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Dan's avatar

From what I can tell, it would appear more than ever, that the way people feel about the state of society and economy is getting more divorced from reality. And it is not limited to Canada, the same is happening in the US. I thought this article summarized it quite nicely:

https://www.ft.com/content/c17c35a3-e030-4e3b-9f49-c6bdf7d3da7f

With record low unemployment, lower inflation than the rest of the world, wages that are keeping up with inflation, significant economic growth, the U.S. is doing more than fine. Yet, most Americans believe they are worse off than a few years ago. I suspect that no amount of hard data is going to change that view.

Although we like to think in Canada that our political system is better than the US and that Canadian are better informed, the same is happening in Canada. The actual data is irrelevant when people “feel” differently. And the CPC, with a lot of help from a large part of the media, is making sure that people “feel” about society and the economy in a particular way that is not based on actual data.

Now, the good thing for the Liberals is that is easier to change people’s feelings than it is to change an economy. Unlike the UK, we are not dealing with a shrinking economy and a persistent high inflation. But to change people’s views, you need to engage them where they are. Show that you care. Pick a fight for the sake of picking a fight.

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Jason Desaulniers's avatar

I love reading your writing. Your words do not go unnoticed.

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