Stephen Harper Learns He Cannot Control Opposition, Sulks

Some have suggested that Harper is an introvert, hence some of the behavioural issues we've seen with him. I, however, contend that he needs to control everyone and everything around him, to such an extent that he reacts badly when things slip out of his control. To me, his reaction to the committee's rejection of Gwyn Morgan as chair of his proposed public appointments commission, proves my contention.

Everyone has labelled his reaction as petulant. No kidding! He wants to emulate the Americans by having appointments vetted; he cannot therefore sulk when his choices are rejected. He could not possibly have believed that his choice of Morgan was a slam dunk? That the oppostion MPs vetting Morgan would just roll over and do Harper's bidding because he said so and he's boss? Where has he been these past few years? Did he not listen to his own self when in Opposition and how he treated the government's choices or decisions? I mean, really, he cannot possibly be so deluded or drunk with his own power that he thought he could control a bunch of Opposition MPs. Could he?

I've heard many a time that Harper is brilliant and a brilliant strategist. A brilliant strategist would've had two choices -- one he puts forward, expecting to be rejected, the second a person who could not be criticized, who had no "bad quotes" in his closet, who, if rejected, Harper could rightly point to the Opposition MPs as petulant and petty and make himself look like the reasonable one.

Some strategist. He puts forward a flawed candidate (although Morgan's questioning of the Jamaican drug trade being imported into Canada is not out of line -- what is out of line is wholesale branding of the people from a large geographic region as a bunch of criminals, but from what I heard he didn't do that) and then is surprised when the Opposition MPs pounce.

I don't want a PM who uses partisan politics as a sword to cut his opponents out, but himself cannot handle the cut and thrust of partisan politics when it's aimed at him. And I don't want a PM who's so naive or so blinded by being PM and the power it brings that he didn't see Morgan's rejection coming a mile off. His petulant behaviour at scrapping his own commission as a schoolyard "so there!" tactic is just icing on the cake of why I think he's hugely not ready to be PM. Unfortunately, he is, and unfortunately, this humoungous flaw of his overshadows the few good things he has done. I just cannot think of them right now.

Comments

Bill said…
The most recent control issue Harper has is that he can't control the media.

Last night in CTV he was quoted as lamenting the fact that the national press isn't asking him questions and thus he is using other means, local media, rather than national to address the governments concerns. He sees the media as acting as "an oposition to the government."

Whine, Whine, Whine . . .
My SpamBox is slurping up comments to my blog as they pass by on their way to my inbox! Guess I'll have to check it every day.

Thursday night, every news program I watched covered this tempest in a teapot. Studio 2, as usual, had a great discussion on this issue. I have no idea why Harper would pick a fight with the media. He wants no opposition at all? He thinks he can win?!!! The silly thing is that not everyone in the media is opposing him. In fact near the end of the election, the media were all lapping at his feet. Then he goes and blows it by adulterating his cabinet.

Totally, whine whine whine! You got that right!!