[mikemhg]

Originally Posted by El Bastardo

Manic is right to call me out here.

I bought into the PPC at the beginning when they were the anti-establishment reaction to Trudeau's SNC-Lavalin issue. I really thought they'd be a break from the Harper-era Cons who were just more ancient establishment politicians.

I also found myself drifting away from the NDP after the Jack Layton era. Mulclair took the helm of a ship and didn't know how to steer it. Singh was young enough to understand what real issues mattered to people, the party was far too pandering to very specific social causes that didn't have a wider impact.

The PPC really sold itself on being the antithesis of the Canadian political mechanism. Their communications were poignant, motivating, and even though I'm leftist (Even for a Canadian. Here in America I'm basically a goddamned Commie) I can understand the perspective of those on the right, so I could get on-board with it as long as the PPC continued with their purported libertarian principles.

What a fucking disappointment boys.

This goddamned party turned out to be TrumpNord. Anti-intellectualism, (further) privatization of our public institutions, the integration of Christian values into Canadian policy (think Quebec in the 1950s), and no real policies except for "We aren't the Liberals".

I own my mistake in associating with them. Do I think Bernier had a different vision in mind for the party, perhaps closer to the Reform Party? Yeah I do. Do I think he found that it was more popular (Parti Populaire?) to translate some of the Trump playbook into the Canadian language? Yeah, unfortunately I do.

I was a fan of the movement after I thought Doughboy Sheer was turning the party of Sir John A into the "Rearrange Deck Chairs on the Titanic" party. Bernier had a clear vision that I honestly believe has been distorted by Trump-era populism which was too hard to ignore, especially given how popular it has become worldwide. I support his earlier vision for reducing corporate welfare, a reduced role in overseas intervention (remember, this was not long after we had completely removed ourselves from Afghanistan), and a hard look at what our healthcare system can handle (although I really fucking oppose what they're trying to do with it now, a UK-style hybrid private/public system).

Long story short; I'm disappointed across the board. Disappointed in Singh (who needs to understand there is theatre he needs to participate in if he going to be the party of the underclass), disappointed in PP (the guy can put together a cogent argument if he wants to, but hes taken a sinister turn to somehow become a Ben Shapiro larper), disappointed in Trudeau (bought and sold to the highest bidder), and disappointed in Bernier (so much wasted potential). The only GOOD thing to come out of this is that the Greens realize that they've been rotten from the core (Drunken American Elizabeth May was replaced by Racist Annamie Paul) so now they're taking the opportunity to rebuild under Kutner.

American historians look back on the Jimmy Carter era as the "malaise era" which is largely forgettable, save for a few notable events. He blends together with Gerald Ford as being similarly forgettable. I think this is our "malaise era" in Canadian politics. No standouts, just establishment circlejerks. Even/Especially Bernier who turned out to be a different person than I believed him to be.

Wish more folks would admit their wrongs on the internet here nowadays. Good post.