April 3, 2007 - I've taken a break from the commentaries for a couple of days because of a focus on personal matters, but also because I truly haven't been inspired to write anything of great significance. This morning that changes.

I'm not going to link to any story, or give any blogging superstar egomaniacs more attention than they already so desperately seek out. I am instead going to share some random thoughts on the state of the Liberal party.

After projecting a political profile of strength for over 12 years, what was once the most successful political entity in the Western hemisphere has now turned into a weak incarnation of what it used to be. And no, this cannot be solely attributed to the new leader - everyone from strategists to other leadership contenders to even loyal party members must take responsibility for the collective whining that currently fills the air.

Whether it's accusing Stephen Harper of being a bully, or the manner in which Liberals have tended to muse publicly about this or that decision by the government as being unfair, the general perception that is becoming prominent is that the Opposition benches are filled with bitterness for not being in power, and venom towards a government that for the most part is doing very well in the polls. That certainly isn't the case, but this is the atmosphere that is being fostered as a result of the way that political decision-making is currently fleshing out.

Effective opposition is focussed, determined, clear in intent, and aggressive, both in the manner it holds the government to account, and in the way that it advances its own agenda for public consumption.

After speaking to so many voters that aren't necessarily politically inclined, I can confidently say that few to none of these qualities are being attributed to Liberals at this present time.

Public consciousness doesn't seem like it is being pierced by attempts to brand the government in a particular light, and an echo chamber of political junkies/staffers/operatives isn't the kind of audience that Liberals should be seeking affirmation from.

On a side note, TDH Strategies commentaries have been online now for coming on three and a half years, and while traffic has never been higher, and the interesting mix of readership demonstrates that certain influence is being exerted, I am strongly considering shutting this down.

Why? Because the "blogosphere," which is an entity and a term that I cringe at being associated with, has become a place where:

a) people with the social skills of a wet cat tend to live their lives
b) political discourse has become a back and forth of politically spinned tripe that is fuelled by which internet "giant" will score the next hit (both literally and figuratively)
c) I understand my profile through this forum - a guy, with opinions, writing down his daily thoughts. C'est tout - nothing more.

I think that maybe the time has come to focus more on other things that will grow my persona, my qualities as a person, my attractiveness as a political entity, and maybe even my bank account. I will be a Liberal forever, and that is never going to change.

I'm going to contemplate this for a couple of days.

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