-- and not a single person recalls ever having seen Harper & Karl Rove together at the same time and/or same place.
H'mmmm ...
PING!
Posted on 11/26/2006 12:40:15 PM PST by Clive
Stephen : We hardly know you
Harper was supposed to be a boring technocrat as PM ... what happened?
By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN
By now it's apparent that we conservatives got much more than we bargained for in Stephen Harper.
Then again, so did the Liberals, Bloc, NDP and the Parliamentary Press Gallery.
Conservatives thought we were getting a technocrat as prime minister who would gradually shrink the federal government down to its core responsibilities of finance, defence, foreign affairs, justice, immigration, transportation and communications.
We thought his view of the world was pretty much limited to Alberta.
Boy, were we wrong.
In less than a year, Harper has emerged as a leader whose capacity for big ideas matches Brian Mulroney's and whose flair for the dramatic rivals Pierre Trudeau's.
Who wants to change Canada's global reputation as a "soft power" under the Liberals into a middle power with teeth -- and who is prepared to put boots on the ground in the world's hotspots and shed Canadian blood to do it.
Who is capable of a political ruthlessness and cunning that should scare the bejeebers out of the Liberals, Bloc and NDP -- as it already has his own cabinet.
Clearly, the opposition and media underestimated Harper, who they predicted would be crushed by Paul Martin. (Remember?)
Indeed, they keep insisting in the face of all evidence to the contrary that Harper is just a "George Bush lite."
Uh, wrong. When a leader is as willing as Harper to anger his core constituents again and again for what he sees as long-term gain, something far more complex is going on inside that brain than a mini-Bush.
Harper knew his shock appointments of Liberal David Emerson and unelected Tory strategist Michael Fortier to cabinet on his first day in office would enrage his supporters, still furious over Belinda Stronach's betrayal, as well as bring hoots of derision from the opposition and media. And he didn't care, because he saw a political advantage to doing it.
He knew the reversal of his promise not to tax income trusts would anger seniors, many of them loyal Conservatives. And he didn't care.
He broke his word, because for all his talk about reducing the size of government, Harper wants to reduce it his way, not by giving corporations tax breaks he can't control.
Last week, it was his shock announcement that his Conservatives, born out of the old Reform party that was constantly accused of anti-Quebec bigotry, will lead the way in recognizing francophone Quebecers as a "nation" within Canada.
With one fell swoop, Harper stuck a knife in the Bloc Quebecois, united federalist forces in the Commons, saved the Liberals from embarrassing themselves at their upcoming leadership convention and bolstered the Tories in Quebec.
Of course, he also had to enrage Albertans -- his ultimate core constituency -- to do it. But he didn't care.
IT'S NOT ALL POLITICAL
Apparently he figures they have no other party they can vote for -- which, ironically enough, is how the Reform party got started.
That said, dismissing everything Harper does as purely political -- as the press gallery claims -- doesn't do him justice either.
If everything he does is for votes, why back Israel?
There are far more Muslims in Canada than Jews.
Why would he have gone half way to China to lecture its president on human rights, thus upsetting the business community, another of his core constituencies?
On some things, at least, Harper has clear principles.
As for pundits sniffing that all Harper cares about are his five measly domestic priorities -- the fiscal accountability act, cutting the GST, toughening the justice system, instituting his child care plan and shortening medical wait times -- where have they been?
From his first foreign trip to visit our front line soldiers in Afghanistan -- and to assure them he had their backs -- Harper has shown a flair for the dramatic that Martin only talked about. He's governing as if had a majority in a way Joe Clark only dreamed about.
This doesn't mean Harper is a lock to win the next election. The polls suggest voters haven't made up their minds.
But one thing's for sure.
With Harper as PM, the next election is going to be anything but boring. Who knew?
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"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
PING!
"-- and not a single person recalls ever having seen Harper & Karl Rove together at the same time and/or same place."
And Rove always wears glasses.
Buaaaaaahahahahahahahaha!
He has a lock. And the press is distinctly uncomfortable with the fact.
Canadians have a Prime Minister who is a Canadian Patriot, who has genuinely canadian values, and a clearly defined pathway AWY from liberal socialist moonbattism. He also will change the face of Canada;s overly centralized economy ( Centralized in Ontario and Quebec.) He will change that, and about 100 years over due, which is why he will not put himself into the pockets of his corporate constituency, for he postures himself for the minds and hearts of all Canadians, and he indeed has them like few in Canada's History have in the past.For this reason he needs to beware the assassins bullet from those who want business as usual, rather than changing the whole game.
The things the writer says he did for political gain, I would say he did for the good of Canada. Harper puts Canada first instead of the party and thinks long term. Saddly some conservatives have a very narrow and short-term veiw of things and expect everything right away.
Politics is the art of what is possible, and what is best is not always what is possible at the moment. I hope he gets a majority next time round so more will be possible.
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