Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Surprisingly complicated answers to simple questions

Devo asks:
Will Deficit Jim ever learn his lesson? When will the Conservative Party of Canada figure out that making stupid promises is what leads to broken promises?
At first glance, it might seem easy to simply answer "no" and "never". But there's a bigger issue lurking in the background.

To this point, the lesson the Cons seem to have learned is that they can do more good for their public image by consistently bragging about their latest set of promises than they can do harm by falling short of what they've promised - particularly if they can change the subject from previous broken promises to new ones which could still be fulfilled. And sadly, the theory seems to have worked fairly well among those who don't pay close attention to politics.

But that theory doesn't work so well Cons can only get things done with the support of those who are well aware of their track record. And the fact that Deficit Jim is once again trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Canadians - both by pretending that the structural deficit which he created doesn't exist, and by making promises about how quickly any recovery will take place - can only signal to the opposition parties that the Cons' near-death experience hasn't left them any more likely to be honest or forthcoming.

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