On that two-deck-high campaign bus, Ms. Horwath’s picture has been reproduced bigger than life. The Ontario New Democrat leader looks good. In fact it is too good. It seems to be trying to lay a patina on the New Democrat campaign that does not exist.
It appears that Andrea Horwath is running in this provincial election as the Pillsbury Dough Girl. Poke her and she giggles. There is no substance, or co-ordination, or strategy, or tactics, or policies for the voter to assess.
It is though that bus rolled out of the paint shop and gained momentum only because the campaign is heading downhill. Maybe the bus should stop at every grocery store on its route so that the candidate can hand out cents-off coupons to the voters. The bus needs a carnival sideshow barker to give the spiel:
“Step right up folks, today we have your one-time pennies off coupon on Ontario electricity. And here you thought the price was going up but your kindly NDP is going to raise the price and give you a bit of the money back. Step right up and vote for your one-time offer.”
Ms. Horwath must keep looking back down the campaign road wondering when her brain trust is going to catch up with some meatier policies for her to lay on the voters. The only concern might be “What brain trust?”
Maybe the brains of the New Democrat campaign are a group of small business owners. The platform that we have been allowed to peek at to-date seems to have small business owners in mind. The $12 minimum wage promise must be a joke when any authority on the subject says the poverty level in Ontario is anyone earning less than $14 per hour. There are also promises of tax breaks for small business. Why? We are listening. Why?
Do the New Democrats now love small business and just hate big business? And where is the dividing line now?
If they really believe in small business, you would think the New Democrats would be on-board with selling beer and wine in convenience stores. That is the smallest business there is but them selling beer and wine is a no-no with New Democrats. It must be that there are a few union workers left at Brewers’ Warehousing. Those few votes will trump thousands of convenience store owners and operators any day. Ms. Horwath and her New Democrats are so predictable!
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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