Canada Ping!
Posted on 03/29/2015 3:20:31 PM PDT by rickmichaels
One wonders if U.S. President Barack Obama will campaign as vigorously to defeat Prime Minister Stephen Harper this fall, as he did, unsuccessfully, to defeat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in that country’s recent election.
It’s no secret Obama despises Netanyahu, who heads Israel’s right-wing Likud party and favoured Mitt Romney over Obama in the 2012 presidential race.
The U.S. president has also talked since the beginning of his administration about the need to “put some daylight” between the U.S. and Israel, so he would have more influence with Arab and Muslim countries in his pursuit of an Israel-Palestine peace deal.
During the Israeli election, the Obama administration and the president’s political advisers did everything they could to defeat Netanyahu, including anonymously leaking information to the media to damage him, a tactic they have continued following Netanyahu’s victory.
That’s to say nothing of the direct attacks Obama levelled at Netanyahu during the campaign -- Netanyahu did the same to him -- while Obama administration officials, both publicly and anonymously, warned America’s support of Israel would be undermined if Netanyahu won.
On top of all that, some of Obama’s senior campaign strategists were on the ground in Israel, working with the opposition parties to defeat Netanyahu.
(So were Republican operatives, working to re-elect Netanyahu. Ironically, in previous elections, some Obama strategists worked for the Israeli PM.)
But what Obama and his people failed to take into account was Obama’s huge unpopularity in Israel.
Polls during the election showed up to 75% of Israelis didn’t trust Obama’s negotiations with Iran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Almost 60% had an unfavourable opinion of Obama, compared to only 33% with a favourable one.
Despite that, it apparently never occurred to Team Obama that this meant his attacks on Netanyahu would backfire, helping the Israeli PM instead of hurting him.
Netanyahu campaigned on the theme he was the best candidate to protect Israel’s security compared to his more dovish opponents and used his invitation to address Congress by the Republicans to denounce Obama’s negotiations with Iran.
While it would be an exaggeration to claim it was Obama’s campaign against Netanyahu that assured the latter’s victory -- voters choose political leaders for a variety of reasons, including their domestic economic policies -- it’s not a stretch to say Obama’s anti-Netanyahu campaign was a factor in Netanyahu’s win.
When it comes to Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, like Netanyahu, is a political conservative, considerably to the right of Obama.
Harper’s staunch support of Israel -- he has replaced Obama as Israel’s strongest defender and ally in the West -- can’t have made Obama happy.
Another significant irritant in Canada-U.S. relations has been Obama’s refusal to approve the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta’s oilsands to U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast, which has put Harper and Obama at loggerheads.
Many Americans are perplexed by Obama’s opposition to the pipeline, with both the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal noting recently that Obama’s major arguments against Keystone are simply untrue.
Obama ally and billionaire investor Warren Buffett has said the U.S. should have already approved Keystone, both because it makes economic sense and in recognition of the close relationship between Canada and the U.S.
As for what Obama might be thinking, our media have reported some of his campaign operatives are already working with the Liberals and NDP to help defeat Harper and the Conservatives in October’s election.
(While the Harper Conservatives have used Republican strategists for Canadian elections, that’s obviously not the same as Obama strategists working to help defeat the prime minister of a foreign country.)
The worrisome thing for Harper is that, unlike in Israel, Obama is popular with Canadians.
An EKOS Research poll last year showed Obama with a 58% approval rating from Canadians, double that of Harper.
My view of Obama, given his record, is that he overestimates his abilities as a global statesman -- a danger when you’re awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the start of your presidency, without having done anything to deserve it.
(My favourite joke about that is that soon after winning the Nobel prize, Obama attended a U.S. college football game and was immediately awarded the Heisman Trophy.)
But that’s not the view Obama holds of himself, even as a “lame duck” president who will soon leave that office for good.
So perhaps he’ll have one last kick at the can by trying to defeat Harper this fall.
The obamites have destroyed the liberals in the U.S. house and senate, and in dozens of governors mansions and state legislatures. now, they’re moving on to destroying liberals in completely different countries.
in fact, the only liberal that obama has had any success in getting elected is himself.
0bama may be popular in Canada, but meddling in Canadian elections by foreigners is not.
Let’s hope that our neighbours wuuuvv our barry just as much as the Israelis did.
Profound apology ping
There’s another very serious reason for interference - the global warming summit in November where they will try to pass a binding treating which basically abrogates national sovereignty to “save the planet”. Harper will not sign and every effort will be made to get rid of him at the election, which will be held prior to the conference.
Lord Monckton has warned that one of the reasons for the vicious and unremitting attacks on Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Australia is that he would never sign such a treaty and will not have to face an election until next year. There was a concerted attempt just last month to replace him with Malcolm Turnbull, a Goldman Sachs warmist who would sign in a flash.
Harper should start picking fights with Obama right now, to guarantee opposition in his next election. Having Obama come out for you opponent is worth at least ten points in the polls... for you!
I think Speaker Bonehead needs to invite PM Harper to address Congress, a la Bibi, sometime in September before Canada’s Parliamentary elections.
Canada Ping!
Bring it ..
If Obama tries his de-elect strategy on Harper, he won’t be able to keep it secret, or his minions will be behind good Canadian steel.
From Canada’s Federal Elections Act.
Offences under Part 17 (Third Party Election Advertising)
Marginal note:Strict liability offences — summary conviction
496. (1) Every person is guilty of an offence who, being a third party, contravenes
(a) any of subsections 350(1) to (4) (exceeding election advertising expense limits);
(a.1) section 351.1 (foreign third party exceeding election advertising expense limit);
(b) section 352 (failure to identify self in advertisement);
(c) subsection 353(1) (failure to register);
(d) section 354 (failure to appoint financial agent) or subsection 355(1) (failure to appoint auditor);
(e) subsection 357(3) (use of anonymous contributions) or section 358 (use of foreign contributions); or
(f) subsection 359(1) (failure to file election advertising report) or 359(9) (failure to provide bills or receipts on request).
Marginal note:Offences requiring intent — dual procedure
(2) Every person is guilty of an offence who, being a third party, wilfully contravenes
(a) any of subsections 350(1) to (4) or section 351 (exceeding or circumventing election advertising expense limits);
(a.1) section 351.1 (foreign third party exceeding election advertising expense limit);
(b) subsection 353(1) (failure to register); or
(c) subsection 359(1) (failure to file election advertising report).
2000, c. 9, s. 496; 2014, c. 12, s. 97.
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