Canadian campaign - the missing question

[FreeKnight]

This is brutal:
Tory candidates told to avoid debates, media during campaign | Toronto Star



You wonder why the media is so hostile?

What's funny/odd about that situation is that while the PM is clearly doing it for message/damage control, it's not like people aren't aware of what's going on and I think it'll cause more damage than they'd get from a poor performance in a local riding debate or a midly blundered interview. Now there's always backbenchers in every party that say some really stupid stuff on occasion, but I think most would be a little more cautious in a campaign they're losing support in at the moment.

But if I was a backbencher PC and could see the writing on the wall I'd WANT to be the one that spoke out and gave debates and interviews, if nothing else to say 'You're voting for me, not Steven Harper' and get your name out and recognized. Even if the conservatives don't lose power, they'll get at best a minority government and I suspect a leadership convention and Harper's time as leader would be coming to an end. At which point you'd want to be that visual maverick-y PC that didn't tow the party line 24/7.

Or not, who knows.

 

[fubar]

I agree with b1lk1 but the neocons have borrowed from the 'liberal' playbook, too. Imho, all these parties are the same with only negligible differences ideologically - or in other words - the Liberals and NDP would implement more damage, faster.

Canada is going down the tubes especially after the next election but that's okay, I guess, since I'm looking at places/countries to go to, ultimately. Just watch and you'll see I'm right.

 

[sswilson]

Jim Karygiannis' Former Liberal Riding Association Donor Lists Reveal Questionable Patterns

The "gentleman" at the center of this needs to be investigated for fraud and/or attempting to influence an elected official (bribery) regardless of which party was involved.

 

[chrisk]

Jim Karygiannis' Former Liberal Riding Association Donor Lists Reveal Questionable Patterns

The "gentleman" at the center of this needs to be investigated for fraud and/or attempting to influence an elected official (bribery) regardless of which party was involved.

The Brampton Conservative Parm Gill was hired by Jason Kenney prior to his election as MP to do constituency work with immigrants:
Tory candidate's access to Kenney questioned - Politics - CBC News

The issue got muddled because the Liberal candidate, Ruby Dhalla, was in her own trouble for her treatment of immigrants.

But again, I guess its all just the media ganging up on Harper. That Liberal rag, The Sun has another unflattering article on Harper's obsession with message control:
Harper manipulates the media - and you | WARREN | Columnists | Opinion | Toronto

All Canadian prime ministers have made attempts to manage the media -- reporters have complained about their lack of access to Liberals and Conservatives alike.

I’ve made a career out of advising politicians how to influence the media, including tips on how to avoid answering questions they don’t want to answer.

In this context, it is not unusual for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to try and control the media.

But he has taken it to new levels, unlike any prime minister before him.

Reporters covering Harper on the campaign trail are limited to five questions during media scrums and Harper’s answers to those questions are tightly scripted.

He has a message to deliver – and he does everything possible to make sure you and I will only read what he wants us to read.

The journalists who get to ask questions are pre-approved by his staff.

A local TV reporter was told last week she wasn’t allowed to ask Harper a question at a media event and that the next time she wants to do so, she needs to email his staff the night before.

Harper’s decision to not participate in the nationally-televised leaders’ debates was another blow to the media and their access to the prime minister.

...

Harper is a master manipulator of the media – a political bully who gets his way and who so far has not suffered any negative consequences from a spurned group of journalists.

So why should you care if Harper makes reporters work harder, or limits their access to him?

Because a basic tenet of democracy is the public’s right to access information.

Democracy doesn’t work if you don’t have independent sources of information.

Harper’s control of information and the media is really control of you.

He is limiting your ability to educate yourself and know what decisions he’s making on your behalf – and why.

 

[sswilson]

There was an interesting line of comment from Bernie Sanders on today's sunday political panels...

He was discussing how many voters were disappointed that Obama hadn't managed to wrestle any power back from the lobby groups during his two terms. His point was basically that voters can't expect their elected representatives to make any substantive change to the power dynamic unless they stay involved outside of the election cycle. Ongoing public pressure is the only way we're going to get power back into the hands of the electorate.

 

[draemn]

There was an interesting line of comment from Bernie Sanders on today's sunday political panels...

He was discussing how many voters were disappointed that Obama hadn't managed to wrestle any power back from the lobby groups during his two terms. His point was basically that voters can't expect their elected representatives to make any substantive change to the power dynamic unless they stay involved outside of the election cycle. Ongoing public pressure is the only way we're going to get power back into the hands of the electorate.

I call BS. Obama didn't want to "wrestle" power back from lobby groups imo. I think Obama has shown his true colours many times, especially with regards to NSA and military issues. Especially with the fact that all a president has to worry about is getting elected for his second term (no other threat to his job security), I don't think much is going to change just from some ongoing public pressure. If people won't walk away from their partisan Rep/Dem broken system, why would there be any actual change?

 

[Dwayne]

But again, I guess its all just the media ganging up on Harper. That Liberal rag, The Sun has another unflattering article on Harper's obsession with message control:
Harper manipulates the media - and you | WARREN | Columnists | Opinion | Toronto

You do know that Warren is an opinion columnist who is a Liberal Party adviser, right? He writes Sundays, from what I could tell, and in the article he gives a sideways nod to his real job.

"I’ve made a career out of advising politicians how to influence the media, including tips on how to avoid answering questions they don’t want to answer."

If you click on his name at the top of the story you will find it is linked to this:

Jim Warren
Postmedia Network

Jim Warren is a Liberal political strategist and media commentator. He worked for former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman and former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty and is currently a principal at grgadvisors.ca and CEO of Riseley Gaming Inc. His column appears Sundays.

So, Stephen Harper controls his message... and if Justin or Tom ignore the 10 questions thrown out in a scrum and only answer what they want to, that is different?

 

[b1lk1]

US politics should not be compared to Canadian politics, totally different in every way. The US is imploding in completely different ways than Canada.

I can't defend that Harper has run the country as per his rule when he can, but what has he done wrong, I mean what has he done to hurt the population? He's been unremarkable for sure, but he's done a decent job. I tell everyone I know now to get out of debt as soon as you can, mortgage included. If we have a devaluation, like China just did, the suffering will be immense. Right now, we are on a straight and narrow course that keeps us safe from that. WHy change it?

Harper has not endeared himself as a fellow human too, we all keep waiting for him to eat the head off the dog in his commercials and his real alien face comes out. Since that hasn't happened, we can assume he's human and has not tried to make others/special interests suffer any more than any other politician.

The Red and Orange ways are a death knoll to me. The Liberals have already gutted Ontario and put it into tremendous debt (although the PC's are idiots and have not put forth a viable candidate for a decade). The Orange, hell Jack Layton and the Chow lived off welfare/assisstance for many years WHILE being politicians. Their form of socialism is going to make Denmark's cost look minute. We'll see 50% plus taxation with no yearly returns of overpayments with either of those parties in office. How else are they going to pay?

Justin, charge the rich? Make big business, that is leaving in droves, pay more? I'd ask if you were out of your mind, but you obviously have none. We need to be attracting and FORCING businesses to stay in Canada and stay Canadian. Time to take back the manufacturing. Donald Trump might be an egomaniac, but listen to his thoughts on big business. Most sensible words I have heard in decades.

I realize Canada is a socialist country and the younger generations (30 and under) are firmly opposed to anything else. My issue is letting these criminals go too far and start charging carbon taxes and all sorts of other hellish taxes that are going to further punish anyone making less than a million a year. Those making more can afford it and won't care. Taxing big business further will just push more away.

I don't believe in socialism, I don't believe it is a good answer. I do believe a country has an obligation to their citizens, especially in times of need, but the current system is in such a state of disrepair/dysfunctionality that it needs to be scrapped and privatized once and for all. Canadian hospitals on average are a decade or more behind the US in terms of technology and doctors. Why do you think they go to the US if at all possible to work?

Anyhow, I made me a few extra tinfoil hats now so that when the Reds and the Orange take over and tax aluminum foil 110% that I have a few spare hats to keep them out of my head.

 

[Kerry D]

Don't listen to Trump unless you want to learn how to default on a loan and not suffer any consequences within the US. I'm pretty sure that the reason he's running for President is so that he can travel the world again and not end up in a debtors jail.

And as far as harms that Stephen Harper has done? Here's my list:
-Taxing Income trusts
-Disempowering me and other farmers by eliminating the CWB (During his time in power I have gone from getting roughly 75% port price to around 50% port price for all grains, not just wheat, because the CWB is no longer there to help keep the railways in line. I am an active marketer of seed products but I've also seen a massive decline in the Canadian brand on wheat and reduction in Hard Red Spring sales because so much less is going in.)
-Allowing the dollar to approach and surpass parity, not only making goods from the States cheaper and hurting domestic manufacturing but also resulting in CAD price decreases or sales losses due to more expensive products. I don't believe that the "Best Places to do Business" rating took into account dollar for dollar pricing for our largest customer.
-Reducing the availability, quantity and quality of information to the voting public. Making fact based decisions is vital in a democracy. Making that information, that I, as a taxpayer, have paid for, harder to get or unavailable for me should be an act of treason imho.
-Targeting Christians for refugee status as they're less likely to be "terrorists." Every group in that region has committed atrocities, it's a pressure cooker that boiled dry a long time ago.
-Bringing us into a recession not once but twice. Yes, oil is down and cutting back. Shocker, I know. It's like Harper forgot the early 80's. And early 2k's. But by letting the dollar rise to kill manufacturing he essentially put all our eggs in the "drawers of water and hewers of wood" basket. And now that oil is low and manufacturing should there's not much left to help.
-Not raising interest rates earlier in the housing boom, letting people think they can afford that 500k house with a floating rate over 40 years. Because when rates do go up it will crush people. Though, that might be good for me, I might have an opportunity to buy up some land on the cheap. Hopefully from one of the Colonies.
I could go on much longer, detailing his obfuscations and outright subversion of the function of government but I suspect it will fall on deaf ears.

Also, note that Jack Layton and Olivia Chow lived in Co-op housing, not subsidized housing. The difference is important.

 

[Shadowmeph]

I hate politics one of the biggest things I hate is when a politician ( can't seem to spell) that has been in for a while people get relaxed then they get bored and want change not at all thinking of the consequence. then other politicians start throwing mud and making promises that people don't question as to how they are going to keep those promises and where is all of the money going to come from. Then you get something like the Syrian child that has been all over the news that is atrociously Horrible but , Not our Countries problem we don't need anymore immigrants we can't even take care of our own people , don't get me wrong I am by no means prejudice and I don't blame anyone on this planet that wants to come and live In Canada but hey I see people living on the street with Children that have know where to go then I see non Canadians driving around in racing around in New cars . ok I am getting way off track, politics is ugly, look at the US Obama was a god send when he came in now everyone is whining because he has tried to keep things equal and has done a pretty good job when compared to the US's Lat President