I agree with Paul Tuns over at Sobering Thoughts. Robert Fulford’s piece about Harper is good.
But so far as we can gather, nothing [Harper] did during 33 months in office altered his reputation as a potential danger to what many Canadians like to call, in their most euphoric moments, “Canadian values.” In trying to convert voters to his view of government, he seems to be dreaming an impossible dream, as the song goes, while struggling “to fight for the right.” Not enough of us are singing along.
Not enough are singing along–not dedicated conservatives (small-c) and certainly not the rest of the country. To win a majority, you need a leader who can at least inspire the choir, and then do a bit more.
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Rebecca adds: “To win a majority, you need a leader who can at least inspire the choir, and then do a bit more.”
Indeed. In 2006, Harper went up against a reeling Liberal party coming off Adscam and scandals involving biker gangs, led by the comically bumbling Paul Martin, and only managed a minority. Yesterday, Harper went up against a Liberal party advocating a massive and elaborate tax hike and no sound fiscal policy in the midst of an economic crisis, led by Stephane Dion’s leadership which brings to mind Abbot and Costello skits, and managed only a (larger) minority. At some point, Conservatives should ask if he’s ever going to close the deal.
The next question is, of course, who would be better? And how do Conservatives make him (or her, but probably him) the leader without yet another conservative schism that hands the Liberals another decade on a platter?
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I really think he has quite a narrow scope of interests. He doesn’t see ‘a bigger picture’ than economics and political power. Inspiration requires soul.