Day Five: Trudeau The Retail Politician.

You all know what I think about Trudeau and his PMO gang. To ask that question is to answer it. But what I want to know is what's Broadhurst's input in the LPC re-election strategy? What's his take on going with the retail politician strategy?

Broadhurst is a guy that I naturally fear politically because he hasn't endlessly bumbled his way through the Trudeau tenure like those of them in the PMO.

Let's start with the positive: Trudeau's basically a born natural at it. To watch the footage in Saint-Tite, or at Timmy's, is to behold the Justin magic at work. People are incredibly emotional, enthusiastic and basically positive -- in spite of what's been in the news since caucus (read Trudeau) gave JWR and JP the heave-ho.

Those people are with him and would probably walk over hot coals for this Prime Minister. They don't care what Trudeau's done, or not done, they like the guy and would be only too pleased to see the PM returned come October. Add to all this the fact that Trudeau has the guts to show up with his daughter in tow says something. He's confident, going into the campaign.

Now for the negative: worldliness and charm only takes you so far in an election. This ain't Trudeaumania 1968. Conservatives are within striking distance and the day is young as far as campaigns go. Trudeau has broken promises and been incredibly creative in his responses about SNC, Norman and the like. In short, outright lying has not been an absent factor in the election so far. 

So, to put it in a 2015 context, why did Trudeau and the Liberals come from third place to win government? That's the key right there as to whether the retail politics strategy will pay huge dividends this time.

It can only cut ice in one of two ways: either people basically fell in love with Trudeau and hurdled themselves precipitously to the polls in an avalanche to get him elected OR they had come to so dislike and despise Harper that they were pretty much prepared to put anyone else in the PM's chair. 

The final interesting element is that Trudeau now has a record that can best be described as some successes mitigated by other failures.

What it all boils down to in 2019 is whether most voters want Trudeau in or out. The race remains competitive with Liberals slightly ahead cause a lot of people still like Justin Trudeau. But how much of the Liberal vote will actually turn out next month? It's a safe bet to say that numbers won't be anywhere near what the party got in 2015.

If the vote rush remains positive, Liberals get another term in office. But if the angry, disillusioned and dissatisfied show up at the polls, it's all over with the CPC winning big. The latter is my sense of voting intentions as of now, but things could change.

In any event, you the voter have a decision to make -- and no matter how it plays out, democracy is always right. That's the best part about Canada.