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

This week in pop culture references

by Aaron Wherry on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 10:36am - 39 Comments

From Michael Ignatieff’s scrum with reporters after QP yesterday.

Can I just say something about the Prime Minister’s response to these – my questions about the in-and-out scandal. These guys have been accused of illegal activity.  The prosecutor would not launch a prosecution unless there was substantial evidence of illegality. The Prime Minister gets up in the House and says, oh, it’s a kind of little administrative difficulty, right?  It’s an administrative difficulty.  I mean this guy will try and say anything.  He’s like the Charlie Sheen of Canadian democracy. I mean it’s ridiculous.

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  • NorthernPoV

    Look out Iggy.
    Charlie Sheen has lots of money to sue you for defaming him!

  • lgarvin

    {{{{{Sigh}}}}}

    Could we not get someone in the OLO to give Ignatieff a kick in the shin any time he looks like he's about to say something "clever"? Surely there most be some kind of warning sign.

    • Dave

      Who do you think gets him to say those clever things?

  • OriginalEmily1

    The comparison was easily and instantly recognized by everyone.

    That's the part that should worry us.

    • Mark

      Harper wishes he made $2 million per episode.

  • psiclone

    Poor Iggy – a lame attempt at best that on it's surface backfires as Iggy comes out looking more like Chuck than Harper does – You can almost smell the fear coming from the LPT right now and all it does it make them look weaker than they already are and that folks is death for a political party in canada – as canadians we have 2 types of leaders boneheads and bast#rds and Iggy by making Harper look like the latter only paints himself the former ! see you at the polls if the liberals are not just talking big like usual !

    • MostlyCivil

      "You can almost smell the fear coming from the LPT right now "

      How close to their office do you live?
      I'd suggest you either move, or get your furnace filter changed.

      • Holly Stick

        psiclone, you should see if the Conservative minority government will pay not to post here for a change. You're not helping them.

  • Rick Bonsteel

    Why is it that the perpetually-angry Ignatieff can continue to say defamatory and insulting things about "this guy" — in a tone that would get him into quick trouble on the street or in a bar — and yet the always-polite Harper gets taken to task for his "divisiveness"?

    • DerekPearce

      Oh boo-hoo, the poor put upon PM. Gimme a break. He broke the law and is trying to be a weasily weasle about it.

      • Orson Bean

        Actually, they have been charged with a crime. Not convicted. There's a difference. You know, that presumption of innocence jazz.

        Jeez, you sound like one of those hang-'em-high, tough-on-crime Conbots.

    • brooster2

      But you're OK with the the trash continually heaped upon Ignatieff in the Cons' attack ads, right? Look up hypocrisy in the dictionary.

      • MostlyCivil

        "the always-polite Harper"

        Next time, remember to use the (sarcasm) tag. people might think you actually believed that.

    • Margaret

      Just because Ignatieff's face isn't frozen into Botox-like immobility like Harper's is – does not mean he's "angry". It means he actually has a face that moves.

      Defamatory? Insulting? Anytime anyone comes near Baby Harper, the Cons scream and yell – you'd think he had a halo or something.

  • Crit_Reasoning

    That was a weak, too-cute-by-half pop-culture reference. Ignatieff needs better material. The Liberals should hire Feschuk again.

    • Margaret

      It's a very accurate reference. Harper has an enormous ego and no talent. Just like Sheen. These guys who have no artistic talent, have to do a sort of penis-extension in behaviour – trying to make themselves look cool, force people to look at their awful performances; and they are bullies. What else but a massive egoist would get up on a stage and sing Beatles songs? Looking SERIOUS about it? The guy is LOUSY!

      Very accurate reference, Ignatieff hit the nail on the head.

  • sourstud

    Oh snap!

    Great idea, compare your political opponent to the star of the most popular sitcom in America. A guy who's won a Golden Globe, nominated 2 other times for Golden Globes and 3 Emmy's.

    This is exactly the kind of rhetoric which will have people taking the LPC seriously again.

    • Mike T.

      Is anyone surprised an insane blowhard with a new tendency towards bizarre self-aggrandizement appeals to this particular poster on such a visceral level?

      Dudes, we are laughing AT you….

      • sourstud

        Charlie Sheen has had a remarkably successful career. Iggy's comparing him to Harper. What exactly are you laughing at?

        • Mike T.

          Your infatuation with the crazy dude who thinks its the height of clever to refer to people by a Jewish name and ruminate at length on the tiger blood pulsating through their veins.

          • sourstud

            I'm not infatuated with him, but the media, and apparently Michael Ignatieff are. Sure, the tiger blood thing is kinda weird. But so is Michael Ignatieff pontificating about his love of lingerie, or having his junk handled. And that hasn't stopped you from idolizing him, has it?

          • Jan

            Sheen has fried his brain. You admire this?

          • Orson Bean

            So have (and so did) many artists: Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, Van Morrison, Jim Morrison, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Janis Joplin, Ozzy Osborne, the list goes on and on. Lots of people admire and even idolize these people.

          • Margaret

            Bob Dylan's brain was never fried. Obviously. Nor was Van Morrison's. Janis Joplin died. Ozzy Osborne isn't in the same league.

            These people are admired because they have or had that little thing called genius. Sheen doesn't have that, neither does Harper. Any artistic genius does not have to behave like an ass*hole; they don't have the need.

          • sourstud

            Okay, let me clear this up for you. I'm not infatuated with, in love with, or obsessed with Charlie Sheen.

            Do I admire him? Professionally, yes. He's had great success as an actor, both financially and as an artist. He's made millions upon millions of dollars, and basically anybody who's ever watched a movie or television has seen some of his work. How can anybody not respect that?

            As for his personal life, he MAY have problems. Or he may not. His friends and family still seem to care about him, they haven't abandoned him. As for his substance abuse issues, I think it's quite possible that the tabloid media have blown that completely out of proportion. When all the "news" about his personal life comes from TMZ as recounted by pornstars, I think there's a bit of a credibility gap there.

            Either way, even if he were an unrepentant coke fiend, it's his problem, not yours or mine. He's a big boy, and he can make his own choices.

            As for Michael Ignatieff bringing him up, I think it's beyond idiotic. If he's not above talking this kind of trash about a private citizen (of another country, no less), I'm petrified of the kind of public statements he'd make as PM. This kind of crap is "un-Prime Ministerial", as they say. What's next, will he refer to Gadhafi as the Lindsay Lohan of North Africa? Iggy needs to remember that he's in politics now, not talking to a classroom of children.

          • Margaret

            Why would you admire him professionally? His father is Martin Sheen – he had a serious leg up in the business. Can you tell whether he actually is a good actor, or whether he can just do the moves like so many of them can, and whether he's constantly buttered up and sucked up to by the Hollywood glitterati and sycophants and toadies?

            There's nothing idiotic about Ignatieff comparing Harper to Sheen. Why not? Isn't this a free country? Does that make you nervous – and are you being paid by the tories to post here?

            Besides, keep in mind that Ignatieff is of the journalistic and media trade. He hosted a BBC talk show in England for many years, don't know how many – and he's talked to all kinds of celebrities, both political and otherwise. His observation of similarities between Harper and a characterless, egotistical little sh*it like Sheen is well founded.

        • Margaret

          Harper is a parasite. He hasn't even managed to write a book yet. Ignatieff has written what – 18? He's also on the list of most respected thinkers internationally. Harper make it there? Will he ever? Duh.

          Harper is also pure agony to watch as a "performer". What goes over in the Alliance Evangelical Church gatherings in their weird performance nights, doesn't go over well on TV, or in history.

          Sheen isn't "remarkably" successful, and won't be judged so by history. He's proving to be an delusional idiot – he just has a bigger mouth than Harper. Otherwise, they're similar.

  • LdKitchenersOwn

    Really? Charlie Sheen going crazy is the parallel you draw to the PM's insistence that this is just an "administrative difficulty" or "accounting dispute" as opposed to a criminal matter???

    Did the OLO think that referencing Al Capone getting nailed for mere tax evasion was too on point?

    • Margaret

      The key word is EGO!!! and lack of accountability – which both Sheen and Harper have displayed in spades.

  • brentonio

    It's nice to know the type of media Iggy watches, next time Iggy find a canadian to compare PM Harper with.

  • bennji1977

    Well, Stephan Harper is definitely high on Stephan Harper.

    Look at me, I am the smartest man in the room, I make the rules, I have tiger blood pulsating through my veins.

  • Orson Bean

    This is indicative of a consistent problem that Iggy, the LPC and most of their supporters have: they haven't yet grasped that the average, ordinary, apolitical Canadian does not loathe Stephen Harper the way they do. Thus the "this guy" stuff, etc., and the fact that the Liberals are practically a blank slate when it comes to actual, umm, policies these days. I think Harper's laughing all the way to the ballot box — instead of coming up with an actual plan for governing Canada, the LPC spends its time coming up with bon mots like this.

  • http://thecommons-ccd.com Jonathan

    I'm down with any PM who has magic and poetry in his fingertips.

  • gottabesaid

    I dunno… If I had to chose, I think I'll take a weak attempt at humour to a weak attempt at deflecting accountability by using terms like "operational decision".
    http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/03/02/an-operational…

    If I had to choose, that is.

  • Mike T.

    This jsut seems like the flip side of the "HA! Look what WE can get away with" taunts of the CPC supporters, though.

  • Margaret

    You're certainly out to lunch. I don't know anyone who likes Harper – and I live in Calgary.

    Calgary by the way is >NOT< Harper's home town. Toronto is.

  • Margaret

    Isn't that the truth? Not only that, but he's got the unmitigated gall to get up on a stage and sing Beatle songs! He clearly has no talent, just enough ability to play the piano, which any kid can do; and he thinks he can perform like a rock star? It's embarrassing. It's going to be looked back upon with amazement and a lot of laughter, that is if people can get over the boredom of watching those humdrum, very uncool performances.

    Harper has a huge ego; comparison with Sheen is not off the wall at all.

  • Margaret

    Well, you'd better look further than Harper. That's what I'd call a chowderhead.

  • Margaret

    Well choose then. Sitting on a fence gets you a sore butt.

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