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Last night inside a wedding hall in Edwards, Ontario—standing at a lectern in front of decorative vegetables and two Canadian flags—Stephen Harper addressed the faithful. He seemed eager and loose, perhaps more so than one would expect for a man who is, by his own account, beset on all sides. When he was done, someone in the crowd struck up a round of O Canada, which would seem likely to replace that Collective Soul song as the next Conservative campaign theme.
The audio here is not studio quality—I wasn’t plugged in to the soundboard—but should be good enough to give you an idea of what the next election is going to sound like.
Well, he was speaking to the faithful after all. He wouldn't get that kind of reception elsewhere. LOL
Blacktop
Do you expect him to speak to the unfaithful, Emily? He was probably speaking to the people who invited him.
ChrisWPG
I just puked in my mouth a little….
Crit_Reasoning
Thanks for posting this, Wherry! Very interesting. I think you're right that this speech gives us a pretty good preview of what the next election campaign will sound like.
Emily
Butchered French?
Crit_Reasoning
I had no idea you spoke French, Emily! Cool.
Could you kindly provide an example of "butchered French" from this speech? I didn't notice anything.
Emily
Why would it be cool, it should be commonplace.
However French shouldn't sound like English with funny words…Harper is only slightly better than Dief was.
ex-canuck
wow, you really are an anti auntie.
Kevin
To give him credit (OMG did I really type that?), his French is usually better than that. The cynic in me suggests that, Edwards not being a hotbed of bilingualism in the area, he was being lazy, for whatever reason…..
TwoYen
I was there and, indeed, mentioned to someone that his French was not up to his normal standards. I tend to think your assessment that he felt he was speaking to a largely anglophone crowd may have had something to do with it.. A large number of us in the crowd understood French well based on their reaction but it was clear others did not.
CAPS
Sorry Emily. As someone who is completely opposed to everything that Harper stands for and is also fluentl;y bilingual I must give Harper a definite A for Effort for his French.
Il est loin d'être parfait mais il parle pas mal la langue de Molière et a mis un grand effort pour arriver au niveau où il est actuellement.
Bravo Steve même si je vous déteste.
Emily
LOL effort yes, results no.
Orson Bean
Thank you for reminding us that you hate absolutely everything about Harper. And his party.
Emily
You're welcome.
Blacktop
That she does.
lgarvin
Wow! You guys listen fast! I had to put the audio file aside to listen to it later.
John
This sort of pandering to the base will ensure that he can never break through 35% in the polls. Harper was most succesful under Flanagan, when he was trying to reach out to centrist voters.
Harper is trying for one more kick at the can before calling it quits. When he leaves, the party will disintegrate into the factions in which it is dubiously composed.
Mike T.
You mean 35% in an actual election? (which even then I believe he has done by maybe a point). Some polls have had him that high at certain times.
marie
You wish!
Reverend_Blair
I'm wondering what the factions will look like when Harper leaves. There don't seem to be a lot of PC's left, and the Red Tories seem to be a thing of the past. So how will it break down? Will we see three or four factions? Will each be a party unto itself? Will it just split in two?
Crit_Reasoning
Fast forward to 20:00 for a preview of one of the unmistakable themes of the next election campaign (as has already been noted by Wherry, Wells, and many other observers):
Like so many of our bills, the refugee law only passed after a whole bunch of negotiations, broken agreements, pointless delays by the Oppostion parties.
It was typical of what we face every day: Obstruction for the sake of obstruction, opposition without any real alternatives, et mes amis, ça nous rappelle que le coalition Libéral/NDP/Bloc est quelque chose que nous ne pourrons jamais laisser se produire au Canada.
Friends, every time we deal with this and I look across the House, it reminds me of one of the highest duties we have to Canadians as the government of this country, and that is to make sure that a coalition of the Liberals, the NDP, and the Bloc Quebecois is something that never happens to this country.
Mike T.
In fact I believe he has said exactly that verbatim…
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Emily
Yes, Harper is still 'seeing things'. Maybe he needs an exorcism.
RunningGag
He started at 10:00 by repeatedly referring to them as the 'Opposition Coalition'.
Crit_Reasoning
Yeah, the speech was peppered with Coalition references. I just chose a relevant example.
RunningGag
Wasn't being critical. Just pointing out to the folks that won't listen that they had better get used to the phrase 'Opposition Coalition' because I counted ~ 10 uses. Not to mention the bit about Mr. Ignatieff's evil secret plan.
The worst part is that people in this country are so politically uninformed, that they'll fall for it.
Reverend_Blair
So we can look forward to Harper running a campaign of empty rhetoric peppered with misrepresentations, punctuated by outright lies, and pandering to the basest instincts of xenophobes and greed-hogs? Some things never really change….
Blacktop
Well, do think tyhat Ignatieff can possibly muster up a moment that makes sense.? Lots of people do not want the corrupt liberals back, not a man who thought so much of Canada that he spent 30 years away.
Reverend_Blair
As opposed to a man who gave a speech to an American organization that basically attacked Canada? What was it it Harper said, "A Northern European welfare state in the worst possible sense?" I may not like Iggy much, but at least he's never attacked Canada, never tried to undo all of things that makes this country what it is.
Ignatieff went and worked in Britain and the US, just like thousands upon thousands of other Canadians. Harper is a parochial git who hid out in the basement of the U of C. Ignatieff went out and worked in the real world. Harper went from a conservative lobbying organization to becoming a politician.
And now what is Harper offering for policy? Thinly veiled xenophobia, personal attacks, misleading statements, and the opportunity to turn Canada into a country of miners and rig pigs who sell off resources too cheaply.
Style
He switched to French for the coalition jab – I wonder how many federalist voters in Quebec might be swayed by the argument that a vote for the Liberals is a vote for a Bloc coalition…I tend to think of it as an effort to swing Blue Liberals into voting Conservative to keep the socialists out of Cabinet.
Dave
Obstruction for the sake of obstruction?
DON MARTIN! PLEASE PUBLISH YOUR BINDER!
Phil
I don't get the complaint about the refugee law…isn't that the same law that Jason Kenny was very effusive about at a press conference the next day (about two months ago)? Kenny was gracious, complementary about the useful suggestions that had been incorporated into the bill as a result of committee work, while still singling out some less than helpful behaviours.
I thought that we were against torquing and hyperbole and extrapolation? I know that I still don't favour/support those behaviours.
Phil
And that last paragraph that you quoted…………barf!!
Mike T.
Said it before, will have to say it again.
If there was a coalition dead set on taking power, it would be in power this very minute. A coalition is only remotely likley if Harper does something unannounced and unpalatable shortly after an election. He himself has proposed one.
Al O'Wishes
A coalition is only remotely likley if Harper does something unannounced and unpalatable shortly after an election.
Yeah, but what are the odds of that happening?
Dan
Weird that when he outlines stimulus projects he doesn't mention the light bulbs, the floating gazebos, the private businesses, the public fountains or the two giant car companies that our tax dollars were thrown at. I wonder if he glosses over them on purpose or if they just slipped his memory temporarily?
TwoYen
David McGuinty never fails to mention that he distributes environmentally-friendly light bulbs when he campaigns in Ottawa South. Maybe Harper didn't want to steal his thunder..
Habitant
''Soon to be Conservative MP from Ottawa-Vanier'' – Hahahaha!!!! That ain't gonna happen!
''We didn't invent projects out of thin air, etc…'' – Is this including or excluding Tony Clement's riding (as an example)?
''created more jobs than lost during the recession'' – Can anyone point to me a source that would show this to be true, and then we can look at qualifying that statement (ie. losing a secure and salaried position but gaining a clerk position at Tim Horton's ain't much of a gain)
''Canada will not return to the era of growing deficits…'' – This government has been very much part of that era.
''My friends… My Friends… My friends…'' – John McCain, is that you?
All I can say is that I hope voter turnout improves…
Al O'Wishes
''Canada will not return to the era of growing deficits…'' – This government has been very much part of that era.
Well in his defense, you have to leave an area before you can return.
gottabesaid
I suppose this 'coalition' talking point will do well in solidifying and rallying the base, but if Harper thinks he's going to scare the rest of Canadians into giving him a majority… well, good luck with that. And, besides, "we're going to continue to focus on the economy", have we seen anything that looks like actual economic policy from the Conservatives, other than throwing money at the problem? Just wondering if I missed something.
RunningGag
Sure it'll work. I have never seen as many of my lemming friends as tuned into politics as when Mr. Harper was denouncing the 'illegal' coalition. He may actually earn a majority out of it.
Too bad he's a lying, scum bucket, sorry excuse for a conservative.
gottabesaid
Not long ago I thought the approach would work… but the alarmist angle isn't going to motivate non-partisan folks. At this point, it's just going to piss them off. If the Tories use this approach and offer nothing in the way of substance — does anybody have any clue what the Conservatives would do with a majority? — the Liberals could clip them. Mind you, that theory also relies on the Liberals coming up with some substance. My sense is that people are dead tired of the partisan crap.
novagardener
@Dan – Re stimulus. We were at a friend's cottage on the weekend (con territory) and laughed our heads off. Big Economic Stimulus sign beside a 3 metre X 1 metre asphalt paving on the shoulder of a country road. Saw more signs along other country roads in the area and for the life of us 4 of us had no idea what had been done.
Dan
Cost of the Economic Action Plan sign = $800
Cost of a three square meter paving project = $400
Ability for the PM to say he delivered 16,000 stimulus projects to a room full of Conservative supporters who obviously aren't actually small c conservatives = priceless
http://dougsamu.wordpress.com doug_rogers
I didn't listen because I'm tired of hearing the man whine. Can't we just give him a majority to shut him up?
Anon Liberal
God it's creepy how he keeps calling his audience 'my friends'. It's like when he smiles. Soul-chilling.
bettie
Thanks for posting this. Complete silence on all other media outlets. It is a very true statement that he is 'beset on all sides". Four opposition parties and the media screaming at him constantly. It reminds me of Rudyard Kipling's poem of 'keeping your head when all those about you are losing theirs and blaming you.'
OK, so he is criticized by the media, but I think it's unfair for them to do so without giving us the opportunity to hear what he has to say so that we can judge for ourselves. In my opinion, he has done a good job inspite of all the pitfalls and obstructions he has to overcome.
RunningGag
Another point:
Apparently, when people ask him questions, and to justify things, its just needless delay and obstructionism – not democracy in action. Can someone please explain the new Canadian concept of democracy?
Phil
Wrt the Collective Soul ditty: When did Chad Kroeger join that band?
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