Categories: Capital Read, Inside the Queensway

You'd have to think that threatening to step down if the Tories lose the election would be "something to react to"

by kadyomalley on Sunday, October 12, 2008 12:08am - 0 Comments

You have no idea how much it killed me to leave that preposition dangling like a kitten by the nape of its neck, but what can I do? It’s a direct quote from this Globe and Mail story, which reveals that those media outlets forking out $10,000 a week for a seat on the Conservative tour may spend the next two days serving as an in-house camera crew for the campaign:

Stephen Harper appears to be bunkering down to avoid last-minute mishaps in the final days of the campaign: His staff are warning it’s likely that the Conservative Leader won’t take any more questions from journalists accompanying his tour until election day.

They handed out a schedule for Sunday that has no time set aside for talking to the approximately 20 reporters who are accompanying Mr. Harper on his campaign.

He still has two days of campaigning left – Sunday and Monday – that are expected to take him across Quebec and to Prince Edward Island before possibly wrapping up in Windsor, Ont. and Regina.

Mr. Harper generally only answers questions from the press on his campaign plane once a day – in the morning – and he conducted his last news conference this morning after a whistle-stop in London, Ont.

The Conservative Leader’s staff offer several explanations. One official said it’s simply a question of schedules and that they don’t have enough time to scrum due to the hectic pace of the final two days. Another said that there will be “nothing to react to” over Sunday and Monday.

The same day, he told the Toronto Star editorial board that if his party loses the election – unlikely, but hardly impossible – he isn’t planning on sticking around to lead the Conservative charge against the dreaded Permanent Tax on Everything:

“I’m running to win this election. If I don’t win this election, I’m sure my party will look for another leader,” Harper said.

“That’s a hypothetical that I’m not prepared to entertain. I’m here to obviously elect an agenda that will stop a carbon tax, and the way to do that is to elect a Conservative government. Don’t defeat us then ask us to stop a carbon tax.”

Asked directly whether he would step down as leader if he lost this election, he replied: ” I think it is inevitable that the party that loses this election will be looking for a new leader.”

The Star piece goes on to suggest that really, this is a message to Stephane Dion and the Liberals, but even if that’s the case, I suspect that the tour reporters might want to ask him a few questions about this new threat to take his hockey book and go home rather than face Prime Minister Stephane Dion as Leader of the Official Opposition.

Tags: conservative party, Election Watch, leadership race watch, offending the grammar gods, Stephen Harper, the sound of sullen silence

More by kadyomalley

Bruce

I can hardly wait for the main event, Boob Rae vs. Puffin Iggy, should be quite the show, heh.
KevinB

Oh, please. People know what the CPC plans to do – didn’t any of you watch the debate? No carbon tax, continue to pay down the debt, and gradually cut taxes. Layton’s ridiculous claim that he would hire 1,000 new doctors just doesn’t bear scrutiny. It takes 7 years to get through medical school, so anything he did to increase space at universities wouldn’t have any effect until 2015. Funny, I never see anyone in the media asking him how he would accomplish this goal. As usual, the Tories have a small scale, less expensive, and more productive plan – they are going to make it easier for foreign professionals to get certified in Canada. That will increase the number of doctors in very short order.

And I believe the Liberal constitution requires an automatic leadership review after an election loss. Dion can’t win that. Look for turncoat Bob Rae to be the new leader; he has access to money, and Dion still hasn’t paid off his debts.
RyanD

Soccermom- “Harper’s too good of a PM for this whining, entitlement-driven country anyway.”

Well, apperantly you and Harper both agree on the fact that you hate the country he wants to lead (see “failed European welfare state comments, etc…). Geee….I wonder why Canadians wouldn’t want a PM who doesn’t like them?!
Just to be clear, what do you use as your criteria for “good”? Is it the plagiarism (also see- “theft”), the desire to send adolescents to jail for life (except in Quebec because it might lose him votes), the support for a disasterous war (Iraq) that he now denies even though it is on the record. Maybe it is putting people in cabinet who leave top secret documents with their criminally connected girlfriends or tell business not to invest in the country’s largest province. Or, perhaps “good” is what we use to describe a sitting PM who breaks his own election law to call an election that will likely give us what we had before he called the election (thus wasting 300 million dollars). On the other hand I was very ammused by his choice to run constant attacks on his opponant while saying little or nothing about his own plan and only releasing a minimal platform with 5 days left before an election. Of course, who can forget the greatness that led to squandering a nearly 12 billion dollar surplus on tax cuts that NO reputable economist think will help (though it is a good way to buy people’s votes). Wait…the really good part must be when he tried to bribe a dying man to vote with his party (supreme class there) or the fact that he and his party defrauded tax payers to help fund their ads in 2006. Maybe he was at his best when he gave his MPs instructions to intentionally obstruct the work of the House of Commons (Canada’s main instrument of democratic expression).

The other leaders may beI’ll tell you this much- the only time I’ll ever say “Good” about Harper is when I say “Good Riddance!”

Then again I am probably just being a whiney and entitlement driven. The nerve of me thinking I am entitled to have an honest, decent human being as my PM. You’re right Stevie is far too “good” for me!
Ti-Guy

Maybe Dion can pull an In-and-Out scam like Harper did to pay of his debts.
RyanD

sorry typo in may last comment- should be “the other leaders may not be great but I’ll tell you etc…”
JK

Dion will stay on if he loses…

http://www.ottawasun.com/canadavotes/news/2008/10/12/7061886.html

In realted news Bob Rae’s head explodes…
stephen

re Dion staying

what else are they going to say? Its not he cant break the promise.

Issue for Liberals, he might be bloody minded enough to mean it.
Paul

You make it sound like reporters are paying the Conservative Party $1000/day for the right to ask Mr. Harper questions. Seems like minimal cost recovery to me.
Regardless…silly synopsis.
Of course since Macleans has become a silly publication this is no surprise.
Oldfarmer

Why would Prime Minister Harper stay on if he loses this election? He’s been through 3 national campains. That should be enough to drive any one crazy. He sat at the debate and listened while 4 idiots called him names. If he hasen’t won a majority in 3 tries might as well move on and let someone else be smeared by the Liberals/NDP/Greens for the next 5 years or so. Personaly I hope he gets a chance to govern with a majority.
T. Thwim

More interesting are what the results of the PC convention will be if Harper doesn’t achieve his majority and Dion actually gains a few seats.

I’ve mentioned it before, but there are a lot of special interest groups that are waiting for their payoff from Harper, and it hasn’t been happening. Given all the money the party’s spent on villifying Dion over the past couple years, if Dion gains in seats it might not fly very well with these people who tend to expect results from their money.. or at least, that’s what they always claim.
http://hallsofmacadamia.blogspot.com neo

*
yeah, kady… if only scary, hidden stephen harper could be as honest and realistic as this guy.

good grief.

*
http://tigerinexile.wordpress.com Ben

Harper isn’t going anywhere unless he quits.

The grassroots of party love him, plain and simple. (And know darned well what “Tory Syndrome” is.)
Nick

Did Paul Martin stick around after losing in 2006? Of course not. After you’ve been PM, leader of the opposition is a bit of a come down. Anyone who thinks Harper’s position is strange is in the same league as Dion–clearly unable to understand the simplest concepts.
Mike T.

Scratch my earlier post in this thread. On sleeping on it, I realize there’s no way Harper is being honest.

And shame on a party charging an exorbitant amount for the right to follow them on campaign, shame on the media for paying.
RyanD

oldfarmer- “He sat at the debate and listened while 4 idiots called him names.”

Please tell me you get the irony of complaining about “idiots” who call people names.
Oldfarmer

Ryan D-I am just pointing what what they clearly proved themselves to be.
Oldfarmer

Just pointing out what they clearly proved themselves to be.
RyanD

I think they would say that they were pointing out what Harper has clearly proved himself to be. Interesting how that shoe feels when you put it on the other foot.
Horny Toad

I’ve noticed that most of the vile comments on this thread have come from women.

No wonder they can’t generally compete with men on a level playing field.

Horny Toad
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Terry86

I think OldFarmer has made the best points in this thread. I don’t think Harper is one to beat his head against a brick wall. He’s given it his best shot. If people choose not to vote for him, he’ll find something else to do.

Reporters have had 5 weeks to ask questions. If they have anythey haven’t been able to ask before now, then they probably aren’t worth asking. As for the $1000/day, I doubt its a money maker, its probably just cost recovery.

I will be voting for Harper. I think the fact that the Libs and ND’s have downplayed National Day Care and are adopting the strategy of giving parents more money directly, is just one example of how his government has had a better grasp of how working people think that the ND’s or Liberals ever had. Another example–most everything in our country is delivered to its final point of sale by diesel powered engines. Harper will reduce that cost. Dion will increase it. His carbon tax really is a tax on everything. Unfortunately, I think much of the message is lost by journalists looking for that “gotcha moment.”
peimac

Looking at some on the gaffes that have come from his party, it’s to wonder Harper hasn’t decide to slag the lot of them. I mean honestly, after fifteen years this is the bunch a national party looks to take a majority? (Dion has his own long-knives in waiting). Maybe what we need more than senate reform is to elect our Prime Minister separate from Parliament. Put a little emphasis back on quality candidates in ridings from all parties. ( enough of this filling the ticket just have a full slate; it’s become embarasing)
Manny

What did Dion answer when asked directly whether he would step down as leader if he lost this election?

Wait, I know. He said “I du not anderstande ze qvestion!”
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Lui

“Some of our greatest moments in Canadian governance have been under a minority Liberal government with the co-operation of the New Democratic Party. What would Tommy Douglas suggest??”

Tommy the boxing priest would probably roll over and gag. His dream of a decent bill of rights corrupted by Chretien and Trudeau. Tommy’s greatest effort was to pay down the Sask debt and make the province solvent.