Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

'Prime Minister Harper is very impressive'

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 1:39am - 38 Comments

The Glick Report endorses.

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  • http://macleans.ca kc

    Don’t have time to watch, but SH must be impressive indeed, as a salesman anyway. He’s succeeded in convincing those guys to start calling the tar[ oil] sands, the Canadian sands! Wow, What next? Nuclear flower? Just kidding, i guess i can’t complain, he is actually representing us – finally!

    • john g

      Don’t have time to watch

      LOL…how many posts do you make here a day, kc? :)

      • http://macleans.ca kc

        Well it was past my bedtime. I can’t be expected to keep this place going 24/7.:)

  • http://www.jackmitchell.ca J@ck Mitchell

    Hear hear, kc. This is another extremely impressive performance by Harper, even better than on Wolf Blitzer last week. Hmm, Iggy gives a great interview to Maclean’s, Harper hits a home run on Fox Business . . . is the apocalypse imminent?

    I wish Harper would give answers like this in the House of Commons: factual, articulate, modest, etc. He could really change the tone of the whole place.

    And I can finally see Harper’s economics background really being an asset. He obviously knows what he’s talking about here.

    Alexis Glick is very impressive. Those were some complex questions.

    • john g

      I’ve always found that Harper is at his best on the world stage. The international press seem by and large to be pretty impressed with him, and there is less opportunity for partisan theatrics.

      • Mike T.

        Actually, the int’l press is far less likely to do its research on Canadian issues, and therefore more easily led.

        • http://macleans.ca kc

          Good pt! Although he may still want to be wary. What with the net and all.

  • edeast
    • http://www.jackmitchell.ca J@ck Mitchell

      Goddammit, he was even better on that one.

      OK, new plan: we replace the Speaker with an American business show host.

      • Critical Reasoning

        I’m sure Stephane Dion would have been just as impressive in those interviews, if he managed to navigate his way through the first three questions.

        Joking aside, it is indeed refreshing to have an articulate prime minister and an articulate leader of the opposition for the first time in many years.

        • http://www.jackmitchell.ca J@ck Mitchell

          18 years to be precise.

  • http://www.jackmitchell.ca J@ck Mitchell

    I notice that he refers to last year’s budget as the “first stimulus package.” Isn’t that a bit of a stretch? I’m no economist, but I don’t even recall hearing the word “stimulus” used about government spending before about August. I thought the Tories cut taxes to let the good times roll, not to stimulate consumer confidence in the face of a looming recession. For one thing, weren’t they denying there would even be a recession, as late as the election? A rather deft slight of hand, if so.

    • edeast

      Stimulus isn’t used but “stimulate” is, “Given this unexpected global uncertainty now is the time to act … broad-based tax reductions…stimulate investment…”

      http://www.fin.gc.ca/ec2007/ec/ecclintro-eng.asp,

      • edeast

        *The comma is not part of the previous link.
        http://www.fin.gc.ca/ec2007/ec/ecclintro-eng.asp

        • http://www.jackmitchell.ca J@ck Mitchell

          Ah, that’s interesting, thanks. But, connoisseur of stimulus rhetoric that I now am, I don’t find there the lightly acidic bouquet of panic or the woody note of desperation of the true stimulus package.

          • Critical Reasoning

            Not to mention all those hangover-inducing tannins. If you don’t feel it the next morning, then it’s not a true stimulus package.

          • edeast

            Yes the language wasn’t panicked but Lehman Bros’ hadn’t collapsed and yadayada financial crisis, september apocalypse.

    • LeenieJ (imho)

      not only that J@ck, i find it particuarly disturbing that our PM alluded to a “synchronized global recession” during the press conference with President Obama suggesting fore-knowledge and actions taken to that effect before and during the 2008 non- rule-breaking election when he was speaking soft words and swallowing water to hide the untruth during one of the debates.

      as far as being impressive? Saddam was too according to his journalists and the US before they fell out of favour with each other; and on FOX news and FOX leaning types, that’s not too difficult a response to get. substance is more important than style. he represents only about 20% of us here in CANADA; if he really wants to be King of the World he should apply for that job.

  • http://deleted Sandi

    Excuse me, but that interview was misleading to say the least – he lied to them. But hey, it’s FOX News. They’d like him because he’s conservativer – period.

    Someone should inform FOX about his misleading BS

    • Cool Blue

      The 2007 budget wasn’t presented as a “stimulus plan” per say, but the tax cuts were partially presented as a response to what they were calling the “US economic slow-down”.

    • Critical Reasoning

      Someone should inform FOX about his misleading BS.

      “Hello, Fox News? I’m calling from up here in Canada and I just wanted you to know that our prime minister Stephen Harper, who was interviewed on Glick’s show, is full of BS!”

    • http://www.jackmitchell.ca J@ck Mitchell

      I don’t object to the PM misleading the American viewer to make us sound better, wiser, etc. I mean, a full answer might have been, “We had no idea this was coming and actually, in my party, we wanted to follow you over the cliff in terms of sub-prime mortgages, and we’ve been wailing about our banks’ tightfisted lending practices for years, and our first stimulus package wasn’t really a stimulus package, and we had to be dragged kicking and screaming into having a second (/first) stimulus package, but hey, all’s well that ends well.” Au contraire, it’s in our interest to brand the country as a haven of visionary fiscal prudence, and the PM was doing that. We all benefit. I don’t care if it also happens to make him look good.

  • DR

    I’m getting really annoyed at Harper taking credit for things he had nothing to do with. He’s spent his time as PM trying his best to get rid of the surplus, and deficit Jim was doing everything he can to create a Canadian housing crisis.

    • LeenieJ (imho)

      yup; major poser/poseur majeur (sp?)

      $13B surplus only 3 years ago folks…$64B deficit now that they’re trying to fig-leaf into a stimulus package. lame much?

  • Ti-Guy

    I guess some people are easily impressed.

    I’m sure the Fox spokesmodel wasn’t aware of how, not too long ago, Harper tended to describe Canada as a northern European welfare state in the worst sense and proud of it, to boot. Had she known this, she might have realised she was interviewing someone who experiences wild mood swings and been a little more wary.

    • john g

      Ti-Guy, you forget this is Fox. She probably has that speech taped to the mirror in her dressing room.

      • Ti-Guy

        She probably has that speech taped to the mirror in her dressing room.

        I’m pretty sure she didn’t. She probably taped a map of North America to her mirror that day to remind herself of where exactly Canada is.

  • http://deleted Sandi

    Hello! Harper OPPOSED the banking regulations set up by the Chretien/Martin Government.

    Harper’s so-called former stimulus? GST cut for vote buying.

    Where the hell are our media – stop the slobbering and do some truthful reporting.

    And, they, the media, wonder why people don’t have faith in them….sigh

    • http://macleans.ca kc

      Never fear Aaron and PW are even as we speak parsing Harper’s remarks. Of course when dealing with this PM you must allow for a fair margin of “artistic license” – sorry JM – we he might consider his “wiggle room”, “margin of error”, “envelope of political expediancy” or whatever other ridiculous euphemism the backroom strategy dogs are using for perceived “necessary lying” these days.

    • Oh Boy

      Sandi, you are dead right and Harper, cable news and the PMO are wrong.

      The Conservatives nearly blew a gasket over the Liberal Government blocking bank mergers. Harper denied there was a looming recession just four months ago. Now he claims hi prescience and early action saved the day? Bunk.

    • LeenieJ (imho)

      sadly Sandy,

      our media are under no obligation to report the truth; likely under lawsuit/”slapsuit” not to.

  • Wayne

    Well … well. and well … Of course he is impressive he’s an impressive guy. I love how some of the more avid anti-harperites will go to any lengths to find a reason to rant. As if a tax cut somehow is not stimulus ROFL. … sometimes I laugh so hard my tummy hurts. I thank god that we have Harper sitting right where he is now and the one making the tough calls any of the other alternatives make me shudder. In point of fact if you asked Iggy right now he would probably agree as I have a sneaking suspicion he would rather sit back and complain and try to con votes from westerners than actually sit in the PM’s chair right now – between you and me of course -

    • http://macleans.ca kc

      Speaking of fairy tales. Mornin Wayne, just punching in are ya? Tax cuts are arguably stimulative. That’s not the pt of contention is it? Intent and motive “at the time” are! Gd try Wayne as you like to say, you’ve earned yr cookie!
      Yr could well be right about Iggy not wanting to swap with the leader – he having been AWOL for so long, where on earth did you find him? – course if this should go sour…

    • LeenieJ (imho)

      if you’re so impressed then Wayne you sleep with him. or am i shedding light on the true nature of your political romance?

      i am pro Canada, i care not for party other than if it is of use to the majority–unlike the lovesick blind Harperites, i know that i am not the only one living in my country; there’s a world outside of my own view; your H is too embarrassed to be Canadian and should go somewhere and congregate with ppl of his ilk; after all isn’t the economy Global?

      reform has become the thing they hate. i despise this kind of selling out.

  • http://macleans.ca kc

    I guess it might be a little churlish of me, having started this thead by reluctantly praising the PM, to begin commenting already on his make-over. At his current rate of rebranding, Harper should be able to toss aside his blue sweater in favour of his superman outfit come election time. – probably already picking one out at a discount. Hiyo silver!… Oops got my fairy tale wrong!

    • Wayne

      Hmmm Harper as Superman : Iggy then must be Braniac, Jack as Lex Luthor and Gilles hmmm -> bingo! Bizarro Superman! … The Deficit would have to be political kryptonite and Ottawa the Crystal Fortress – hey this could work KC!!! with Quebec as the little krypton city in the jar (never can remember if that place had a name only remember the tiny little people flying up to the lid in the comics) .. ITQ here could the Daily Planet with Kady as Lois and either Aaron or Paul as Jimmy Olsen … I have too much time on my hands.

      • john g

        The Daily Planet liked Superman Wayne.

        Now if we were on a stupid Spiderman metaphor instead of a stupid Superman metaphor…

      • http://macleans.ca kc

        I knew i shoudn’t have used SM as my model. The lone Ranger would have been more accurate. I can just about see Steve attempting to get on that horse, rather than see him leaping tall tales with a single bound .SH: “Howd this thing work agin? The end with the teeth goes first, or the end with ass? Sigh…do i have this right, shoudn’t this thing be carrying me – and why the hell’s that tonto twit rolling around on the ground like that?”
        That work for ya Wayne?

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