Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Screw Mansbridge - Harper one on one with Miller

This is a brilliant media stunt for Harper, all the more so because it's genuine. The cowboy hats and burger flipping last summer was a disaster because Harper hated it, but talking hockey on TSN is a way he can relate to Canadians without being out of his element.

Why do Canadians like Stephen Harper? Even though he's smarter than most of us, he seems like an average guy and I have no doubt that he got a huge kick out of talking hockey for five minutes instead of droning on about accountability acts and GST cuts.

The Liberals would be well served to pick a leader who Canadians can relate to, or Harper is going to steamroll to an easy win next election.

posted by calgarygrit at 12:49 a.m.

54 Comments:

  • CG: Clearly Canadians would rather talk about the fine line between coercive interrogation and tourture with a 25,000 word essay. :P

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:09 a.m.  

  • Who says Canadians like Harper?

    By Blogger KC, at 1:10 a.m.  

  • Kyle; Well, he won an election, and his approval ratings are pretty good.

    If nothing else, they've certainly "warmed up" to Harper. "Like" may be too strong a word.

    By Blogger calgarygrit, at 1:13 a.m.  

  • "The Liberals would be well served to pick a leader who Canadians can relate to, or Harper is going to steamroll to an easy win next election."

    Well, I guess that means Ignatieff's out.

    By Blogger BL, at 1:52 a.m.  

  • "Who says Canadians like Harper?"

    Well, according to this here feller Kinsella, apparently a LOT of people do.

    "April 19, 2006 - Okay, we've been obliged to revise previous assessments. This guy is going to be Prime Minister for the next kabillion years, give or take."

    Horny Toad

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:58 a.m.  

  • Just to be clear, there are different ways that Canadians could relate to their leader - it doesn't have to be the Tim Hortons/hockey thing. I'd say they related to Jean Chretien and Pierre Trudeau in very different ways.

    It's hard to people relate to anyone in the field right now since they're all unknowns. But, if Ignatieff did win, the first thing he should do is try and get rid of the whole "Harvard intellectual" image because "hockey dad" will beat that every time.

    By Blogger calgarygrit, at 2:15 a.m.  

  • Whoever wrote that article hasn't been within a country mile of a journalism school. Half of the thing is just a plug for TSN.

    I agree with CG, this is a brilliant stunt by Harper. If Harper has one advantage the Libs should worry about, it's his middle-class ordinariness.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:39 a.m.  

  • Good Post CG,

    I saw that story on TSN and thought the exact same thing. Harper is clearly going to be a tougher guy to take down if he keeps up with this kind of image making.

    What helped Jean Chretien stay popular with Canadians even as events rocked his government was the fact that he seemed liked a ordinary guy that people could have a beer with. Before Mulrony imploded on himself he too milked that working class kid from Baie Comeu angle for all it was worth.

    Ever since TV the single most important factor for Prime Ministers has been their abilty to relate to middle class Canada. Diefenbaker was the first to do it and he rode that to the largest majority in our history, when he lost that appeal he was punished. The pattern repeats itself.

    I think John Turner, and Paul Martin were not really able to grab that middle class factor as much as they could have. And as we look to select our next leader I think that is important to keep in mind.

    Ignatief would be a diaster for this very reason. One would think Dryden had the correct background to grab voters, but sadly he is way too boring and stiff. Dion has the same academic problem as Ignatief.

    I think Kennedy is cleary the best bet.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:52 a.m.  

  • Getting your nose tweeked is kinda endearing too.

    By Blogger wilson, at 2:55 a.m.  

  • As CG noted, "like" is not the word... Harper is more like the guy at work that is not especially friendly and wants to take the company in a dubious direction, but he gets good performance reviews generally.

    I think Iggy could still relate to Joe Sixpack, but it has to be genuine. Harper doing the BBQ circuit was not genuine, Harper's interest in hockey is. Ignatieff talking about a "center left" strategy may be genuine but I am doubtful... that sounds like what the focus groups and handlers are telling him to say. If Ignatieff is just cerebral, I think that is OK, he just can't be both cerebral and over-spun, because that would really fail to engage people.

    - BD

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:17 a.m.  

  • Actually, from all accounts, Martin was quite friendly with "the common people". He just happens to be wealthier than Harper, and didn't have advisors trying to cram this "common man" bit down everybody's gullet.

    (Kinsella seems convinced that this has something to do with his election, but I'm still dubious- where is the data, if any exists, that people had chosen Harper based on this "Tim Hortons" stuff?)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:44 a.m.  

  • I'm not sure that "being friendly with" and "connecting with" are the same things. Martin "happening to be wealthier" isn't what stopped him from connecting with anyone.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:04 a.m.  

  • Im suprised to see you repeating that same B.S. "regular Americans can have a beer with him" narrative that the media talked endlessly about during the 2000 and 2004 predidential elections.

    What's next CG; are you going to say "Everybody sort of likes the Prime Minister, except for the real whack-jobs."

    http://mediamatters.org/items/200511290001

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:05 a.m.  

  • Talking about what an "average Joe" that PM Harper is... two days before the election, I got a chance to shake his hand and get a photo snapped with him. When the photo was taken, I said I was going to post it on the "Blogging Tories"... he then asked me "Your a Blogging Tory? Which one are you?"

    He stood there, 30 hours before an election, with places to go and people to see, and took time out of his day to ask me a question like that. (His bus took off just moments after our chat) We then spent the next few minutes talking about blogging.

    Now that's what I call a regular guy.

    By Blogger Christian Conservative, at 9:14 a.m.  

  • I think the problem that Warren Kinsella identifies is that Liberals have by and large gone through the past three elections by smearing their the leader of the Conservative Party. Kinsella simply realizes that interviews about hockey on TSN 'humanize' the Prime Minister and enable people to relate to him. That of course, coupled with fact the world hasn't been torn assunder and thrown into armeggedon with the Liberals removed from power, simply work against Liberals as it removes the message of fear that they tried to inspire in voters.

    By Blogger Chris, at 9:26 a.m.  

  • harper's appeal as a hockey dad gives him a little street cred, but come on, the guy's a stiff! i love hockey as much as the next guy but i require a little more out of the PM than a common interest in sport. he has no blue collar appeal at all.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:52 a.m.  

  • Although I'll be slammed for my take on Ignatieff oh well, somneone else brought him up. Iggs can't relate to Canadians. His wife isn't Canadian, he has no Canadian children or any children that we know of. His first wife probably wan't Canadian either. He has no vested common interest with the vast majority of Canadians. I know people like to think families don't matter in Candian politics or should be kept out of it, but arguable a cats death and a new kitten for the Harper family as well as his hockey dad status won him an election more than his policies did.

    Mr. Ignatieff's family, or lack thereof, will also have be considered by Canadians in an election. At 60, by the time the writ drops, he never will have Canadian children. What's his vested interest in Canada? HOw will he relate to the family life of average Canadians. Hwo owill he shed the "Harvard academic image", when he has no other identity. You can't focus on something that doesn't exist. He doesn't play or watch hockey, red socks right. HE's never run a business, never been a union rep, never been a father?? His family claim to faim is some Russian aristocrat who was in government. That will go over well.

    Image is important. Canadians do like hockey dads. They like "family men" They like ordinary people who are good at their jobs and have some level of experience in management and elected government. People with a common touch. Arrogant academics haven't been in vogue for quite some time with the Canadina electorate. Image and Canadian substance are important to Canadian voters.

    If Mr. Ignatieff does have Canadina children or any children, or if his first wife was Canadian please feel free to correct me. His bio is mum on all matters pertaining to family other than his beloved American citizen wife.

    This isn't a smear. It will come up in an election and be important. Harper's beautiful wife adorable children and love of kittens curled up on his big belly after watching his son play hockey, sure don't hurt him.

    Interestingly, McGuinty had to clarify his love of kittens before being elected in Ontario. It could be argued that we could simply let a fuzzy kitten loose at the Liberal leadership convention and whoever's lap the kitten choses to curl up on should be our party leader, as it seems most important to the Canadian, or at least Ontarion, electorate.

    By Blogger S.K., at 9:55 a.m.  

  • I think Harper gets way too many positive reviews for doing way too little.

    In the past 2 months he has done the following:

    * Against all his past promises and words, appointed a senator.

    * Stole a guy from the Liberals after yelling and crying about Belinda for months

    * Has reversed the appointment process of parliamentary chairs.

    * Has introduced a so-called "Accountability Package" that has actually reduced access to information.

    * Has appointed a defence lobbyist as his minister defence.

    * Has fired a cook and a communication director already. And how mean ordinary Canadians have a cook?

    I know that there is a whole team trying to sell this guy, but I find it impossible to believe this common man BS.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:56 a.m.  

  • What are you talking about? What is this, 1950s America where Dwight Eisenhower could be elected because "...my Mamie tells me I spend too much at the grocery store..."?

    Anyone reading this in the Winnipeg area is expected to be at the Convention Centre this afternoon to protest Harper's Day Care plan. Might work for subservient housewives in the Calgary are but not the rest of us!

    David Imrie - dave.imrie@gmail.com

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:59 a.m.  

  • press gallery take note:

    you can be worked around.

    and I was at a BBQ event last summer, and got the same kind treatment from the Prime Minister when I mentioned blogging. (He liked my 'handle' of Quebec Harpermaniac).

    he's "branche" as we say in Quebec.

    By Blogger Tarkwell Robotico, at 10:10 a.m.  

  • Christian Conservative,

    That's what you call a "regular guy"? That's what one calls a POLITICIAN! Welcome to the game.

    X

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:17 a.m.  

  • I can't wait for his "CBC Debut" later this year.....

    An exclusive on Hockey Night In Canada as a fill in co-host for Don Cherry on Coach's Corner.

    You heard it here first!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:31 a.m.  

  • "Surprised he chose Calgary and Ottawa as his picks."

    During the 2004 election one of the papers ran a leader's hockey pool for the cup final. Harper and Duceppe made good picks with the edge going to Harper who picked one less Calgary Flame.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:38 a.m.  

  • SB: Enough is enough.
    YOu continue to smear Iggy every chance you get. You always get your facts wrong and you alsways defend the indefensible. You continue to assert things that are just not true. I remember you as the person strongly insisting that Gerard Kennedy has two degrees, then you backed off to one. I doubt you have ever come clean and admitted he has none (This is not a Kennedy smear ok, I do not think the degree matters) Now you claim Iggys wife is American, Wrong, she is not. You claim he has no kids, wrong he has two. Have you ever ever thought of fact checking before posting.
    We all know you do not like Iggy, we all know you like Kennedy. Can you just quit lying about both of them, you are not helping your candidate as he will start to look like the candidate of the moonbats and no one will take anything you say serioslly

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:44 a.m.  

  • By Anonymous, at 7:56 AM
    "* Has appointed a defence lobbyist as his minister defence."

    That so called Lobbyst also spent 30 years in the armed forces. I think its great that we finally have a minister of defense that has experience in the army. Oh he was a lobbyist. Bohoo.

    If you had any idea of the holes you gotta jump through and the approvals you require to get a new peice of eqiuipment for the military then you'd realize that being a lobbyist doesnt mean anything.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:46 a.m.  

  • ChuckerCanuck,

    I always though Haper had a tree branch look too!

    I prefer a leader "branché" it's much cooler :)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:48 a.m.  

  • Aristo,
    hahaha I bet s.b. also told you she was a teacher, right?

    s.b. is a professional protestor, full time pathological liar and general crazy cat lady who lies to police when she gets arrested! Ask her all about it!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:50 a.m.  

  • I was a big Martin fan (before he imploded), and now a Dion supporter...but I'm starting to feel the love for Harper.

    Must be the spring air...

    If he keeps up his no-nonsense style of governing, heck, even I'll vote for his party.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:56 a.m.  

  • Saguenay Grit:

    show off with your keyboard!

    but thanks, je viens juste de réalisé comment le faire!

    By Blogger Tarkwell Robotico, at 10:58 a.m.  

  • I said Mr. Kennedy studied economics and business at the University of Alberta and that the Globe reported he had achieved that degree, which they did, as clarified several times on my blog. I also invited anyone to correct me about Mr. Ignatieff's bio and only went with what is on his own web site. None of these are lies. The Globe got it wrong, not me, not Mr. Kennedy.

    This post is discussing image in elections and popularity with the electorate. Someone else brought up Mr. Ignatieff. We must examine candidates images before deciding on a leader. It is important to Canadians. None of this is smear.

    You however are trying to smear me, feel free. It delegitimizes your position, and shows you as a troll. Whatever.

    Please again, feel free to correct me if something is missing from Mr. Ignattief's biography on his own web site that would make him more appealing to the Canadian electorate, or if he does have some Canadian family hiding somewhere, or even a cat. The media seems to love that sort of thing.

    P.S. There was a cat that sat through cabinet meetings of the British government from Thatcher to Blair. The caucus had a naming competition for him. Mrs. Blair had him removed from the premisis and the Blairs were actually accused of murdering the cat in the House by the Conservative opposition. It created quite a crisis for Blair and he had to show photos of the cat in the House on current daily papers to prove to the British electorate that the cat was alive and well in a new home.

    Iggy probably has a dog, so American politics. That was a smear, see the difference? I appologize.

    By Blogger S.K., at 12:14 p.m.  

  • Harper may have made some questionable decisions since being elected - that first week was horrific.

    But, despite the media crack-down, he's geting some great media. The Afghanistan trip, some nice photo-ops, the hockey stuff...

    When he's been attacked for being "scary" for the past five years, all he really has to do is not look scary, and he's already ahead of the game there.

    By Blogger calgarygrit, at 12:56 p.m.  

  • Has appointed a defence lobbyist as his minister defence.

    If Liberal party fart-catchers are going to list Liberal talking points here,they may bear in mind that the Liberals appointed a Mafia employee,Alphonso Gagliano,as a minister, over the objections of the RCMP.
    I think most Canadians would find someone connected to kiddie porn,drug dealing, prostitution etc. more offensive than someone who served his country with a military career.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:04 p.m.  

  • Chuckercanuk et Saguenay Grit: Que-est ce que c'est "branché", and comment-on fait les accents? Merci.

    By Blogger Joanne (True Blue), at 2:29 p.m.  

  • Honest to god, I'm trying to follow the logic, here, CG, and I can't.

    The Conservatives have taken a smart guy and made him approachable. So, we should get someone approachable, or we'll lose.

    Are you saying that we can take someone approachable and make them smart? Or are you saying that we can't do what the Conservatives have done, and take someone smart and make them approachable? Or are you saying that smart doesn't matter?

    By Blogger Gauntlet, at 2:32 p.m.  

  • All of the leadership candidates are smart, but some of them are more approachable than others re: identifying with the Canadian public.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:39 p.m.  

  • Prediction: Harper will win a majority next time...and he will be one of the best PM this country has ever had. And, if I ever hear one more person say that PET was one of the great PM's I will literally throw up.....

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:49 p.m.  

  • SB
    Oooo, I am a troll ok
    Well Check out the bio on Iggys web site where it mentions his two kids, see if you can find it because it is right there.
    I am wondering where it says his wife is American? Or did you just make that up.
    His favorite hockey team courtesy of CG are the Habs.
    OF course you are lying. You know it. You took the oportunity to turn a post on Harper and his image into smears against Iggy, you claimed his wife is American as if that is some kind of slur even if it is true. Which it is not as anyone who has ever met her knows.
    Now you are claiming dog owners are American, and cat owners are Canadian.
    What is this, some kind of Mccarthyite witch hunt against people who are touched by Americanism

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:55 p.m.  

  • Gauntlet; See my comments higher up in the thread. I said that if Ignatieff wins, he should try and reform his imagine, just like Harper has done. That's one of the reasons I tried to lob a few softball humanizing questions into my interview with him. Since he has a very good chance of winning, it's in everyone's interest to try and make him more electable to the Canadian public.

    But people have to remember that it's take five years to transform Harper into a somewhat tolerable/likeable human being. These things don't happen overnight and the next election will be within a year or two.

    By Blogger calgarygrit, at 3:15 p.m.  

  • joanne,

    branché means plugged in. or more simply - that person is cool.

    it can also refer to electrical appliances/lights and whether they are literally plugged in or not.

    but for people, it means "in the know" or "hip".

    On Topic: no potential Liberal leader is a loveable as Stephen Harper. No amount of forcing his fist under his chin will make Kennedy as loveable as Stephen Harper. Even if he can parachute in the thinker's pose, it ain't going to help.

    By Blogger Tarkwell Robotico, at 3:19 p.m.  

  • Merci CC. Et je suis d'accord re: Harper.

    By Blogger Joanne (True Blue), at 3:22 p.m.  

  • the sad thing is that he's only been in office for 3 months and hes already head and shoulders above Martin as a PM.

    Poor Paul Martin destroyed a legacy he built up over 15 years in 18 months.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:43 p.m.  

  • CG wrote:
    "Just to be clear, there are different ways that Canadians could relate to their leader - it doesn't have to be the Tim Hortons/hockey thing. I'd say they related to Jean Chretien and Pierre Trudeau in very different ways. "

    I agree. Jean Chretien was a petty thug trying to make up for his early existence by usiing every dirty tactic in the book to get ahead of those who looked down upon him, and Pierre Trudeau was an elite Anti-Semite who enjoyed leading a country full of people he looked down upon.

    Chretien used his position to enrich himself at taxpayer expense, and Trudeau used the taxpayer to fund the social experiment he modelled after his buddy Fidel Castro.
    Could be worse though....Trudeau could have fashioned himself after the facists he admired when he was a young man riding around the Jewish sector of Montreal in full Nazi Regalia.


    James Halifax

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:51 p.m.  

  • CG, your last post was onto something. Ignatieff's temperament reminds me a bit of the old Harper. The guy in 24 Sussex now had time to smooth over his rough edges. Iggy doesn't have that time, and might be a bit too arrogant to try until he loses. Hopefully you guys pick him.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:54 p.m.  

  • Yep Aristo, you're a troll. Thanks for the clarification though. Are his kids Canadian? They weren't in his bio two days ago, the last time I looked. He's had his bio erased from Wikepedia, the only Canadian politician without a bio on that site, but it also didn't mention any children. I did look specifically for that info. Though they all mention that Russian aristocrat great grandfather was it. Not impressive to Canadian parents.

    Since his wife first moved to Canada about four months ago from the U.S. she wouldn't even qualify for Canadian citizenship before the next election.

    It's an image problem. It's not just that he's been out of the country for 35 years it's that his personal vested interests and family aren't Canadian.

    Even Michael Jean had to give up her French Citizenship to become GG, and her husband's French citizenship was questioned, although he is also Canadian and has lived here for quite a while. That's not even elected office.

    Harper's personal image is very very good. Getting better all the time. The kitten thing definately got him a female vote he wouldn't have had before. The hockey dad image with a beautiful Canadian wife and kids cannot be discounted as a factor in an election.

    The Harper is scary thing won't work again, even if his policies are. The electorate are growing to like him a lot. We need a leader the electorate will like a lot at least. With a very good image that Canadians can connect to and identify with.

    All of the Liberal candidates are smart enough to be Prime Minister, some are more experienced in politics and yes some will be more likable to the Canadian electorate. It needs to be considered, particluarly for the front runners.

    I would have a lot more respect for Iggy's camp if they would just admit to things and still put forward why he should be chosen instead of creating double speak about his obvious personal history and positions and attacking people who feel its important to address for leadership.

    Kennedy doesn't have a degree this has been clarified. He chose to start a food bank in Edmonton instead. Kenedy supporters say yeah he's still worth having as leader and this is why. One of those reasons is his image. Young, charismatic, father of two children with French names who speak French, husband to a Maritime wife, came from a middle class background in Manitoba but went to school on Hockey scholarships. Founded the Edmonton Food bank at 26, in disagreement with the NDP, who wanted to let the poor starve to make a political point. He then ran the Toronto Food bank. Was Ontario MPP for ten years, including Minister of Education who brought harmony back to a fractured education system in Ontario. Yep, he doesn't have a degree. He's still much more qualified to govern and has a way way way better image to compete with Mr. Harper than Mi.

    Sorry it is a factor.

    By Blogger S.K., at 4:47 p.m.  

  • Calgary, Mi will be 65, five years after the next election. It won't matter if he has a better image by then. Should we really even be considering someone that old who needs image work, a Canadian English language specialist for a coach, and experience before being electable? He's not 45.

    By Blogger S.K., at 4:52 p.m.  

  • "As an aside, strangely enough, I do believe that this blog is visited by more Conservatives than Liberals. Strange...."

    An Alberta Grit surrounded by Tories is right up there with "dog bites man".

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:00 p.m.  

  • "Founded the Edmonton Food bank at 26, in disagreement with the NDP, who wanted to let the poor starve to make a political point".

    The Food bank thing keeps mutating. Now he's 26 and rode over the NDP to found it.

    Even the wiki has him founding the Edmonton Food bank 2 years after it was created:

    "born 1960...attended the University of Alberta, and then left it to found the Edmonton Food Bank in 1983"

    I persume he became "executive director" in 1983. Whether Kennedy was involved in 1980 or whether some NDP were opposed in 1980, the organizers were far more interested in redirecting food than redirecting votes:

    "In April 1980, an ad hoc committee began investigating the possibility of establishing a food bank to serve agencies located in the inner city. Interest was high among these agencies to provide meal or snack programs to people in need. With funding provided by the Marian Centre, an official from Second Harvest Food Bank (Phoenix, Arizona) was asked to attend a workshop to provide his expertise. Following several meetings, an official steering committee was appointed by the participating agencies to carry out the planning for the Food Bank until the organization became legally incorporated and an official Board of Directors was elected.

    On January 16, 1981, the Edmonton Gleaners Association, more commonly known as Edmonton's Food Bank, received it's official charter of incorporation and Canada's first food bank was born".

    http://www.edmontonsfoodbank.com

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:21 p.m.  

  • sb
    I do not know what planet you are on.
    His wikipedia entry is there and it mentions his kids.
    It also mentions his kids on his leadership campaign website.
    Wow.
    Since when as he been out of the country for 35 years, exagerate much?
    Who made you the lord of what is and what is not Canadian.
    Not smearing eh?
    I guess anonomous 8:50 was right about you.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:46 p.m.  

  • Well yyc, what wiki says is crap.

    I was under the impression he founded Edmonton in 1983, moved to Toronto in 1986 to found their food bank. I don't know what the NDP has to do with it as Eggleton is, well, a Liberal, and he was mayor from 80-91.

    And sort of related, I will be shocked if it's not a Kennedy-Dion final ballot for the Leadership. Who wins is unknown. If Ignatieff has a tough time winning a seat in Toronto, which he kind of did, then maybe he isn't right for the leadership.

    Not a troll, folks, just a thought.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:47 p.m.  

  • In fairness the draft Kennedy site is correct: "In Edmonton, he worked as a historical researcher and then as the first executive director of the Edmonton Food Bank, Canada's first such organization, from 1983 to 1986"

    Most everywhere else (including the wiki) first executive directer has mutated to founder... thereby erasing the whoever actually founded the food bank April 1980-January 1981.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:53 p.m.  

  • If you think this blog is bad for conservatives overrunning the comments threads, you should go over to Cherniak's site sometime.

    That's one of the weirdest aspects of Canadian blogging I've seen vs. it's American counterpart- that despite the relatively liberal political culture in the country, the political culture online is overrun with conservatives, and there hasn't been that process of division between liberal and conservative camps yet.

    (Of course, that might be because most liberal Canadian blogs use Blogger's built-in commenting system for some bizarre reason. Good God, man, get yourself some Haloscan. At the very least, it'd cut down on the "Harper is the best PM in Canadian history for no earthly reason I can possibly identify" anonytrolls.)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:52 a.m.  

  • Grit is more widely read by Tories, but Cherniak gets more comments for one simple reason.

    Its the difference between being intentionally funny and unintentially funny.

    "Far from being the death-knell of the Liberal campaign, I think this investigation could be the final leg of a majority". - Cherniak

    "Tories in front 37-29, their largest lead yet. But, as a true Liberal, I am not deterred. In fact, I welcome this adversity. I believe we are merely in the final leg of a Liberal majority". -Grit

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:22 p.m.  

  • In a bipartisan sprit here's Paul Wells beatin' on Cherniak at Cherniak's site and pretty much on the current topic:

    You're a bit of a slow learner, aren't you Jason. Here's the short lesson. Pardon me for yelling. NOBODY IN REAL LIFE NEEDS A POLITICAL LEADER WHO EXCITES THEM. REAL PEOPLE HAVE LIVES. THEY TRUST SPORTS STARS, MOVIE STARS AND FAST CARS TO EXCITE THEM. THEY DON'T GIVE A S-H-I-T ABOUT POLITICAL LEADERS. THEY NEED THEM TO BE C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-T. THEY NEED THEM TO BE C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T. THEY WILL L-A-U-G-H AT POLITICAL LEADERS WHO PUMP THEIR FISTS IN THE AIR AND PAPER A ROOM WITH THUNDERSTICKS. PEOPLE LIKE YOU, WHO KEEP LOOKING AROUND FOR 'EMOTIVE' LEADERS, BROUGHT US KIM! AND STOCK! AND JOHN! TURNER! AND PAUL! MARTIN! Feel free to learn nothing from this lesson. Carry on.'

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:32 p.m.  

  • Scary???

    Try standing on the streets of Bahgdad, or Belfast in the late 20the late twentieth century. Canadians need to get their vocabulary under control, and stop seeing demons under every rock!!!

    Harper is a sincere, and fair Prime Minister. His demeanour is professional, and if this is scary, then I suggest Canada fall back in love with people who accomplish much and talk little.

    Harper's gag order on his cabinet is probably one of the wisest moves with the atmosphere of media circus that exists today, coupled with the necessary security for information regarding sensitive issues such as military ops etc. He is as much a statesman as any former prime minister of Canada.

    New paragraph -- because PET does not belong in the same league, nor paragraph as our present Premier.

    Scary??? Hah!!! Mr. Harper is a gentleman with manners -- more than can be said for Layton or Duceppe.

    Give Ignatieff his dues, at least he is polite -- even if he is ignorant to the needs of Canadians, and more invested in the future of his retirement home to the south of us.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:39 p.m.  

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