HAPERISM - Lies, lies, and more damn lies!

The Speaking Notes Are Hot Off the Presses

by "900 ft. Jesus"

As originally posted on: The House and the Senate
January 16, 2008


"In the lead-up to the confidence votes - on the Jan. 26 throne speech and the next day's federal budget - the government has instructed ministers, MPs and strategists to communicate a handful of key messages to Canadians, their so- called "talking points."

The message: The government gets it, and the opposition doesn't. The tone: unapologetic.

Mhmmm....that means we will need to use one of these -

to forget about this and this and this and this.

The communications strategy calls for Conservatives to show empathy with Canadians' economic worries;

best to send them off for some serious training then. In fact, Steve needs a few lessons himself. You know, acting lessons to learn how to show empathy.

to stress that Conservatives won an "elected mandate" to manage the economy, unlike the Liberal-NDP coalition formed after the government's November economic statement;

Where’s that memory erasing thingy? Need it for this, and this. Before the CONs start using that eraser, remember that it was the opposition who kept bringing up the economy during the election, while Harper kept denying there was even a problem until the truth became obvious even to the dust bunnies under his bed. (Sorry, Laureen)

and to signal no appetite for the kind of spending that would build in long-term budgetary commitments or create a "structural" budget deficit.

Well, yeah. We know Steve has no appetite for that. But long term budgetary commitments are necessary since this downturn is likely to last a few years. I suspect that’s his ammo being loaded, what he’ll fall back on to present the opposition as a fiscal irresponsible bunch who just want to spend, spend, spend. Like Deficit Jim?

As far as Harper is concerned, and Conservatives will continue to repeat, the economic crisis "originated outside Canada's borders" and was not, as opposition critics argue, worsened by tax cuts or excessive spending by the government.

Let’s see... and this and of course, from Parliament’s own budget officer, Kevin Page, there’s this little reminder of reality.

Conservatives are instructed to declare that the government's actions put Canada in a better position to weather the storm and to point to the "stable leadership" Harper has shown.

Yes, let’s look at that stable leadership before our minds are blanked out.

Did you know, that apart for the fall farce, it will be 221 days since Parliament last sat, when Flaherty delivers his budget? Think about that, in the face of an economic storm, our government has been AWOL.

And why? Why did Harper prorogue? Because his leadership and party positions were UNSTABLE.

Saving the best for last -

Expect to hear lots of Conservatives mouthing phrases like this: "The political chaos of an unstable coalition would leave our economy, unity and public institutions at risk."

Political chaos...where did I hear something along that line before?...oh yeah...

I sure hope that the CONs don't go for one, big, mind erase exercise all at once, or we'll all be tabula rasa.

I knew a bull-shit con artist years ago, tried to pass herself off as a Zen master - used to say “empty your cup so I can fill it.” I thought it was a bad idea back then.

Hopefully, most Canadians will agree."