By Harvey Oberfeld
August 18th, 2015
Watching the national media’s supposed “election” coverage, I am reminded on Einstein’s definition of insanity … “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?”
Well, that’s exactly what the media are doing … over and over and over … whenever they get to pose those rare few questions to Prime Minister Stephen Harper: they WASTE precious question opportunities by asking their daily questions (quite often VERY similar) about the Duffy case over and over and getting the same non-answer over and over.
Insane!
Do they REALLY believe that, all of a sudden in the middle of an election campaign, Harper is going to suddenly … in answer to a reporter’s questions … shout: ” I’ve been lying; I knew everything; etc. etc” ??
Good luck!
I believe they do it …knowing he will NOT answer … because they hate him so much for making their lives so difficult for so long in Ottawa: by disdaining answering questions as he arrives/departs the Question Period; by not holding any regular media-availability press conferences; by curbing bureaucrats’ abilities to answer questions/grant interviews; by reducing freedom of information; and, by staying away (for years now) from the once-hallowed Parliamentary Press Gallery annual dinner.
So they go after him daily with what they believe hurts him most … questions about the Duffy trial … knowing full well he will give them nothing … and using up ONE or TWO or more of their precious FIVE questions he tolerates ONLY on the election trail. In fact, they may be playing into his hands wasting 40% of their questions …instead of grilling him on things Canadians really care more about at this time!
I’m NOT saying don’t cover the Duffy case. I love it! And I’m sure so do almost every reporter and non-Conservative political junkie. We all enjoy hearing about the testimony inside and the analysis outside … but that’s NOT the biggest issue facing the country/Canadians today..
It’s a waste of very rare daily opportunities the media have now to go after the usually-unavailable Harper on the BIG issues that I believe MORE Canadians are REALLY interested in: the economy; unemployment; personal taxes; corporate subsidies; health care spending cuts; environmental failures; increasing civil rights restrictions.
And the media is also giving a FREE RIDE to the Opposition leaders/parties: asking them every day what they think of the latest testimony in the Duffy Court case.
Duh!
What do they expect? As if they … especially the Liberals … have scandal-free backgrounds themselves or questionable policies and stances that COULD not also be seriously questioned.!
Instead, the media regurgitates all the opposition harrumphing about Harper, playing into their hands and giving them a LOT of extra attack-Harper air time and ink space … instead of going after them on all those issues/positions/promises mentioned above … that could REALLY affect all of us much more profoundly than a Harper mea-culpa (which they will never get anyway).
What Canadians need the media to do more is concentrate on EXCATLY what the parties are going to do FOR us and TO us … in the way of taxes, job creation, health and social programs, limiting or expanding our Charter rights and freedoms, climate change, crime, seniors, the poor, housing costs, foreign involvements etc.
And not waste their time trying to prove Einstein wrong.
Harv Oberfeld
Harvey, you’re quite right that the media do not expect an answer from Harper. But there is another aspect to that. The reporters want to have their full questions on air, so that they appear strong in standing up to Harper.
Harvey, with about 75 days still to go in this campaign there will be lots of time for reporters to ask Harper questions that matter to you. However, the Duffy mess was caused by staff in the PMO and don’t you think that Canadians deserve to know who knew what? Remember that it was Harper who called an early election, fully knowing that the Duffy trial would be resuming with Wright on the stand. With Harper dropping in the polls I suspect these questons will continue to dog Harper as long as the trial goes on.