Harper on a Rampage

[Reverend Blair]

Stephen Harper fired fifteen (we think) staffers today. The number could be higher. This after losing three senior staffers, including his chief of staff, earlier this year.

These were loyal people, some of them former candidates who didn't get elected.

Although nobody in the Conservative Party will talk about it, this seems to be a response to Harper's numbers not improving after this summers BBQ circuit charm offensive.

Harper just doesn't get it. If he wants to solve the problem it isn't party staffers that need to go, it is the party leadership that keeps putting forth policy that scares the crap out of people. That starts with Harper himself.

The homophobic, ultra-right, neoconservative, fundamentalist, anti-science platform of greed and intolerance that the Reform/Alliance/Conservatives represent doesn't sit well with most Canadians. Blaming the staffers who are paid to get the message out, or lie to hide the true intentions of the Harperites, is not the answer. The sooner Harper faces that, the better his party will fare.

 

[Ocean Breeze]

the sooner this a**hole is out of the picture.....completely ......the better. He is a fecking vexation to humanity and the spirit.

 

[#juan]

The poll that prompted all this fuss:

The Poll that Led to the Firing, err Resignation:

Martin - 31% (-1)
Layton - 15% (0)
Harper - 14% (-13)
Duceppe - 8% (+2)
None - 19% (+11)
Undecided - 13% (+4)

It is apparently not acceptable for a Conservative leader to be behind an NDP leader.

As one of the reporters I read stated; "Put a fork in Harper, he's done".

 

[Reverend Blair]

This puts the Conservatives in a tight spot though. It's also close to an election to be looking at a leadership convention. It also hasn't been very long since the Cons had their policy convention where they voted to hang onto Harper.

The low numbers are also related at least as much to CPC policy as to Harper's own glib style, and the backroom boys who really run the show have likely figured that out. That means that any leadership convention is likely to be extremely divisive and lead to public recriminations and high profile moderates walking out of the party.

At this point I have to say that Harper has been more harmful to Canadian political discourse and our political process than even Brian Mulroney was. Harper and his followers have succeeded in dumbing down the political conversation in this country to levels only previously seen in US presidential elections.

Nothing to do now but watch as he hires a new bunch of spin-masters to try to pull the wool over Canadians' eyes. I feel bad for those staffers who got axed. Those aren't easy jobs to get, and they've been crucified because of the ineptitude of the elected side of the party.

 

[Cosmo]

Not being particularly politically savvy, even I know Harper for the evil piece of crap he is. I remember him from his Reform days. So nice to see him behaving true to stripe.

 

[#juan]

At one time it seemed reasonable for the Conservatives and the Reform party to unite but it looks now like Peter Mckay might have done better on his own. The CPC can't seem to shake off the image of Stockwell Day. A shame, because they will soon have to shake off the image of Harper. I think they will have to get rid of all the Reform members before the next election.

 

[TenPenny]

Yup, I think the sooner the CPC returns to its origins and the PC party, the sooner they will be a serious contender.
The reformers never clued into the fact that the only real hope the conservatives had was via the PC party, not this steaming heap called the conservative party.

 

[Reverend Blair]

If they get rid of all the Reform members, there won't be much left. The radical right has been purging moderates that haven't left on their own ever since the merger. If you look at the candidates since the takeover, they are mostly from the Reform/Alliance side, especially west of Southern Ontario.

One of the big lies that the CPC has been telling since it formed is that it is now more moderate. If you watched their policy convention, it was obvious that simply isn't true. Every moderate policy proposal was voted down massively except for the abortion policy. That passed, but an examination of the wording and the facts surrounding it shows it to be a carefully worded lie. Not only that, but many of the furthest-right delegates couldn't make it to the convention because the airline they booked tickets on suddenly went belly-up. If they would have been there, even the apparent softening towards abortion policy wouldn't have passed.

Harper has taken the new party back to where the Reform/Alliance was under Stockwell Day, but is trying to pass it off as a truly national party. It isn't, it's a regional rump party that will begin trumpeting Alberta separatism after the next election.

 

[Nascar_James]

The Conservative Party of Canada needs a drastic overhaul, and new blood. Get someone who's a real conservative to take over, not wishy-washy, no flip-flopping and seek advice from the US Republicans. Hmmm ... wonder if Ralph Klein would be interested in Federal Politics?

 

[Canucklehead]

I couldn't agree more T.P.

Any conservative hoping for a snowball's chance in hell of forming a government had best be begging Joe Clark to come in and re-form the PC party (no pun intended). Although I highly doubt good ol' JC could be bothered with McKay and his traitorous ways regardless of his love for the old party. It's kind of a shame really since Clark comes off as being just as centrist, if not more so, than the new Liberals under Martin.

 

[Reverend Blair]

Get someone who's a real conservative to take over, not wishy-washy, no flip-flopping and seek advice from the US Republicans.

They have been taking advice from the Republican Party, Nascar Nero. That's why they've been getting their asses kicked. If you get a chance look up an article called The Man Behind Stephen Harper. I'm sure you'll think the guy is a saint, but the truth is that radical right Christian racists don't sell well in Canada.

A Conservative delegation also went to the Republican coronation of Georgie. They've met with Republican party strategists. There is a lot of cross-over there and Canadians don't like it one bit.

Harper has lost votes every single time he cozied up to Bush. He lost votes over wanting to send troops to Iraq. He lost votes over his support of deep integration. He lost votes over his plan to further integrate our military with the US instead of moving towards becoming peace-keepers again.

 

[Nascar_James]

Get someone who's a real conservative to take over, not wishy-washy, no flip-flopping and seek advice from the US Republicans.

They have been taking advice from the Republican Party, Nascar Nero. That's why they've been getting their asses kicked. If you get a chance look up an article called The Man Behind Stephen Harper. I'm sure you'll think the guy is a saint, but the truth is that radical right Christian racists don't sell well in Canada.

A Conservative delegation also went to the Republican coronation of Georgie. They've met with Republican party strategists. There is a lot of cross-over there and Canadians don't like it one bit.

Harper has lost votes every single time he cozied up to Bush. He lost votes over wanting to send troops to Iraq. He lost votes over his support of deep integration. He lost votes over his plan to further integrate our military with the US instead of moving towards becoming peace-keepers again.

Nascar Nero? It's Emperor James, Rev.

I still say there is a significant conservative base in Canada to elect a conservative gov'nt. It happened before (i.e Mulroney years) and it could happen again. I do admit that with the formation of the Bloc in Quebec, the Conservatives had lost a great deal of it's voters. However, if the Bloc were to ever disband, many of it's members would undoubtedly join the Conservatives. There is a substantial Conservative base around the Quebec City region.

 

[Vanni Fucci]

They have been taking advice from the Republican Party, Nascar Nero. That's why they've been getting their asses kicked. If you get a chance look up an article called The Man Behind Stephen Harper. I'm sure you'll think the guy is a saint, but the truth is that radical right Christian racists don't sell well in Canada.

I think I've mentioned before about this guy I work with, and how he's deeply entrenched within the CPC.

He let me in on a little secret a couple weeks back that all potential candidates from the CPC are sent to Arlington, VA to learn the GOP way of doing everything from campaigning to governing. He's going to be going there sometime next summer.

He showed me the site, but I wasn't quick enough with pen and paper, but I think that this is it:

http://www.crnc.org/default1.asp

He told me not to tell...but I'm so terrible at keeping secrets...

 

[splinters]

I have rats as pets, and their feces are nothing. Really. No stink, no smear, nothing gross. I say boiling oil.

 

[Ten Packs]

I never thought someone could out-feck-up Stinkwell Gay.... goes ta show ya!

Oh, and ps: why would the Conservatives take advice from the Republicans in charge at this time - what the Hell is "conservative" about having the biggest Government, the Biggest Deficit, the biggest Foreign Debt and the biggest Borrowing-policy in American history?

I don't think "Splash Kennedy" could have done a better job than THESE clowns....

 

[Nascar_James]

They have been taking advice from the Republican Party, Nascar Nero. That's why they've been getting their asses kicked. If you get a chance look up an article called The Man Behind Stephen Harper. I'm sure you'll think the guy is a saint, but the truth is that radical right Christian racists don't sell well in Canada.

I think I've mentioned before about this guy I work with, and how he's deeply entrenched within the CPC.

He let me in on a little secret a couple weeks back that all potential candidates from the CPC are sent to Arlington, VA to learn the GOP way of doing everything from campaigning to governing. He's going to be going there sometime next summer.

He showed me the site, but I wasn't quick enough with pen and paper, but I think that this is it:

http://www.crnc.org/default1.asp

He told me not to tell...but I'm so terrible at keeping secrets...

That is indeed a smart strategy, ... getting hands-on advice from the GOP ... if you manage to keep it low profile thou. But now it's been advertised on this site, so everyone's uncle will know about it.

 

[Reverend Blair]

The BQ is primarily a left of centre, Nascar Nero. If they disbanded more of their supporters would go to the NDP than the CPC. The promises Mulroney made to Quebec to get them to vote PC turned out to be lies in the end, and they will not tolerate the regressive social policies of the Harperites.

He let me in on a little secret a couple weeks back that all potential candidates from the CPC are sent to Arlington, VA to learn the GOP way of doing everything from campaigning to governing. He's going to be going there sometime next summer.

Thanks for that, Vanni. I'm sure there are some people who will be very interested in that little tidbit. ;-)

 

[Reverend Blair]

It turns out that only five staffers were fired today, btw.

CBC better end this stupid lock out and give their journalists the deal they need. Feckin' CTV NewsNet can't get anything right.

 

[splinters]

Re: RE: Harper on a Rampage

It turns out that only five staffers were fired today, btw.

CBC better end this stupid lock out and give their journalists the deal they need. Feckin' CTV NewsNet can't get anything right.

Here here. I only suffer out of my inability to quote things from their website. (like shoot, shovel n shutup)

...
Isn't Arlington in texas?!

 

[Reverend Blair]

Isn't Arlington in texas?

I believe there's an Arlington in Texas, but the Arlington that is usually referred to is in Virginia. That's where the big cemetery is. It's also where Robert E. Lee had his estate before the Civil War.