Speechless

I want a job speech writing for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Apparently the only qualification you need is access to a Xerox machine.

Me on Duffy

Sometimes I just don't get the Tories.

Let me explain.

This evening I was Mike Duffy Live "Prime Time Edition" debating some lefty-artsy guy about the Conservative government's political strategy of cutting arts funding.

The artsy guy, of course, was all indignant about the cuts.

But I defended the Conservative government, saying cutting arts was good politics because it mobilizes the Tory base and appeals to non-artists Canadians, who would rather see their money spent on something other than giant flying bananas.

OK get that? I was defending the Tories.

So anyway, on the very next segment, Duffy asks Tory spinner Jeff Norquay about my comments.

And how does he respond?

Does Norquay agree with my assessment?

No he attacks me. And then proceeds to explain how the Conservatives are actually spending tons of money on the arts.

In other words, he undid all the good I had done for the Conservatives on national television.

Sheesh.

All I can say is, don't blame me if they don't win a majority.

Me and My Dog

Here's my dog Ace.

As you can see from his expression he holds utter contempt for the person taking the picture.

Oh well, at least he tolerates me.

Harper and Conservatism

Me and some other people are quoted in this Canwest News article looking at the Conservative Party's lack of conservative principles.

NDP as Official Opposition? No I don't think so

Lots of people are saying the NDP might jump over the Liberals and form the Official Opposition in the next Parliament.

I'm not buying it.

First off, even with a dud like Stephane Dion leading them, the Liberals still have a strong brand name and deep roots in many parts of the country, meaning coming hell or high water they will hang onto their core support which is enough to guarantee them second place.

Second off, the NDP has little room to grow vote-wise. Simply put, their policies are designed to appeal to union bosses, tweedy professors and left-wing special interest groups.

And such policies -- higher taxes, class warfare, pro-big union measures--just don't resonate with the Middle Class.

In fact, the more Canadians learn about the NDP's socialist agenda, the more nervous they will get.

So, the Liberals can relax -- they will get destroyed on election day, but at least they will keep the keys to Stornoway.

Harper and the Gag Law

The Calgary Herald has an excellent editorial today on an issue no one seems to be discussing much: the election gag law.

Key paragraph from the editorial:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was himself a victim of it during his time as president of the National Citizens Coalition.

In those days, he was highly vocal on the subject, and conservatives had great expectations this heavy-handed restriction to free speech would be among the first pieces of legislative nonsense on his hit list.

We will assume he was waiting for a majority, as none of the opposition parties are anxious to extend citizen participation and therefore support the law. We will also assume that if he gets it, he will scrap the law.

It would be good to hear him say so, though.

Yes it would be good.

Roots of the Economic Crisis

This is the kind of financial analysis I like:

Time to Start Bashing Layton

The S.S. Liberal seems to be taking on water, it's crew on the verge of mutiny, the sharks are circling.

So what should the Harper Tories do about it?

Well maybe it's time to ease off on the Liberal bashing.

As Napoleon once put it, ""Never interfere with the opponent's actions when he is in the process of destroying himself."

A better strategy would be to start ramping up the attacks on Jack Layton and the NDP, specifically targeting the party's "dangerous left-wing agenda."

Such a plan would not only mobilize the Tory party's small "c" conservative base but more importantly it would help gain support for the NDP.

You read that right.

If Harper attacks Layton from the right it will drive up NDP support, because left wingers will rally around their beleaguered champion.

This, of course, will draw support from the Liberals, maybe even hurting them enough for the Tories to win a few extra seats.

Stephen Vader?

You got to admit, this is pretty clever.

Harper, Me and the NCC

Ever since the election campaign started the National Citizens Coalition has endured a lot of abuse.

Left-wingers and politicians and journalists have been saying all sorts of nasty things about the NCC as a way of attacking Stephen Harper, who led the group from 1998 to 2001.

And their insults have gone unchallenged -- until now.

Check out my column in today's Toronto Sun, in which I defend my old group and Harper's record as its president.

New Report on Carbon Tax

The good folks over at the Canadian Centre for Policy Studies have released a report giving eight reasons why the Liberal carbon tax scheme is a bad idea.

Only eight?

Star goes to bat for Dion, sort of

You know the Liberals and Stephane Dion are in trouble when even the Toronto Star has a hard time coming up with nice things to say about them.

Here from today's Star editorial is how the paper describes Dion's Green Shift plan: "Dion's plan may be complex, but it is credible and modestly energetic. It can't be dismissed out of hand."

"Credible", "modestly energetic", "can't be dismissed out of hand".

High praise indeed.

Election Review

OK let's review what's gone on so far during the 2008 federal election:

* The Prime Minister of Canada apologizes for a defecating puffin.

* The Liberal leader who had branded himself a "green" champion doesn't want to talk about his major "green" campaign plank. (Oh wait, it was the media who called it a "major" plank.)

* The Agriculture Minister tries out a little shock jock humour and gets bad reviews.

* The NDP campaign resembles Bill and Ted's Excellent adventure.

* A Conservative candidate resigns, apparently for espousing conservative ideas.

* Bob Rae is using this election to audition for the next Liberal leadership race.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

All a Twitter

I now have a Twitter account.

True, I have no idea as to what this Twitter thing is all about.

But apparently it's the hottest thing in the Internet, so I wanted in!

Star Letter

On Saturday the Toronto Star ran an editorial with the usual stuff about Prime Minister Stephen Harper's hidden agenda.

And in the process the paper took a swipe at my old organization the National Citizens Coalition.

So I took a swipe back in the form of a letter to the editor, which was published today:

Dear Sir/Madam:

You state that Prime Minister Stephen Harper "staked out quite radical positions" while leading the National Citizens Coalition.

Really?

What's radical about pushing for lower taxes, wanting a stronger defence, fighting for free political expression and for the democratic rights of unionized employees?

Those are some of the positions Harper "staked out" during his time at the NCC, positions a lot of Canadians would deem mainstream.

Gerry Nicholls, Former National Citizens Coalition Vice President, Oakville

Media Alert

I will be on the Michael Coren Show tonight at 8:00 PM EST to talk about ... what else the federal election.

Reviewing the Liberal Ad

OK this Liberal TV ad has got to be one of the weirdest political spots I have ever seen.

The message seems to be: Vote for the Liberals because they can rhythmically clap their hands.

It makes the Liberal caucus look like some sort of bizarre cult.

NCC Not a Business

I am getting some media inquires regarding Prime Minister Stephen Harper's apparent claim yesterday that running the National Citizens Coalition from 1998 to 2001 counted as running a "medium-sized business."

They are asking me if I consider the NCC to be a "business."

My answer is no

The NCC, to my mind at least, is an organization with a mission -- to promote more freedom through less government.

That's not the same as selling widgets.

Liberals Spreading Misinformation about Harper, NCC

I just sent this email out to my media contacts:

In its "Reality Check" website, the Liberal Party is spreading misinformation about the National Citizens Coalition and a 1993 campaign to defeat then MP Jim Hawkes.

Here's an excerpt from the Liberal site:

"Instead, he (Harper) served as both president and vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition (NCC), an extreme right advocacy organization that employed Mr. Harper between 1997 and 2001, and also assisted with his 1993 election campaign."

That last bit implies the NCC supported Stephen Harper's election campaign in 1993.

We did not.

We did run a $50,000 multi-media ad campaign urging voters in Calgary Southwest to “Defeat Jim Hawkes”, but this campaign had nothing to do with Harper, but was simply part of larger war the NCC was waging against election gag laws.

Unfortunately for Hawkes, he was the government’s point man and chief public defender of an election gag law the Mulroney government had enacted. That made him, in our mind, a marked man.

We were determined to defeat Hawkes, to send a message to politicians everywhere: any politician who endorsed gag laws would pay a steep political price.

That’s why when the writ was dropped in 1993 we hammered Hawkes with everything in our arsenal: newspaper ads, radio spots, TV commercials --- all of them linking Hawkes with the gag law.

Our message was simple: Hawkes wanted to take away the right to free political speech.

For us, it was not about Harper winning, but about Hawkes losing.

And I should know, I am the one who planned the campaign.

Caldwell on The Leader

Theo Caldwell has an excellent column in today's National Post, lamenting the Conservative Party's lack of conservatism.

A couple of key quotes:

"Harper is probably the best leader on offer but, as comedian Dennis Miller might opine, that is like being the smartest kid in summer school."

"If Harper does have a hidden agenda, as his detractors claim, it is hidden even from those who would be his supporters."