Monday, June 23, 2014

Old Joe's Advice



Old Joe Kennedy reportedly told his son, the president, "It's not who you are that matters. It's who people think you are." Old Joe was a master of self promotion. It made him rich and it opened the doors to the corridors of power. The prime minister has taken Old Joe's advice to heart. Michael Harris writes:

Stephen Harper has made an amendment to the old saying that bullshit baffles brains: marketing trumps all.

Playing off that central tenet of Harper politics, perception as reality, there is a rift out there these days suggesting how formidable the Conservatives will be in the next election. Incumbency tends to attract those kind of flies. The belief seems to be that Team Harper can serve up one more baloney sandwich to the electorate and win government again.

However, there are a few caveats:

It must be a fact-free exercise. Use government stats more dubious than Donald Trump’s comb-over, avoid reporters at all costs, and eschew any living form of debate. Most important of all, lots of advertising featuring A pluses for the government and dunce caps for the opposition. 

It's worked for three elections. Why not keep the string rolling?  Every attempt is being made to accomplish that feat:

I’m not drooling, despite the 7-per-cent unemployment rate, the nauseating comparisons to how well we are doing relative to the G-7, and GDP numbers that might give woodies to Corporate Kahunas but leave the rest of us unexcited. After all, what comfort does an unemployment rate give you without the details of what sorts of jobs people are getting? You never will get those details. Those are only for important people. And what do important people do with their valuables? Hide them.

How many of the government’s job creation numbers can be traced back to the offshore workers program — that hot potato currently scalding Jason Kenney’s hands? Besides, who can trust Stats Can anymore now that it has been politicized like every other branch of the federal government? 

But, Harris writes, the public is beginning to see through the spin. The Ontario election was only the latest indication that people aren't buying Harper Inc. anymore. Joe Kennedy eventually became a pariah.

I wonder if Stephen has read that part of the story.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Fourth rider of the pale horse says:

I am the rider of the pale horse of the apocalypse I am the pale rider and death follows me, if you know what you all call the testament.

The only reason you are sufffering this fate is you allowed Stephen Harper to sleep with the devil incanate.


And you hired him the devil which inhabits Steve's body. He is satan I am here to fulfill prophecy Steve will get his just desert.

St. Michael The ArchAngel

Owen Gray said...

I hope you're right, Mike.

Anonymous said...

In one of Harper's x-mas interviews. He claimed to be a devout Christian and prays for guidance everyday. My son spewed his coffee. He said, Harper must have meant, he *preys* everyday.

Perhaps Harper is from, the Ninth Ring of Dante's Inferno? For indeed, Harper behaves as the evil Devil himself.

As all dictators through the ages have been, paranoid control freaks. Rumor has it, Harper's security bill has doubled. Security in the Parliament buildings, are now armed. I wonder why? Harper thinks he is so despised?

Owen Gray said...

Even though Harper lives in a bunker, Anon, he must know that things are beginning to turn sour.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Harris does some awesome work, Owen.

The title made me think it was about Joe Clark, who should have been our P.M. instead of that other guy. They buy elections any way they can and they have innumerable ways.
Wouldn't things have worked out differently had Mr. Clark been P.M.? PMACK probably would have crossed over to the Refomers, I'd guess. What is up with some of those Con ridings? Must be pretty close at times...

Owen Gray said...

The other Joe -- Joe Clark -- tried to warn us about these folks, Loving It. Unfortunately, we didn't take his advice.