PIK Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 Good question, it should be very easy for Stephen Harper to simply say, "Everything the media says is wrong and a lie. Here are validated, authenticated recordings of everything I have said and or done in the public's domain". In theory there is virtually nothing stopping Stephen Harper or any other politician from holding the media 100% accountable for what it says they've said. Take on the media with a frontal assault. Harper not that stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) The media does have power and going out of his way to antagonize it is a short sighted policy that will eventually come back to bite him. Edited October 31, 2012 by Wilber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 The media does have power and going out of his way to antagonize it is a short sighted policy that will eventually come back to bite him. I don't understand. If the media has been against him for years, what difference will it make to snub them now? It's not as if the media will suddenly change and be fair to him! It's like knowing a dog that keeps biting you. You avoid the dog. Then the dog barks because it's lonely! If you go up to it so it can bite you again you are a fool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIK Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 I don't understand. If the media has been against him for years, what difference will it make to snub them now? It's not as if the media will suddenly change and be fair to him! It's like knowing a dog that keeps biting you. You avoid the dog. Then the dog barks because it's lonely! If you go up to it so it can bite you again you are a fool. Post of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 I don't understand. If the media has been against him for years, what difference will it make to snub them now? It's not as if the media will suddenly change and be fair to him! It's like knowing a dog that keeps biting you. You avoid the dog. Then the dog barks because it's lonely! If you go up to it so it can bite you again you are a fool. This is a dog you can't really avoid. Just because you ignore it doesn't mean it can't hurt you. The media won't suddenly change and won't become his cheerleader but it is not always unfavourable to him. It's up to him to try and bring them around. His present approach just reinforces a view of him as a secretive control freak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 This is a dog you can't really avoid. Just because you ignore it doesn't mean it can't hurt you. The media won't suddenly change and won't become his cheerleader but it is not always unfavourable to him. It's up to him to try and bring them around. His present approach just reinforces a view of him as a secretive control freak. I dunno, Wilbur. To be quite honest, I think so much of the media is biased against Harper and anything that even has a few of the same letters as "conservative" in its name will get unfair treatment. I was with Reform back at the end of the 80's and I just saw so much of it that it has jaded me against the press ever since. Not surprising, considering that today journalists mostly come from either Queens or Ryerson, both hotbeds of modern liberalism. Anyhow, if you were Harper I'm sure you would find trusting in the balance and fairness of the media to be almost impossilble after the way they have burned his ass! Saying its up to him to bring them around is like telling a school kid who is always being beaten up and bullied that it is HIS job to make friends with his attackers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 It's his choice of course but the media will not go away or keep silent just because he ignores them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topaz Posted October 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 Some of you think the media has been unfair to the Tories and the PM, how? Have they told lies, if so, what? Since the PM like the US so much , I like to see him in a town hall meeting with other Canadians and the audience be of NDP and Liberal supporters only. This way the PM and the rest of Canadians could see and hear what is on the minds of Canadians, but I know he wouldn't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyser Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 I was with Reform back at the end of the 80's and I just saw so much of it that it has jaded me against the press ever since. Not surprising, considering that today journalists mostly come from either Queens or Ryerson, both hotbeds of modern liberalism. Now I can see where this comes from. Reform had so many idiots spouting non sense that it would have been reckless to not report it. The members shot themselves in the foot, and here we are 30 yrs later blaming the press for reporting what was said. Manning, no problem with him, but anyone who wanted in was allowed, and thus......great shooters, lousy aim and time after time, right in the foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Journalists have only one job, to make money for their media companies. If they don't have real news to report, they will stretch the trivial into something bigger than it is or even make it up entirely! Politicians could put most journalists out of a job in a week if they simply made everything they do public, while they were doing it. There'd be little news to report because by the time they did it would already be old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Take on the media with a frontal assault. Harper not that stupid. Simply sidestepping the media by opening up everything he does to the public directly would dis-empower the media in a flash but Harper must be too venal to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Canada Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Some of you think the media has been unfair to the Tories and the PM, how? Have they told lies, if so, what? Since the PM like the US so much , I like to see him in a town hall meeting with other Canadians and the audience be of NDP and Liberal supporters only. This way the PM and the rest of Canadians could see and hear what is on the minds of Canadians, but I know he wouldn't do it. Show me a time when Chretien or martin did that. Chretien won his majorities with roughly the same or less popular vote percent than Harper did. I don't see why the Tories need to be held to a differen't standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeyhands Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 I think if the media boycotted reporting Harper he would be glad! It's better than bad-mouthing him! Harper and the media have been feuding for years, ever since the Reform days. Most of the press went out of their way to write about everything bad about Reform, later the CPC and always Harper. Anything bad often didn't have to be true, or was trivial but the press magnified it out of proportion. Anything good tended to be ignored. Harper no doubt vowed that if he was ever in power and the media needed him he would pay them back! He has sent a strong message to the media that if they won't be fair then he owes them nothing more than the bare minimum law or custom demands. He DOES talk to a few members of the media - those that he considered fair. So they get the stories and interviews. The others don't. I find it amusing, myself. I always love to see those who treat people badly get their comeuppance! I've read through this thread and need to ask a question, I only picked your quote WB because it was first in defence of Harper not making himself available to the press. Can you provide some examples of where the press (MSM is what again?) where someone was reporting on the news was biased or untruthful? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Shakey, I look on your request as asking to research the sun rising in the East! I am not going to spend the time going back over history. I do have more to do than debate on MLW. Besides, if I do that there will be some in this thread who will immediately excuse it all by saying "old stuff don't count!". However, I WILL keep an eye out for new stuff that happens and will be glad to post that! I think I will start a new thread for it, as I think it will start filling up rather quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeyhands Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) Shakey, I look on your request as asking to research the sun rising in the East! I am not going to spend the time going back over history. I do have more to do than debate on MLW. Besides, if I do that there will be some in this thread who will immediately excuse it all by saying "old stuff don't count!". However, I WILL keep an eye out for new stuff that happens and will be glad to post that! I think I will start a new thread for it, as I think it will start filling up rather quickly. Ok, I guess that is fair.. I honestly can't think of any old examples myself. PM's (Harper or otherwise) and others for that matter say or do things and the media reports on it. I think this 'the media is unfair" as well as the MSM label stuff is baloney. Edited November 1, 2012 by Shakeyhands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIK Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Ok, I guess that is fair.. I honestly can't think of any old examples myself. PM's (Harper or otherwise) and others for that matter say or do things and the media reports on it. I think this 'the media is unfair" as well as the MSM label stuff is baloney. LOL That is because they say what the anti- harper people want to hear, anyone that hates harper will believe anything the media says bad about him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 LOL That is because they say what the anti- harper people want to hear, anyone that hates harper will believe anything the media says bad about him. Speaking as someone who has always supported the Conservatives, that simplistic attitude will be their downfall. Your Harper can do no wrong attitude is every bit as bad as their, he can do no right. Any government needs support from the center to stay in power. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyly Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Speaking as someone who has always supported the Conservatives, that simplistic attitude will be their downfall. Your Harper can do no wrong attitude is every bit as bad as their, he can do no right. Any government needs support from the center to stay in power. . the popular vote percentage would suggest they have little or no support from the center, the center and left didn't vote for the cpc, vote splitting is what keeps the cpc in power.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Canada Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 the popular vote percentage would suggest they have little or no support from the center, the center and left didn't vote for the cpc, vote splitting is what keeps the cpc in power.... I see so you freely admit that the CPC is the centrist party in Canada. Interesting. I agree that the Liberals have moved so far to the left that it's hard to tell them and the NDP apart. Justin is like his father and a socialist so he will continue to drag the party further left. Maybe they will merge parties and Canada will have a 2 party system like the USA. That would be a dream come true, honestly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 the popular vote percentage would suggest they have little or no support from the centre, I consider myself to be in the centre. I support them generally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 I consider myself to be in the centre. I support them generally. My feeling as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) Maybe they will merge parties and Canada will have a 2 party system like the USA. That would be a dream come true, honestly. And see, to me, this would be terrible. The LPC is my normal home...and they're in the centre usually. I don't want a completely polarized electorate. What's happening to the US is very damaging to the overall body politic. Edited November 1, 2012 by Smallc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyly Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 I consider myself to be in the centre. I support them generally. what you consider yourself isn't accurate, statistically you can't be in the center, on the fringe of center possibly but center, no...to claim center support cpc would need 70% of the electoral vote...center still belongs to the liberals with the ndp shifting inwards as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyly Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 And see, to me, this would be terrible. The LPC is my normal home...and they're in the centre usually. I don't want a completely polarized electorate. What's happening to the US is very damaging to the overall body politic. I agree that's why need a new electoral system, a PR system...we need to expand democratic choice not move toward less choice...I don't want to see the liberals disappear and I want to see the greens get fair representation...as do 1.5 million albertans who have not a voice federally in decades... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 And see, to me, this would be terrible. The LPC is my normal home...and they're in the centre usually. I don't want a completely polarized electorate. What's happening to the US is very damaging to the overall body politic. i certainly wouldn't call the LPC my normal home but I agree completely on not wanting a two party system. Interesting that wyly thinks he knows you better than you know yourself. Regardless of what he thinks, the Conservatives do need some support from the center in order to form a majority government. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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