Angry in the Great White North

From the Western Standard, a Conservative Party press release recounting how Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion reveals his complete disconnect with how real Canadians live their lives:

Stéphane Dion betrays his shocking ignorance of everyday Canadians by admitting he has never heard of car pooling.

“Stéphane Dion is shockingly out-of-touch with the tens of thousands of Canadians who are taking real action on the environment by car-pooling with their neighbours and co-workers,” said Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre. “This first gaffe of the Dion campaign is just more proof that Stéphane Dion is clearly uncomfortable with the kind of practical, tangible environmental leadership shown by real Canadians every day.”

During a visit to Saskatoon, Dion was asked about his opinion on the practice of car pooling.

“‘What is a car pool?’ he asked organizers, who enlightened him. ‘Oh that’s good. I’m never alone in my car.’”  (Saskatoon StarPhoenix, August 25, 2008)

Perhaps it was a matter of not knowing the English phrase, but then that's no excuse.  There are probably many English phrases Stephane Dion is unfamiliar with, and I would not fault him for not knowing the jargon of baseball, or poker.

But then Stephane Dion is not trying to get Canadians to vote for him to be prime minister based on his knowledge of baseball or on his poker skills.

We're to believe that Stephane Dion is the only party leader who can save the environment.  I expect him to be familiar will all sorts of environmental terms in both official languages.  Not understanding what a "car pool" is, whatever the reason, makes me seriously doubt just how deep Stephane Dion's knowledge is when it comes to practical solutions to environmental challenges.

And as for never being alone in a car, don't be too impressed.  It's not that Stephane Dion always car pools.  Not at all.  Stephane Dion doesn't have a driver's license.

It might be related to his colour blindness.  Or it might be the case of having lived and worked on campus all his professional life as a university professor, and then being catapulted into cabinet and so having a limo and a driver to take him around.

But whatever the reason, Stephane Dion is never alone in a car because he can't drive. 

So it's no wonder he doesn't really understand what challenges the average Canadian faces who has to drive to work, pay for high gas prices, and still make ends meet. 

For Canadians who are considering casting a vote for Stephane Dion, hoping he can understand how to balance environmental responsibility with the travails of daily life, this car pool confusion really ought to give them pause.

Stephane Dion just doesn't live in our world.  Not really. 

He lives in a world where there is no hour-long drive into the office in rush hour.  Stephane Dion can spend that hour practising yoga poses:

Yoga. Those who know him well say Mr. Dion is irritable and unfocused if his day doesn't start with a yoga session. So while the rest of us are hooking up caffeine intravenous tubes before breakfast, Liberal handlers would be well advised to give their guy sufficient time to complete his meditation before facing tough days on the road.

Stephane Dion can indulge in his yoga while the rest of us rush in to work to make a day's wage to pay for gas for our cars.

Maybe we can share those trips in a car pool, but we don't expect Stephane Dion to understand that.  He's too busy dreaming up new taxes for us to pay, like the carbon tax, while switching from pose to pose. 

Unless Stephane Dion can figure out how to pose as an average Canadian instead of as a Downward Facing Dog, his political career will take on another pose Dion probably practises, the Shavasana, also known as the Corpse Pose.

Yeah, it's exactly what you think it is:

Ah, this is so much better than being driven around from place to place by my limo driver.  I am always amazed at how average Canadians put up with taking limos day in and day out.  The life of the daily Canadian is such a struggle.  I hope to help them with my new taxation ideas.  I always get my best ideas when I pretend to be dead.  Hey, death and taxes.  That's funny.  I'll work it into my next speech.  A good yoga joke will show Canadians that I'm really one of them.

Doesn't know what a car pool is?  Jeez, a few more bone-headed comments like that, and Stephane Dion can be teaching the Corpse Pose to the entire Liberal Party caucus.