A few weeks ago when Bob Tarantino, Greg Bester and I were preparing for a Meet the Suppressed podcast we started joking about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (I can't remember why) and whether he was a crackpot or a socialist saviour (that may well be another Tarantinian false dilemma). We agreed that such issues where better left to a Latin American podcast special after our election was over (kidding!).
Maybe we were just ahead of the curve. Check out our Prime Minister this morning campaigning in British Columbia.
...I cannot emphasize how important this approach is and how it differs from Mr. Harper. Let me just - let's just look at today. This is an example of the kind of company that we want to see grow. It is the kind of company we want to see become a major international player. And this is only going to happen for a Canadian company if the environment and technologies that are designed to improve it are a [sic] important Canadian priority. They're top of mind.
Such is the power of our federal government. A Canadian company is destined to failure, failure I tell you, if said company is not at the "top of mind".
It is only going to happen if the government, the private sector, our great universities and research institutions work in concert and that's why we are here today.
Let me just take - we are talking about a series of instrumentations [ed: huh?] that will cut down substantially on energy costs. I was talking to, when I was in Argentina at the Summit of Americas, talking to a number of Caribbean countries, a number of leaders, the rise in the cost of fossil fuels is essentially putting those countries and their economies in huge, huge danger because what they all do is import fossil fuels to run generators to heat - to provide energy for their islands. And as you know, Mr. Chavez, the President of Venezuela is going around to these countries and saying join with me, join me against North America fundamentally and I'll help you out here. Where there is a huge power play going on as country after country who is dependent on the importation of fossil fuels finds its' costs going through the roof.
The man is slowly losing his mind. Of all the strawmen to prop up he chooses Hugo Chavez. Now Paul Martin may very well be right on all of this but does this resonate with anyone? Hugo Chavez! How many people have actually heard of Hugo Chavez. Besides, won't all the finger waving at Mr. Chavez alienate the Rabble.ca crowd - the very crowd that Mr. Martin is trying to win over? Join against North America fundamentally?!
