Andrew Potter says Mike Duffy is a despicable human being. I guess reporting the truth makes one despicable. Andrew Potter is being dishonest with himself and his readers.
The question was simple, "If you were Prime Minister today what would you have done differently then Harper?", this is paraphrased, but the gist is correct.
The question wasn't very difficult, surely getting it explained once would have been enough for Dion, a wannabe Prime Minister. No, it was asked 3 times, even his aides got involved to try and explain it.
Was it Dion's "hearing problem"? The problem that hath no name? No! Accepting Dion's explanation a few weeks ago, it only affects him when there is a lot of noise and other conversations going on, in this case for this interview there was no other noise in the room.
The question was simple, the question was asked several times, the question was explained. Was it an issue with Dion's grasp of the English language? Maybe, but again, he had no problem in the debates, nor scrums.
It is NOT his grasp of English, nor his hearing problem. It is his grasp of economics. This interview showed once and for all that Dion's attacks on Harper are all bluster and no policy. Dion's plan to make a plan is pathetic, he will create jobs. How? When? What kind? Stephen Harper has created 107,000 jobs in September alone, I doubt Stephane Dion can match that anytime soon. Unless he opens the public's purse and hires everyone to work in the public sector.
And even if it was related to Dion's sometimes shakey grasp of the English language, it still doesn't reflect well on him. I know many francophones that say his grasp of English disqualifies him for the top job in Canada. Francophones that live in Quebec. Proud Francophones. I even defended Dion's grasp of English to them, explaining that his grasp of English has no affect on my decision, and it shouldn't on yours either. But that was before this.
If these gaffes are related to his command of English, then Dion needs to be held to the same standards as our public sector employees.
Of course if we were questioning Harper's ability to speak French the media would not be so forgiving. Being an unilingual anglophone disqualifies you for the top job, being a unilingual francophone has no such restraints.
Typical double standards.
9 comments:
I think the bigger question is, whats it to Andrew Potter? If Andrew Potter was an un-biased professional reporter...what would it matter to him what Duffy did or didnt say about Dion? Seems to me if your an un-biased professional, the more aspects of a story you can write about the better..no?
If its not obvious to everyone then it should be...Mr Potter "felt" the shot at Mr Dion from CTV and Duffy and knew how itw would hurt him, and that's why the anger towards Duffy and CTV. So, again, the question is, if your an un-biased professional reporter why would you be angry at another reporter for stirring things up? To be honest..I didnt even know Andrew Potter was a reporter. I've read the odd comment on some of Mcleans blogs, but, I thought he was just a blogger with the usual partisan comment. Someone needs to go back to school. billg
There really is no other way to spin this interview. He just couldn't come up with an answer, not even after stalling for time. I can't believe anyone who has any respect for himself, let alone Canada would ever want this man for their Prime Minister. Also I challenge any reporter out there to ask the same question again and I suggest you'd probably get the same nonsensical response.
There you go ask Dion " the question" again on live t v of course, betcha he would set his hair on fire but he still would not have an answer. A far better question would be do you think you could have done better than Harper, and why? His head would explode.
cheers Bubba
Sorry to admit it, but I'm on the side of most of the media with this one guys. This is a non-issue, because, if anything, Dion understands the question TOO well. The reporter is sloppy and asks the question with a variety of conflicting chronological tenses. That doesn't justify Dion's bumbling response, but it also doesn't prove he doesn't understand the economy or the English language. All it shows is that Dion is a career intellectual and a bad public speaker. But we knew that already.
A good speaker would have understood the question was about the economy and answered it, but Dion focused on the grammar of the interviewer's question instead of its topic.
This is a manufactured "gaffe" and the people who made the decision to air the original footage should be seriously reprimanded. Conservatives always whine about media bias and, if we want to take that issue seriously, we need to call it out even when it seems to be on our side.
And lastly, do Conservatives really need to start harping on a leader for his command of English when they are already tanking in Quebec polls. How stupid are the communications guys in Ottawa anyways?
Also, Mr Coyne seems to agree. This is almost always a good sign:
http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/10/10/that-dion-interview-in-full/
"Conservatives always whine about media bias and, if we want to take that issue seriously, we need to call it out even when it seems to be on our side."
Sorry but I totally disagree with your theory.
If this were Harper - you know that it not only would have been CTV, but every other newsnetwork and paper and it would have been a four day story.
We know it because we have seen it happen. The fact that the media are coddling Dion while portraying Harper as a meanie for commenting on it is irresponsible considering that their hiding this type of fumble may get Dion elected and then this country would be saddled with an ineffectual leader who is out of his league. Canada would go from being highly thought of in the world to the laughingstock.
Is that what you want, because it is not what I want.
For you to suggest that somehow we are treating this as something unfair, shows that you do not understand the ramifications of this kind of stuff being hidden given the high stakes of what is happening in the world right now.
How true about Andrew Potter, We immediately were shown that Don Martin ,Aaron Wherry , David Akin and the list goes on and on were not un-biased professionals. Immediately there were press releases from every news source that Dion had been treated unfairly. This was a perfect example of how biased the media is to the Liberals.There is no other conclusion.
anon defends by stating:
'All it shows is that Dion is a career intellectual and a bad public speaker'
excuse me anon, but that's the point! Dion is not leadership material. No political instincts.
Dion knows zip about economics, which in these times is pretty much the #1 qualification for the job of PM.
And as far as the media coming to Dion's defence against big old meanie Harper, it's collective embarrassment for them.
What that video showed is that our media has been misrepresenting Dion to Canadians.
It makes sense now why Peter Mansbridge was not easy on Dion. Bet there's 4000 feet of tape on the CBC cutting room floor, and a frustrated Mansbridge, knowing the guy is not fit to be PM.
Now Canadians have gotten a glimpse at how the media can manipulate the perception of a politician.
Canadians can be manipulated unknowingly into voting an unworthy candidate into the top job,
and just as easily be manipulated into turfing the best man.
This was played up for the Ontario vote, not the Quebec vote. There are lots of Ontarians who don't like Francophones and people from Quebec. I am looking at you Southern Ontario.
If Harper had done this in French it would have been a huge story in Quebec and the rest of Canada. Remember Manning, Day etc?
The Prime Minister must be bilingual to run this country.
CTV has a policy that once the tape is rolling there can be no side deals. The anchor was wrong to allow do overs. At least that is what Duffy said last night.
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