Darth Harper and the Divided Left That Eats Itself

I think it safe to say that with less than three weeks to go before the election, and Darth Harper and his Aussie alien Lynton Crosby preparing to use the foulest wedge issues to try to win another mandate.

As you can see by this latest tweet from Great Ugly Leader.



The last thing I probably needed to know was that the NDP and the Liberals are fighting each other. Again.

Or see the gratingly Con friendly Jen Gerson crow that the left is eating itself. 

If the debate was worth watching, it was for the sudden epiphany that this was the left eating itself. Trudeau and Mulcair bloodied each other over who could claim the more principled stand on C-51, who had the correct balance between security and state power until Harper emerged, stage right:

“The threat we face today is not CSIS, it is ISIS,” he said.

Or worse, have her compare that to a scene from Star Wars.

Granted not every situation can be compared to a scene from the original Star Wars trilogy, but this did seem like the climax of the Return of the Jedi. Emperor Harper cackles in the background, toying with his minions Darth Mulcair and Luke Trudeau as they battle to become his apprentice — and successor. 

“Good, good,” he says, “your hate has made you powerful.”

And know that what she says is true.

It is Darth Harper ...



Or Lord Palpatine...



And know too that our divisions could kill us. 



“We have an electoral system where a majority of people can vote for change and still see the Conservatives win seats because the parties refuse to work together,” says Amara Possian, election campaign manager for Leadnow, a national advocacy organization campaigning for strategic voting.

Because we never seem to learn the lessons of history.

Indeed, while the chances of Harper winning another majority are looking bleak, winning a minority government is still firmly within his grasp. And that’s because the opposition vote is split between the Liberals, NDP, Bloc and Greens. 

After all, as long-time Toronto-based election consultant Warren Kinsella points out, the only reason Harper has won the last three elections is because “the opposition parties are exactly where he wants them – splitting the progressive vote… Until the progressive side gets its act together he’s going to win.”

Just keep doing the same old thing, and expecting a different result.

Back in 2011, of 14.8 million ballots cast, 5.8 million went to the Conservatives, and a combined total of 7.9 million went to the Liberal, NDP and Green parties – a difference of more than two million ballots. And yet the Tories picked up an extra 23 seats and wrested control of the House.

Which is as we know the very definition of insanity...



Especially since we also know that they must fight each other until one or the other is wounded enough to prevent Darth Harper from splitting the vote. Which is also madness.

We should have learned our lesson after the last election, and started working to unite the parties. But we didn't and now of course it's too late. There are things we can still do to try to limit the damage. And I'll discuss that with you in the next few days.

But right now what we need to do is demand that our parties spend a little more time attacking the foul Con regime and its depraved leader, and a little less time fighting themselves.

Remind them that this election is about saving our beautiful Canada.

And that our only mission, the only one that counts, is to defeat Darth Harper.

And blow the Con Death Star to smithereens...



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