Friday, August 21, 2015

Rearguard election

Harper wanted a long campaign to spend his warchest. Great. All other things being equal, that would have helped him in his offensive attack-attack-attack approach to elections.

Now, barely a few weeks in, events at the Duffy trial have turned that strategy on its head. It's a defensive action they are fighting now. The opposition parties scarcely matter because Duffy has nothing to do with them.

It's all Harper.

Exquisitely so, as a few words from former PMO lawyer Benjamin Perrin surgically dismantled Party lies claims (and possibly even the Crown, although it is too soon tell) case in his testimony at the Duffy trial, stating that PM ignored his legal advice on Senate appointments.

With this, and after the angry-old-man meltdown at the media the other day, the press is pouring fire into the clear gap in the Tory armour.

What's so fascinating to me is watching the control freak in Harper lose control of events. It's happened before the coalition prorogue, but was in response to an Opposition plan and skulduggerously but legally used parliamentary procedure to evade defeat. He cannot control a courtroom like that.

Skeletons are tumbling out of closets now.  It's even hard to find a supportive comment in the newsmedia comment threads, which are usually stocked with rightwing idiots and stooges.

There are many days yet in this election, and the winds may shift again. But...



3 comments:

The Mound of Sound said...

In every election since he defeated Martin to bring the Conservatives to power, Steve Harper has succeeded by grabbing control of the narrative and turning the election into a referendum on his thoroughly slimed opponent.

In the victories over Dion and Ignatieff, it was a strategy that allowed Harper to avoid having to run on his own record and platform.

This time the election is a referendum on Shifty, not the opposition leaders. Harper has been reduced to repetition of an implausible position that only worsens with each telling.

e.a.f. said...

oh how times have changed. or as they say, what goes around comes around. This time its Steve's turn and it looks so good on him. He who brought attack, attack, to Canadian politics as never before is now being "attacked" and he provided all the ammunition himself. it looks good on him and I'm enjoying it ever so much.

The other political leaders are running normal Canadian political campaigns. A B C.

Steve said...

The Yellow press has dug in, Thinkaboot it!