It must be the Sarah Palin glasses

As the polls continue to show strong support for Harper as a leader and the Conservatives in general, I wonder how does this man do it?  Each day brings fresh cause for outrage--a Tory report misrepresenting Sheila Fraser by stealing from a previous report on the spending of the LIBERALS following 9/11,  hints of gross misspending during the G8, Tory thugs trying to wrest away a U of Guelph ballot box, sensational revelations about the unfounded but damaging character assassination of Helena Guergis.  All this in less than a week.

Still, despite everything, it seems that 4 in 10 Canadians trust not only his leadership capability but his vision.  His vision!  Go figure!

Margaret Wente, in her March 29 article "The Amygdala Election," puts forward the argument that we decide who we will vote for on the basis of our emotions and fears and then look for the justification that fits our decision (G&M).  When it comes to this election, she says, the current leader hasn't been in office long enough to wear out his welcome, and our "paleomammalian brains are not in particularly high distress."  She might be on to something.  Clearly, not enough of us are alarmed in spite of all that's been happening.

During the English language debate, Harper looked not at the individual leaders as he responded to their questions but at the camera.   While one could argue that, as his words were intended to win over the people, the camera was the most appropriate place for his gaze, nevertheless, refusing to look directly in the face of one's opponent is dismissive at best, if not downright rude, and it was bizarre to watch.   There were those eyes, staring relentlessly from behind Sarah Palin glasses, and there was the mantra:  It's all about the economy--let us be clear--the economy.

Harper's catalogue of anti-democratic manoeuvers is longer and more insidious than that of any previous prime minister, and our debt is the highest it's ever been, higher even than under Mulroney, the last big spender.  In an odd way, the days of Brian Mulroney cozying up to Ronald Reagan with their "Irish eyes are smiling" duet feel almost benign by contrast.   Then at least the spell had some warmth.  Now, it seems, we are well and truly under some spell, but the eyes mesmerizing us are just plain cold.  Let's hope we can snap out of it before it's too late.