Stephen Harper isn’t fearless but he’s got a gift for intimidation and manipulation. He knows fear intimately and he knows how to use it. Smears, spin, attack ads, Harper’s got a giant money-fueled arsenal of hate and fear and he’s been raining destruction down on his opponents for years. Few politicians can withstand the barrage. Few politicians care to try.
When Liberals choose their next leader, one key component that leader will need to have is fearlessness. So it’s no wonder Justin Trudeau is on everyone’s radar. He’s very different than his father but that fearless gene has been showing lately.
Liberals instinctively know the road ahead is going to be very difficult. Those who remember PET, take inspiration from the iconic fearlessness he seemed to embody. Conservatives, NDPers and even some Liberals have been trying to destroy the iconic Trudeau for years and yet he endures. Why?
The fact of the matter is we need to find the same courage in ourselves that we so desperately wish for in a leader. The game changer isn’t Justin Trudeau or anyone else. The game changer is all of us. If we have the courage to demand more, to strive more, to risk more, we’ll find the right leader to work alongside us. If we choose a leader cautiously, scientifically, in part to try to avoid the fearful attacks Harper will inevitably unleash, we’ll fade into oblivion. The attacks will come but the only real weapon Harper has against us is our own fear. Take that away and everything is possible again.
Video: Pierre Eliott Trudeau from Annemieke Knowles on Vimeo.
