Last night Duncan and Logan and GC and I all headed over to GC’s house to eat pizza and watch the debate, since he has a TV.
What I can’t figure out is how any thinking person who pays any attention to what’s going on in this country could bring themselves to vote for that ugly Stephen Harper* and his Conservatives.
Harper says everything in this placating, condescending way, like he’s the mature one and everybody else is just being childish, but nothing he says stands up to the facts. If he doesn’t like the facts, he just dismisses them. I couldn’t believe how many times he responded to questions or accusations with “That’s simply not true.”
Obviously he believes his strength is economic policy, because he kept coming back to that, but his spending on jets, prisons and corporate tax cuts is wildly out of control. The only thing that’s kept him halfway in check for the past five years is that he’s hamstrung by a minority government. God help us if he gets a majority this time round.
I just don’t get it. Why do people vote for him?
*Ok, maybe it’s not nice to pick on his looks, but he’s got sideways hair, almost invisible eyes, a creepy smirk, and he looks like he belongs in a wax museum.
I agree with everything you say about Harper, Knitnut.
He campaigned on openness, transparency and accountability in government, but his terms in office have been anything but. His is the most secretive government we’ve ever had. His cabinet ministers and MPs can’t even give a speech without the content getting prior approval from the PMO.
Like you, the thought of him getting a majority terrifies me.
He was the best last night with Layton a close second. Way to go Steve-all the way to a majority.
I blame Stockholm Syndrome, ma’am…
I agree completely – I just do not understand how anyone can vote for him. I live in a Conservative stranglehold of a riding and it’s driving me crazy. I just want to accost all my neighbours – almost all of which have Conservative lawn signs – and ask them why, for God’s sake why, they think that is the best choice. I DO NOT GET IT.
People vote for him because he’s parental/authoritarian. As long as the trains run on time, most people can live with the other stuff.
I think some people support him for economic reasons, since they want low taxes and do not personally rely on social services. Others do for cultural reasons, particularly those with a strongly religious view of the world.
I’ve always thought Stephen Harper looked like there was something inside his body peeking out.. like the aliens in puppet masters….
But I also think Paul Martin had a potato head and Jack Layton looks like the Easter Bunny (picture him with bunny eats, it’s totally true).
Nobody votes for Harper. They vote for their local incumbent and let chips fall where they may.
He’s your very own GW Bush! Scary. Although he has been effective at cutting down on the number of liberal USA citizens who were thinking of moving to Canada when GWB ran things down here.
It’s hard to convince people to vote for the other parties when the parties don’t put a charismatic leader out there. There’s not much for a pessimistic voter/nonvoter to grab onto. People may want to vote against the C’s but… Maybe the parties should run a campaign with a two person team; leader and deputy leader – one with the power and the other with a personality you could like and trust. We need to do something! On the last two election nights, it’s been very depressing to count it as a win because we kept the C’s to a minority. (I do like and trust Jack, but his party is stuck.)
Completely agree with everything you said. I always think of a robot when I see him, but the wax museum is even better I think.