Groundhogs, prairie dogs, and Harper

I know I've been lax at blogging. Blame it on the lack of stimulus. Now, this week I'm going to give some rare praise for Harper. I know, it's a shocker! But, I am impressed--Harper went on Corner Gas. And actually was funny, delivering his statement on how both groundhogs and prairie dogs didn't get the respect they deserved under the previous Liberal government! Who knew Harper had a sense of humour? I mean, the line was scripted for him, but he did it. He was ok with halfway mocking himself and 'Canada's New Government's' message. The man must be preparing for an election. Budget's on Monday, and there was that 'secret' memo calling for contributions...but still. He was on Corner Gas! And he was funny! I can't get over it.

Apparently, we Canadians search for leaders with a sense of humour and a personality. We don't succeed very often, but we want it. That's why the Rick Mercer Report (RMR) has so much luck getting politicians on, and now Corner Gas is doing it too. Consider some recent appearances by politicians, want-to-be politicians, and former politicians on Canadian TV:

- Bob Rae, on the RMR, revealed a lot of himself while the two were out fishing. Unfortunately, that included his naked old man bum, but he was still pretty funny (and those images are finally starting to get fuzzy in my brain)
- Gerard Kennedy, on RMR, went buying hot dogs with Rick and got all flustered about what to put on it
- Stephane Dion, on RMR, with his dog Kyoto. I can't remember his wife's name, but his dog is cute. And he chased after its frisbee.
-Adrienne Clarkson, on Corner Gas. You could easily forget about her spending sprees when she was trying to knock down that barn with her own two hands yelling "bad barn"
-Elizabeth May on RMR, cutting down a tree...she is yielding a chainsaw on national television!
-Rona Ambrose, on RMR, tapping maple syrup, though it was kind of sad to hear the environment minister ask if getting syrup would hurt the tree
-Chuck Strahl, risking life and limb by letting Rick Mercer chauffeur him

And, even Harper appeared on RMR, going so far as to make Rick a sandwich, let him play with the kids, and tuck him in. Aww.

These are just ones in recent memory. Apparently, Canada is a country that can make fun of itself, and wants leaders who can do the same.

But still, Harper on Corner Gas? I never saw that one coming...

Well played Dion, well played

Stephane Dion has had a rocky start to his leadership. He has appeared to be a bit of a one-trick pony on the environment, without having a stellar record to lean back on. He's been tough on some issues, but not others. The party seems divided, as seen on the anti-terror measures, and his dual citizenship and grasp of the English language have led to a lot of criticism. Plus, not all Canadians love the Quebecois, so he's got some work to do.

But, this week, he launched a 17-stop tour, which looks like the start of an election campaign. He was in NS on Friday, and seems to be trying to get out there and get people to see him as a person, rather than a bumbling Frenchman. The Conservatives have been helping too, as the attack ads just made people more sympathetic to the owlish man, who's just starting to come into his own as a leader.

But, the piece de resistance? Dion has joined Facebook. The social networking site for university and high school students. As the other parties are struggling to find a way to attract and connect with youth voters, Dion's getting presents and wall messages from his 2029 friends. He posts news and photo albums and notes, and people love it. Other Liberal MPs are getting into the act too, like Mark Holland and Michael Ignatieff. And, he posts everything in English and French, appealing to his Quebecois fans as well as those Anglophones who still don't trust him.

It's a stroke of genius. In the last Liberal newsletter, he sent out a video message to all of his facebook friends. Initially, his page attracted only those students who were already politically active, but it's spreading, and fast. And, he's capitalizing on the old adage--"If you're right wing before middle age, you're a cynic, if you're left wing after that, you're an idealist." Even though the Liberals do tend to be pretty centrist, they are the viable option for those who are leftist but know that Canada won't be having an NDP or Green Prime Minister under the current electoral system.

The sound of impending...election?

So, Harper may have laid the straw that broke the camel's back, in accusing Bains of trying to protect his father in law from the Air India Inquiry. Even if the man is on the list of interviewees, that's pretty harsh. And will probably lose Harper some support amongst those Canadians who believe in the whole "innocent until proven guilty thing."

My bets are on a Spring election. Now of course, everyone will deny it, but if one was to attempt to apply some sort of logic or rational thinking to our federal government, it would make sense.

- All the parties have leaders who are doing adequate jobs
- The polls are relatively constant, so a good campaign could help almost anyone win
- Climate change is the big issue. If we have a wonky summer, it will reflect very badly on the Conservatives, making it desirable for them to get in an election before then.
- Again, climate change is an issue. The Liberals/NDP can play on the wonky winter and the melting arctic ice caps to say it's time for a change
- Not a whole lot is actually getting done by our government currently--they're too busy squabbling.
- Spring is seasonally the most desirable time of year for campaigning. People are happy that summer's coming, travel's not too bad, and you're not interfering with people's Christmas, summer vacation, or preparation for back to school and work.
- Everyone's filling constituencies and is prepared for an election at the drop of a hat

The negatives? The parties don't really have clearly distinct platforms in the minds of voters. So it will come down to personalities, and people aren't generally stoked on any of the leaders--Harper's shrewd, chubby, and sometimes makes comments that reflect really poorly on him and his caucus, Layton's smarmy, says stupid things sometimes, and has an affinity for bad ties, while Dion, he's French (which for many, is a strike against him), his English is cute, but not fluent, and he's still a new leader--his bonus--he dresses himself decently in an owlish academic way. Plus, he has a dog.

People love animals, you know.

This is almost too easy P Mac

Aw Peter MacKay. You're a hometown boy, representing the very rural area of Guysborough County. Halifax was the big city. The ECMAs are our music awards. And our people are very upset about the whole Torontonian centre-of-the-universe thing.

You should know better!

But, you did it. A blunder that probably made Steven Harper spit out his morning coffee and say Dammit Peter! He doesn't really like you that much to begin with, and he needs the East Coast.

I know that you fly around a lot, and spend most of your time in Ontario. But, even remembering that you were at the ECMAs might have helped place you in the right region.

Instead, you said that you were in Toronto--uh--Ottawa--uh Halifax!

Yikes.

At least you provided Mary Walsh with some great fodder for her performance later in the evening. At least "Conservative Arse Licker" is memorable.

Best of luck rebounding from this one P Mac. We were just starting to get over you telling Alexa to go back to her knitting and calling Belinda a dog.

A Valentine's Day special

Because I'm a bunny, my owners don't always give my the news in a timely fashion. I hate feeling out of the loop, but I guess they are very busy people.

The papers are reporting that Rodney MacDonald is back with his wife. Is it a Valentine's Day reconciliation? Is he sick of the single life? Or, is he worried about an upcoming election, and she's ready to go to bat for another round of "Our Families, Our Future."

After all, the two of them must have been having problems when he was elected leader of the PCs. But, she was the model wife, and very instrumental in him getting chosen. Is this another ploy to put him back in society's good graces--the idea that he made some mistakes, but he was reeling from having lost his wife, and now that she's back in his life, he'll be able to focus and work for the families of Nova Scotia--as a family man again.