Globe and Mail Endorses Harper

[M.Dancer]

I was wondering if they would not endorse anyone or even go with Dion (Layton? May? ). They haven't given him by any means a free pass in the last few years bringing the government to task over numwerous issues from Afghanistan and the environment to Film funding, never the less.....

Two anxieties, neither wholly irrational, have attached themselves to Stephen Harper in his years as a contender for and holder of the top political office in the land. The first is that he is a right-wing ideologue, badly out of sync with mainstream Canadian values and sentiments. The second is that he is possessed by a mean-spirited and controlling nature; that his emotional intelligence isn't up to his mental level.

*snip*

But despite these personality traits, Mr. Harper has governed moderately and competently for nearly three years. He has not taken the country in dangerous new directions or significantly eroded the capacity of the government to act, when necessary, in the public interest. He has been side-swiped, at least on the emotional level, by an international economic crisis of epic proportions. But he has gotten the big things right.

An election rarely offers perfect choices. Voters are called upon to sort through a catalogue of inputs — issues, policies, past records, regional affiliations, personalities, etc. — in casting their ballots. On balance, Mr. Harper remains the best man for the job in the tough times now upon us. He deserves if not four more years, at least two more years. By all logic, he should be cruising to an easy majority. That he is not, and has proven incapable of holding north of 40 per cent in public support, will hopefully persuade him to be mindful of the penalty he pays for failing to address these two persisting anxieties.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...NStory/politics

[Slim MacSquinty]

That is a fair analysis, I've often wondered why his public image is so poor when in reality he seems like an OK guy from relatively modest roots who could be the champion for the "every man".

I know that to some degree conservatives live with the Mulroney stigma, rightly or wrongly people hate Mulroney although if you look at his actual record it's pretty good. The Liberals have always done a better job of mollifying the special interest groups who seem to have a vendetta against Harper with little actual evidence that he done much of anything to cut their funding or hurt them despite his ideologic differences. I suppose what the Liberals have done, as sick as this is, is told appropriate lies at the right time. Trudeau did it, Chretien did it and both have been apparently forgiven rapidly and completely.

I hope that when this election is over we get to have some insight into this guy which could allow a greater comfort level or he should start preparing his replacement for the next election since there appears to be a wall between him and a certain amount of the public which he is unable to tear down.

[cybercoma]

People need to seriously read and understand that article. It really gets stale hearing the same old George Bush and neo-con comparisons daily. I don't know how anyone with even a modicum of intelligence can even make such a comparison.

Edited October 11, 2008 by cybercoma

[capricorn]

I especially like the line about Dion which reads.

Mr. Dion is a decent man of great integrity and tremendous courage, most evident in his years as minister of intergovernmental affairs under Jean Chrétien. But a leader he is not.

Speaking of endorsments, I think there's a chance Dion will vote for Harper. As one blogger said on another forum. "Dion will vote for Harper just out of habit. That will be his 44th time in just over two years."

[August1991]

Let's be upfront about this - this is an editorial decision. What the rank and file reporters think is another story.

How many reporters at the G&M will vote Conservative this election? In fact, most of them live in Toronto's Annex and they are standard issue, urban left-wing boomer flakes who think they understand life. Such people ultimately view Harper as a rube from Calgary and they view the typical Conservative voter as a rube from the hicks.

La Presse has a similar cohort who live in the Plateau and vote BQ/PQ.

Canada is badly served by its media. Its newspapers are undergoing a radical change (The Gazette people are about to go on strike and may be surprised by the outcome). The TV news is protected by the CRTC but technology will soon change that monopoly too.

Canada is more than the Annex and the Plateau.

[capricorn]

That is a fair analysis, I've often wondered why his public image is so poor when in reality he seems like an OK guy from relatively modest roots who could be the champion for the "every man".

Things are slowly starting to change on the image department. A strategic council poll for Ontario found an increase in support for the Conservatives among minorities and women.

“The big story is the loss of Liberal support,” said Tim Woolstencroft, Strategic Counsel managing partner. Mr. Woolstencroft added that the Conservatives have begun to earn support of groups that haven't traditionally supported them, such as visible minorities and women.

“It's probably one of the more interesting findings.”

When put through a seat model, the Tories could gain up to 10 seats and the NDP seven. The Liberals would lose 17 seats.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...y/politics/home

[sharkman]

What I find odd is how it seems voters are blaming Harper for the American/World financial woes. He's about as much to blame as Layton, which is to say, not at all. I was hoping for a majority, but if the left leaning Canadian voter is getting all wobbly at the knees, let them have another gridlock minority government in spades.