Harper is a hit when viewed from afar.

This is from the Calgary Herald via canada.com
The Herald obviously knows nothing of whereof it is speaking. If Harper were so popular here he would have already forced an election to get a majority. His party is in a dead heat now with the Liberals who are such wimps they should probably be in the Guiness Book of World Records. They should raise money by selling " I am a green shift wimp" buttons seeing they are both in the red and being sued.


Saturday » July 12 » 2008

Stephen Harper is a hit when viewed from afar

Barbara Yaffe
Calgary Herald
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Is Stephen Harper under-appreciated by Canadians for being all too familiar? It would seem so, to read London's Telegraph newspaper, an excerpt of which was dispatched this week to columnists like me by none other than prime ministerial communications rep Ryan Sparrow.
The Telegraph, looking in on the G-8 summit in Japan, reflected on Monday that "Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and Gordon Brown are disliked at home; George Bush is a lame duck; Silvio Berlusconi is changing the law to indemnify himself; Dmitri Medvedev is regarded as Vladimir Putin's creature . . . ."
In fact, says the article, "of all the leaders, only Stephen Harper -- the talented but curiously neglected Canadian prime minister -- is able to point to a popular and successful record in office."
The article describes Harper as quiet and courteous, and opines that he has properly turned his government's attention to putting its own affairs in order, reducing taxes and keeping spending in check.
Yet another kudo: under Harper, Canadians have been "playing their full role in world affairs, notably in Afghanistan."
Well, now: Conservatives have indeed reduced taxes somewhat. But their record on keeping spending in check is hardly sterling.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation calculates that, in their first year in office, Conservatives presided over a 7.1 per cent spending jump. Last year, 4.5 per cent. This year, a 4.2 per cent hike.
Moreover, the government has been broadly criticized for putting Canada within spitting distance of running another deficit.
As for playing our full role in Afghanistan, an Angus Reid poll this week found 73 per cent of Canadians believe Canada is playing too great a role, bearing too much of the load of the NATO mission -- a fully justifiable viewpoint given our outsized casualty list.
Another poll, released Tuesday by Harris-Decima, reveals the Conservatives continue to lag in popularity. They are locked in a horse race with the Liberals, a party with weak leadership and lacking a comprehensive policy platform to distinguish themselves from the government. The poll's latest sounding showed Liberals at 31 per cent to the Conservatives' 30 per cent.
Says a Harris-Decima news release: "Looking back since the fall session began, it is clear that the Conservatives have lost ground among (two) strategically critical groups."
The party has lost an advantage it held with non-separatist Quebecers. Last September, Conservatives enjoyed a 15 point advantage over the Liberals. Now, the parties are tied.
Conservatives also trail the Liberals by 10 points among urban women, a fairly hefty demographic.
This might not be so worrying for the government were it not for its precarious position in seat-rich Ontario, where they've been unable to pull ahead of the Liberals.
"The trends for the Conservatives in recent weeks have been among the most troubling they have faced since taking office," said Harris-Decima president Bruce Anderson.
From a closeup perspective, the Conservative government has put in a fairly credible, largely scandal-free performance since the election in 2006. Harper has mainly followed an unspectacular middle-of-the-road policy course.
But in certain key areas, Harper and company have consistently behaved like political amateurs.
Their communications policy has been dreadful, making the government look not only remote and unlikable, but excessively partisan and defensive, as though it has something to hide.
While it has long been clear the party needs to promote women and women's concerns, Harper has done nothing substantive on this front.
And Conservatives have gone out of their way to insult and alienate Ontarians for no obvious reason.
In terms of policy, the party appears to have run out of steam after its moves to address government accountability, pass anti-crime legislation and introduce tax reductions.
Yet, the Telegraph enthuses: "Canadian Tories are a model of how to behave during (an economic) downturn."
And "if the rest of the world had comported itself with similar modesty and prudence, we might not be in this mess."
Sometimes things look better from afar.
For instance, when observed from this side of the pond, Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel and the rest of the bunch look not bad at all.
Barbara Yaffe is a Vancouver Sun columnist. byaffe@png.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2008

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Image makeover signalled by surprise announcements and media outreach

Some of his old bully style was evident when he spoke of Bill Casey the Nova Scotia MP who voted against the Conservative budget because of Harper's position on equalisation. Harper said clearly he was not welcome back into the caucus and when there was an election he would not be recognised as a candidate.
The Afghanistan panel is simply puke politics as I call it. He manages to avoid the Afghan issue because his own position is for it to go on as long as George Bush wants it to. As another article mentions our mission is all about our relations with the US and the makeup of the panel shows that too as Thomas Walkom has pointed out. (See his article in my blog!!)
No doubt there is an attempt at an image makeover. His handlers better keep Bush's lapdog on a short leash or get the dog whisperer to coach him or Harper may forget and poop in public. The dog whisperer could certainly help the Liberals out too. Dion must be trained to be a pack leader and not let Rae and Ignatieff and others run loose or yap at his heels.

Image makeover signalled by surprise announcements and media outreach

Rebranding initiatives follow on advice to steer to the centre and soften up.

OTTAWA, October 12, 2007: Today Stephen Harper held another surprise impromptu-style news conference as one of a string of pre-election announcements intended to soften his image and portray himself as a moderate. He appointed a committee of well-known Canadians, most with conservative leanings and histories but whom he is portraying as "non-partisan", to offer advice to Parliament on Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

Panel members include:
- former Liberal cabinet minister and leadership contender John Manley, described by Reuters as a "Liberal hawk";
- journalist Pamela Wallin, who worked with Manley as an organizer of the "Canada Loves New York" rally after the September 11, 2001 attacks;
- former Mulroney cabinet minister Jake Epp;
- Derek Burney, former chief of staff to Brian Mulroney; and
- Paul Tellier the corporate executive who privatized CN Rail after serving as Brian Mulroney's privy council clerk.

Harper gains some leverage to claim he is a moderate person who listens by creating this commission. The panel is to report in January 2008, well after any fall election that might be called.

Another surprise came yesterday with the announcement of the first new funding in years for VIA Rail's passenger service. By no coincidence, the $700-million announcement took place in Jim Flaherty's home riding in suburban Toronto, a principle election battleground and a place where it is extremely important for the Conservatives to appear as moderates. After years of clamouring for passenger rail funding, transit and environmental advocates are thrilled with the new money, With no new program commitments involved and a large budget surplus to deal with, the new funding was no problem for the prime minister.

Prior to that came Harper's new agreement with Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald over equalization payments. Critics say the deal is the sort of thing Harper condemned when he introduced his new equalization formula last spring. "Cutting the deal meant that Mr. Harper had to give in, tacitly admit a mistake, and do what he said he would not do ink a new 'side deal'," wrote Campbell Clark in the Globe and Mail. "It has become clear that despite his reputation, Mr. Harper is willing to back down when it's to his advantage."

Harper has been avoiding the national media for most of his term in office. Today's announcement marks the second time in two weeks that he has faced reporters on an impromptu and relatively informal basis. This too marks a change in tone, as Harper tries to play down his aggressive and bullying image - as his advisor Tom Flanagan and mentor Brian Mulroney suggested - in preparation for an election that may not occur this year but certainly will come by next spring