When Spinning and Spoonfeeding don’t Work: Deflect & Distract

That would indeed be the Harpercon Media machine’s tactics.  Many die-hard Stevie supporters have swallowed the kool-aid since the earthquake in Haiti.

The corporate media machine is feverishly making sure that we see Stevie the philanthropist rather than Stevie the dictator. They couldn’t have asked for a better time for any crisis to come up.

It is undoubtedly working for some.  That Facebook group , Canadians against Prorogation had a few trolls coming to post on the wall: things like we should be ashamed of ourselves for still caring about prorogation while thousands upon thousands die  in the devastation in Haiti.  I’m sure the Stevie clan and disciples are thinking the same thing. One problem with this though? We’re supposed to forget about our democratic rights as well as the demons Stevie chooses to run away from?

9/11 was the ideal crisis for Georgie’s presidential career; it’s what boosted his approval rating & kept him in office a second term. In fact, there is much speculation that Georgie had opportunities to catch BinLaden & his merry band of bushwhacking thugs during his first term, but never ceased that opportunity as it would have surely costed him a second term in office.

Stevie’s numbers have taken a nose dive since prorogation and his right arm, the corporate  right-winged media, try as they might; failed miserably at spinning Stevie in a positive light and spoonfeeding to Canadians how they should feel and what should be important. Like 9/11 for Georgie,  this is growing to be  the ideal crisis for Stevie and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Here is an article over at the Grope & Fail describing a matured PM and how he is now looking like a statesman instead of the ogre who shut down parliament simply because he wants to hide and not play nicely with others. Stevie and Corporate Right slanted media are all probably breathing a collective sigh of relief.

My question is: will it work? Will the coverage and potential overkill  coverage of Haiti not only have Canadians forget Stevie’s prorogation and transgressions that led to this prorogation, but actually bring his numbers back up to majority territory?

Campbell Clark at the Grope & Fail seems to hold very high hopes:

A week ago Mr. Harper was under attack for shutting Parliament until March, was perceived as hyper-partisan and was losing his edge in the polls. A successful response to the disaster in Haiti would counter all that.

“It backs him away from the mean-spirited, petty image that some would paint him with,” Mr. Lyle said. “It makes him a statesman, instead of a partisan politician. And that’s of great benefit to him.”

I also noticed that CJAD isn’t talking at all about prorogation anymore. Brian Lilley is no longer bringing it up in his newscasts. It is all about Haiti thus far.

Yes, CJAD talks show hosts, like Tommy Schnurmacher no longer have any pundits or politicians to entertain these days and thus, not a whole hell of a lot to talk about now can devote their entire shows to this crisis.  But, he is a talk show host and is paid to be opinionated.

Brian Lilley is not. He is supposed to be a newscaster and thus, report the news without prejudice; not pick & choose what to cover and not to cover. What ever happened to the days newscasters & reporters reported the news fairly without prejudice? Since when do newscasters & reporters set up camp at sites like the Examiner & Homeless Cons? But, I digress.

What happened in this already downtrodden country is tragic. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.   It’s great that Canada (not Harpercons or Liberals in particular) is coming through to help them.

It should be incumbent upon our leaders to help out a country in distress–without first going through the whole ‘ Oh my and what shall we wear?’ Or which is my best side? They should not be waiting around to pose for the cameras.  If Stevie were serious, go to Haiti right away. Don’t stop for photo ops: just go!

Mia Rabson from the Winnipeg Free Press   not only lists the shameless photo ops they take basically tells him just that: Enough Photo Ops & Just Help these  poor people:

Late last night we got a photo from the prime minister’s office of Stephen Harper on the telephone, presumably with UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, discussing the situation in Haiti.

Today Defence Minister Peter Mackay is posing in Halifax as the HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Halifax leave for Haiti.

At about the same time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen, were staging a photo op making a donation to the Canadian Red Cross.

Enough already. Stop posing for photo ops and just get on with the business of helping Haiti.

After all, how much did he really care about this downtrodden country and its’ misfortunes before the earthquake? How much did most of us, for that matter, care?

Would this earthquake in Haiti get this much air time had parliament been not prorogued? How about during the Olympic Games?

I certainly don’t remember the floods from Tropical Storm Ketsana in the  Philippines, another poor country and Tsunami in American Samoa in September 2009 getting this much coverage in the Corporate media, nor do I remember  seeing or hearing about so many photo ops for Saint-Stevie.

I hear a telethon is being organized to help out; a great idea. There is at least, a more altruistic goal with that than what talk radio or the likes of the Grope & Fail have to offer.

Do give to a charity looking after Haiti, but please, do be careful and do careful research before donating; not only due to scammers who will, no doubt, crawl out of the wood work, but also make sure the charity you choose to give to can be trusted to make sure the aid actually gets to the people instead of some corrupt government hands or some black hole known as bureaucratic red tape.

Again, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones. I hope everyone is found & accounted for soon.

However, that is not to say that I am to be impressed with Saint-Stevie; he is to do what every statesman should do during a crisis in the world and it shoudn’t require a photo op.

Sorry, Campbell, photo ops of a well-timed crisis won’t and  should never outweigh the fact that Stevie is a dictator, coward who can’t play well with others and that he has taken away our democracy.  Just because you like shiny things doesn’t mean you should force that onto your readers.

I hope that the anti-prorogation rallies will still have great turn-outs.