COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN THE NATIONAL POST
The article is technically well done, but it seems to me
there is such an important set of facts understated in, or missing from, the
article that, taken as a whole, it becomes inaccurate and misleading.
I might call it polished propaganda.
There is only one source for the election phenomenon we see
now in Canada, and that source is Stephen Harper. It has little to do with "competition run amok."
Harper is on record for admiring the American system, a
system which is so dominated by big money that many astute and knowledgeable observers
have said America is no longer a democracy but a plutocratic oligarchy.
Harper is also on record as hating many of Canada’s
traditions in politics. His past assertions are so unpleasant and “Canadian self-hating”
one wonders why he did not long ago seek a career in the United States. His
total set of views and attitudes would have done him well in a place like
Texas. They are in perfect keeping with politicians of the quality of Dick Armey
or Phil Gramm or Tom Delay.
His major obsession in his entire political career has been
to destroy the Liberal Party, the institution he holds largely responsible for
the Canada he dislikes so intensely.
His basic method has been simple. Remove as much government
funding as possible. Remove as much quasi-judicial oversight and rules as
possible. Bend national policy in the direction big contributors want to see.
Collect as much money from these special interests as possible. Lengthen the
election period so that you can spend more than ever under laws you yourself
have created.
Added to those structural changes are changes in practice
completely learned from America’s example. Throw lots of dirt through
advertising, knowing that if you throw enough, some will stick. Use third-party
organizations to fund these whenever possible. Avoid direct contacts with press
and interviewers as much as possible, and never answer a question in an honest
and straightforward way. Use any costly frat-boy trick – such as robo-calls to
misdirect voters - which might make gains for you in a swing area. Afterward,
sandbag government officials investigating such matters. These approaches take
full advantage of having a treasure chest full of private funds with which to
play.
It is a formula guaranteed over time to badly damage
Canadian democracy, and it is a formula favored by no other party.
