Angry in the Great White North

CTV has the entire performance, and then watch the reaction from the audience here on YouTube:

It was a brilliant move...and not in a cynical political way.  A cynical political move would be to throw money at the problem.  An honest way would be to send a signal that he gets it.

I think he always got it.  I think the misstep in the last election was because of two things.

First, there was the cynical artistic jingoism on the part of the Gilles Duceppe. Ownlee vee French understand zee artz!  Of course, that message worked in Quebec, because it was calculated to stroke the ego of Quebecers who like to be told they are somehow more sophisticated than people in the rest of Canada.  As a problem for the Conservatives, I don't worry about that message.  Gilles Duceppe can't keep going back to it, certainly not a year later.

The other reason is maybe more important because it won't fade on its own.  That is a misunderstanding of Stephen Harper's message.  Last year, he said the gala was an example of how the artistic community didn't resonate with what he called "ordinary people". 

I think that's a fair warning, but clumsily delivered, with too much derision showing through.

So this time Stephen Harper comes to the gala.  Artistically speaking, he is an "ordinary" person, and sings a song about community where everyone is welcome, even those who sing off key.  The crowd loved it.  The camera loved it.  Liberals hate it (with one exception, see the pathetic attempts at criticizing here and here and here and here -- oh, and read the comments -- yes, someone managed to compare Harper to Hitler).

Will this swing votes in an election?  Maybe, but really, who cares?  Did it build some bridges?  Probably, but so what?  Are fences mended? We all hope so, but that would just be a bonus.

It was moment to have some fun. 

Oh, and damn, he was good.  Really good.

A pattern?  Stephen Harper skips hob-nobbing at the United Nations to hang out with ordinary Canadians at a Tim Hortons.  Stephen Harper shows up at a black-tie gala in an open-necked shirt and singing a Beatles song.  Keep watching for more examples of Stephen Harper and the Conservatives highlighting Michael Ignatieff's patrician snobbery by being, well, cool, in contrast.