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The resilience of Stephen Harper’s hardcore supporters is truly something to behold. Even though he has violated every conservative principle he once held, many Conservative party members still defend him as “Canada’s most conservative Prime Minister.”
They insist that his massive increase in the size of government, deficits, anti-property rights, anti-trade, and anti-free market behaviour is merely pragmatic. Or alternatively that there is actually a secret plot to make the country more conservative and somehow not being a conservative is the first part of Stephen Harper’s master plan.
These people can be so silly in their blind faith that a friend of mine has termed that Harper Truthers (after the 9-11 Truthers).
The willingness to ignore all evidence and hang on to absurd myths (such as he is just being pragmatic) is nothing new to the human psyche, but it can be very frustrating to talk to such people. Below is a video that presents a pretty fair re-enactment of the typical conversation with a Harper Truther.
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17 comments:
..and after saying all that, the alternative is to not vote for the Conservatives and let the left run this country in perpetuity?
No thanks.
If Harper had a majority it would all be different.
Children like you will never realise the reality of governing.
Mr. Harper has done what was needed during the in the most trying times of my lifetime.
Is he perfect? No.
Are his policies pefect? No.
Are the alternatives acceptable? Hell no.
Perfection is always a nice goal, but rarely achievable.
Keep on whining, or run for office yourself.
Thank you for your blog. It pleases me that there are still true conservatives.
Conservatives who believe in Canada and not just their just their own personal gain.
I get such a kick out of these complainers that he isn't being Conservative enough (believe me, I listen to it every day from my husband).
I just wonder how much he would have acheived from the opposition benches because THAT is where he would have been.
It's pretty easy to be an arm chair prime minister looking at your narrow view of your small part of the world and complaining, it's a totally different matter to actually BE the prime minister and have to decide policy for a nation of 10 provinces each with their own demands as well as a nation of people spanning the political spectrum.
Seems to me, if he is pissing of people on both sides, he must be doing the best for the majority in the middle.
Of course, I will be called a Harper Truther....which is fine by me.
I have never, ever heard a conservative supporter describe Harper as the most Conservative Prime Minister ever. Not once.
I have heard the media and the opposition use that term, and work every day at establishing that narrative, despite the fact that as you illustrate - he is not.
The goal with that strategy is that if/ when the opposition gets into power (coalition still very much on the table), they will be able to push the national agenda radically left to counerbalance Harpers "extreme right wing agenda". We just watched it happen with Obama after the media demonized the center left Bush for 8 years as a rabid right winger.
Question: is the media - who says he as a rabid, mean, ideologically extreme right winger correct, or is it you who says Harper is not even close to being a conservative that is correct?
One of you is wrong.
Most people's dissatisfaction with politics is that it cannot give them everything they want. But that is a childish ideal is it not? Get what you need and learn to sweat the rest is the best approach. Politics is the balancing of unlimited wants with limited resources that is why we have a quandry. (real conservative)
Kursk,
The left wing party known as the Conservative Party already runs the county. I see no point to your argument.
Anon 1,
LOL
Anon 2,
was time that trying in 2007? How do you excuse the massive spending increases of that year? Simply saying that he has to be pragmatic to excuse ALL behaviour is getting extremely tiresome.
Alberta Girl,
Don't question the leader! For you know not the burden of the mighty. You must have a narrow perspective of the world because you cannot comprehend the greatness that is the leader.
Anon 3,
I am very willing to compromise and I totally recognize that I will never get everything I want. So should I just blindly support someone no matter how bad that person is? At what threshold do I say enough is enough? You are a fool if you think that giving politicians a blank cheque is wise.
I voted for the Conservative Party of Canada bcause Harper was and is the best person to lead this country as Prime Minister and because his party's policies were and are far superior for a capitalist economy to expand than the socialist pinkos policies in the other parties.
He has done what a good politician is supposed to do. Stay in power.
People like you would sooner be in opposition than running the country.
And another thing..I never saw him or heard of PM Harper signing a receipt on a paper napkin.I have never seen the rcmp raid the Liberal HQ,s and take all their personal files.I have never seen any of the $40 million possibly billions that the Liberals stole paid back.PM Harper didn,t get us into deficit,he got us out of a recession.Grow up and see the big picture & quit trying to compete with the Liberals.We get enough BS from our enemies,why try to compete with them.The majority of people in Canada that are not brain dead,realize that it takes money to keep 100,s of thousands of people from becoming unemployed,I/E Gm.And that money did become available from a Conservative government that DID NOT build golf courses or give bags of money to mysterious friends of friends.CASE closed,majority of Canadians I have spoken too say they want a majority for PM Harper.Everywhere i went in Canada people said MAJORITY for PM Harper...(Well Iggy can lie so what the hell,lets all do some lying Eh!Freedom is my Nationality
If freedom is your nationality then why do you keep opting for the tyrannical dippy/liberals? You may not like PM Harper but look at what all the good things Chretien brought about because we conservatives kept trying to out conservative each other. Pick Stockwell Day as leader one day and have half the caucus walked out the door the next! How did Ontario wind up with its second worst premier in history. Principled conservatives couldn't vote for their conservative candidates.
Hugh M states:"The left wing party known as the Conservative Party already runs the county. I see no point to your argument."
It took 50 years of left-leaning govenments to build this nanny state. Hugh expects the Conservatives to get this country back to small governments and personal/social responsibility
overnight. No right-of-center party can do that short of bringing in the military to enforce a new mindset - an option none of us want.
Perhaps note that the slide to the left has slowed if not ceased once the Conservatives came in. We'd have larger deficits, national day cares, and government would be much larger than it is.
Yearn for the days of Laurier (I know I do), but don't expect to live in it anytime soon.
Now that's what I usually find on this aggregate. The Beacons of debate and free speech, except when someone writes something that challenges the message.
The current incarnation of Conservatives politics would be much easier to stomach if they at least had a consistent Conservative message. Unfortunately they worship at the altars of Keynesian economics and AGW, both of which are roads that lead to serfdom.
I don't actually believe that if Harper had a majority things would be different.
I do believe that any Harper/CPC government is a lesser evil than a Liberal / NDP government.
That's the bottom line. I've become increasingly disenchanted with Harper and the CPC in the last couple of years, but I'd sooner cut off my hand than let it vote Liberal. I suppose if things get bad enough I just won't vote, but even that I can't imagine.
Hugh MacIntyre, from an idealistic point of view I find no fault in your argument. But you still don't see reality for what it is, a place of compromise not totally of our making. If you feel so strongly then work with others to create a new party on the right. I think that needs to happen anyways. A group of people that would bring new language to the public debate in this country. It is truly needed, who knows, some of us may join you? (real conservative)
Interesting post. Reminds of Liberal bloggers who believe the Rob Ford voters support Ignatieff.
Canadians don't a fig about left or right wing parties.
It's the economy stupid. Jobs, pensions cost of living increases.
I am not an idealist drinking the political kool-aid of any political party.
Every party promises things they can't deliver. Do I want or expect a political party to become fanatical?
We have two national parties that take turns governing Canada. Canadians turfed Mulroney PC's and Chretien Liberals did a crappy job in several areas. Canadians are proud of our military again. We have pride and nationalism is rising.
The West has not been at the table for a long time. They are now in but need more seats for AB and BC.
Ontario needs more seats and looks like after seven year with Dalton it might turn blue.
I am proud of our PM for what he has done and don't need to agree with his auto bailout, Potash, or other "socialist" policy as stated here.
Chretien did not abandon the GST or reduce it. He offloaded massive program spending back to provinces and failed to upgrade our roads and bridges to balance our books.
I don't care to have unsafe drinking water and if my taxes are used to prevent a bridge from falling on my head makes me a left wing pinko so be it!
Apparently Rome was built in a day and the other political parties should just lie down because our principles are more important.
As Kursk and many have pointed out your utopian fiscal conservative gov't alternative does NOT exist.
Same thing with the left.
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