Harris-ment

With a year left to the election in 2011, it's worth taking a little time to speculate about what direction the Liberal campaign strategy will take. Now, I'm really going out on a limb here, but I have the distinct feeling that the Liberals will talk about this guy quite a bit:

Mike Harris Mike Harris Mike Harris MIKE HARRIS Mike Harris. Before, during, and after his time as Premier, for what seems to be as far back as I can remember, the Ontario Liberals have been all about Mike Harris. Scratch that- Ontario politics, period, have been all about Mike Harris.

Harris's party hasn't held power for seven years. He hasn't been Premier for eight years. DOESN'T MATTER. The Ontario Liberals live and die, to this very day, on the premise that they are as different as possible from the Mike Harris Tories. Not the Ernie Eves Tories, whom they beat, or the John Tory Tories, whom they also beat, but the Mike Harris Tories, whom they never beat. (Maybe their obsession with Harris stems from the fact that they never beat him?)

Now, the Tories can *also* try to be as different as possible from the Mike Harris Tories, which is a big part of the reason why John Tory became leader. When they did that, however, the Ontario Young Liberals made a video saying that John Tory actually *was* Mike Harris. And people believed them. That's why I roll my eyes every time the Liberals sigh, "You know, it's too bad the PC's didn't go with a more progressive leader," or some similar nonsense.

Pretty much every Liberal talking point shrivels and dies when you consider it in the context of their hate for Harris.

Liberal talking point: "We are the party of new ideas and forward thinking!"

Me: No you're not, because you spend your time scaring people with memories of a Premier who hasn't been Premier for eight years.  

Liberal talking point: "Dalton McGuinty is a consensus builder! Everyone's welcome in Dalton's Ontario!"

Me: Everyone except people who like Mike Harris.

Liberal talking point: "Tim Hudak's criticism of the Liberals is juvenile, repetitive, and doesn't offer any solutions!"

Me: And you blame Mike Harris for everything that goes wrong or has gone wrong in our province. Juvenile, repetitive, and no solutions offered. 

You know how Tim Hudak talks about the Liberals being out of touch and out of gas?

You know what proves that better than anything else?

The fact that the Liberals are going into an election next year and the biggest stick they have to beat the Tories with is a Premier who hasn't been Premier for eight years.