Political Staples

I did enjoy John Ibbitson's column today but it was more summary than substance and as such it was hard to pull anything out to blog about - expect the ending.

...But for now, he is enjoying a bit of a political honeymoon, which the media rarely accord a Conservative administration.

Mr. Harper is getting that honeymoon because he campaigned so effectively, and has managed the transition to government so smoothly. And there may be another reason: his critics may have finally learned that underestimating Stephen Harper is a big mistake.

This underestimation was nearly universal. I was certainly guilty of it. And Mr. Ibbitson may be right that his critics may have learned this leason but the key to a potential majority is not so much the rural/metro thing it is the measure of the man thing. I was speaking to someone this weekend who is the prototypical type of voter that the CPC needs to win over. He still discounts Stephen Harper. Fair enough - he hasn't even been sworn in yet. But if PM Harper can be as steady a leader as he has been for the last three years now this type of voter may very well be won over.

There has been much made of the rebuilding of the Mulroney coalition but in Ontario the key will be to rebuild the Harris coalition because there were plenty of people who voted for Mike Harris in the '90s, and who still respect him, who voted Liberal in the last two federal elections.