I don't think I'm inside my own mind today... Another federal election? Really Canada?
Did you fuckheads in the house spend the last, what... TWO years bickering over the merits of a coalition government to finally push the non-confidence notion on the Conservatives... for what? The opportunity to push ANOTHER minority government into control of this country, AGAIN?
Let's face the facts here. There have been FOUR elections in the last SEVEN years... In a sane country, four elections would happen over the course of SIXTEEN years... over TWICE that amount of time!
There are basically two sides to this battle, with a third wheel attached crudely fighting for respect.
You've got the Conservatives on one hand, led by Stephen Harper, by far my FAVORITE politician maybe EVER.. *SARCASM ALERT* With his robotic nature and his unimaginable inability to emote like a normal human being, he has thrust himself as the face of the PC's and the "Harper Government" and arguably the face of Canada for the past 5 years which is a scary ass thought in of itself.
On the other hand, you have Michael Ignatieff. The leader of the Liberal party. The guy who had to clean up the scraps after Stephane Dion was removed from his post as leader of the Liberal party, a party that really has had absolutely no standing since Jean Cretien retired from politics. Ignatieff is painted as a false Canadian with far too many American sensibilities. I'm sure those who are goaded by the attack advertisements are already put off the idea of voting for him.
Then you have Jack Layton, NDP Leader. He looks like someone you'd run into at Church every Sunday. He, frankly, embarrasses me and he should embarrass anyone that even gives a damn about Canadian politics. Jack Layton has been the head of the NDP party since 2003... He's lead that party for the past 3 elections and social stigma for the NDP party aside, the party has gained ZERO ground under his influenced...
The often ignored fourth wheel in this political circus would be Elizabeth May, the leader of The Green Party. She has been shut out of the upcoming political debates to much controversy, I don't expect this to stand. The funny thing to me is that she's American born, she's such a small fish in a large pond, so to speak the Conservatives wouldn't waste their money or energy attacking her in their ad's. I like Elizabeth May, but the Green Party is too small to make a splash.
Now, really, I think this election will go to whoever is most aggressive, which is why favor is in the end of the Conservatives, they've been aggressive with their pricey (publicly funded) advertising campaigns. They have probably given themselves the early advantage.
The one thing Ignatieff is doing is reaching out a large variety of people, winning over as many demographics as he can is probably his best strategy right now. I think that may help him but will it win him the election? I think he will have to pull a rabbit out of his hat, so to speak, to take this.
Layton's NDP election is centered around Canadian Health Care. For a country with free health care, you would think, why is health care such a big deal? Truth is, it's not "free" we get taxed out the ass for it and a lot of times, you get what you pay for. I've seen the Health Care both sides of the country has to offer and it's bleak on both ends. If Layton can grasp the people and convince them that the NDP Health Care platform is something to believe in, he might snag some votes.
The Green Party's approach is a bit more down to earth, their initiative revolves around a 'common ground' campaign (their words) that wants to cut down on political trash talking and try to engage voters... their words again. To quote an exerpt I found on the Green Party website:
The Green Party of Canada launched its "common ground" campaign in Sidney, B.C., on Monday, urging federal parties to create a "better atmosphere" for Canadians by stopping the political mudslinging and focusing instead on issues all parties can agree on in the lead-up to the May 2 election.
"For the fourth time in seven years, Canada finds itself in a federal election. I know that Canadians feel this is an unnecessary use of taxpayers' money and they are sick of the mudslinging and the personal attacks," said leader Elizabeth May. "We are saying, let's try to engage the voters. Let's try to show them that, once in a while, we can agree on important policy issues."
To be honest I wish the other parties took note but I'm not convinced this will be a big enough impact overall to really make a difference in the election or in voters minds but who knows.
I will be voting Green Party because they represent what I want. They represent something different. I've seen what the Liberals, the NDP and The Conservatives have had to offer Canada and to be honest, I think a change of guard is necessary. With Voter interest at an "all time low" and voter turnout mirroring that sentiment, time will tell if yet another election will warrant any change. I'm not convinced that it will.
I am just so sick of the bullshit. I am so sick of Canadian politics. This revolving door of elections to lead to more Stephen Harper/Conservative political games at the expense of Canadian Tax Payer's dollars, it's got to stop. It won't stop unless someone like Ignatieff, Layton or May step up and kick Harper in the balls, so to speak and show that they have the passion and the vision to take Canada back.
Edit: In the weeks since I've written this, my bitterness toward the election has grown tenfold. My worries of another (possibly majority) Harper Government have me absolutely THRILLED to think about Canada's future and really, as he put it in the debates this past week, we're probably just going to have another election in a couple of years anyway so who gives a shit right? He didn't say the 'who gives a shit' part... I did.
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