If Harper keeps at this upheaval mode he is on will Canadians say STOP?

[glarius]

That is my prayer....That Canadians will say, "wait a minute, our country was working pretty well. We don't need or want all these sudden changes."....The speech, he just ended at the Empire Club in Toronto, was another Liberal and opposition parties bashing session and of course he ended with his Bush-wanna-be line "God bless Canada."
I pray Canadians will be able to see through his act before we vote again....

[Swede]

1. I'm tired of Harper portraying the Liberals as a kleptocracy.

That is a slap in the face for millions of Canadians.

[glarius]

2. He seems drunk with power now....That could be his undoing!

I HOPE!

[Hand]

3. A whole bunch of things could backfire on him...

The childcare grants are a disaster in disguise, for example. Most of the tax cuts are, too, although the GST cut may be an exception--cutting a regressive tax is a good idea if you intend to cut anything. Fact is, though, the numbers are NOT going to balance come budget time, no matter what kind of smoke and mirrors he uses. Add to that his truly poisonous personality and the ongoing muted resentments between him and Pond-Scum Peter McKay, and eventually it won't add up.

That "eventually" is the bothersome part. Like Chimpy in the US, the issue here is how much harm Harper can do before he's brought down as hard as possible. A lot depends on the Liberals' leadership choice, a lot depends on how Jack Layton plays his rather thin hand of cards, and a lot depends on whether Harper's phony sucking up to the Quebecois vote actually works.

Mostly I want it to happen ASAP, because most of what he proposes will ultimately have the same effect as the policies of Ronnie Raygun, Poppy Bush, and Commander CuckooBananas--more people, here and abroad, will suffer and die. That's going to be his legacy, just as it was of, say, the Harris government in Ontario. I just don't want the bastard to have a very big legacy.

[glarius]

4. I couldn't agree more.....My fear also is that he will cause a lot of harm

before we are able to be rid of him....His pseudo Bush act is really pathetic. He seems unaware that he is aping a losing cause by trying to follow in the footsteps of Bush.

[laundry_queen]

5. His "God bless Canada"

could be enough to be his undoing.
I have family in Alberta. All voted for Harper, all pleased as punch that he got in, all audibly gasped when he said that.
See, they're just in it for the tax breaks. They aren't religious - actually they are all proudly anti-religion. They just wanted the 'West to be in'.
They aren't the only Harpernuts I've talked to that hate that he says that. As hardcore (and stupidly) conservative as some of them are, they are no Bushbots. And I've heard over and over, "Ugh! He sounds like Bush when he says that. I wish he wouldn't say that!".
I think most are just holding their breath - waiting, waiting, waiting.
It'll only take one really stupid move IMO.


I hope.

[hopeisaplace]

6. I sure hope you're right too,

I cannot stomach when he says that, it's awful. I think
it's insulting to our intelligence. It's blatantly Un-Canadian.

[Bragi]

10. Sorry, you are quite wrong...

A poll today shows that most Canadians are fine with Harper saying "God Bless Canada."

See http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/national/story.html?id=75224340-6a04-4ed4-a45b-40698b5848fc

I think the centre-left needs to acknowledge where Canadians are actually at, rather than pretending to ourselves that they are where we'd like them to be at.

Remember, because of vote splitting among centre-left voters, Harper only needs the support of about 4 in 10 Canadians to form a majority government. And that is where things are now headed.

- B

[Pierre Trudeau]

11. Pearson said it too...

Honestly, Harper wouldn't be the first PM to say "God bless Canada". Lester Pearson was known to end speeches the same way, and I'm sure others before him (Mackenzie King may also have asked his dead mother to bless us too).

Our nation anthem exhorts "God" to keep our land strong and free. And I personally say "God save the Queen" when greeting my fellow constitutional monarchists, despite the fact that I am a member of no organized religion, nor do I subscribe to the "God" of the Old Testament (or any other scripture). It's simply a form of blessing. To me, it's understood as "God (if there is one, or whatever higher powers you believe in) bless..."

Just because George Bush is ruining everything, we shouldn't let him redefine all our terms: it's becoming more difficult to use words such as "freedom" and "democracy" now that they have become so tainted, just as "decisive" has come to mean "stubbornly ignorant". When Bush says "God bless America" it sounds like a jinx. Bad voodoo. So now when Harper says it, the association casts a cloud on it. But if George W. Bush had never become president, would we care so much about Harper saying this??

Anyway, what should he say? "May the Force be with you?" :D

[glarius]

12. What's disturbing is not the actual words it's that he's APING BUSH!

By saying "God bless Canada" Harper is making it abundantly clear that he is following in the footsteps of that maniac south of the border.

[Bragi]

7. Your fears are well founded

I think Harper is carefully setting the stage for a conservative majority, bearing in mind that because of the divided centre-left vote in Canada, all he needs to form a majority in the House is the support of roughly 4 out of every 10 voters.

Personally, I think he will get this support by continuing to do what he is already doing: adopting right-wing "populist" policies, and promoting divisive wedge isssues, that he knows will appeal to the substantial minority (about 40 per cent) of Canadians who lean either solidly, or just marginally, right of centre.

Harper will also retain the electoral support of many disaffected Liberal voters who will continue to be influenced by his unending hyper-screeds against Chretien and Martin and the ghosts of Liberals past, which will be echoed and amplified by Layton and the NDP right up to, and during, the next campaign.

So, realistically, I think we should get used to the idea that Harper is likely to be in power for the next 6-10 years, during which time he will be able to foist his right wing agenda on the country, and that the divided, centre-left majority will remain powerless to stop him.

As for those here who think Canadians will turn against Harper because of his Bushian tendency to say "God Bless Canada" at the end of his speeches, I say get a grip.

About the only thing that could stop Harper (other than centre-left strategic voting) would be public revulsion at the carnage in Kandahar. But even with the carnage esacalating, my guess is that the 4 in 10 voters Harper needs for his majority will buy the BS about this deployment being in our national interest, and support his war policies.

If you need evidence that this level of pro-war support can exist in Canada, bear in mind that -- if I recall correctly -- about 4 in 10 Canadians supported Bush at the outset of the war in Iraq.

Also bear in mind that neither the Libs nor Layton will have the balls to adopt a clear antiwar position. Given this, I don't see how antiwar sentiment could electorally swamp Harper.

None of this makes me happy, but I honestly find it hard to be optimistic right now that Harper will fall on his face, or that the centre-left majority will get its act together sufficient to stop the now well-advanced takeover of Canada by the (I think) quite smart and focused leader of Canada's right-wing minority.

Sigh...

- B

P.S. Anyone interested in a thoughtful and knowledgeable account of how the NDP has paved the way for a conservative takeover of Canada should read James Laxer's essay on the subject in this month's Walrus Magazine.

[glarius]

8. Sad to say I agree with everything you are saying.

Slimy Harper's insidious ability to persuade Canadians he is the only honest, trustworthy alternative to the "corrupt" Liberals is all too evident. I'm really worried for Canada.

[AX10]

9. Sadly, if that is true, Canadians are no smarter than Americans.

Did 40% actually support Bush going into Iraq?