Stephen Harper On Wolf Blitzer's 'The Situation Room'

A very good performance, I think. I was most impressed by his tactfully implicit threat to Obama about the 'Buy American' clause of their porkulus package - a clause that is gone but definitely not forgotten. Also, Harper hit the point about the potential costs of protectionism for the global economy quite well when he said that there is no surer way to turn a recession into a depression than to pursue protectionism given our current state of financial affairs.

All in all, he earned an 'A-' grade. The minus is in there because I'm still a little sore with him over the budget. Only time will heal that wound.



Exit Question: Is it absolutely crucial that he begins every goddamn sentence with "Well, look..."?

H/t Lance

Do We Have Your Attention Yet, Mr. Prime Minister?

“All these 100,000-plus donors are writing their little cheques because they believe in a cause and – I don't know what's going to happen – but when Stockwell Day got into trouble that was the first really big sign. The money stopped coming in.”(*)

You are a realpolitik kung-fu master, Mr. Harper, and don't think that Canadians don't appreciate a man with a Machiavellian mind. For three years we have amused ourselves with watching you walk the tight-rope so deftly, compromising with your ideological enemies with one side of your mouth while promising the world to your supporters with the other side.

However, a word of caution: we'll only wait so long before we begin to take a hard look at your record and demand that you make good on a promise or two.

Remember upon whom you depend for funding and passionate advocacy come election time, Mr. Harper. Please start delivering on some of those beautiful words that you've spoken over the years lest you find the money well runs dry and you become (*shudder*) the Stockwell Day of 2009.

Do we have your attention yet, Mr. Prime Minister?

Memo From The Prime Minister's Office: No Principles Allowed!

In a recent interview, Kenneth Whyte of Maclean's Magazine sits Stephen Harper down to ask some questions related to the coalition crisis, the recent auto industry bailout, and even freedom of expression in Canada. Unsurprisingly, answer after answer from the Prime Minister touted the importance of the "pragmatic" approach.

Whyte asks:

We have Stephen Harper now embracing targeted bailouts and large deficits. Is conservativism dead at the federal level in Canada?

A chilling question, and one most Canadian conservatives haven't thought to ask since the right was united. But Harper's slow march to the center and the expansion of value-compromise within the Tory ranks makes it a perfectly pertinent issue.

Harper's response:

No, we’re just dealing with the times and the realities we have.

[...]

We have to be pragmatic. We have to handle each problem according to the reality we’re in.

And how about you tell us about the government's inaction on section 13.1 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, a section that has been used by quasi-judicial bodies to restrict the freedom of expression of Canadian citizens?

The government has no plans to do [anything about 13.1] ... And it is a very tricky issue of public policy because obviously, as we’ve seen, some of these powers can be abused. But they do exist for valid reasons, which is obviously to prevent public airwaves from being used to disseminate hate against vulnerable members of our society. That’s a valid objective. It’s probably the case that we haven’t got the balance right, but I’m not sure the government today has any answer on what an appropriate balance would be.

Great. Thanks for nothing, Mr. Prime Minister.