Stephen Harper and George Bush: Soulmates Going Down Together?
December 1st, 2008
In an interview reported in the New York Times last week, George Bush said “I came to Washington with a set of values, and I’m leaving with the same set of values.” Did anyone ever write his own political obituary more accurately? At the root of all Bush’s policy failures was his inflexibility and unwillingness to adopt his ideology to changing circumstances.
Stephen Harper, now on the verge of defeat in the House of Commons, often gives the appearance of pragmatism. His government’s economic statement last week, however, shows that, like George Bush, he is the captive of an inflexible ideology. In Harper’s case, there are two id
David Zussman
December 1st, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Sandy,
take a look at recent developments. it is difficult to keep up with the developments.
Evan
December 1st, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Good post, Professor. While Harper definitely miscalculated the impact of his political party finance reform proposal, it’s important to highlight, I think, that the (primary?) driving force behind the Liberal/NDP/BQ coalition was the prospect of political power, especially for the so-called socialists.
Mark F.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Not since the King-Bing affairs has the Governor General been sandaled with such a difficult decisions to make. Adrianne Clarkson (former GG), following her term in office commented that she would have called upon the then Stephen Harper
Ericka
December 9th, 2008 at 12:10 am
What a difference a few days can make, eh?
Mark F. commented that the coalition was a coup. I think we have to be careful with that kind of language. Our political system is different than the USAs. We do not elect a Prime Minister, instead we elect a collection of MPs who form a government based not even on who has the most seats but who has the confidence of the House. In most instances, by default, that is the party with the most seats, but if we look around to other parliamentary democracies, we quickly discover that it doesn’t have to be that way. Coalitions work well for countires like Italy, Germany and India. Why not here?
More than anything else, this past election points out the need for systemic change. In the meantime, at least it seems the Liberals are no longer willing to play dead. That strategy didn’t win them votes last time, but I’ll be intersted to see if they can get their act together in time for the next one.
Oh, and one more thing, the great thing about this most recent political crisis? We’re finally talking about Canadian politics rather than American politics. How’s that for patriotism?