The Stephen Harper we don't know.

Stephen Harper in a duet with YouTube sensation Maria Aragon, who sing "Imagine" during a Winnipeg campaign stop. (Winnipeg Sun)

The one we don't know is married to a dreamy motorcyclist, adores his kids, has the talent of a concert pianist (he once put in a marvelous performance with the National Arts Centre orchestra, and gave an impromptu tutorial at Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music while in town on other business), and is toiling on a definitive history of the NHL. There are stories of his comforting journalists who've lost beloved colleagues in combat coverage. He has co-starred with Rick Mercer, to mirthful effect.

I've often thought - if only our worldviews were aligned - I'd enjoy working with Harper on his image (dreadfully cynical term). Which counsel would consist simply of letting us see just a bit more of Harper after quitting time.

Otherwise, too much of what we know of Harper is high-handedness, autocratic tendencies, a mean streak a kilometre wide, and gratuitous, even child-like surliness.

He's a better man than that. It's a shame we see signs of another Harper so infrequently. As much as Canadians respect the privacy of public figures, Harper needn't have taken that to extremes, and it has long hurt him.

 

 

Comments

[carcan]

Interesting. Just listening to his speeches, he seems intent to drive home the point that the kind of MPs I vote for are worse than worthless and that he might not even consider me or them Canadians. It is a rare moment when Harper says something that actually makes a non-Conservative voter feel respected.

Others have suggested Harper's campaign strategy, us vs them, is his personal idea. Seems to fit the persona he shows us. You think otherwise?

[Boff]

Harper walks like a bear. That is why he shouldn't be PM. **

**See what I did there? I mocked the import people place on the personal attributes of politicians.

[dolive]

There's a real man there, a real Canadian, a real Westerner - though I was just responding to a commenter that there are no real Westerners just as there are hundreds of types of Ontarians. But the man does have a passion for things, maybe, almost tragically, not things most of us can relate to. He believes in smaller government, and gosh, I would too - I'd love to keep more of the money I make. But instead I have to pay for police and our brave armed forces and my mom's first-class nursing home through my taxes, and actually it's easier that way since the cost is spread across 33 million of us. I want as much government as I deserve, and I do feel that's more than we're getting. For all that, Harper's passion about his kids, music and hockey would be enough to make me want him frequently over to dinner. He's someone I keep trying to like. And he is my PM. I respect the office, its heavy responsibilities and legacy of remarkable achievement.