It's not about hockey

The gender divide may be re-emerging in the Conservative-Liberal battle, as noted in a story I have in today's Star. I find it intriguing the way in which the Conservatives have chosen to respond to the Liberals' big announcements this week on child care and abortion -- by trying to turn voters' attention to... hockey. There, on the front page of the National Post this morning, for instance, is a big picture of young Stephen in hockey gear, no doubt supplied by the PMO in their bid to "change the channel," as they say. In this case, I guess it's getting  Canadian voters  to turn off HGTV (what will we do with this empty House?) and turn on TSN.

On this same theme, there are a number of columns today that ask the question, directly or indirectly -- how stupid do the Conservatives think voters are? Susan Riley in the Citizen and Michael Harris in the Sun are two worth reading.

They raise an issue I didn't have room to include in today's article. It's about bullying -- a word that Harris mentions explicitly. Anita Neville told me that what's turning off women voters, perhaps more than anything, are  the  bullying reflexes of this federal government. There are just too many examples -- and shutting down Parliament, then doing the nyaa-nyaa, no-spring-breaks thing, tell a lot about the schoolyard mentality here. Voters aren't dumb. And women voters are hardly going to support the kind of people they tell their kids to avoid when they send them off to school each morning.

 Strategically, it also raises an interesting, further  question-- if you do think voters are so  apathetic  as to be distracted from federal politics by hockey or the Olympics, what makes you think they'll get off the couch to vote for you when the time comes?  

Comments

[Bob]

The Liberals promised child care in 1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2003,2004 and never ever delivered and the abortion issue is about Canada funding abortions abroad in some cases where abortions are still considered illegal. I am waiting for the article Susan when you write how stupid do the Liberals think voters are? If this is the Liberals playbook it is just re-hashed red book stuff and the polls have showed nothing more than a tie thus far without the government playing any offence what so ever

[Jayee Flecker]

Susan,
Why is it that some people seem to understand that the issue is all about behaviour and that if we tolerate this kind of bullying from our leaders, how can we expect to teach our children that it is unacceptable. I still can hardly believe that there are people who think the issue is about prorogation and whether it is legal, and who has used it in the past....and on and on. It's the how and the why that is the issue here and I will do everything in my power to ensure that Mr. Harper is flattened in the next election....voting of course, but looking for ways to promote and support other candidates.

[Ted]

Shutting down constituency breaks is an odd retributive action.

I wonder if Harper still thinks more Parliament means more instability in the markets?

[Darwin O'Connor]

"what makes you think they'll get off the couch to vote for you when the time comes?"

The Conservatives aren't try to get people to vote for them, they are trying to get people who tend to vote for their opponents, like women, to stop voting by making politics and politicians seem unseemly.

[wascally wabbit]

Bob obviously speaks in "PMO talking points" because - as Paul Martin reminded you Susan only the other day - which you documented in an earlier blog - the Paul Martin Liberals actually made a deal with the provinces on Child Care and had it implemented - only to have it rolled back by the Harper government upon taking office.

And thinking of talking points - Susan Riley's lovely nyaa nyaa to Dimitri Soudas -diminuishing him down to "Stephen Harper's Press Assistant" - pretty much guarantees some nyaa nyaa retaliation - doesn't it?

[Jim M]

One lesson that Stephen Harper apparently did not learn from hockey (probably the most important one) is teamwork. Another lesson — one that went without saying when I used to play (and still does, as far as I know) — is that you are supposed to wear the same team jersey throughout all three periods. Every shift, too. Changing sweaters within plays — to confuse opponents that you would like to skate past without getting hurt, or to trick (voters) into passing you the puck — is also against Canadian hockey rules, as far as I know. No player owns the puck in hockey, except in the sense that Wayne Gretzky tended to. But if he had tried to pick the puck up off the ice and take it home (to avoid losing the game), I'm sure there would have been at least an offside whistle... even though he was a hockey 'King', (which I believe outranks Prime Minister in this country).

[Emily Dee]

Susan, I blogged about this and there are some links and a video that prove your theory.

The hockey hooplah is pure Frank Luntz.

http://pushedleft.blogspot.com/2010/02/stephen-harper-to-be-traded-for-minor.html

Great article BTW. Keep up the good work.

[Margaret]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/silver-powers/
This was obviously released at this time on orders from Most High, He Who Sits on the Throne -- Harper the Horrible.
Powers lives in Harper's pocket.

And talk about bullies!!

Sunday, February 7, 2010 11:10 AM EST
What is Ignatieff's sport?

Tim Powers

Just out of an abiding curiosity more than anything else I'd love to know what sport, if any, does Michael Ignatieff enjoy with a passion.

It seems that during the past week we have had a few stories about leaders as rabid fans - jock sniffers just seems rude. Last weekend Barack Obama went to a college basketball game in Washington and did some on-air TV coverage. Last night Stephen Harper did a "hot-stove" session in Saskatoon with hockey legends Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky.

While I have seen the Liberal Leader at a hockey game before I have no idea if that is his glass of sherry. He has a right to privacy when it comes to his sporting pursuits. Just curious.

Is he practicing his water-skiing al la Jean Chretien so as to showcase his athletic prowess and vigor? I'd caution him against a jet-ski and wetsuit; that never goes well.

In all the reading I have done about the man I have never picked up his jock jibe - other than the occasional yearning for yoga. Nothing wrong with that.

Tell me if your inclined, Mr. Ignatieff, is it a day at Ashes that does it for you, an afternoon in Twickenham, an evening at Wembley Stadium, court-side at Flushing Meadow, the bleachers in Dodger Stadium, sidelines at the Rose Bowl, ring-side at Madison Square Garden or center-ice at the Bell Centre that turns your crank? Forgot taking in basketball on the parquet floors at the old Boston Garden; that was also supposed to be pretty special.

Anyway, you get my drift.

Help us understand you a little better.