Michael the Pooh Has a Bad Day

Michael shuffled into his office, and was greeted by Bob Rae.

"Good morning, Bob," said Michael gloomily. "If it is a good morning," he said.

"Which I doubt," said he.

"Why, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, Bob, nothing. We can't all, and some of us don't. That's all there is to it."

"Can't all what?" said Bob, rubbing his nose.

"Gaiety. Song-and-dance. Here we go round the mulberry bush."

And thus is the story of Michael the Pooh.

While the Conservatives seem bound and determined to give the Liberals fodder to complain about every time they rise in the polls, the sad sack Michael Ignatieff just can't seem to capitalize.

So now, it seems, he's decided to move the party farther to the left.

Or so suggests John Ibbitson in today's Globe and Mail:

The Liberals accept that core Conservative support of something like one-in-three voters is rock solid, so if the Liberal vote is to grow it must come from convincing soft New Democrat and Green voters that only Michael Ignatieff can prevent Stephen Harper from remaining prime minister.

Accordingly, Mr. Ignatieff has shifted his party to the left. The Liberals oppose Conservative plans to purchase the F-35 stealth fighter. They would reverse the Conservatives’ most recent cuts to corporate taxes. They oppose the Tory crime agenda. A Liberal government would invest in home care, child care and other social programs.

Interesting article - probably a reasonably accurate take. 

So then, what's a poor, depressed Liberal to do?

Well, one is almost beginning to consider that the Oda fiasco, and now the Kenney gaff, are part of the Conservative master plan.

Why?

Well, while Canadians have their eyes firmly fixed on jobless numbers and growth in the economy - they are at the same time, keeping a close eye on their own bottom line, and by extension, their government's bottom line.   Under that climate, the Conservatives have lobbed up serves to the Liberals that they can't resist going to the net on.

And then they are trapped.

Going on, and on, and on in Parliament over issues that average Canadians don't care about.

Worse, going on and on about issues that betray Liberals as fussbudget bureaucrats - which in this economy, Canadians want about as much as a cold sore.

Poor Michael the Pooh.

He just doesn't get it.

Maybe he should have spent a little more time in his "country of convenience".