Jason Kenney could be prime minister before next election

[Locutus]

On Friday, Stephen Harper surpassed Brian Mulroney, becoming the sixth longest-serving prime minister in our history.

On Jan. 24 he will begin his ninth year at 24 Sussex Drive. There’s reason to wonder if he will have a 10th, or if he will step aside to let someone else lead his party into next October’s election.

A decade is a long time to be prime minister. Jean Chretien and Mulroney both packed it in around that mark, as did Britain’s Tony Blair and Australia’s John Howard.

Voters eventually get tired of leaders, and rivals get ambitious.

Harper is careful not to overexpose himself, and there are no signs that anyone in his party is scheming to unseat him, but the exasperation of those who don’t like him is starting to be a palpable force for change, and he is carrying heavy baggage that another leader could cast off.


If Harper stays at the helm, the next campaign will be like cycling uphill with Mike Duffy sitting on the handlebars. If somebody else is doing the peddling, then whatever is in Duffy’s inbox will be much less troubling to the re-election prospects of Conservatives.

Harper is not telegraphing a career change, but he wouldn’t, would he? The minute a sitting prime minister starts to look like he’s thinking about taking a walk in the snow, his aides start polishing their CVs, and it’s harder to instill the kind of fear that makes premiers, bureaucrats, mayors and aboriginal leaders treat the office with due deference.

Close observers note that Harper has recently taken to wearing contact lenses, a sign that he’s getting into campaign mode.

On the other hand, he’s been travelling overseas more, which is something leaders often do before they hang up their guns.

Some say that Harper can’t abide the idea of losing to Justin Trudeau, and needs to avoid the next election. Others say he won’t back down from a fight.

Nobody can figure out what his next job might be, and he sure seems to like being prime minister, but Laureen might like him to see more of her and the kids, and after four elections and 13 years as a party leader, the family might deserve a quieter life.

I’ve been watching the guy as closely as I can since 2003 — not a particularly rewarding pursuit — and I have little idea of what motivates him, aside from a desire to reduce taxes, shrink the federal government and thwart his rivals.


more


Maher: Jason Kenney could be prime minister before next election | canada.com

 

[WLDB]

I think he'll stay. Its a bit late to pull out without hurting the parties chances next year.

 

[CDNBear]

Its a bit late to pull out without hurting the parties chances next year.

I'm not going to tell you what that read like when I skimmed it real fast.

 

[WLDB]

I'm not going to tell you what that read like when I skimmed it real fast.

I thought about that within seconds of posting but didnt care enough to edit.

 

[tay]

Jason Kenney has made a fool of himself, many times during his long and sordid political career.

He has gone after the human rights of women, gay people, Muslims, and most recently helpless refugees, as only a religious fanatic and a full fleshed Con bigot could.

He once accused Justin Trudeau of to flood our neighbourhoods with junkies and hookers.

And then of course there was the foreign workers fiasco, where after causing the problem, he claimed he was the solution.

But yesterday had to be one of his most disgraceful days ever.

Veteran Conservative MP Jason Kenney sparked controversy in question period Monday with a heckle directed at Canada's defence minister that a Liberal MP later deemed "racist."

Though Kenney rejected Liberal calls to apologize in the House of Commons, he took to Twitter to explain why he allegedly said MPs needed an "English-to-English translation" as Harjit Sajjan spoke about the government's plans to deal with the so-called Islamic State.

Jason Kenney's Heckling Of Harjit Sajjan Angers Liberals

 

[DaSleeper]

So if one happens to get someone at a call center that he can't understand and either hangs up and calls again hoping to get someone he can understand and after the third try, he insist on speaking to an "Old stock" Canadian he can understand.......
That person is racist????
Then I must be racist, because that's what I had to do last week....

 

[B00Mer]

Let's Caucus for Brad Wall to lead the Conservative Party.. :lol:

(a little U.S. Politics there)

 

[captain morgan]

Jason Kenney has made a fool of himself, many times during his long and sordid political career.

Whereas Mr Justin has only needed a handful of short interview opportunities to surpass all Canadian politicians in the making a fool of himself department.

 

[davesmom]

Let's Caucus for Brad Wall to lead the Conservative Party.. :lol:

(a little U.S. Politics there)

Brad Wall would be an excellent leader! That's the folly of the official French language; good men like Wall are automatically disqualified because they only speak English. Bilingualism trumps merit!
:-(