Jay is bored but Ben suggests there will be some sort of October surprise that may pull the Conservatives out of the nose dive death spiral self-fulfilling prophecy of a vicious circle that has found them where they are - possibly about to lose the election. Why are they there and what could help with a few days to go?

• Be honest. Events have overwhelmed them. For a surprise to work against this theme, they will have to show themselves to have mastered events. But that would mean an about face from the path of laisse-faire. He is not one to change either tack or tactic. A manufacturered surprise won't help.
• Stephen Harper may well attack for six days of pure anti-Liberal venom. But I don't see this either as I frankly don't think he has it in him either as an ethical matter and, as he can't talk the dirty talk, as a personal skill. Chretien and Mulroney could but Harper is no Chretien or Mulroney - and that, as a person, is to his credit. Yet it, too, will not help.
• He looks bad when he does flip-flop especially when it is to something know he doesn't support like funding rude movies. We know he doesn't believe in rude movies or their funding. Fess up. Be yourself. Keep cutting their funding if you are a leader and that is your creed. Being someone he isn't won't help now either.

But worst of all, it also hurts when he is himself, when he comes up with these last minute ideas in his last minute platform like a "Charter of Open Federalism"¹ which, seeing as it is called a "Charter" is a constitutional document. Hint: seriously bad idea to open up constitutional debate when you have no hope of a majority and when Newfoundland hates you. And even the Western Standard has had some serious questions about this one when it has been bounced around in the past. The Globe and Mail says it is meant to "enshrine the original division of powers among provinces and Ottawa." But they are already enshrined in the current constitution and have been elaborated by 141 years of Court rulings and yoinks of Federal and provincial legislation.

But is that the point? Is this really a grab to undo the Canadian federation as it exists as well as the entire legacy of the past? Retroactively impose originalism and some sort of founding principles a century and a half after the fact to fit an ahistoric world vision which owes more to Marxism (in the sense of breaking with history) than the British system of justice? If it is, is this the person to take on that impossible task? If you think The Green Shift is nutty, just wait for playing Jenga with the basis for the entire national bargain that put Canada together. Good luck with that one, Mr. Harper.

Other news for day 32.

• Uh-oh: "His platform launch was disorganized by usually meticulous Conservative standards and there were subtle traces of panic in the air."
• Oh dear: "For Harper to suggest he saw this all coming sounds smug -- and unlikely."
• Noted in the National Post without any accompanying scoff: ""It shows how much Stephen Harper is insensitive and out of touch with ordinary Canadians," Mr. Dion said. "I can't believe he said that."

¹Warning: a .pdf of the CPC platform with blurt about this at p26 is all they've provided.