The Real Reason Stephen Harper Wants to Cling to Power

Well I'm not surprised that Stephen Harper was looking so beat up at the end of the NATO summit. I mean just look at him.

For a moment I though he was going burst into tears, or resign on the spot.

But then it must have been painful to have to tell the other leaders that despite screeching like a chicken hawk, he won't put his money where his mouth is, because he needs the cash to bribe voters in the next election.

So much for Great Warrior Leader.

And as fate would have it, on the very same day, so much for Great Economist Leader. 

The Canadian economy shed 11,000 jobs in August but the unemployment rate stayed the same at seven per cent, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

Although mildly negative, the monthly jobs number wasn't what drew the most attention. Instead, economists noted a large drop of 111,000 private-sector workers — a monthly record.

Because that's a real disaster, and the only reason it isn't even worse is because so many people claimed they are now self-employed.

Ordinarily, a huge drop like that would weigh heavily on the headline jobs number. But it was offset by an almost equally large gain of 87,000 self-employed workers. 

Which may only be concealing the true extent of the catastrophe.

 "When a large increase in self-employment coincides with a large drop in positions paid by an employer, it begs the question of whether Canadians are becoming self-employed by choice or because jobs are not available," United Steelworkers economist Erin Weir said.

And it couldn't come as worse news for Harper and his useless Finance Minister Joe Oliver who are always claiming that tax cuts create jobs in the private sector.

And everyone knows that Ol' Joe is just following orders...



Which makes me wonder now that Harper has lost his phony credentials as a Great Strong Leader, and as a Great Economist Leader.

And his Great Crime Fighting Leader act isn't going anywhere. Not when the crime rate has been going down for YEARS.

Or tanking like his polls.

What does he have left to run on? And why isn't he resigning NOW before he takes the whole Con party down with him?

And the answer is Stephen Harper isn't in it for the party or the country. He's only in it for HIMSELF...



All he's interested in now is improving his position in the Guinness Book of Longest Serving Canadian Prime Ministers. 

Harper, who has passed the eight-and-a-half year mark in Canada’s top political post — and ranks ninth on the list of longest-serving prime ministers — is on the cusp of leapfrogging three of those predecessors to the No. 6 spot, and becoming second only to Sir John A. Macdonald among 13 Conservative PMs in time spent at the helm of the nation.

By mid-September, according to the Canadian government’s official time-in-office listing, Harper will move up to eighth, passing post-war Liberal Louis St. Laurent. Then, within a stretch of nine days in November, Harper will overtake Conservative/Unionist Sir Robert Borden, and Conservative Brian Mulroney to stand sixth.

Which is the main reason he's still clinging to power like a leech, and of course also helps explain why Brian Mulroney is so pissed. 



Brian Mulroney is pulling no punches on the 30th anniversary of his historic majority election win, chastising Stephen Harper on everything from foreign affairs to the prime minister’s spat with Canada’s top judge.

And who can blame him eh? When despite his many flaws Mulroney was a better and more Canadian Prime Minister than Harper could ever hope to be.

But here's the bottom line: after he overtakes Mulroney he will have to make up his mind whether he goes after Jean Chretien's record.

It would take Harper until March 2016 to pass Liberal rival Jean Chrétien.

Or resign early in the new year if he's going to give his successor a fighting chance to win the next election.

So I wouldn't be at all surprised if he announces his decision to resign over Christmas and cut and runs in late January.

For even he must see the writing on the wall. 

Or read the depth gauge in his submarine...



Yup. He may eke out a few more months to give himself a cheap thrill.

Or he may decide to go for it, and take the party down to the bottom with him.

But nothing will change the fact that he is the worst Prime Minister in Canadian history.

Canadians are sick and tired of him. And one way or the other.

He is going down...

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