Painting Pretty Pictures

The Conservative strategists have done a masterful job re-inventing Stephen Harper as a thoughtful moderate. Harper uses the correct soundbites, meant to declaw the already benign media. The Conservative platform is carefully crafted to be all things to everyone. The fact that Harper has gone through this entire campaign without a magor gaffe is a credit to packaging and promoted appearance. Clearly, we have entered an age where media is irrelevant and campaigns merely paint pretty pictures. How else can you explain the blatant free ride the Conservatives have received this campaign?

Every night we see another story about the bumbling Liberal campaign, most of it justified, some of it questionable with regard to balance. However, the Conservatives coverage resembles paid advertising, merely repeating the propaganda of the day. Where are the hard questions? It is almost as if the media has turned on the Liberals(with cause for sure), without an equally critical eye on the opposition.

Has the Conservative Party morphed into a moderate alternative, or is it still a bastion of extremist, intolerant wingers? Canadians need a media that investigates the reality behind the stump speeches. I don't think Canadians have a full understanding of what a Conservative government would mean, and I blame this directly on a neutered media. What about missile defense? What about the environment? What about fiscal responsibility? Someone do the math please, it doesn't add up. Instead, we hear nightly coverage of the looming Conservative victory and basic fluff pieces.

If you listen closely, you can hear the strategists in the Conservative campaign bunker. The sound you hear is a mischievous laugh, akin to someone who has masterfully pulled the rug over everyone's eyes. Liberal media? For myself, it looks as if the honeymoon started before the wedding.