Saturday, April 09, 2011

Tipping Point?

I'm wondering if we have finally reached a level of absurdity in this campaign, that might focus the debate. Two issues developing, both with clear deception at the heart, with no outside backing, that essentially leaves the Conservatives twisting in the breeze. Suddenly, I see glaring openings in a debate, there is the potential for the elusive moment that political junkies crave.

It all started with the Conservatives promising things four or five years out, that is how this "platform" came to be. Rivals mocked the 2015 pledges, and I'm pleased to say the ideas didn't get the media traction I had feared. To square this optical irritant, the Conservatives massaged their deficit projections, SUDDENLY we were a year closer to a balanced budget, all those promises closer on the horizon, they look fiscally prudent as well as reasonable moving forward. What we have here is a Conservative war room making it up on the fly, aware their budget lacked "buzz", they moved the goal posts, offered future goodies, then presented new numbers to bring their promises closer to fruition. The platform leaves two choices, either the government is incompetent, their budget an utter joke, or they are making up new numbers trying to pull a fast one on the Canadian people. Neither is flattering, neither can insulate the Conservative from criticism, both arm Ignatieff for the coming debate.

The other issue, the F-35 is finally coming to a bit of a head as Harper digs himself an illogical HOLE. Faced with no independent backing to support his failing credibility, Harper has turned to this letter, a document that confirms Canada is "exempt" from any cost overruns, we have some special deal. There is one problem with Harper's letter, it hasn't been produced and American law demands it can't be true:
"United States Code preventing the Americans from selling military equipment to a foreign country at a lower price than what the United States government pays"

The idea of an American government trying to come to grips with out of control overruns and Canada outside of these considerations is simply absurd, it defies the most basic logic, it makes a fool out of any Conservative apologist. US law precludes it, common sense betrays it, Harper's letter is fantasy and he is now cornered on this file. All Harper has left is a romantic vein of wrapping himself in the flag, because on substance he is finished for all intent and purposes.

You add up the expenditure shortfall on the F-35, then calculate the sudden deficit chasm, and a convincing story of outright deception finds new resonance. I will never under-estimate the Conservatives ability to wiggle off the hook with distractions and double talk, but this campaign is reaching a critical mass on the "utter bullshit" scale. I sure hope so...

10 comments:

Dame said...

I think the day off is the reasult recognising they have a significant lost ground at this time and need some "fixing' ... and Harper is not in control of the events..

But they got here by "fixing" and refixing the messages....lolol
Everything is falling in places now.

weeble said...

Here is the CPC spin on the second week...all is rosy in their world:

http://www.straight.com/article-386012/vancouver/typical-conservative-party-news-release

Steve V said...

Anything can happen, but I would be quietly licking my chops heading into this debate.

Kirk said...

I'm sure the media will find something embarrassing done by some candidate, Con, Lib, NDP or Green and focus on that instead. Steve believes that reason will prevail but the Cons know it won't.

ottlib said...

Kirk is correct. The only way these contradictions get notices is if the opposition parties begin shouting it from the rooftops.

As I have stated many times the media does not do critical analysis of policy positions anymore. They only care about strategy.

How they have not figured out the corelation between not providing that information about policy and their shrinking audiences is beyond me.

Steve V said...

To clarify, I am speaking more to the debates, on two key lines, Harper has nothing left. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but Ignatieff has a real opportunity for a "moment". I believe I mentioned the debate context in the first paragraph. I've given up on the media, Iggy has to make the case, it's that simple.

CK said...

What I'm worried about is this game of "Gotcha" been going on lately will climax the night of the debates. Some bombshells yet to be released against the Liberals by Harper and Layton on the night of the televised debates

Dana said...

"How they have not figured out the corelation between not providing that information about policy and their shrinking audiences is beyond me."

Because the news media live in a bubble too, just like their pet creation.

Remember that they do not live by bread alone but by the closed room circle jerk as well.

They look to one another for verification or reinforcement more often than they look to actual citizens, if they haven't relegated citizens to the realm of the legendary or mythical. Citizens, people who live in places that aren't in capital cities, aren't the source of anything for them after all, citizens are only relevant to the sales, marketing and circulation departments.

Most of them, especially the younger generation, are more concerned with their upward climb, their plagiarism index and their retirement plans than they are with anything as archaically quotidian as democracy or those silly noises one occasionally hears about something called the fourth estate, whatever that is.

Also the younger they are the more likely they are to be autonomously obeisant to the corporation. They probably graduated from a corporate sponsored and named J school. It's bred in the bone. Once the corporatist mindset is established it takes a personal revolution of life altering proportions to change it.

There are very few positive signs for the future of traditional journalism.

WhigWag said...

and the irony is: the one guy who could help Harper dig himself out these holes he's been falling into in this campaign -- the one who spun losing files like are climate change & Afghan war FAILs & coached the whole CPC caucus on how to stand up & deflect & lie with a smile in QP -- is Bruce Carson, the guy the ex-PM threw under the bus & turned over to the RCMP the second he heard he'd dropped his name in the context of illegal inside information.

Tof KW said...
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