The term he's using is to "refuse the premise" that anyone other than Nigel Wright and Mike Duffy were in on the under-the-table cash for expenses deal. It doesn't make any difference how many emails his government was forced to turnover to the RCMP showing that's not the case. It doesn't matter if you simply "refuse the premise."
Harper “refused the premise” of questions about Novak’s involvement with Nigel Wright and Duffy, but declined to say what exactly was wrong with the premise of the question.
Instead, Harper repeated that he believes there are only two people involved in the scandal, Duffy and Wright. This despite new emails and evidence released during the Duffy trial showing that several senior members of the PMO, Conservative senators, and Harper himself were in the loop at various points in the discussions between Wright and Duffy.
A reporter pointed out the questions were based on emails and facts not in dispute in Duffy’s ongoing criminal trial — that his senior staff were involved in writing “media lines” that misled the public about Duffy’s repayment.
The Conservative leader was asked if he has a responsibility to “clean house” after the revelations.
“I don’t accept that particular rendition of the facts,” Harper responded. “What I know is this, that Mr. Duffy should have repaid his expenses, he did not. He did not because Mr. Wright paid them for him. These are the two individuals responsible. They are being held accountable. And that is what is appropriate.”
Talk about manna from heaven for the opposition leaders. Harper has painted himself into a corner. There's no way out for him. He has to keep bleating out a fable that is utterly contradicted by testimony and documentary evidence that's now before a court of law, very little of it in dispute - except by Shifty - for what reeks of utter desperation.
Think about it. If there was something else he could say that would take him off the hook, he would. He'd say it just as often as he possibly could. But there isn't anything. He boxed himself in a long time ago and the only thing he can say now that would be believable is the one thing he can't say, the truth.
I've been struck by how campaign appearance photos of Harper show a tired character seemingly resigned to not being in control of this election as he always was before. He has no means to make this go away and all he can do is repeat a blatant lie that becomes more preposterous with each telling.
It almost suggests that his spin meisters have thrown up their hands and started looking for new clients. I wonder if we're about to witness a prime ministerial meltdown?
How is he going to "refuse the premise" when, one after another, Novak, Perrin, LeBreton, Tkachuk, Stewart-Olsen, Gerstein and Arthur Hamilton are compelled to take their turn in the witness box and take their turn getting thoroughly "Bayned." For a Conservative loyalist this must be stomach-churning and it's only going to get worse over the course of probably most of the election campaign. Harper not only shows himself pathologically deceitful but he's starting to look unhinged.
I just hope Shifty isn't spending his sleepless nights watching old Samurai movies:
How is he going to "refuse the premise" when, one after another, Novak, Perrin, LeBreton, Tkachuk, Stewart-Olsen, Gerstein and Arthur Hamilton are compelled to take their turn in the witness box and take their turn getting thoroughly "Bayned." For a Conservative loyalist this must be stomach-churning and it's only going to get worse over the course of probably most of the election campaign. Harper not only shows himself pathologically deceitful but he's starting to look unhinged.
I just hope Shifty isn't spending his sleepless nights watching old Samurai movies:
11 comments:
Excellent summation, Mound. Hanna Thibideau of the CBC finally boxed him in today after his third (or fourth?) "I don't accept the premise of the question" crap answer. And look who he has as his communication advisor - Teneyke the Tory Tantrum, he of the "we're better than the news, we tell the truth". He lacks credibility and has shown that he has faint respect for honest dialogue.
Mound, look at it this way that Harper has overdone Nixon's Watergate and that way he is the champion. It is apparent that he is lying. I hope that voting public gets it.
Harper is a sociopath. Although we have had one or two drunks and one who talked to his dead mother, Canadians have never seen a PM as dysfunctional as Harper.
"I don't accept that particular rendition of the facts" Interpretation? They're only facts if I say they are. You can only evade reality for so long
Mound and you can't as Harper thinks rewrite it. You may be on to something as he could very well have a meltdown. He's not looking and sounding to stable these days.
Yeah, he's looking unwell and fatigued. He's getting those rheumy eyes that are sometimes associated with a lack of sleep.
I certainly think he has some degree of psychopathy but it's not been enough to keep him from ruling over us this past decade.
CTV has a wonderful clip of Teneyke vouchsafing for Novak, assuring one and all that Novak knew nothing about Wright-Duffy, not a thing. Innocent as a newborn babe, whiter than fresh snow.
LD, I expect the general public are attracted to this grotesque spectacle - including a lot of folks who are normally tuned out of Canadian politics. Spectacles are fun. Watching some guy repeatedly lie his ass off is fun. Watching him squirm is fun. There's a certain dark joy, schadenfreude, in this. It's as though we were watching Harper boil himself alive.
.. that's the egghead aspect of Harper manifesting.. the cleverer than thou brainiac sociopathy defense mechanism. No, its actually just the egghead using twisty mealy talk talk deflection.. since he's a coward, a bully, full of shit, full of himself & can't possibly answer honestly.. in other words.. as you've ably pointed out.. he's screwed & he knows it.. so just deny deny deny ..If the vast majority of Canadians can't see what a creep this guy is.. Canada is well and truly screwed. I reject the premise... godd gswd.. that rendition of the facts... more good gawd.. Look at who he surrounds himself with, and their actions... its a cesspool.. or septic tsnk.. churning and squirming... writhing ! Try to imagine his loutpack ss a law firm, a surgical staff, a chicken farm, or the horror - and educational system or faculty ... good gawd ! !
You got it, Sal, in that one word. He's a "creep."
"Yeah, he's looking unwell and fatigued. He's getting those rheumy eyes that are sometimes associated with a lack of sleep."
He looked like the walking dead just after the writ dropped. His right cheek severely sunken. Then in the debate, we got Wax-museum Harper - I swear there must have been heavy application of botox etc. Fading again now.
I must say I am starting to admire the guy - he is soon going to join Comical Ali in a rarified class of denialists. And so far the base is still clapping - notice that?
Well, latest poll I saw, looks like it's starting to bite--Cons at 27%. NDP 33, Libs 28, putting the Cons in third place. Well, margins of error and similar disclaimers, but still, moderately pleased days. Greens at 6, which is one up from last time I saw.
Harper can outspend the other parties, but I don't see how he can outspend the fact that the major campaign-related story is likely to continue to be this trial for much of the campaign.
I love the new nickname "shifty" ....this describes his creepy shifty eyed. smarmy approach to politicking and his need to spin and shift the story.
I think its very indicative....this whole duffy affair of how sociopaths react to being caught out. I read a book just recently that describes a psychiatrist meeting up with one of his sociopathic patients at a conference or talk and he could hear the guy( the patient) lying his ass off about the relationship he had with said doc. when the doctor confronted him with a greeting....he went right on, as if nothing happened, no embarrassment about his lies, just "hi doc" and moved seemlessly onto another topic.
Corrupt politicians are sociopathic .... masters of lies, deception, deceit and spin. They just change the channel when caught out, no stopping, and stick to the story or as nigel describes it... medial lines. I think they know there are camaras recording but these days they have the benefit of knowing most people's attn span and memory don't record details for long and most reporters don't bother to keep revisiting the past.
so they are safe to lie, cheat, steal and continue with or without the media recording.
media, journalists and writers are all subject to masters who don't always want the truth told...and many are subject to frivolous law suits if they get too aggressive with the narrative.
im glad there is cbc coverage outing this duffy affair, and I hope the public remember all shifty's bullshit come Oct, but im not totally convinced it will help. One thing that is incredibly damning to Harper is his recorded time as the Opposition Leader and his continual bleating about the liberal party's corruption, his skill with skewering them, is coming back to haunt him, and thank god the CBC is playing that over and over....that will sink him more then this trial. His own words of condemnation about what the leader of the country should do and how involved they are with any of their parties corruption.
thanks for all your thorough dissemination of the material Mound!
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