All-Obama TV on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox

All-Barack, all the time is God's way of telling you your campaign has too much money.

The Obama-Biden campaign took over 30 minutes of prime-time TV on the four major U.S. networks tonight - six days before the U.S. election. His story, his issues, his promises and a plea to every American voter. Impressive. Best political advertising ever. Some of the commentary brought a tear to my eye, but the piano noodling swiftly snapped me back to reality.

And . . . cue live to Obama in Florida. Just imagine the production headaches in making that little switchover flawless.

On that note, I'm putting out a "gone fishing" sign. Political Decoder will return in two weeks.

Canada after Bush

Does it matter to Canada who wins the White House next Tuesday? The Rideau Institute tries to answer that question in an interesting report examining how Barack Obama and John McCain would treat Canada. (The Rideau Institute is an independent, non-profit research centre headquartered in Ottawa.) Based on their policy statements, the Institute predicts a better chance to renegotiate NAFTA under Obama and more of the same harmonization under McCain. On the Afghanistan file, however, it foresees problems with Obama because he has promised to significantly increase the number of American troops in that country and would likely pressure Canada to extend the 2011 withdrawal date. Writes Institute president Stephen Staples in the introduction:

"The forecast for Canada is a mixture – sun with clouds on the horizon. The end of the Bush administration brings with it new opportunities to renew the Canada-U.S. relationship on many issues – such as addressing climate change and improving NAFTA. However, deep structural forces within the U.S. will continue to exert pressure on Canada (and the new president, for that matter) that will continue to place demands and strains on Canada – such as those in Afghanistan."

Oh dear. Brokers with hands on their faces.

Alan Greenspan and the Fall of the Roman Empire

For those into Edward Gibbon, it's worth reading Alan Greenspan's testimony before Congress Thursday. So smart and yet the former Federal Reserve chief didn't take human nature, ie, greed, into consideration. Hoo boy. It's a lesson for each time the "experts" tell us how things should be.

It's also a reminder of the time CIA chief Robert Gates testified before Congress his agency missed signs of the impending implosion of the Soviet Union. What ever happened to him? Oh yeah, he's been reincarnated as secretary of defense and it's rumoured a Barack Obama presidency might keep him on. Say it isn't so.

Re the $700 billion U.S. bailout (with no oversight): Actress/comedian Wanda Sykes called it "welfare for the rich" on Jay Leno last night. She said wealthy recipients should have to line up for their cheques, then take them to the cheque-cashing place next to the liquor store like everybody else. Funny image.

Emergency summit in Washington to defer crisis until whenever

Here's uplifting news. Former Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan says he still doesn't understand what happened in the international financial meltdown. Never mind. President George W. Bush is on the case. He will host an international financial summit in Washington November 15. Participants include the Group of 20 countries (the seven major industrialized nations plus Saudi Arabia, China, India, Brazil, etc.) and, according to White House spokesperson Dana Perino:

"The leaders will review progress being made to address the current financial crisis, advance a common understanding of its causes and in order to avoid a repetition, agree on a common set of principles for reform of the regulatory and institutional regimes for the world's financial sectors."

They are going to examine the causes when the former fed chief — the man in charge — doesn't know what went wrong,

In preparation, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has spoken with Bush, British PM Gordon Brown and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Rudd has called for international regulatory reform, including restrictions on executive pay and real transparency in the international banking system. He plans to bring his proposals to Washington.

Such ideas are heartening. York University political economist Ricardo Grinspun has long called for transparency in international financial operations. He blames the current credit freeze crisis on years of deregulation and accompanying lack of transparency. For two decades, it was the wild west in financial operations. Now, banks and other financial institutions don't trust each other because nobody can take an accurate bead on anybody else's true assets. Which are probably non-existent anyway.

Prior to the Washington summit, G-20 finance ministers meet in Brazil in early November. Brazil wants greater involvement of all G-20 countries in setting international financial rules, as well as a plans for emergency action.

Still sounding good: change, regulation, transparency.

But — and here's the but — the White House says the purpose of the November 15th meeting is to draw up proposals for consideration at future summits. Bush is a lame-duck president and it's not even clear if the president-elect will attend the summit.

There's much evidence to suggest this crisis is not being taken seriously at all — beyond refinancing financial institutions and guaranteeing banking credit, as Canada did today. Yes, it's a step forward to include the G-20 nations.

But why is the summit being held in Washington? In the nation that precipitated the crisis in the first place? Why isn't it being held in, say, Britain? Or Brasilia? The U.S. shouldn't be the host; it should be a participant and a rather guilty one at that, having to figuratively stand in the corner.

There will be major hoopla in Washington, much punditry and great expenses at some of the most lavish hotels in North America. But it appears the headless chickens remain in charge. It could be the only proposal to stick next year will be  . . .  wage controls.

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Political Odds and Sods

Help, I seem to be caught in a weird netherland between electionville and reality. A hangover, so to speak. Maybe it'snot just me. I hear lots of people asking if it was all a dream.

Until I can shake this off - another day or two, I figure - I offer political odds and sods on that other election south of the border.

Let's start with Zydeco Obama.

And end with this visit to Palin's Oval Office. Give it time for the pieces to fall into place and do some exploring with your mouse.

Less polling, more voting

Angus Reid Strategies is still polling on the election and, in his latest survey, tells us 50 per cent of Canadians polled are dissatisfied with last Tuesday's results. Too bad. Fewer than 60 per cent of Canadians bothered to vote. For those who didn't vote and aren't happy with the results, there's an easy solution: Vote!

Angus Reid also reports 76 per cent of Canadians and 71 per cent of Liberal party supporters polled think Stéphane Dion should be replaced as leader. As expected, he announced today he would step down after a convention next year.

Enough already with the polls.

Any scoundrels in your past?

All this politicking has me thinking of scalliwags, scoundrels and other n'er-do-wells. (There are so many examples. (Why, just yesterday . . .oh, nevermind.) Therefore, I offer a link to a Guardian story about Old Bailey opening up files so readers can track down the less upright side of the family.

It's not the link I was trying to get. Internet scourer Lynne passed on the actual Old Bailey link, but there must be so many people with less than (publicly) honourable ancestors, it's down. But if you google Old Bailey, you might find other portals. Otherwise, I will keep checking and pass it on if I can. (Lynne's husband, by the way, is Steve, whose podcast is a quirky mix of music, smart talk and mirth.)

I make this humble offering in lieu of usual Decoder fare. Heavy election aftermath load. I'll be back next Monday, Oct. 20 (unless the weekend compels me to post). Or, with all the Christmas lights already out, would that be December? This advertising is nuts.

Fun with the leaders and what's important in life

Rush, rush, rush. With a pre-vote MSM workload, I am afraid I have few offerings today but hope you enjoy. Jeff Clark has put together word paintings based on the profiles of Stéphane Dion and Stephen Harper in the Toronto Star on the weekend. If you're pining to read the profiles again (as I just know you are), his site provides links. Take a look at his concoctions. Creative and fun. His other links suggest he's no warm and cuddly PCP boy.

Yes, Virginia, there still is a Progressive Conservative Party, and its president Sinclair Stevens, a former cabinet minister during the Muloney years, heads a "Save our Canadas" campaign. In a recent mailing, Stevens argues:

"With (the Conservative) record of broken promises why should banks or other financial institutions believe (Harper) and his government will stand behind assurances that the financial guarantees made to them will indeed be honoured by his government in the future? Canada as we enter the most serious world-wide financial crisis since the Second World War will be safer in the hands of Mr. Dion and his progressive Liberal Party than in the hands of Mr. Harper and his neo-cons."

A tip of the hat to the Shakespearian scholar who sent the passage from Hamlet. A recorder. Why, of course. That would have been my next guess.

A parting election eve gift from Lynne (soon to be a category) who reminds us there are greater things in this world than politics.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Looks like NDP foul ball in Durham riding

What's with the Jack Layton NDP signs in Durham? Isaac Ransom drives along Highway 2 in the riding east of Toronto and counts 30 or more election signs touting Layton and his Toronto team. That's only one stretch of a main road, and Ransom argues there are more signs in the riding. He thinks they'll bring out voters on Tuesday for the New Democrats. Ransom's problem is the NDP candidate in Durham, Andrew McKeever, was forced to resign over a week ago over anti-Semitic comments posted at his Facebook site. In the uproar that followed, other ugly comnents came to light (which don't deserve an airing). Ransom, manager for his father Brian's run for the LIberals in Durham, says the campaign filed a complaint with Elections Canada, but hasn't heard back yet.

This could be a close riding. Last time, Conservative Bev Oda, international cooperation minister, won over the Liberals by 10,000 votes. The NDP pulled down close to 10,000. Without the NDP this time, Ransom argues it's a horserace between Oda and his father. Because McKeever resigned after the withdrawal deadline, his name still appears on the ballot and the Liberal party's understanding is that votes cast for him will still count in calculating the party's federal stipend after the election. Most important for the Liberal campaign, it could bleed votes away from Ransom in a part of battleground southern Ontario where every vote counts.  Says the younger Ransom:

"The NDP was slow to dump the candidate . . . There is only one reason for these signs and that is to take votes away from other parties and to collect the $1.75 stipend per vote."

Ransom says calls to NDP HQ about McKeever have not been returned. Elections are a busy time, granted, but there is an NDP association in Durham, which is near Oshawa. It's hard to reason nobody has had a moment to take signs down. Or could it be it's not an oversight when votes are so eagerly sought in an area battered by the decline in Ontario's manufacturing base?

Media Stockholm Syndrome: Media types covering an election live and breathe it, which makes for good coverage. But that dedication reached theatre of the absurd Saturday on the Dion bus. In Newmarket, reporters arrived at the filing room of a local hotel to find it beautifully prepared, with carnations laid out along the long tables, candies sprinkled everywhere and scented candles burning. Along another wall was a table laden with fruit, cheeses, etc. It was a lovely welcoming gesture by staffers at the Best Western. Thank-you. (Liberals - and ultimately the media organizations - pay for services - but the atmosphere was an extra bit of local TLC.)

One arriving journalist immediately lauded hotel employees for their ironic statement on Stephen Harper's remark earlier in the afternoon the election would occur on February 14. Valentine's Day, of course. A gaffe. Now, he made the remark outside Ontario (Quebec, I think) and this is just a wild and wacky guess, but isn't it possible these  small-town Ontario hotel workers were just being thoughtful? An ironic interpretation indeed.

I'm going to throw myself off a bridge now

After a campaign stop at Maurizio Bevilacqua's HQ in Vaughan this evening, Stéphane Dion could barely make it back to his bus. People were running from stores in a small mall yelling: "Quick, quick!  It's Dion, Dion."

I haven't seen that before. One event does not mania make but it was novel.

Which led reporters on the Dion bus to talk about what it's like in the Conservative bubble of a campaign. Or rather, watching it. Your average citizen is not encouraged. (When protesters appear, handlers have tried to physically keep reporters locked in the bus.) In Victoria on Sept. 25, Stephen Harper talked about the conditions under which he comes into contact with ordinary people. Luckily, Star journalist Les Whittington was there and pulled the quotes out of his notebook. Said Harper:

The party "can organize impromptu meetings with ordinary citizens, if I need to do that, on a moment's notice. . . It's not easy and not necessarily advisable to just go out and meet people but it's easy to bring people in, if this is what we want to do."

It's the "if I need to do that" and "if this is what we want to do" that break me up.

The 50-hour sprint to E-Day: Dion is hammering home his appeal to Green and NDP supporters to vote Liberal. Jack Layton will give you Harper, he says, hitting all the hot-button issues from the death penalty and social safety net to the war in Iraq. Organizers even had a representative from the Carpenter's Union Local-183 in Toronto to endorse the Liberal leader. But he's also pleading for Progressive Conservative votes - the Tory vote - telling them this is the election for their children's future. "This time it matters more than ever . . . a progressive government, a Liberal government."

The Conservatives dropped the "Progressive" from their title when the new party emerged from the Progressive Conservative-Canadian Alliance merger and shortly thereafter, in 2004, elected Harper as leader. Harper has lauded his model as the Margaret Thatcher/Ronald Reagan brand of neo-conservatism. It hardly appeals to Joe Clark Tories.

Dion's wrap-up speech included one odd moment when he was talking about his love for Canada and said, "I would give up my life for my country." Goodness, let's hope that's not necessary.

Speaking of progressive, rabble.ca offers an alternative election blog

Rabble makes the point the blog offers coverage of issues not properly covered by the mainstream media, including aboriginal, environmental and other social topics. I would argue the Star does a pretty good job of tackling the problems of the grassroots in this country. Why not read both?

Elizabeth May, can you play the lute? May denies having made a deal with Dion to swing Green votes his way. A formal deal, that is. I believe her. Besides, she's an intelligent woman and it would not be intelligent to come out for Dion at the 11th hour. There's a scene in Hamlet in which the Dane asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern if they can play the lute and when they say they can't, he says (and I am paraphrasing wildly): "Well, if you can't play a something as simple as the lute, what makes you think you can play something as complex as me?"

It probably wasn't the lute or even the lyre, but I'm not travelling with my copy of Hamlet. The point is it would be unwise for May to think she could play her supporters. That doesn't preclude some voters voting for their second choice Tuesday. The election results hinge on the ABC (Anybody But Conservative) vote.

Wow. You'd be surprised how many people at campaign stops across southern Ontario today said: "An election? Oh. When is it?"

I'm going to throw myself off a bridge now.

This Just In: Harper moves into bubble within bubble

Man, this is getting strange, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's handlers are saying no more scrums, just photo ops, until election day. He's not going near the reporters traveling with him. A couple of interviews have been pre-arranged but that's it. Pssst. I hear he's a control freak. Reporters can report his stump speeches and that's it.

TVA reporter Jean Lapierre (the former Liberal and Bloc MP) is scheduled to interview Harper this afternoon in Montreal. It's 5 p.m. and the word is Harper is three hours late Lapierre is fuming. "At this rate, he'll be late for the election," he says.

No, he won't. Harper said today it's February 14. Say, what if it's a ruse. Conservative numbers are falling and the  real vote takes place February 14 but you'll have to have a special stamp on your forehead to vote.

More with Dion from Magna-land

Think about this: a Parliament with Belinda Stronach or without. Which is the boring choice? I mean, is Bill Clinton going to go out with Diane Finley? (I pick her only because she's married.) Ms. Stronach certainly added a certain je ne sais quoi to Parliament while she dabbled in politics. In Newmarket, she told my colleague Les Whittington she has one more day as MP (not sure how that works) for Newmarket-Aurora. She will be missed. Plus, she has set a strong example for women by speaking out about breast cancer.

Stronach greeted Stéphane Dion an hour ago at a four-plex sports centre in Newmarket, funded with Magna Corporation money. Wow, four rinks, a couple of pools. My dad used a hose in the backyard. (Oh, and that reference to not having a mortgage in a previous post. It's because I don't have a house.) As Dion got off his bus, teenaged cheerleaders in feathers and sequins began a series of tinny chants. Weird. Even weirder, they were almost drowned out by a small knot of protesters across the street yelling, "No Dion."

Stay tuned.

Blogging from the Dion bus

I'm disappointed. On the Dion bus, the Liberal staffers don't have little mics in their collars and talk into them like RCMP - or like Conservative handlers with Stephen Harper. I had wanted to see political staffers put on the intel thing, but I guess I'll have to settle with civilians just acting like civilians. The Conservatives do sound cool. They must be very important people. I think baggage handlers need high-tech gizmos.

Dion is buoyant as we tootle through southern Ontario, urging a Saturday crowd in Orillia they've got to send Liberal candidates (Simcoe North and Barrie) because the only way to stop Harper is to vote Liberal - not NDP or Green. What an amazing day for wandering around a farmer's market; problem is, that's not how campaigns work. You rush through watching the candidate shake hands and pose for pix and rush back to the bus. Janine Krieber, Dion's wife, sometimes gets squashed back in the crowd but she's arm-in-arm with their daughter, Jeanne, 20, who's on the campaign for the final push.

Got to say, though, the mood among Liberal operatives - not necessarily on the bus - is hardly euphoric this weekend. The weekend polls have started to put the Conservatives around 8 points ahead and with the wind back in their sails, it looks like an impossible feat for Liberals to do as well as some were hoping last Monday or Tuesday. A starry-eyed little moment of optimism. Guess that bump in the polls was an illusion, If the Conservatives keep pushing the fear button - the economy will go to hell under Dion, higher taxes, etc. - Libs are worried about what they can do over this holiday weekend. The m-word has slipped back into the mouths of some Liberals. They're not talking about a Conservative minority. And, even though three days is a long time in politics, Liberals think of all those families sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner and giving Harper a little holiday bump, just as they did at Christmas, 2005.

Hmm. If were Stephen Harper, I would be thankful for the international monetary crowd, last minute deals and the nice little gift of showcasing your boy in Washington,

Meanwhile, I can't seem to get all those autoworkers who've seen their jobs go up in smoke this year, plus fruit-packing, plus, plus, plus, out of my mind. Guess they're not enjoying the blissful weather. 

Those suits in Washington do look sharp though.

Let's just get this coalition talk out of the way right now.

Folks with memories better than mine tell me David Peterson had 38 percent of the popular vote in Ontario in 1985, to Frank Miller's 36 percent. With the highest number of votes, he had the option of forming a coalition - as he did. It's a lot harder to imagine the party with the second best score being asked by the GG to form a coalition - unless of course the leader whose team comes first gives them that option. Oh, you don't think Harper will do that. Good thinking. I'm with you. The GG doesn't go to No. 2.

Besides, would somebody who knows anything at all about Dion please stand up and tell me he'll be up for coalition government? Didn't think so. It makes for fun, last weekend speculation, but forget about it. I would bet my mortgage there will be no coalition unless Harper wakes up with a brain transplant. I don't have a mortgage? Right. But it's still  a non-starter.

More later . . .

Liberal senator's car vandalized in St. Paul's

Liberal Senator Jerry Grafstein is steamed. Overnight, his car was vandalized, potentially placing him among victims whose cars had brake lines cut and were damaged in other ways in several Toronto ridings.

The vandalism began overnight last Friday in Carolyn Bennett's St. Paul's riding, where Grafstein lives, and has spread to other areas across the city. The only common denominator, according to police, was the Liberal signage on front lawns of each of the victims. Grafstein doesn't know yet if the brake line  on his car was cut through, but says the car was damaged in other ways. In an email, he fumes:

TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

Senator Jerry Grafstein

"I refused to take down the four signs on my front fence even after Carolyn offered to come and take them down - and I am really steamed about this."

Only Jerry Grafstein would have four Liberal signs In his front yard.

* * *

Two Nations: Speaking of steamed, it's no surprise some Quebec reporters are angry over the ATV TV video last night, showing Dion having problems comprehending an English question. He asked to start over three times, and thought it wouldn't be aired. French-speaking reporters point out all the slack they gave Harper in ignoring his problems in French, particularly in earlier days.

It will be interesting to see if Jean Chrétien does anything with it tonight at the Liberal rally in Ruby Dhalla's Brampton riding. He got a big boost in the 1993 election when the Tories (then, they were Tories) mocked his facial paralyiss in an ad. Ontario Conservative leader John Tory, who oversaw those ads, maintains he took only a cursory look and regrets having let them slip through.

Don't Underestimate the Conservative End Game

The trend lines in the polls for Conservatives and Liberals have reversed and there are early indications the ABC vote is moving Liberal. Before too much euphoria sets in among Liberals, it would be wise to remember the Conservative Ten Commandments, as outlined by Tom Flanagan in his book, Harper's Team. A few are particularly relevant in these last scrappy days of a campaign that's getting exciting. Toughness is one. As Flanagan puts it: "We cannot win by being Boy Scouts." He's talking about negative ads and an on-the-ball research team, etc., all part of the Conservative arsenal. Earlier in his book, however, Flanagan underscores the effectiveness of the Liberals' negative campaign in the final days before election day in 2004. So look for a blitz from the Conservative Party from now until Monday. (This is not to suggest the NDP hasn't been making effective use of negative ads nor that the Liberals are pristine in this regard.)

Three commandments are linked — grassroots politics, technology and persistence. Put together, they signal the kind of blanketing of ridings by Conservative volunteers and candidates voters can expect over the holiday weekend, as well as the "get-out-the-vote" campaign on election day. Any candidate who is running against a Conservative in a riding targeted by the party (and who really knows his/her stuff ) recognizes how well organized the Conservatives are in the stretch, and how formidable their weapons are: The phonebank teams to remind voters to get to the polls; transportation for those without; checkup calls to ensure votes were cast; offers to handle errands or whatever else a voter needs, etc., etc.

Other parties use similar techniques, but the Conservatives seem to be in a different, better league. They've been planning for this final push since the day after the last election in 2006. There may be panic at Conservative HQ, they may be stumbling around for a plan and the disarray may well be deflating local candidates. But, guaranteed, Conservatives will swing into action in the stretch, just as they've been trained to do. They should be lauded for it because, as they've shown with their fund-raising historically, it is truly a grassroots campaign. This stand will be their last, best chance against a wave of popular opinion running against them if trends remain consistent until Tuesday.

And, remember, the last election came down to just a few thousand voters in a very few ridings. Those "get-out-the-vote" campaigns work.

A repeat performance? Doesn't seem to be a terrific idea for Stéphane Dion to be talking about transition teams or who might be in his cabinet. Yes, journalists want to know. We always do. But I seem to remember somebody else (do the initials SJH ring a bell?) who succumbed to that same sexy siren call in 2004.

Stéphane Dion visits the Toronto Star editorial board

Toronto Star

Dion addresses the Toronto Star editorial board Wednesday.

At our editorial board this afternoon, somebody asked Dion what struck him, or changed him, the most since he became Liberal leader in 2006. His answer was interesting. "I under-estimated the attack ads. You think they're so ridiculous, they won't work," he said, referring to the Conservative "He's No Leader" campaign that began in early 2007.

But he said he was wrong because people watched the Super Bowl — where the ads debuted in 2007 — and absorbed them. He didn't get into what he would have done differently, had he realized their impact and rejected the idea a current Liberal ad is itself negative. It's the one with the marching feet of soldiers and ominous martial music that talks about how Stephan Harper would have taken Canada into the U.S.-led war with Iraq had he been PM in 2003. Dion said the ad tells the truth in underscoring what Harper said in the Commons in 2003, in a speech plagiarized from a pro-Iraq speech by George Bush ally, John Howard of Australia. Dion said Liberals didn't invent a character with no relation to reality, as the Conservative ad teams have done to him.

Dion also criticized the PM's reaction to crashing markets Monday, when Stephen Harper characterized the collapse as a "buying opportunity." Said Dion: "Time to buy. With what? With your house?"

MAD AS HELL: That's the term Jean Lapierre, TVA journalist and former LIberal/Bloc MP from Quebec, used to characterize Conservative candidates in Quebec. Lapierre was on Mike Duffy's show on CTVNewsnet Tuesday night, after Harper released his platform. They were "mad as hell," Lapierre said repeatedly, because these candidates had nothing to campaign on for four weeks and were told to keep quiet by Conservative HQ in Ottawa. Meanwhile, they took a drubbing on such policies as cuts to arts programs, a decision that didn't play well in Quebec. Then, Harper reversed himself. Mad as hell. Lapierre said these angry Conservatives were saying it was too late now for them to win support in their ridings against the surging Bloc.

Food safety, free trade and the election

If ever voters have power, it's now - and that includes putting your candidates under the microscope on food safety issues. Common Frontiers sends along a link to a useful site (Food Safety First) for voters that offers insight from various media reports on the timing of cuts to safety inspection programs and the outbreak of listeriosis. In my view, the finest work has been done by Toronto Star investigative reporter Robert Cribb, working in conjunction with his colleagues at the CBC.

What does food safety have to do with free trade? A great deal, argues Common Frontiers, a Canadian group critical of the trend towards economic integration - harmonization, as it's politely put - of standards under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Rick Arnold, the group's executive director, says deregulation in the food industry in Canada has its genesis with the folks at the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), an ongoing program among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to harmonize across-the-board. In other words, standards in Canada are lowered to match those south of both borders. Says Arnold:

"Part of the SPP agenda involves developing common North American standards on how food is produced, how it is inspected, how it is processed and how it is moved from one place to another. Common food safety standards developed in the public interest might be a good idea. But the SPP is not about raising food standards. It is about removing 'trade irritants' and deregulating the food industries."

Arnold criticizes the secrecy surround SPP decisions. An exception, he says, was the 2006 SPP report that identified stricter pesticide residue limits in Canada as a "barrier to trade," a finding resulting in the relaxation of Canadian standards. Large corporations appear to have privileged access to the SPP process under the umbrella of the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC). Arnold asks Canadians to check out the food safety site and, if they have questions, take them to candidates in their ridings to find out where they stand. Now is the best time to expect answers.

The Speech that Saved/Didn't Save a Campaign

Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke to a business audience today at a combined luncheon of Toronto's Canadian and Empire Clubs. The goal was two-fold: to reassure the corporate crowd the sky isn't falling; and to calm a public worried about jobs and homes and pensions. He came out of last week's debates without having shown empathy to ordinary people, according to comments on call-in shows, media analysis and the continuing dip in Conservative fortunes in the polls. That was what he had to do today with his speech with its modest offerings.

The PM recognized there were expectations of his government as international economies faltered. There must be "some disappointment" with the fact the Conservatives hadn't come forward with a plan, Harper allowed. That's because there already was a plan, which his government had begun to put in place after recognizing the problems in August, 2007. He was, he said, "ahead of the curve" and had responded to problems "earlier and better" than other governments. Harper took some time defining the word, "plan," and said: "The plan on which we have been acting is a plan." His rivals are panicking, he said, reminding the crowd his government was prepared, just as they themselves would expect their own companies to have been prepared. His opponents would tax and spend; they would throw money away and "make Bob Rae's Ontario look like a boom." Stressed Harper: "This government is not going to panic."

Was he successful? We'll have the answer soon, the definitive one in a week and indications in tonight's overnight tracking polls and in what happens this week. Harper made the rational choice to go with a review of his record and modest announcements in order to remain consistent with what he's been saying for weeks. Again, was it enough? It's a good bet many of those in the audience, though calm and smartly dressed, are not as sure their companies were prepared as Harper would like to believe. Or that their jobs are secure. Comments from Bay Street on last night's newscasts showed more than a few stomachs twisted tightly in knots. It may well be this crowd expected more from the PM. As for the rest of the public? Prime Minister Harper didn't appear to get across that he understands what people are going through. How could he when his message is that times are tougher but the fundamentals are strong thanks to his government? He was "ahead of the curve." We'll find out how many Canadian families are feeling they, too, are with him in that happy, prescient place.

Banks looking for new word for recession: Greed, perhaps?

The Big 5 Canadian banks now say it's going to be worse than we thought, so bad in fact, they're searching for another word for "recession."  Eeek. 

Here are two observations from a most ordinary Canadian with only Economics 101 (literally) on my university resume. First, it's interesting to speculate how Canadians felt hearing the PM assert they are more concerned about their stocks than losing jobs or homes. To quote Stephen Harper in last week's English debate:

"What Canadians are worried about right now is not the job situation, not losing their home like in the U.S. What they're worried about is they see the stock-market problems. We see big drops in the stock market in the energy sector, in the commodities sector."

Maybe it's my small circle — those of us with Economics 101 — but they're a tad concerned about paying their mortgages and holding on to their jobs. Of course, they're also worried about waving bye-bye to their pensions as the stock market plunges. But it's not either/or. Many of us envision living on cat food in a cold-water flat with gloves that cut off at the knuckles.

As for the banks, may I humbly suggest avarice, larceny or greed? I'm sure readers have their own ideas. That's certainly what I witnessed during, say, the years I spent as Latin American correspondent for the Toronto Star. I would read comments from specialists in foreign investment markets with the banks (and private companies, to be sure) touting the marvelous money-making opportunities of this or that growth fund in a Latin American nation. I could see the middle class was thin as paper in that particular country, with little chance of long-term growth in consumer spending on the increasing number of high-priced imports, not to mention lack of political stability. It didn't seem to matter. Bankers talk to their counterparts in whatever country and make starry-eyed projections. They're the experts. I'm hardly the first to point out a similar scenario unfolded with garbage mortgage paper with even the so-called financial wizards involved unable to explain how they worked.

One last thing — for the most part, we the media continue to carefully quote some of the same experts in Canada and the States who predicted everything was fine in the first place. Why do we do that?

Shake up format of Leaders' Debate

I had intended to blog both days this weekend but I covered the vandalism in Toronto of Liberal supporters in St. Paul's.  It's pretty scary stuff with more than a dozen people with Carolyn Bennett lawn signs targeted by thug(s) who cut their brake lines. People I interviewed were parents with child seats in their cars, and one man narrowly avoided being hit by a bus. Other damage was done throughout the riding, acts that appear to replicate vandalism in Guelph during the (cancelled) by-election. "Evil," said one father.

CBC's Cross-Coutry Checkup was interesting, as usual. It's the best kind of political show because one hears a good sampling of Canadians. What struck me today were callers who said they didn't like last week's debate format because it was too choppy and leaders didn't have time to express themselves, not with two hours for five people. More, they said, not less, and they appeared to outnumber listeners who liked the format (to my ear anyway). During the 2006 Liberal leadership race, the LIBS held debates in Winnipeg, Vancouver, Moncton, Montreal and Toronto (hope I'm not forgetting any) and it gave audiences real time to get at the issues they wanted addressed. It's heartening to hear people expect  more and it's something debate organizers should be thinking about for next time. (If we're in another minority, that could be soon.) Canadian broadcasters already have a bad name (in my book) for scheduling the debates against the U.S. vice-presidential debates, rather than risk losing viewers on another night to American channels showing regular programing. So my bet is they won't be interested in giving up even more valuable broadcast time.

Canadians should make their voices heard. CBC is a public corporation; your opinion counts. Would other channels let CBC go solo with extra debates? They'd probably like to, but we could hope there would be a reaction from the public. Besides, they wouldn't all have to be weeknights, or in prime time even. How about a debate in place of Hockey Night in Canada? Just kidding.

I also got a kick today in seeing Jane Taber on CTV's Question Period trying to get a comment on Elizabeth May from Peter MacKay. He would not utter her name. It was like watching the old Pat skits on SNL when Pat wouldn't give clue one to her gender (not that this was about gender). Taber tried everything. At one point, MacKay said he was fighting in the riding of Central Nova (where May's the Green candidate) rather than taking a train across the country. I almost expected Taber to say, "Now, who exactly took a train across the country?" A valiant effort.

And finally, a humourous link from political junkie Lynne, if you like the idea of Sarah Palin and Bingo!

Didn't slip past viewers last night that Harper ignored May

A little too pressed for photos today but I know readers have a pretty good idea what Stéphane Dion, Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe, Elixabeth May and Stephen Harper look like. I just caught Rita Chelli's hour-long phone-in show with CBC radio listeners across Ontario. It didn't surprise me several people talked about how impressed they were with May but a couple of women (mabye more; I left early) raised a point I wish I had touched on last night: Harper's refusal to speak to May.

I noticed it too. It was the same in the French-language debate. Not word one. He just looked at her with that fixed smile. The Conservatives have been going after women's vote in this campaign and it looks like people noticed his inability to talk to her, although he had no problem with any of the men.

It reminds me of a story Elizabeth May told in an interview recently (sorry, forget where) in which she talked about being seated next to Harper at a dinner. He ignored her, wouldn't speak to her. Finally, in desperation, she began to talk about his children, about how she knew his daughter took the same dance class her daughter had some years earlier, etc. etc. He then apparently opened up some. Why is it the woman always has to be so accomodating? If he wants to ignore you, chuck him, I say. (Well, I guess I don't do that on the job either and I guess she couldn't in the debates.) But it's bad manners if not necessarly flaming sexism. It's like the attitudes on Mad Men - and that show is set about a half-century ago.

The question will be whether other women noticed Harper's attitude and whether it will lose votes for the Conservatives among women.

Also interesting to hear some listeners agreed with the commenter to the Decoder who found Harper still irritating. There were a few CBC callers who liked Dion, some who liked Harper (maybe a slight edge for Dion) and appreciation for Duceppe (especially from Sudbury area) for his wit, if not his impact outside Quebec.