"Too Fragile" For Vote

According to Furious Leader, Canada's economy is just too fragile to weather an "unnecessary election."  Reliable sources at the mannequin factory where Mr. Harper has his hair done report the fragility of the Canadian economy became apparent to the prime monster upon his reading the latest Ekos poll showing his government's popularity in the toilet.

Bring out the oracles.   Cast bones, read entrails.  Steve figures he can't engineer a reliable election crisis right now, that much is obvious.   This is, after all, the Prince of Political Darkness, Master of Opportunity.   If Steve thought he had the slightest chance of a breakthrough win at the polls, he'd jettison the Canadian economy into the nearest ditch in his race to Rideau Hall.

So, just what are the Harper Tories going to do to shore up Canada's economy?   What great policy vision do they have in store for us?  This is, after all, the very same, highly-trained economist who was totally blindsided as this global recession all too obviously barreled our way.  This is the same genius who told Canadians to fear not and instead take advantage of "bargains" in the stock market as it went into freefall.  Then he responded to it with that equally dim-witted Pinata "stimulus" budget that squandered untold billions of deficit bucks pointlessly.  The very same five-watt bulb who positively gloated at how Canada had bested our G8 rivals in coming through the recession relatively unscathed.   This is a persistently, profoundly stupid man with neither vision nor ability to lead the country to high ground.

Once again Harper's ace in the hole may be the opposition leader, Mr. Ignatieff.   When the recession first hit and Harper locked down Parliament, Iggy took the time off as a holiday to write a book on his mother's family rather than formulating a Liberal stimulus/recovery proposal to confront Harper when he could no longer hide behind the Governor General's skirts.   That left the IgLibs with no choice but to back Harper's pathetic Pinata Budget although with many dire warnings that later made the Liberal leader look just plain silly when he kept having to retreat from his own words.  (Can you say "On Probation?") Then, to make up for lost time and missed opportunities, Iggy convened a thinkers' conference last spring.   What came of that?   Daycare and funding for the arts?  Oh yeah, that'll win elections.

So it seems once again the Libs have an opportunity to wrestle the economy issue from the clumsy fingers of a demonstrated dolt.   And where is the Liberal leader?   Oh yeah, he's on a bus tour and I'm sure not one Canadian in fifty can say where and even fewer could care less.  I guess it could be worse.  Liberal fortunes have actually improved since their leader disappeared from view.

I will begrudgingly say this for Harper.   He's probably right about the fragility of the Canadian economy.   Responsibility for some of that lies directly at his and Ignatieff's feet.   While Harper's fiscal incompetence has been repeatedly demonstrated and chronicled, he can take comfort in knowing that his sole rival has done nothing to show he could do the slightest bit better.

Maybe it's the weakness of Parliament that renders our economy too fragile for an election.