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Tonight I saw the first half hour of The National's Your Say with Jack Layton.
It was a good performance. Layton didn't pretend to have all the easy answers, instead he engaged in a real discussion with the audience. That bought him the kind of credibility that a list of promises alone couldn't.
The issue that kept him from a truly great performance, however, was taxes. Oddly, though, it wasn't even his position on taxes that hurt him.
Layton failed to turn the issue to his favour. He didn't use all the tools at his disposal. In the future he can -- and should -- be more clear.
So, in that spirit, I suggest the following...
Tax Talking Points for Leader Layton:
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'Our plan balances the budget every year -- using even more conservative estimates than the Conservatives.'
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OK, he's got that part down. Next:
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'Not only that, it will cut taxes for the vast majority of Canadians by eliminating income taxes for people making under $15,000, eliminating the GST on family essentials and increasing the child tax credit.'
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Didn't think you'd hear that from the NDP, did yah?
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'We pay for our tax plan by rolling back some of the Martin tax cuts for corporations and people making more than $250,000 a year -- and establishing an inheritance tax on estates over a million dollars.'
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The kicker:
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'But even including corporations and the wealthy, Canadians will still pay far less taxes under our plan than they did in 2000 -- when our economy was booming and the wealthiest Canadians were doing very well.'
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