Gord's Notebook : Stephen Harper & McCain Use Neoconservative Karl Rove Campaign Playbook

Anyway lets begin with a funny bit on Stephen Harper's intentions of cutting funding for the arts.Harper believes that most Canadians don't care about the Arts and that it is only some effete elite of snobs who are into the arts.I guess he's trying to appeal to those average voters whom Sarah Palin refers to as Joe Six-Pack.

Here's a funny bit about Canadian Arts & Culture & Censorship

Stop Censorship in Canada!
IMPORTANT PLEASE READ BELOW!
Do you support Canadian Censorship? The Government of Canada does (so far) and we'll show you why in this short educational video.

A parody by the cynically tested Channel and Not Like Us Productions.

Important Facts

Q: What is Bill C-10?

A: Bill C-10 is a long bill full of technical changes to tax laws, but tucked away is a clause that could mean government censorship. The Heritage Minister could withhold tax credits if a production was considered "contrary to public policy." Plain and Simple if the government finds your film offensive you don't get the tax credit. Canadian filmmakers need tax credit to complete a film - that's just how the entertainment industry is in Canada and we don't think the government has the right to decide what is and isn't offensive.

This will lead artists to censor themselves, for fear of losing funding and will lead production companies to make "safe" choices and not take risks on intelligent thought provoking films in fear of not receiving the tax credits. Sneaky huh?

For more check out Harper plays populist tune on arts cuts No point funding programs 'people actually don't wan't' JAMES BRADSHAW Globe and Mail,September 11, 2008

and : Arts cuts 'niche issue': Harper by Andrew Mayeda and David Akin Ottawa Citizen /Complaints made at 'rich galas' don't resonate with ordinary Canadians/ September 24, 2008

And Stephen Harper is still Kow-Towing to President Bush & CO. Harper has contended that Canada should have joined the US in its invasion and occupation of Iraq. Did Harper fall for all the propaganda dished out by the Bush administration about WMDS and Nuclear Weapons in Iraq and that Saddam Husein ordered the 9/11 attack and does he still believe in all the BS Bush & Cheney peddled or does he agree with Bush & Sarah Palin that invading Iraq is doing God's Will. The real fear is if Stephen Harper is re-elected will he then believe he has a mandate to implement his Neoconservative / Religious Right agenda and policies. Will he attempt to apply the disastrous economic policies and deregulation which has caused an American economic meltdown. Will Harper try to take Canada into further ill-conceived military interventions in foreign nations.

US War Resister faces deportation from Canada

Canada Border Services Agency, continues to routinely effect deportation orders of US Iraq War resisters/ from The Real News Network , Oct. 10, 2008
Iraq War Resister Sergeant Patrick Hart and his family were informed this week that they must voluntarily leave Canada or face deportation to the United States on October 30th. The Hart’s refugee application was rejected by the Canadian
Immigration Refugee Board. It is estimated that there are at least 200 war resisters living in Canada. In July of this year the Canadian parliament passed a non binding motion in support of Iraq War resisters being allowed to stay in Canada. Despite this, Canada Border Services Agency, continues to routinely effect deportation orders of US Iraq War resisters.

For excellent analysis of the Canadian Federal Election and a primer on Canadian politics For Americans here is an interview with Canadian journalist and writer Rick Salutin with Paul Jay of The Real News Network.

Senior Editor Paul Jay sat down with Rick Salutin to discuss the sudden rise in the polls of the Liberal Party, just days before the Canadian election. Salutin talked about the fact that the Conservative Party of Stephen Harper has never really represented a majority of Canadians' values and as such many Canadians have been looking for a reason not to give them a mandate to see-through their vision of the country. Rick also talked about the vote-splitting which allows the Conservatives to get into office in the first place and summarizes some of the innovative ways that Canadians are organizing to overcome this electoral phenomenon that the Canadian party system presents

The campaigns to stop Harper/Rick Salutin: Canadian Web sites promote strategic voting as Conservative lead narrows/Oct. 10,2008 The Real News Network,Part 1

Harper & McCain Campaigns Share Talking Points Of The Neoconservatives and the Conservative Evangelicals. But can you tell the difference.

Both accuse anyone who disagrees with them as being not loyal to their respective countries . Of course Harper also thinks any Canadian criticizing the US administration is aiding and abetting the terrorists.Both are hostile to the notion of a freepress which may ask the tough questions. Both believe the press should just be a mouthpiece for their administrations policies & agenda.

Both believe that it is their duty to stem the tide of what they believe to be a "liberal " or socialist anti-Christian conspiracy .
Both hate Gays & Abortion both think Global Warming is part of a Liberal or socialist Conspiracy.

Both love Big Oil & Big Coal, Big Pharmaceutical Companies & all Big Corporations if they get their cut. -Meanwhile they hate the poor or prefer not to think about them. If you think positively then the poor, the homeless, the mentally ill will just cease to exist. So much for Compassionate Conservatives. Their solution to society's problems lock more people up for longer periods of time , arm your borders shoot anyone crossing the border on sight, torture a few thousand more detainees, and oh yes the cure all pray more to Jesus & invade a couple more countries and undermine any Government which is not pro-business or not pro-American businesses. Is this the direction Canada wants to be taken in by Stephen Harper and his Neoconservatie & Religious Right extremist.

As for Canada's role in Afghanistan Harper has borroed Bush's tactic of using the slogan "Support Our Troops " to try to shut down any discussion over his policy in Afghanistan. So if you criticize his policy in Afghanistan then you are accused of disloyalty and of not supporting our troops.

For instance see:
Afghanistan — Harper imitates Bush's cut-and-run, support-the-troops rhetoric, Oct. 10,2008

Canadian deaths up ante in patriotic slogan debate.

...To quell public criticism of the Afghanistan mission, Conservatives have relied on the motto "support our troops." "There will be some who want to cut and run, but cutting and running is not my way and it's not the Canadian way," Harper told a rally of troops in March, 2007.

Campaign ads McCain - Harper

Dion Not Worth The Risk

- Stephen Harper ad Warning Canadians About the Liberals

Stephen Harper in his fearmongering claims that the Liberals & NDP etc. are dangerous or a risk to Canadian society and Canadian sovereignty and Canada's very survival. If Canadians don't vote for the Conservatives Stephen Harper suggests that some great disaster will then occur. ( economic ? or Terrorist attack ? God will punish Canadians ?) John McCain uses the same style of negative campaigning against Barack Obama . The negative campaigning in both cases goes into high gear when it appears the other side might win.

McCain ad claims " Obama and Congressional Liberals too Risky for Americans"

And here's more on McCain's use of negative campaigns to distract the voters from more important issues such as the economy or the disastrous War in Iraq and how badly the Mission is going in Afghanistan. Canadians are as vulnerable to this type of election campaign strategy as Americans. Canadians for instance want to believe that the NATO Mission is some sort of successful humanitarian mission to save the women of Afghanistan from Islamic Religious Zealots.That sounds good that is it makes for a great Sound Bite but the people in Afghanistan are not necessarily better off after NATO occupying the country for the last eight years.

McCain Ad, Assaults Bring Campaign to New Depths by Sam Stein at Huffington Post,Oct. 6,2008

"How dishonorable," says the narrator. "Congressional liberals voted repeatedly to cut off funding to our active troops. Increasing the risk on their lives. How dangerous. Obama and Congressional liberals. Too risky for America."

In actuality, Obama was calling for MORE funds for MORE troops to send to Afghanistan so that forces there could expand their operations beyond air raids that were killing innocent civilians. At the time, even President Bush was acknowledging such a problem.

And yet, McCain and his aides have returned to this charge repeatedly during the general election, starting in August. Each time, it has been dismissed. Sometimes, however, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Combine this ad with the attacks the McCain campaign is launching on William Ayers and Obama's forthcoming assault on the Keating Five and the media should not be left wanting for copy this week.

also see Arianna Huffington's article :McCain's Desperate Claim: Obama is Dangerous. Vote For Me If You Want To Live, Oct. 6, 2008

"Sooner or later people are going to figure out that if all you run is negative attack ads you don't have much of a vision for the future, or you're not ready to articulate it."

That was John McCain in 2000, commenting on the disgusting attacks against him by Karl Rove, George Bush, and a few of the people now doing their very dirty work for him.

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And from the NDP what about these policies listed below are to be characterized as risky or dangerous. As for where the money would come from the NDP would roll back some of the more outrageous & egregious tax cuts and give aways to Big Business and the wealthiest Canadians which would amount to about 50 billion dollars. Unfortunately there are still many Canadian citizens who feel sorry for Big Corporations and their CEOs who only make a couple of million dollars a year or have to work hard for those bonuses of 5 to 20 million dollars. With salary reductions or increase in taxes they might have sell off one their houses or upscale Condo or whatever.

Highlights from Jack Layton and his team of New Democrats' plan include:

- Training substantially more health care professionals - including more doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives - to ease staffing shortages and cut wait times
- Investing in the expansion of drug and alcohol addiction and prevention programs - including harm reduction programs - in partnership with the provinces and territories
- Establishing Mental Health Crisis Response Centres
- Expanding home care to reduce pressures on families and women who are now providing care, and to further cut hospital backlogs and wait lists
- Prohibiting the use of federal funding to support any form of parallel, private for-profit service delivery and fully enforce the provisions of the Canada Health Act
- Working with the provinces to develop long term strategies to better manage chronic diseases, such as diabetes, and lifelong medical disabilities and conditions, such as autism
- Reducing the cost of prescription drugs for average Canadians and save billions of dollars from provincial health care budgets by implementing a bulk-purchasing plan, in agreement with the provinces and territories
- Dedicating one per cent of the Health Canada budget to physical fitness and amateur sports promotion
- Investing in trails associations across the country, joining forces with Canadians who are blazing new trails by walking, cycling, wheeling, skiing and running their way to healthier, more active lifestyles
- Investigating and directly order the recall of unsafe and toxic consumer products including toys, groceries and pet food
- Introducing mandatory labelling of farmed fish and genetically engineered food, as is already done in Europe, Asia and Australia
- Increasing number of inspectors at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
- Phasing out the "ever-greening" of patent drugs, no longer allowing pharmaceuticals to continually renew their patents with little or no control
- Continuing to oppose measures, such as those proposed in Bill C-51, which unduly restricts access to natural health products