Belinda bombs

Roy MacGregor says Belinda Stronach's first major media event was a disaster:

For 20 minutes, on a day so cold even the streetlights froze, the young mother who would be prime minister appeared on Winnipeg radio station CJOB's popular "Adler On Line" and performed in such a manner that the kindest thing station workers could say of her when it was over was that they felt "sad" for her.

It was indeed a sad performance. She had the air of someone who has been so overhandled that she has no idea who she herself is or what she thinks. The result was that she came across as, sorry to have to say this, not very bright.
[...]
The show opened with her stumbling -- "Uh . . . you know . . . uh . . . I . . . I am very much ready . . . It's exciting . . . It's an exciting experience . . ." -- and careered on for 20 minutes until it was turned over to callers, who almost exclusively set upon her performance like a pack of . . . pit bulls.

They found her without depth. They found her evasive. They found her tentative. They didn't like the way she ended sentences with "right," didn't like the pepper-sprayed "you knows" and chided her for her "uhs."

She talked about bringing new Conservatives into "a bigger tent" just as the day before she had spoken of having the country bake "a bigger economic pie" to pay for all the things she promised.

She called same-sex marriage a human right that she personally supports, although she would call for a free vote in Parliament on it.

She agreed with Adler that the Canadian economy has already produced a bigger "pie" under Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, but she would work for "what Canada can be," not what it is.

She fudged a question on mad-cow disease, saying essentially that borders are important.

She evaded a question about what she would have done when the U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq, telling a somewhat exasperated Adler that "the world is better off without Saddam Hussein" but refusing to say what she herself believed would have been Canada's correct action.

"I don't want to necessarily comment on what I would have done," said the woman who would be prime minister.

She was asked for one single example of a "tough decision" she had made in her previous role as chief executive officer of Magna International, but she could not, or would not, provide one.

She repeated, as she had also said on Tuesday, that "I know what I know and I know what I don't know" without seeming to realize this overworn political-business cliché is meaningless.

"A pleasure to be here," she told Adler on her way out.

I did not hear the interview, but if MacGregor's description is accurate - and, based on his past columns, I think he's quite honest - Stronach is in deep, deep trouble. Forget any comparisons to Kim Campbell - I cannot remember Campbell ever flubbing a media appearance that badly.

If Stephen Harper wins the leadership, the Conservatives will be accused of being the "Alliance with a new name", which would mean big trouble east of Ontario. And I'm disappointed with his right-wing stands on social issues. But ultimately I have to ask myself, which leader can hold up in the House of Commons and the Parlimentary scrum? Unless her improvment is miraculous, I simply don't see how Stronach could be better than Harper. (Based in no small part on his spectacularly shabby website, I can't take Tony Clement seriously as a candidiate.)

I'm not committing myself to either candidiate yet. But if the vote were today, I'd go with Harper.

Update: Stronach's radio appearance in Vancouver doesn't sound like it went much better. A common complaint about Canadian conservatives is that we'll let the dastardly Yanks bully us into submission, and Stronach answered a question on marijuana laws by saying we have no choice but to let the Yanks bully us into submission:

Conservative leadership candidate Belinda Stronach warned Thursday of the economic threat posed by proposals to decriminalize marijuana.

The 37-year-old businesswoman told an offbeat Vancouver radio show that liberalizing pot use would lead to increased searches and delays in the flow of goods at the U.S. border. "I think it's a bigger issue than we're willing to admit if we were to decriminalize marijuana," she told JACK-FM on the popular morning Larry and Willy show.

"If we were to decriminalize marijuana I think our great neighbour to the south would have a lot of problems with that and I think it would very much affect the Canadian economy."

Stronach, having learned nothing from Bill Clinton, says she "can't remember" if she inhaled when she tried weed in high school. And then there's her iffy performance in the hosts' "Prime Minister or Hockey Player?" game:

Stronach appeared reluctant to play since it's the kind of game that can only make the politician look bad if they guess wrong.

"Charles Tupper" asked Willy.

"I don't know if I want the hat that bad actually," said Stronach. "Did he score a goal? I don't think so, so I'd say prime minister."

She guessed correctly that the second name, Jason King*, was a hockey player.

She hesitated again for several seconds when the third name was posed - Louis St. Laurent - but guessed correctly that he was a prime minister.

In 2000, Stockwell Day was never allowed to forget his assertion that the Niagara River flowed from north to south (which I also assumed, to be honest). I have a feeling we're going to see much, much worse from Belinda Stronach before the campaign is over.

*a native of Corner Brook!

Posted by damian at January 22, 2004 02:54 PM