Mike Harris: Thanks, But No Thanks...

theWatcher · November 5, 2003

(harper) as the LEADER of the larger party in this merger, he's got too much baggage to pick up votes.

We Canadians are such a fickle lot. Face it, there is no "perfect" candidate.

Is Harper to be skewered forever for making one statement that even some Maritimers admit is half true?

He says ONE THING and is "tainted" forever?

We demand our leaders to be so totally bland that they offend no none.

Then when we get a bland non offensive one, we complain that he is not "The One".

What a load of rubbish.

A few points convinced me about Harper.

He has never lied to me, or to Canadians. He says something, and then goes ahead and does it. He doesn't make excuses or push it off on someone else, he just does it. He doesn't "study" everything to death with "comittees" and "panels". He doesn't make deals that go against his principles and turn around and laugh at the other party for being stupid, and trick people with weasel words.

He is willing to admit when he makes mistakes and is willing to own up to it, something that most politicans are unable to do. Everyone has been known to make a mistake right?

He singlehandedly unified the Alliance during a very stressful time. Most everyone had given up on them, and he put a team together that could take a good run at the Liberals even without a merger. He eliminated the DORC's and quit the infighting and put everyone in the party on a positive note and prepared them to fight the next election, and handicapped the 5th party leader to such a point that he stepped down.

My litmus test for determining if someone is going to be an effective leader is pretty simple, On a range of issues if the prospective leader says they will do something, will you believe them?

Harper chased Mackay around the country he was so determined he would make a deal. Peter was looking around every corner, and double checking the washrooms before using them to make sure Harper wasn't there.

Mackay? Trust factor? Believability?

Um, sorry.

Prentice? Who the heck is this guy? What has he ever done? I didn't follow the PC leadership at all so I have no idea about this guy whatsoever. No offence to him, but I have nothing to say about him, positive or negative. I couldn't pick him out off a crowd if my life depended on it, and have never even heard him speak on the news or radio. I don't know what he believes in, or his qualifications.

But I can guarantee you one thing.

He wouldn't be able to even find the MP's washroom in parliament hill. I don't want a green rookie leading my party. Martin would take him apart so easily.

The leader has to have some sort of experience on the job. You don't hire someone off the street to run your company because he is a nice guy. If Prentice really wants to eventually become a leader he should run as an MP first and get some experience, and let people evaluate his skills.

Day is a perfect example of someone that had experience at the Provincial level, and being an extreme rookie Federally.

Yes, I believe that there should be valid competition to make the leadership run more validating but there are precious few at the calibre required.

Don Mazankowski would be the closest to Harper, but he's probably enjoying his retirement and is 69 I think?

I trust Harper. I know that his Maritime comments were meant to say that he was not in favour of regional subsides and that all regions should be treated the same. And if problems exist for employment those problems exist in more than one area of the country and should be dealt with appropriately.

I want to see youth employment programs of one nature or another for ALL Candian youths, not just maritime or Quebec or Ontario, etc...

His "firewall" comments were made as an Albertan citizen that who are getting worked over by Ottawa and his comments are equally valid for each and every province in Canada. I don't like seeing Nova Scotia or Newfoundland getting screwed by Ottawa either. The provinces need to somehow protect themselves by all the plundering that the feds are currently doing.

So I wish you luck in finding a candidate that is better prepared, more experienced, more exciting, and who can be "The One" for you.

My votes on Harper.

Hugo · November 5, 2003

Just a sidenote here:

Can you imagine what would happen if the NDP and the Liberals tried to merge? I know Orchard is upset, but really, he is conducting himself honourably and is doing what he believes is best for his party and his country.

However, based on past experience of both parties, I believe a Liberal-NDP merger would quickly descend into petty insults. Dissenting NDP MPs would attend meetings in order to boo and hiss (as Svend Robinson and others like to do), and the Liberals would probably respond by calling them all "morons" and "bastards", as they famously have done to other politicans in the past.

I don't know what's wrong with left-of-centre politicians in this country. Since when did petty insults, foul language and booing become an acceptable substitute for rational discourse? It should be very telling to people how the PCs and the Alliance have remained dignified and rational throughout these talks.

dnsfurlan · November 6, 2003

Hugo ,

You raise a fascinating point. I'll add two more things.

First, notice how conservatives are about ideas. Preston Manning wrote a book. Hugh Segal wrote a book. And now there is meaningful dialogue about what the new party will be about.

Take a look at the Liberals. Can you honestly tell me what political philosophy drives any of the prominent MPs in that party? Power seems to be about it.

Second, notice how the political discourse about Left-Right in this country is skewed. When conservatives unite, it is "unite-the-right". Yet no one talks about the Liberals being a "left-wing" party, which is basically what they are. Even their notion of fiscal conservatism is left-wing. Yet, somehow, they're suppposed to be a magical centrist party.

Furthermore, there are virtuallly NO Liberals on any of the message boards I tend to visit, including this one. I guess they don't believe in the idea of debating ideas. Power seems to be all that matters.