This is a great example of how the Blogosphere is getting active and pushing back at the Harper do nothing leadership.
Such independent video efforts were virtually (sic) unheard of in the 2006 campaign. But boy are they everywhere now...and they are not happy with Harper's lying and indifference to social, environmental and economic concerns.
Don't let Harper's wilful blindness about the American financial crisis impact on Canada.
Your savings, your pensions and your investments are at risk but Harper says there is nothing he will do to protect you.
Stop Steve "Do Nothing" Harper.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Stephen Harper Is George Bush and John McCain.
Harper is Indifferent to the Emerging Economic Crisis Impact on Canadians
Mr. Harper says this plan to respond to the financial crisis, that is spreading around the world, is to do absolutely nothing. He even belittles Dion’s policy proposal to get Canada's best brains available to come together to plan a coordinated and integrated national response to the crisis. Dion is focused and energized and promising an economic response plan within 30 days of being elected. Harper is posturing and posing this as "a panic response."
Hardly a panic but rather a planning approach with a sense of urgency as is required under the circumstances. This is the approach the leaders of the major European Union countries who met in Paris today do exactly what Dion says he is going to do. They all came together and started the planning to prepare an effective and urgent response to the growing crisis.
Mr. Harper’s leadership in the face of economic peril is to do nothing. He seems unable to grasp the fact that Canada is not immune from the impact of the most devastating economic conditions since 9-11. He is oblivious or in denial about the consequences of the integrated relationship of the Canadian economy to the American economic downturn.
His academic economics training shows he is looking at the events only in an academic and not political or policy context. He is fixated on the fact we have a more reserved Canadian banking sector and that is enough for Harper to conclude everything is fine as he stays the Bush/Cheney course.
Harper is failing to see the broader picture. Harper is showing the voter that he is devoid of the necessary insight needed to be an effective leader in uncertain times. He is avoiding the mustering of the empathy he needs to effective and to reassuringly deal with the anxiety of citizens who can see the economic tsunami coming at them.
This coming week will be the most defining time in this election. Harper is acting insouciant and indifferent to citizen’s growing and serious economic concerns. He is just messaging to the political media and pushing the line that he, Stephen Harper, has matters under control so don't worry. But he offers us no evidence to prove this policy position is anything more than pure political posturing.
The times have changed dramatically in the past couple of weeks. Harper's early election call was intended to avoid this economic disaster befalling his leadership in the campaign. Too bad!Harper is proving to be unable to deal with this crisis other than as an academic economist. He is using the standard economist trick of deeming a different reality than what actually is happening. Economic deems "facts" all the time so their view of "reality" is tailored to fit a preconceived but inadequate model that doesn't reflect the real world.
Harper is so close to Bush/Cheney policy patterns that he seems unable to see the importance of the economic changes that have just happened. He is an economist so it is astonishing that he has such a blind spot and that he is retreating into denial. Harper’s personal governing style has proven to be rigid, command and controlling. He is obviously convinced that he is always "the smartest person in the room," and that presumption is proving to be a maladaptive character trait.
Harper even taking this Sunday off from the campaign - just when he should be starting his final "kick" to boost the energy and excitement of the campaign platform as he sprints to the finish line. That "day off" approach indicates just how much he is missing the import of what changed in the world this week given the consequences of the American financial crisis.
The fact that Harper has been so indifferent to informing the voter that he has not deemed it necessary to even release a campaign platform. He got caught on this indifference in the debate so he is rushing out a platform next week. He is leaving Canadians less than a week to study and to try to understand where Harper would take the nation. Astonishing indifference, especially to the advance poll voters who will have to vote before they could even see the Conservative policy platform.
What Canada needs now is a politician who is a thoughtful team leader without any self delusion or denial. We need a Prime Minister with real wisdom and sound judgment who can work with others...not just a one man show. The country needs someone who has empathy and a capacity to lead in ways to protect and empower people through these times of high anxiety.
That sound more like Canada needs Dion and the Liberal team and not so much Mr. Harper alone with his muted and trained seal MPs.
People are anxious and fear is growing. He is about to blow the majority because Quebec voters has seen through his political pandering and they are leaving him in droves. Will his obvious indifference, insensitivity and pure ineptness towards the coming economic crisis scare the voter in the rest of Canada away? We will know the end results on October 14th. Strategic voting will be making a big difference to prevent Harper majority and it is an interesting election all of a sudden.
Hardly a panic but rather a planning approach with a sense of urgency as is required under the circumstances. This is the approach the leaders of the major European Union countries who met in Paris today do exactly what Dion says he is going to do. They all came together and started the planning to prepare an effective and urgent response to the growing crisis.
Mr. Harper’s leadership in the face of economic peril is to do nothing. He seems unable to grasp the fact that Canada is not immune from the impact of the most devastating economic conditions since 9-11. He is oblivious or in denial about the consequences of the integrated relationship of the Canadian economy to the American economic downturn.
His academic economics training shows he is looking at the events only in an academic and not political or policy context. He is fixated on the fact we have a more reserved Canadian banking sector and that is enough for Harper to conclude everything is fine as he stays the Bush/Cheney course.
Harper is failing to see the broader picture. Harper is showing the voter that he is devoid of the necessary insight needed to be an effective leader in uncertain times. He is avoiding the mustering of the empathy he needs to effective and to reassuringly deal with the anxiety of citizens who can see the economic tsunami coming at them.
This coming week will be the most defining time in this election. Harper is acting insouciant and indifferent to citizen’s growing and serious economic concerns. He is just messaging to the political media and pushing the line that he, Stephen Harper, has matters under control so don't worry. But he offers us no evidence to prove this policy position is anything more than pure political posturing.
The times have changed dramatically in the past couple of weeks. Harper's early election call was intended to avoid this economic disaster befalling his leadership in the campaign. Too bad!Harper is proving to be unable to deal with this crisis other than as an academic economist. He is using the standard economist trick of deeming a different reality than what actually is happening. Economic deems "facts" all the time so their view of "reality" is tailored to fit a preconceived but inadequate model that doesn't reflect the real world.
Harper is so close to Bush/Cheney policy patterns that he seems unable to see the importance of the economic changes that have just happened. He is an economist so it is astonishing that he has such a blind spot and that he is retreating into denial. Harper’s personal governing style has proven to be rigid, command and controlling. He is obviously convinced that he is always "the smartest person in the room," and that presumption is proving to be a maladaptive character trait.
Harper even taking this Sunday off from the campaign - just when he should be starting his final "kick" to boost the energy and excitement of the campaign platform as he sprints to the finish line. That "day off" approach indicates just how much he is missing the import of what changed in the world this week given the consequences of the American financial crisis.
The fact that Harper has been so indifferent to informing the voter that he has not deemed it necessary to even release a campaign platform. He got caught on this indifference in the debate so he is rushing out a platform next week. He is leaving Canadians less than a week to study and to try to understand where Harper would take the nation. Astonishing indifference, especially to the advance poll voters who will have to vote before they could even see the Conservative policy platform.
What Canada needs now is a politician who is a thoughtful team leader without any self delusion or denial. We need a Prime Minister with real wisdom and sound judgment who can work with others...not just a one man show. The country needs someone who has empathy and a capacity to lead in ways to protect and empower people through these times of high anxiety.
That sound more like Canada needs Dion and the Liberal team and not so much Mr. Harper alone with his muted and trained seal MPs.
People are anxious and fear is growing. He is about to blow the majority because Quebec voters has seen through his political pandering and they are leaving him in droves. Will his obvious indifference, insensitivity and pure ineptness towards the coming economic crisis scare the voter in the rest of Canada away? We will know the end results on October 14th. Strategic voting will be making a big difference to prevent Harper majority and it is an interesting election all of a sudden.
Don't Vote
This video is worth every one of the 4:45 minutes it takes to watch it. It is American but translates pretty well to Canada.
Apathy is boring and voting in Canada is even EASIER. BECAUSE you don't have to register to vote in Canada. Here you just have to show up with some ID.
The world is run by those who show up. You get the government you deserve - especially if you don't show up to vote.
To find out where you vote just Google Elections Canada. Advanced polls are Today and Monday...if you can't make it on October 14th.
Not a Good Week for Harper
The National Post coverage is continuing in its role as the unofficial house organ for the Harper Conservatives. Here is an election story today saying it was a good week for Stephen Harper’s campaign.
The National Post also uses a 5 day old Nanos poll result to "prove" its point. That makes Harper look like he is doing better than the current Nanos poll evidence would currently indicate.
The National Post’s discriminating framing the facts and being selective sampling of sections of the “truth” is the Harper modus. This political model is a clone of George Bush’s Rovarian cancer campaign tactics. Here is the current Nano poll results showing a very different gap between Harper and Dion.
How can the National Post support this good week conclusion when Harper lost the French debate and dropped dramatically behind the Bloc in polls. Harper trashed is own myth about supporting the Quebec Nation concept as he cut the heart and soul out of the policy pandering with arts and culture cuts at the same time.
Quebec's soft nationalists have decided Harper can't be trusted and they are returning to the Bloc en masse. Pundits are saying Harper has forfeited his hope for a majority with this shunning by Quebec voters because of his MISLEADING them. Ironically Liberal Ontario seems to be coming to Harper’s rescue as of late and B.C. is in play, so a majority is still possible.
As well the Ipsos Reid poll on the English debate shows that Harper won but with a performance rated significantly below expectations. Then there is the post debt shift shown in the running Nanos poll where Dion and May get a bounce and Harper starts to shrink.
The debates may be a game changer but not if Harper will win. Harper will win, barring a personal political disaster, which can always happen in the last 10 days. So presuming Harper will win the ballot question is do we Canadians trust him with the absolute personal power of a majority - or not.
That question will beg the next question. Who will be the best leader of the opposition to take Harper on and keep him honest and on his toes. The answer is obvious. Layton is a mere opportunist without much modesty in spite of the fact he has much to be modest about. May needs to be elected and when she beats Mackay she will humble the Conservatives, who obviously need it. She will be like Jimminy Cricket and the guiding conscious of the House of Commons.
The obvious strategic choice for leader of the opposition is Dion. His record as a parliamentarian has proven he has the best personal understanding and alignment with Canadian values. He also has the right stuff to stand up to the Harper bullying - even when it is personal and vicious.
Dion has a proven personal love and commitment to Canada. He championed the Clarity Act to ensure Canada stays together and the federalism is respected. He is a 21st century leader who can integrate economic, environmental and social policy together. He will ensure that we will not turn more American under Harper's reign. Remember his world leadership on Climate Change in Montreal a couple of years ago where he manged to bring the USA in line with Kyoto principles.
Dion won the French debate which surprised everyone. He was able to come into the Canadian living rooms n the English debate so we could get to know him personally. He was well accepted and connected with people.He showed us he was not the person pilloried in the nasty mean-spirited television attack ads that the Conservatives spent millions and months on to belittle Dion.
The National Post also uses a 5 day old Nanos poll result to "prove" its point. That makes Harper look like he is doing better than the current Nanos poll evidence would currently indicate.
The National Post’s discriminating framing the facts and being selective sampling of sections of the “truth” is the Harper modus. This political model is a clone of George Bush’s Rovarian cancer campaign tactics. Here is the current Nano poll results showing a very different gap between Harper and Dion.
How can the National Post support this good week conclusion when Harper lost the French debate and dropped dramatically behind the Bloc in polls. Harper trashed is own myth about supporting the Quebec Nation concept as he cut the heart and soul out of the policy pandering with arts and culture cuts at the same time.
Quebec's soft nationalists have decided Harper can't be trusted and they are returning to the Bloc en masse. Pundits are saying Harper has forfeited his hope for a majority with this shunning by Quebec voters because of his MISLEADING them. Ironically Liberal Ontario seems to be coming to Harper’s rescue as of late and B.C. is in play, so a majority is still possible.
As well the Ipsos Reid poll on the English debate shows that Harper won but with a performance rated significantly below expectations. Then there is the post debt shift shown in the running Nanos poll where Dion and May get a bounce and Harper starts to shrink.
The debates may be a game changer but not if Harper will win. Harper will win, barring a personal political disaster, which can always happen in the last 10 days. So presuming Harper will win the ballot question is do we Canadians trust him with the absolute personal power of a majority - or not.
That question will beg the next question. Who will be the best leader of the opposition to take Harper on and keep him honest and on his toes. The answer is obvious. Layton is a mere opportunist without much modesty in spite of the fact he has much to be modest about. May needs to be elected and when she beats Mackay she will humble the Conservatives, who obviously need it. She will be like Jimminy Cricket and the guiding conscious of the House of Commons.
The obvious strategic choice for leader of the opposition is Dion. His record as a parliamentarian has proven he has the best personal understanding and alignment with Canadian values. He also has the right stuff to stand up to the Harper bullying - even when it is personal and vicious.
Dion has a proven personal love and commitment to Canada. He championed the Clarity Act to ensure Canada stays together and the federalism is respected. He is a 21st century leader who can integrate economic, environmental and social policy together. He will ensure that we will not turn more American under Harper's reign. Remember his world leadership on Climate Change in Montreal a couple of years ago where he manged to bring the USA in line with Kyoto principles.
Dion won the French debate which surprised everyone. He was able to come into the Canadian living rooms n the English debate so we could get to know him personally. He was well accepted and connected with people.He showed us he was not the person pilloried in the nasty mean-spirited television attack ads that the Conservatives spent millions and months on to belittle Dion.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Dion's Right - the Debate Winner was Canada.
The Canadian leadership debate last night was terrific. Stephane Dion got it right in the post debate scrum when the media asked him who won. He said Canadians won and I could not agree more.
I have to give great kudos to the Moderator Steve Paikin. He was forthright, masterful and adaptable to take advantage of the human moments and ensure fairness for all the leaders. When things got out of hand with everyone talking at the same time he used humour and firmness to take back control.
The roundtable format was a wonderful improvement over the podium because the leaders got to speak to each other in a move conversational manner. And we got to tune in and watch the human interaction not just the shrink wrapped media trained messaging of podium puppets o f past debates.
This was not a television program masquerading as a debate. This was a human exchange around real issues framed by real citizens. The following open discussion added context and differentiated the candidates and their policy proposals. Last night was a great opportunity for us to see the pith and substance of the people who want our trust and our vote and permission to govern us.
I have a new found respect for every candidate because of how they focused on the issues and challenged each other’s position. Sure there were cheap shots, some deserved, some not, but Canadians can tell the difference.
Harper has not answered media or citizen questions for first 24 days of the campaign. Last night he had to answer and admit to mistakes and be accountable under good political scrutiny. He can’t presume Canadians will sleep walk through the campaign and not show up because if Harper has his way, it would be a Seinfeld Campaign – about nothing.
I see the Harper War Room has been the ones to really panic and they are all of a sudden whipping up campaign platform. Harper’s handlers have all of a sudden announced they will release a Conservative campaign platform - next Tuesday the LAST 7 DAYS OF THE CAMPAIGN. That is an insult to Canadian citizens. It will be too little and way too late to be taken seriously.
Harper’s plan for personal power was to win a majority government based on a “mandate” that he does not have to be accountable for. He presumes he can make up any policy he wants as he sees fit AFTER the election. If there is no campaign platform Harper will presume he has absolute power to do whatever he wants - once elected with a majority government. That is the extent of the serious political risk that Canadians are taking by voting for Harper.
Harper was caught last night for taking the Canadian voters for granted…not just the Alberta voters which has been his habit for years. Harper will not release his platform until after the advance polls. Those voters will have to vote and not know where Harper wants to take their country as Prime Minister.
The rushed and reactive Conservative election platform will only leave one week for citizens, the media and other parties to scrutinize it. No wonder Harper did not want May in the debates. The same public pressure that got May and the Green into the debates was about to bite Harper again as citizens wonder what Harper is proposing for the future of Canada. Harper’s reactive last minute damage control with his panicky change of mind to actually prepare and campaign platform is telling.
Harper is obviously nervous for the first time in the campaign. He is afraid that he will have to go beyond his do nothing economic approach that is now so suspect among voters. Thanks to Elizabeth May, Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe and Stephane Dion in the debate last night we may actually get a glimpse of what the real Stephen Harper is proposing as a Prime Minister.
I have to give great kudos to the Moderator Steve Paikin. He was forthright, masterful and adaptable to take advantage of the human moments and ensure fairness for all the leaders. When things got out of hand with everyone talking at the same time he used humour and firmness to take back control.
The roundtable format was a wonderful improvement over the podium because the leaders got to speak to each other in a move conversational manner. And we got to tune in and watch the human interaction not just the shrink wrapped media trained messaging of podium puppets o f past debates.
This was not a television program masquerading as a debate. This was a human exchange around real issues framed by real citizens. The following open discussion added context and differentiated the candidates and their policy proposals. Last night was a great opportunity for us to see the pith and substance of the people who want our trust and our vote and permission to govern us.
I have a new found respect for every candidate because of how they focused on the issues and challenged each other’s position. Sure there were cheap shots, some deserved, some not, but Canadians can tell the difference.
Harper has not answered media or citizen questions for first 24 days of the campaign. Last night he had to answer and admit to mistakes and be accountable under good political scrutiny. He can’t presume Canadians will sleep walk through the campaign and not show up because if Harper has his way, it would be a Seinfeld Campaign – about nothing.
I see the Harper War Room has been the ones to really panic and they are all of a sudden whipping up campaign platform. Harper’s handlers have all of a sudden announced they will release a Conservative campaign platform - next Tuesday the LAST 7 DAYS OF THE CAMPAIGN. That is an insult to Canadian citizens. It will be too little and way too late to be taken seriously.
Harper’s plan for personal power was to win a majority government based on a “mandate” that he does not have to be accountable for. He presumes he can make up any policy he wants as he sees fit AFTER the election. If there is no campaign platform Harper will presume he has absolute power to do whatever he wants - once elected with a majority government. That is the extent of the serious political risk that Canadians are taking by voting for Harper.
Harper was caught last night for taking the Canadian voters for granted…not just the Alberta voters which has been his habit for years. Harper will not release his platform until after the advance polls. Those voters will have to vote and not know where Harper wants to take their country as Prime Minister.
The rushed and reactive Conservative election platform will only leave one week for citizens, the media and other parties to scrutinize it. No wonder Harper did not want May in the debates. The same public pressure that got May and the Green into the debates was about to bite Harper again as citizens wonder what Harper is proposing for the future of Canada. Harper’s reactive last minute damage control with his panicky change of mind to actually prepare and campaign platform is telling.
Harper is obviously nervous for the first time in the campaign. He is afraid that he will have to go beyond his do nothing economic approach that is now so suspect among voters. Thanks to Elizabeth May, Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe and Stephane Dion in the debate last night we may actually get a glimpse of what the real Stephen Harper is proposing as a Prime Minister.
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