Apolitical Staples

Unless you’re talking about some dynastical British concept of social class, in which you’re automatically assigned to the social class of your forefathers regardless of your own employment or financial situation, I can see no definition by which the Prime Minister of Canada (and before that, Leader of the Official Opposition) can be termed a “middle-class Canadian.” Sorry.

The Conservative platform is just basic common sense, when it comes down to it.

Shows how far off in la-la land the Liberals were.

Soooooo glad we have a Prime Minister now.

yaffe is preaching to the choir. he still hasn’t shown any ability to capture the imagination of urban voters and the “middle class white guy appeal” may be meaningless in quebec with afghanistan and kyoto on his back.

“…he still hasn’t shown any ability to capture the imagination of urban voters…”

Other than his poll results being up in urban areas, you mean.

What a disgraceful article. It’s truly sad to see journalists abdicate their responsibilities to become nothing more than propagandists for a political party. The MSM needs to throw these people out of the profession if they want to salvage their reputations and market share.

As for this working, not so much. The numbers haven’t changed in any meaningful way since the election.

Harper is a middle class hockey dad with his own jet and guaranteed seats at any game of his choosing.

IP and Greg reveal the NDP vs Conservative class split: to a Conservative, you are middle class if you grew up in a typical, not especially privileged, environment. If you achieve, you don’t leave the middle class: you just become a role model. It will be difficult for Harper’s kids to describe themselves as middle class, if Harper remains Prime Minister for their high school years and young adulthood.

The reason why your economic siuation in childhood and young adulthood forms your class is that that is the period when you pick up the values and attitudes you are likely to bring with you for the rest of your life.

Was Harper raised by fantastically wealthy Parents? I don’t think so. I know Paul Martin was, however.

Harper comes from the middle class, and he cares far more about this country and will do more for it than the Liberals ever could. He’s made something of himself - he studied hard, and worked his way up from mp to opposition leader to Prime Minister of Canada. He worked to get where he is - from the middle class. Isn’t that the Canadian dream?

I don’t care what anyone says, I’ll take “Joe Canada” over a spoon-fed liberal any day.

I’ll take “Joe Canada”

Puhleeze. Harper is a wingnut welfare bum. He went straight from suckling on him momma’s teat to suckling on the corporate-conservative apparatus teat. “Joe Canada” on the other hand, works for a living. And no, I don’t consider Layton to be a “Joe Canada” either. He went from his momma’s teat straight to the elected politician teat.

“Harper is a wingnut welfare bum.” OK McClelland - I assume you are referring to the fact that of the three federalist party leaders in the last election only Harper actually and routinely uses the public health system. The “corporate-conservative apparatus teat”? Are you mental? If there was such a thing how come the liberals have been in power for some 75 yrs this century? Drink some more KoolAid, son! If there is an economic-political apparatus in this country it has consistently supported the Liberal party.

Of course this whole whinning debate is purely academic. The Canadian people are with us and so the next few years belong to us. However, the Tories will take this responsibility as a trust, they will not become arrogant, they will not steal, they will not break their campaign promises. The left can whinge all they want, their boat has sailed because Harper can easily count on the support of 40% of the electorate. Why? Because he, and his party alone, deserve it. Period.

“It’s truly sad to see journalists abdicate their responsibilities to become nothing more than propagandists for a political party.”

Well, a stopped clock is right twice a day… You are correct, Robbo: it is truly sad - except for the fact that Yaffe is usually an apologist for the Federal Liberals. Her normal column, leading up to the election, could be summarized as “it’s too bad that Harper is so scary,” although every couple of weeks she would run one along the lines of “for such a scary guy, Harper’s policies make some sense - let’s hope PMPM adopts the less-scarey ones.” Of course, most of her columns are pissing and moaning about the difficulties of living in an upscale neighbourhood in a well-to-do suburb. No wonder she’s a Liberal

As for the rest of your comments - well, twice a day was a bit of a stretch, I guess.

The left can whinge all they want, their boat has sailed because Harper can easily count on the support of 40% of the electorate. Why? Because he, and his party alone, deserve it. Period.

Doesn’t anyone but IP and I see the nutiness factor in this statement. 40% is a “majority” only in the bizarro world of fptp. So the Canadian people are not with “You” (you admit that 60% are in fact against “You”), they are divided among a number of parties. We need PR and we need it now.

Jean Chretien worked this to perfection as well as he was the “little-guy from Shawinigan” whereas Paul Martin Jr. was a silver-spoon Liberal who used his family connections to become a millionaire and then a prominent Liberal.

You’re right, they’re entirely different. Jean Chretien became a prominent Liberal then used this to become a millionaire and help his family connections in business, whereas Paul Martin’s father became a prominent Liberal, then his son used those connections to become a millionaire and then a prominent Liberal. A study in contrasts.

“We need PR and we need it now.”

Greg is obviouly dreaming of all those libertarian and Christian Heritage Party MPs that PR would bring to Parliament.

The Left (economically and socially) constantly underestimates how much of their ballot box support comes from economic liberals, social conservatives. Believe it or not, but there are many such people in Canada. Bring in PR and watch a new party form along those lines.

Look at Saskatchewan. Consistently vote in majority NDP governments provincially. Federally, almost all Conservative MPs. IMHO, economic liberals/social conservatives are the answer.

The NDP in BC had a chance at PR, but they couldn’t rig it so that it benefited their party. They campaigned against the very thing they supposedly support. Real PR destablizes party politics and the status quo. We can’t honestly predict what would happen. Looking around the world we could get “single issue” parties focused on pensioners, immigrants (pro & con), aborginals, the environment, and specific regions. Real PR will hurt every party represented in Parliament now. It will hurt the NDP the least and the Bloc, the most.