"Prime Minister Dion Loses Something In Translation"

[betsy]

"PRIME MINISTER DION LOSES SOMETHING IN TRANSLATION

October 10, 2008

By GREG WESTON

HALIFAX -- It was one of those unfortunate technical glitches that eventually bedevils every election campaign, a teleprompter that failed to roll at the start of Stephane Dion's speech to the chamber of commerce here yesterday.

No fault of the Liberal leader, the miscue nonetheless provided a much needed reality check on this week's dubious outbreak of Dionmania.

"Thank you to welcome me in the chamber of commerce of one of the most successful city of Canada and certainly the most resilient Halifax," Dion began ad libbing as he waited for the teleprompter.

Thanking the person who introduced him and saying a word about local Liberal MP Scott Brison, who provided a warm-up act, should not have been too tricky for a prospective prime minister.

"Thank you very much, um ... Thank you. Uh, and thank you also. Thank you, Valerie. I think exactly like ... I will speak with my heart, okay?"

"Thank you Valerie. Thank you so much because what you have as an agenda is at the core of a plan that Scotch, um, Scott has shown, a plan that want development and for the next generations as well, build on the economy and environment together."

The teleprompter finally operational, the Liberal leader reads the rehearsed script, decrying Stephen Harper and telling the crowd why Stephane Dion should be the next prime minister.

After the luncheon, Dion was asked during a television interview what he would have done differently about the current economic crisis if he had been prime minister.

Three times, Dion said he did not understand the question, and asked that the interview be started over.

UNIMAGINABLE

With four days to go in this election, the essential ballot question is no longer if voters trust Stephen Harper with a majority government, but whether they can even imagine Dion as prime minister.

Sure, the Dion on the podium today is far better rehearsed than the peevish professor of a month ago.

But all the best speechwriters, image consultants and English coaches do not a national leader make.

Off script, Dion is still the same brainiac mouthful he always he was.

For instance, reporters asked him yesterday to respond to a report that the Harper government has been massively understating the cost of Canada's participation in the Afghanistan war.

Under a Dion government, he said in part, "Canadians will know exactly where we are and which way does the mismanagement by whom."

More…"

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/Columnists/W...037131-sun.html

Just imagine him as our Prime Minister.

Just imagine for a minute that he is in a summit with other foreign leaders.

How can we even dream of leading the world when our Prime Minister can't even get his message across, participate coherently or even follow the discussion by other world leaders?

Edited October 11, 2008 by betsy

[kengs333]

You guys must be getting desperate if you're resorting to Sun newspapers for your information.

Ypus should isten more closely to some of Harper's interviews/speeches when he slips up. When a person starts on a negative/pessimistic tangent and then corrects themself quickly--the correction is cleayly never what the person truly believes. I'm getting the sense that Harper think the situation with the economy is basically hopeless.

Edited October 11, 2008 by kengs333

[Cameron]

I'm sure he's a nice guy...buy damn man, learn some English...

[Who's Doing What?]

You guys must be getting desperate if you're resorting to Sun newspapers for your information.

Ypus should isten more closely to some of Harper's interviews/speeches when he slips up. When a person starts on a negative/pessimistic tangent and then corrects themself quickly--the correction is cleayly never what the person truly believes. I'm getting the sense that Harper think the situation with the economy is basically hopeless.

Ya.

"MR. Harper, if you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be?"

"I would be a fruit."

Harper the fruit. Lock up your sons people. lmao

Edited October 11, 2008 by Who's Doing What?

[betsy]

You guys must be getting desperate if you're resorting to Sun newspapers for your information.

Ypus should isten more closely to some of Harper's interviews/speeches when he slips up. When a person starts on a negative/pessimistic tangent and then corrects themself quickly--the correction is cleayly never what the person truly believes. I'm getting the sense that Harper think the situation with the economy is basically hopeless.

This might just be a simple "slip up" to you.....but if Dion becomes our prime minister, I hate to find us suddenly waking up to the realization that our Prime Minister had committed us to a verbal agreement to another war....or to giving foreign aid to England....or to selling the whole north to Russia....or to adopting the whole population of an island....just because of a simple mis-understanding or mis-communication.

Edited October 11, 2008 by betsy

[betsy]

Ypus should isten more closely to some of Harper's interviews/speeches when he slips up. When a person starts on a negative/pessimistic tangent and then corrects themself quickly--

--- then it shows Harper is quick on his feet! And that's the kind of leader you need in the political arena of the world stage!

Edited October 11, 2008 by betsy

[Bryan]

This might just be a simple "slip up" to you.....but if Dion becomes our prime minister, I hate to find us suddenly waking up to the realization that our Prime Minister had committed us to a verbal agreement to another war....or to giving foreign aid to England....or to selling the whole north to Russia....or to adopting the whole population of an island....just because of a simple mis-understanding or mis-communication.

The misunderstandings have been at least as bad if not worse through the whole campaign.

His interviews and press conferences have certainly implied that the Carbon Tax might not be implemented if it gets in the way of other objectives or turns out to not be feasible. Turns out, even if it looks like that's what he was saying, it's not what he meant. Today he said Carbon Tax no matter what, even if it means not doing anything else he has been promising. Then again, perhaps he misspoke today as well.

He also appeared to have announced that he will double the Conservatives $100 child care allowance early in the campaign. Problem is, the very next day he told us we misunderstood, and that's not what he meant.

How the hell can anyone who is supporting him right now be sure that the reasons that they support him are what he really means? You can't. And foreign leaders won't be able to either. It would cause a very serious problem. People would walk away from meetings thinking they had come to an agreement, only to see Dion on the news that night telling everyone that they made no progress.

[betsy]

The misunderstandings have been at least as bad if not worse through the whole campaign.

His interviews and press conferences have certainly implied that the Carbon Tax might not be implemented if it gets in the way of other objectives or turns out to not be feasible. Turns out, even if it looks like that's what he was saying, it's not what he meant. Today he said Carbon Tax no matter what, even if it means not doing anything else he has been promising. Then again, perhaps he misspoke today as well.

He also appeared to have announced that he will double the Conservatives $100 child care allowance early in the campaign. Problem is, the very next day he told us we misunderstood, and that's not what he meant.

How the hell can anyone who is supporting him right now be sure that the reasons that they support him are what he really means? You can't. And foreign leaders won't be able to either. It would cause a very serious problem. People would walk away from meetings thinking they had come to an agreement, only to see Dion on the news that night telling everyone that they made no progress.

Those who support the Liberals should put partisanship aside in this election. They should face it, Dion is not a leader. Gracefully concede and throw their support on Harper, and just wait for their next leadership race. If they're honest about it, admit that Harper did not do badly as Prime Minister for the last two years. True that he may not represent their liberal values....but the situation happening around the world is scary right now. How can they risk the future of their children with something like the Green Shift is beyond me. Harper may be a bitter pill for them to swallow but at least they know what to expect from him.

If Harper loses and one of the opposition wins, I'm betting our market will crash.

[sharkman]

IMO the misunderstanding the question in English excuse is nonsense. He understood the question, but fumbled the answer, and then like many ESL people, fell back on the language crutch to cover his fumble. The important question is, why did he fumble such a simple, plainly worded softball question?

It's not a huge deal, but it doesn't instill confidence. Kudos to the media outlet for not covering this up for the Liberals.

[Smallc]

I'm sure he's a nice guy...buy damn man, learn some English...

He is learning English. Your right, it does need to be better, but he is trying.

[independent]

Those who support the Liberals should put partisanship aside in this election. They should face it, Dion is not a leader. Gracefully concede and throw their support on Harper, and just wait for their next leadership race. If they're honest about it, admit that Harper did not do badly as Prime Minister for the last two years. True that he may not represent their liberal values....but the situation happening around the world is scary right now. How can they risk the future of their children with something like the Green Shift is beyond me. Harper may be a bitter pill for them to swallow but at least they know what to expect from him.

If Harper loses and one of the opposition wins, I'm betting our market will crash.

Maclean's oct 13 2008 Edition.

"Harper has a Green plan too, though he'd rather not talk about it right now by Andrew Coyne."

"In sum, the conservatives plan is just as costly as the Liberals', twice as complicated, and half as effective."

[Cameron]

You guys must be getting desperate if you're resorting to MacLeans for your information.

[independent]

You guys must be getting desperate if you're resorting to MacLeans for your information.

Just one of me. You have a problem with Maclean's? Sorry didn't check it does not say this article has been approved by HARPER on the bottom. Tryed to access the Globe and Mail on line who had the original exclusive interview with Harper but you need a subscription. Welcome too find out more about HARPER's Green Shift plan yourself. It has suddenly disappeared for the election.

[Cameron]

Harper never had a Green Shift plan, that was the Liberals.

Pages 31-33

http://www.conservative.ca/media/20081007-Platform-e.pdf

Edited October 11, 2008 by Cameron

[betsy]

Maclean's oct 13 2008 Edition.

"Harper has a Green plan too, though he'd rather not talk about it right now by Andrew Coyne."

"In sum, the conservatives plan is just as costly as the Liberals', twice as complicated, and half as effective."

If Harper had not talked about it, how did you come to that conclusion? Explain yourself.

[CrazeeEddie]

This might just be a simple "slip up" to you.....but if Dion becomes our prime minister, I hate to find us suddenly waking up to the realization that our Prime Minister had committed us to a verbal agreement to another war....or to giving foreign aid to England....or to selling the whole north to Russia....or to adopting the whole population of an island....just because of a simple mis-understanding or mis-communication.

So while Dion is making all these decisions by himself because he misunderstood, where are his translators? Hell, where is Parliament, the opposition, the media? Or do you honestly believe that all decisions are made spur of the moment by the PM, and automatically put into motion.

Look, I understand that in the time Mr. Harper has been in government, we've had very little transparency and understanding of how the government works, but I can assure you this would never happen..

I can't believe that people that think like this actually run our country.

Edited October 11, 2008 by CrazeeEddie

[CrazeeEddie]

Those who support the Liberals should put partisanship aside in this election. They should face it, Dion is not a leader. Gracefully concede and throw their support on Harper, and just wait for their next leadership race. If they're honest about it, admit that Harper did not do badly as Prime Minister for the last two years. True that he may not represent their liberal values....but the situation happening around the world is scary right now. How can they risk the future of their children with something like the Green Shift is beyond me. Harper may be a bitter pill for them to swallow but at least they know what to expect from him.

If Harper loses and one of the opposition wins, I'm betting our market will crash.

So we should sell out our values, and vote for Harper because YOU say he's a better leader? He has broken one promise after another. I can't afford to fill my tank, heat my house, buy a loaf of bread, or put my kids through school, but hey at least I save 2 cents on my bottle of coke right? And no, we don't know what to expect from Harper, he says one thing, and does another, CONSTANTLY.

I do agree however, if you don't believe Dion can lead, don't vote for him. Vote for Layton.....

[CrazeeEddie]

If Harper had not talked about it, how did you come to that conclusion? Explain yourself.

I'm gonna guess by the quotations that he/ she didn't, the author of the article did, and they also stated very clearly that it was based on an article in the Globe and Mail.

[BC_chick]

This might just be a simple "slip up" to you.....but if Dion becomes our prime minister, I hate to find us suddenly waking up to the realization that our Prime Minister had committed us to a verbal agreement to another war....or to giving foreign aid to England....or to selling the whole north to Russia....or to adopting the whole population of an island....just because of a simple mis-understanding or mis-communication.

Riiiiight!

"So Dion, you wanna sell the North?"

"Sure, that's my favourite Restaurant"

And boom, there you have it, the North is gone. Nowhere along the way in drafting up documentation and passing it off in Parliament, nobody would NOTICE!?!?

Is that really your understanding of how international deals are made? The way you and I would make a lunch plan?!?

[CrazeeEddie]

Riiiiight!

"So Dion, you wanna sell the North?"

"Sure, that's my favourite Restaurant"

And boom, there you have it, the North is gone. Nowhere along the way in drafting up documentation and passing it off in Parliament, nobody would NOTICE!?!?

Is that really your understanding of how international deals are made? The way you and I would make a lunch plan?!?

Leave them alone... some Harper supporters have no idea how government works. He hasn't scripted that press conference yet....

Edited October 11, 2008 by CrazeeEddie

[independent]

The quotes below are from Maclean's oct 13 2008 Edition.

"Harper has a Green plan too, though he'd rather not talk about it right now by Andrew Coyne."

"In sum, the conservatives plan is just as costly as the Liberals', twice as complicated, and half as effective."

"not long ago,Stephen Harper was warning in interviews of the 'very real costs' pf a Conservative plan to cut emissions. No longer."

"well now it's october,in the middle of an election campaign,and Stephen Harper no longer wants to talk about the costs of his environmental plan. Indeed, he never even mentions his plan."

According to the article Harper stated his plan in an exclusive article with the Globe and Mail early last year.

Link to description of author. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Coyne

Edited October 11, 2008 by independent

[betsy]

So we should sell out our values,

You are not selling your values.....unless your values does not put the welfare of our economy and the future of our children above a political party.

and vote for Harper because YOU say he's a better leader?

Without a doubt, yes.

Dion is not a leader at all. Have you noticed how the Liberal Party had eased his leadership out of the campaign picture? They have spinned it so that now, they're promoting a "team." They're making it so that a team is supposed to be better at running the country. They don't even have a real team! Their so-called team is embroiled in vicious in-fighting. Martin's new book exposed just that. How they can campaign and say they are a team is the height of all bald-face lies. Hah! Too many cooks in the kitchen by cooks who don't even agree! Knives are put to good use in the Liberal Team's kitchen

He has broken one promise after another.

I'm not going into a tit-for-tat with Conservative's income trust and Liberal's GST for starters. We're not naive are we?

Which politician did not break a promise?

Btw, did you know that Dion is already saying that he might have to break the promise of childcare spaces and other billion dollar perks he'd been doling out these past few weeks. And he's not even elected yet!

But mind you, it's still full-steam ahead for his Carbon Tax Plan. I wonder if he'll break his promise about giving some of that money back.

Who is the best man to lead us through this time of uncertainty. That's the question we all have a grave responsibility to answer to the best of our ability.

I can't afford to fill my tank, heat my house, buy a loaf of bread, or put my kids through school, but hey at least I save 2 cents on my bottle of coke right?

You're complaining now???? Boy, wait til you get Dion or Layton. Plus simultaneous with what's happening to the global economy. You haven't seen nothing yet.

And no, we don't know what to expect from Harper, he says one thing, and does another, CONSTANTLY.

He may've changed his minds a gazillion times but all I see is the fact that our banks are not failing like the USA, our economy is the strongest economy in the G8, and in September we've created about 100,000 new jobs.

Hard facts that translate into confidence and security.

He is very capable. And most importantly, he is proven.

I do agree however, if you don't believe Dion can lead, don't vote for him. Vote for Layton.....

I am un-wavering in my support for Harper.

May I ask you: Are you voting for Dion? If yes, please explain why.

Edited October 11, 2008 by betsy

[sharkman]

It seems that the left is pretty concerned about this issue with all of the shrill responses.

At any rate, here's the double standard moment of the week. Back when Harper was learning French, the LPC characterized him as a Albertan tongue tied flatlander who's French level was unacceptable to be PM. Now that the shoe is on the other foot and their boy Dion can't speak very good English, they feign outrage that anyone would attack someone who is disabled. Hypocrites.

[betsy]

Deleted.

Edited October 11, 2008 by betsy

[capricorn]

So we should sell out our values, and vote for Harper because YOU say he's a better leader?

And what do you have to say about all those leftists who are encouraging strategic voting to defeat the Conservatives? And what about the 2 Green candidates in Quebec urging their supporters to vote Liberal? Seems to me their attachment to their values is tenuous and negotiable.

He has broken one promise after another. I can't afford to fill my tank, heat my house, buy a loaf of bread, or put my kids through school, but hey at least I save 2 cents on my bottle of coke right? And no, we don't know what to expect from Harper, he says one thing, and does another, CONSTANTLY.

I'm sorry to hear about your financial troubles. But it's a stretch to place those problems squarely at Harper's feet.

I do agree however, if you don't believe Dion can lead, don't vote for him. Vote for Layton.....

Ain't democracy grand?