already strong desire for change.
The real barometer of public opinion is the question of whether it is time for another party to take over in Ottawa. A poll by Ipsos Reid suggested that two in three voters think it is. That change voter is split but, ominously for Harper, most of those people think the two main opposition parties should gang up on the Tories, if they win a minority.
And to make matters worse, as Chantale Hébert points out, the sordid revelations coming out of the Duffy trial can only demoralize Harper's supporters.
And make it even harder for him to win back those who have abandoned him.
Nigel Wright’s long-awaited appearance at Sen. Mike Duffy’s trial may not have implicated Harper further in the spending scandal but it certainly did not give the 2011 Conservative supporters who have since strayed to other parties a reason to run back to the fold.
At a time when Harper needs to sustain the enthusiasm of his base for an election marathon, the Duffy trial is making it hard for many loyal Conservatives to feel proud of their first majority government in two decades.
Especially since Batty Harper is now protecting his beloved Robin, Ray Novak, even though he and another large group of Cons in the PMO knew all about the sordid plan to try to cover-up a scandal.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper stood by his chief of staff, Ray Novak, as evidence in court suggested his senior aide was kept in the loop about a plan to have Nigel Wright reimburse Sen. Mike Duffy’s inappropriate expenses.
Because you know what his rabid base thinks about love stories like that one eh?
And who could be proud of a cowardly leader like this one?
But then he is desperate. He knows that if he loses even part of his Con base he's done like dinner.
It was a fatal mistake. And he's no political genius.
He allowed Duffy to surface at the worst possible time, and swamp his campaign...
And now they're both going down together...
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8 comments:
I think the MSM (including Con supporter Ivison) are starting to smell blood. With more reporters/journalists growing a spine and actually using the word "coverup", it's about time they stepped up. Ask more and more surgical questions of Harper at every campaign stop. But of course Harper limits questions to only 5 per stop, if he accepts questions at all. Kudos to CTV's Laurie Graham and CBC's Hannah Thibedeau for their great questions.
I think a great cartoon would be of Harper behind the podium--frowning--and somebody scrawling a question mark after the word "Leadership'.
The best possible outcome would be to see this psychopathic snake step down during the campaign but I can't help but think there is a diabolical strategy going on behind the scenes on this one to make "senate reform" a major campaign issue once we get the tough stuff out of the way. However, the "I had no knowledge" line is becoming more ridiculous by the day and the next question is if you didn't know about this Mr. Harper, then why not? A smart journalist could then skewer the "I took decisive action" response by merely pointing out that it was not the case and that his response was to point out Duffy's "leadership". At any rate, if this POS gets another 4-years at the helm in Ottawa, shame on our nation, even with FPTP voting.
as bad as it looks now for the con crew, it is a long way to the election. these people have "cheated" in previous elections, there is nothing to prevent them from doing it again.
we can only hope Canadians turn out in mass and defeat harper and his cons.
hi David...it's also my impression that the MSM is starting to smell a cover up. Although why it took them so long is simply inexplicable. But the main thing is that Harper's campaign is being derailed, and with other Cons due to testify the situation can only get worse for him and better for us...
hi David...well the shot of Harper grimacing behind that "Leadership" sign is already delicious. But if you want a question mark, I think I can provide one... ;)
hi bcwaterboy...I don't think Harper would ever step down. That would require a moral compass and he lost his a long time ago. And I wouldn't be surprised if harper comes up with some kind of referendum question on the future of the Senate. But the testimony has already been so damaging I doubt it would help him. And the way his polls are going he won't win another majority, and a minority is a death sentence for him and his cons...
hi e.a.f....just because I choose to emphasize the positive, to motivate progressives and cheer them up, doesn't mean that I am counting my chickens before they're hatched or fried. You're right, we have to watch those Con chickens like hawks, because they are quite capable of stealing the election...
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