Saturday, October 10, 2009

Stephen Harper, An Introvert Growing Into His Rightful Place.


(Okay Laureen is way braver than I would ever be, those horses are huge!)

I met PM Harper some months ago, and I found him to be very easy to talk to in a one on one conversation. I suspect he is most comfortable in that situation. As an introvert myself, I can understand how he feels. My blog gives me a chance to talk to people without having to face a crowded room of people I do not know.

I remember him as the opposition leader coming to Edmonton and giving a speech. He give a very good speech, and helped serve the food, but you could tell he wasn't very comfortable with the whole situation. Laureen fit right in, talked to everyone and held peoples attention with ease. I really admire her. She is the power behind the man. Others have been able to meet him as well and have formed their own opinions of him.

Unnatural politicians

There were gasps across the nation last weekend when the Prime Minister sang a Beatles song in public. Could it really be? Stephen Harper is having fun.

That Harper is quite possibly a human being, capable of experiencing the attendant emotions, is a disorienting revelation for many Canadians. Harper has always been a figure of icy cool -- restrained, private, unapproachable. When he was photographed some years ago sending his children off to school with a handshake, it confirmed for conspiracists that the prime minister was a droid.

The truth is less sensational: Harper is merely an introvert. I figured that out when I met him 15 years ago, after he was first elected to Parliament as the Reform member for Calgary West. I was a graduate student researching political populism, and the 35-year-old Harper, one of the architects of the Reform movement, agreed to speak with me.

We met outside the House of Commons. He was gracious but extraordinarily serious. I don't exude frivolity myself, but Harper is so solemn and sober that I felt like Adam Sandler.


I suspect that PM Harper does not suffer fools easily. He expects his Ministers to know their files and work hard to keep on top of their portfolios. If he was a really tough taskmaster we would have heard grumblings from the backbenchers by now. I hope our Conservative MP's have as much admiration for Stephen Harper as a leader as I do, as a voter.

Lefties go for the empty headed but dynamic speakers like Obama. All platitudes, no action. Look at how many promises the Liberals made to get elected and then promptly forgot about, like the GST, childcare, and especially Kyoto. Big promises, no results.

It doesn't matter who they elect as a leader, no one believes them anymore. No one cares what they think or want anymore, they have no policies and most importantly, they have no morals. They talk about Canadian values, but they have lost contact with actual Canadians, so they have no idea what our values really are. They scoff at Tim Horton's, and fail to realize that all those cars lined up at the Tim Horton's drive thru are typical Canadian voters. They blame their leader and sit on their duffs expecting Canadians to vote for them just because they are Liberals. They want back at the trough so badly, they do not see how we are viewing them. OINK!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Introverts are often introspective and at least slightly self-shielding socially. This doesn't always mean they are shy, but just lacking the proper opportunity to meaningfully interact with others. That Kodak video moment for PMSH happened with his brilliant Beatles piano venture which is the talk of the country. He proved a lot with this performance, and disproved a lot on the part of the unjustly biased Opposition. There is a genuine aura of warmth surrounding the Prime Minister these days. His family, friends, and political machinery are all jelling together nicely. It's no accident; it's positive, and it's rightful.

maryT said...

And don't forget Trudeau and No wage and price controls, oops, he meant till he was elected.

Kadam said...

The more I talk to people that have actually met PM Stephen Harper, the more I hear this side of the story. He demands accountability of his people because he demands it of himself, but on a personal level, he is a genuine nice individual.

I understand the world of the introverted, as I am one. Standing up for what is really important is difficult for an introvert, as standing up anytime is uncomfortable.

But I know that unlike the extrovert, when an Introvert stands up, it is because they really believe it is important enough to accept the discomfort, while the extrovert may stand up for anything at all because they enjoy the attention.

Here's to PM Stephen Harper, standing up for what is important to him and Canadians. And here is a call to Canadians to stand up for what's important to them.

I'm standing up in my small town, and I invite you to do the same. Its time we spoke up for the country we love and the families we have.

philosoraptor said...

Introverts are often introspective and at least slightly self-shielding socially. This doesn't always mean they are shy, but just lacking the proper opportunity to meaningfully interact with others.

Or, they've learned the pain of being socially ostracized after spending a lifetime saying stupid crap...for example, everything posted on this blog.

After all, who's surprised that you're an introvert? I'd keep my thoughts to myself, too, if all my thoughts were retarded.

hunter said...

Hey, Troll David, Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

Bec said...

Love it, love it, love it, Kerry Forrest.

You have spoken for millions of Canadians and I take my hat off to you!

Mary T,
LOL!

Tripper523,
That is heartfelt and 'introsective'. A very nice analysis indeed.

David,
Feel better? You are demonstrating the asnine, foot in mouth disease infecting your party.

Hunter, Love ya kiddo and Happy Thankgiving to you and yours! xo

hunter said...

Great summary Bec! Love you too! I appreciate all the people who come here (trolls excluded) and add to the richness of this blog, thank you for your support and reading this blog.

Interestingly, my family never ever showed any affection or said "I love you", I started saying "I love you", every time I talked to one of them about 10 years ago, now it feels wrong if we don't say "Love you" when we talk. It's a small thing that grows in importance.

JR said...

Well said, Hunter. Another thing I appreciate about SH is that he came to his leadership role somewhat reluctantly, or at least that's how it seemed to me. He had to be convinced to seek the job by people who saw his potential. It wasn't an ego trip or sense of entitlement to power that drove him but more of a duty.

And it's interesting that a lot of us conservatives seem to have an introverted streak.

Anonymous said...

Uh oh - Parnel/Terry1/Ponyboy has come over here as 'David'. Parnel...shoo. Good boy.

As for our PM, I have never thought of him as introverted. I have thought of him as careful and meticulous and somebody who speaks when he has something meaningful to say. His intellect is such that he is above posing for photo ops, BSing his way through press conferences, or lying to get elected. The man is a class act all the way.

As for his personal side, I don't know the gentleman but I did form an opinion of him from watching him on TV during his first swearing-in. The way he held out his hand for then-little Rachel impressed me - the man is a devoted father and that, in my books, is worth all the gold in the world. I see him and his son (who seems to have had a major growth spurt) and it warms my heart. I see pictures of him with Rachel and it chokes me up - the man is really into his children and that is a good thing. Funny how Ignatieff is never seen with his children and never mentions them.

PM Harper is married to an incredible lady who is the perfect counterpart to his reticent public personality. The fact that he played and sang at the NAC to support her evening says so much about his character and his quality as a man.

Finally, he is a fellow believer in God and that is worth everything to me. Unlike Ignatieff who, despite publicly avowing his athieism, rose up in phony indignation on behalf of Catholics over the alleged wafer-gate, our PM does not posture or deceive.

PM Harper is a class act all the way. He may be coming out of his alleged shell but I doubt that we'll ever see him make a fool out of himself.

The man is tops. God Bless Mr. Harper.