Preston Manning strikes another positive blow for political reason and democratic reform. In his Op-Ed in today’s Globe and Mail Manning is asking politicians to “Drop the Extremes in the Green Debate.” Once again Manning is showing how well he is aligned with the public sentiment - at least that is how I see his message.
Manning points out “…Canadians place a very high premium on tolerance and avoidance of extremes.” Remember how “Scary” Stephen Harper was in the 2004 elections because of his affiliation with extremists social conservatives? The extremists kept very quite in the 2006 election and that helped to get Harper elected as a result
Manning’s Globe piece points out that political party’s rhetoric and political positioning, especially on the environmental front, are not usually based on analysis and criticism of the actual policies of the various opposing parties. The political effort is more concentrated on intentional mischaracterizations of the opponent’s position as “extreme.” The Liberals and Conservatives are both guilty of this and the NDP will not doubt be doing it soon - to the Greens.
Manning decries the newsworthiness judgement calls made by the main stream media of such stylized conflicts dominating the greater need for informative content around complex issues. Citizens understand all this and it just adds to the cynicism about politics and that undermines our democracy.
The timing of this Op-Ed is likely merely coincidental to the release of the Conservative Party attack ads” that were no doubt authorized by Manning’s protégé, The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada. Why are the ads running now? It is really “…because Dion has been getting a free ride in the media as a guy who gets the environment issues.” That is the reported motivation according to Jason Kenney – Harper’s point man on all of this messaging extremism.
What better and more ironic example could we possibly have of that “green extremism” than these Harper Cons attack ads on Dion? This is exactly the kind of stuff that Manning is advising against. They "ads" are more focused on his competency as a person and his capability leader, than on his policies or his vision. We can make that competency and leadership judgement at election time. What we want to understand now is what policy alternatives are the various parties offering us. These attack ads may generate some heat but they will not shed much light.
But the Cons have lots of cash and they are not restricted in how they spend it right now. After all we are in a “non-election time frame” (sic) so the rules about campaign advertising and spending limits don’t apply.
This is clever politics for sure. But it is also a questionable governing technique. Canadians want better government not more politics. Thanks Preston Manning for your wisdom once again. You flirted with the Alberta PC leadership last year. Would you reconsider the leadership of your federal party one more time? The country could use you.
"They "ads" are more focused on his competency as a person and his capability leader, than on his policies or his vision. We can make that competency and leadership judgement at election time."
ReplyDeleteA incompetent person, despite a vision or great policies, will be unable to get them implemented. That is the point of the Cons ads "he didn't get it done". It is all about the implementation rather than the mere talking about your policy.
Dion is fair game. This is politics. The ads are not over the top (as were the lib ads in the last election). As for this not being election time, in my opinion, election date is not the only time we should just our leaders.
The reference to the Cons cash-flow sounds like sour grapes. I was like that when the LPC was flush with cash from corporate and union donations. I dealt with it and the liberals will have to deal with it too.
eric - the politics of this is all is fair game - I agree. Incompetency testing will be done on both Harper and Dion - as leaders and their visions - by Canadians...and likely as a result of these attack ads.
ReplyDeleteI am not making excuses but Dion "not getting it done" in 18 months as Minister in a time frame where we had 2 minority governments and 2 elections...give me a break. Hardly the foundation for making big ticket policy progress.
That said, consider the Montreal climate change meetings he helped organize and chaired. He brought the Americans into the climate change issues seriously for the first time. Dion got that done as Environment Minister. Pretty impressive I'd say!
Even George Bush is trying to be authentically green now...and one wonders if Harper is still following the Bush play book as he has on so many other things.
Lets not forget Harper has had a year to get something done on the Environment and he will likely have another 6 months to match the time Dion was Minister.
Harper has been active. He has introduced clean air legislation that will come into effect in over 6000 days. He has turfed his Environment Minister who he had on such a short lease she couldn't even breath politically.
Let look at what else Harper has gotten "done" in the past year. He has eliminated a raft of the former Liberal environment programs to deal with climate change...and then he reinstrated them...OOPs?
How much money has we wasted with that set of POLICY PRIOIRTIES? But in a Harper world setting priorities is easy...if you don't worry much about being right about them in the first place - or the consequences of being wrong!
I think the criticism about "not getting things done" on the envoronment file has merit. It must be applied to the Chretien, Martin AND Harper governments. It is not Dion or Ambrose who are at fault here...their leaders are the ones to blame in each case.
I think the larger citicism and question on Canadian's minds is who do we dare trust on this file...Dion who gets it or Harper who pretends to get it, eventually! Really, he does "get it" - doesn't he? Sure he does!
Now we can see Harper just how much "gets it" on the real issues because he is so afraid of Dion's grasp of the real issues that he has to run attack ads against him to level the competency playing field.
Those attack ads don't prove Harper is the right choice for the environment file or that Dion isn't. They will however focus the public's attention and the media's scrutiny on Harper's judgement, skills and competency too.
This is all good so far as I am concerned.
In the same article, Manning states, "Thus, on the environmental front, liberals and social democrats devote little time and attention to debating the actual environmental positions of conservatives. Instead, they characterize those positions as extreme right-wing policies that will likely destroy the environment, and then argue against that extreme. Likewise, the temptation for conservatives is to ignore debating the actual positions held by liberals and social democrats on the environment. Instead, we tend to characterize those positions as extreme left-wing policies that will likely destroy the economy, and then argue against that extreme."
ReplyDeleteSounds fair, sounds balanced.
Wait just one minute! Over the last number of years, the political Right in this country and abroad have ridiculed, tormented, insulted, and attacked anyone who was attempting to advance critical scientific data on a number of global environmental concerns. Individuals like Dr. David Suzuki have been badmouthed in the Tory blogosphere with impunity.
And now, all of a sudden, Manning believes that this is merely a case of both sides needing to listen to the other.
In view of the Right's record, Manning is whitewashing a dismal record from his corner of the political spectrum.
I take what he says with a grain of salt, and even then, am not convinced that there is any real sincerity in his words. This is pure political expediency intended to prop up his protege, Steven Harper.
It's good that Dion organized a meeting, but, having organized many meetings myself, I don't think that has much traction. Again, he didn't get it done in terms of action.
ReplyDeleteAgain, linking Harper to Bush - this didn't work in the last election and it won't work this time around.
"I think the larger citicism and question on Canadian's minds is who do we dare trust on this file...Dion who gets it or Harper who pretends to get it, eventually! Really, he does "get it" - doesn't he? Sure he does!"
I don't know how to respond to this argument. Dion "gets it"? What kind of argument is that? He "got it" and didn't do anything about it - is that better than pretending it? I don't understand.
Dion is going to be held accountable for his terrible record on the environment. This is what the ads portray. As well, the argument that he wasn't the environment minister during the entire 13 year of liberal rule and thus isn't responsible for the LPC's dismal record will not prevail. He was there at the cabinet table and did nothing (er, ah, well he did call his dog Kyoto).
The Cons have not done well on this file. I admit it. But to state that Dion "gets it" with his record is a bit much. As Iggy and Dryden stated: he didn't get the job done.
eric - read Dion's Environment Policy that he crafted for his leadership campaign and then read my comment above on this posting the other day. That defines how Dion "gets it" for me!
ReplyDeleteTo say he didn't do anything - being at the Cabinet table has to be in context. For a while he had to be totally focused on the Clarity Act - not a small task to accomplish - which he got done. He was bounced out of Cabinet in the early Martin regime remember.
Then he was brought back by Martin for an 18 month stint in Environment when the Cons were deciding when to defeat the government...remember Belinda? The Cons were the "flat-earthers" on climate change science then too, with the possible self professed exception of John Baird.
Some of the responsbility for sure but you can't hang all the Libs enviro record on him.
The blame for inaction on the climate chnge file can be shared by Chretien, Matrtin and Harper.
Thx for the response Ken. I understand that the entire LPC record will not fall on Dion (especially the sponsorship scandal), but the LPC (REGARDLESS of their leader) should take some responsibility for the environment file.
ReplyDelete