It’s an oldie but a goodie. Mulcair is… wait for it… DANGEROUS with extra reverb. Sound familiar? It’s the old “we’re rubber and you’re glue” routine. Whatever progressives say about Harper bounces back and sticks to Mulcair. You can see this narrative forming in various conservative newspapers featuring photos of Mulcair at his terrifying, finger pointing best. If you go for that sort of thing there’s a new companion website featuring all the shadowy minions Mulcair has out on his thug-hugging Team of Economic Doom.
I know, I know, I should be happy to see Harper gearing up to kick butt. The NDP certainly cheered and clapped and joined in on the fun when Harper mowed down the Liberals. Unfortunately I can’t savour the moment because unlike the NDP, I don’t have the luxury of cheering for this kind of fear-mongering, unimaginative tripe. It’s damaged the political discourse in our country and it does nothing to solve the many serious problems we face today and in the future.
Canadian political parties been flinging this made-in-the USA sludge at each other for years and it’s turned off a good portion of the electorate. It didn’t keep Harper from getting elected and it’s the kind of sentiment that can backfire badly getting you hoisted on your own petard as Paul Martin learned to his dismay.
Perhaps Harper can sell this meme that Mulcair is dangerous and certainly it was a theme promoted from some quarters throughout the NDP leadership campaign. Ride the horse in the direction it’s going. Trot out endless surrogates like Devine Wannabe Brad Wall to trumpet Western Rage but the sad reality is the true divisive force in Canadian politics lies in the predominantly negative messaging coming from all directions.
A political party that really cares about this country will have to rise above the white noise of hate, fear and apathy and modernize both the message and the mode of communication. That’s easier said than done and is going to require a lot of creativity, intelligence and political will. But first you must have a compelling message to communicate which goes beyond attacking your opponents and that is the hardest task of all.
