News of Conservative Director of Communications Sandra Buckler stepping down presents a great opportunity for the Harper administration to beef up its entire communications strategy. This is one of the rare posts that doesn’t have to be filled by an elected person. Take advantage of this. Here’s a clue: Maxime Bernier would not be the perfect choice.
The administration should not work toward bending over and appeasing the most despicable of the self-anointed elitist media —their current strategy in that regard is just perfect. But they should appease me and the rest of Canada. They should do this by embarking on a program of developing that communications position into one which actually communicates (bolsters, advocates, educates Canadians…) —and I don’t just mean on generic government policy and news, I mean moreover conservative ideas 
stemming from Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Party (such as they actually exist).
Nobody else is doing it.
The person and the position should be used as a conservative conduit; create a huge conservative government pulpit; and the appointed cleric should evangelize the conservative message (hopefully) underlying and overlaid atop all conservative government decisions and actions and plans and policies (I’m purposely using these ecclesiastic-connotative words because it drives liberals batty with seething rage).
For example, they might want to start explaining the Afghanistan war to Canadians, and the broader war on terror, since even the state-owned, state-run CBC still thinks its only a ”so-called war on terror”, or what they have lately been calling “the Bush administration’s so-called war on terror”. The new communications person should roundly mock and call onto the carpet any media anchor or reporter who condescends toward Canadians by calling what we and our soldiers and our nation is fighting a “so-called war on terror”. (For that matter, they should explain how the CBC presents a hard-left or socialist point of view in their news and current affairs shows and all other shows; how they enjoy an unfair advantage over other citizen-owned networks; and how it is an egregious violation of the principles of a free, free-market, democratic society, to allow a state-owned media in this country; and that it and all state-owned media should actually be banned in this country forthwith. But then I’m sober.
I would end every sentence with “…and I can’t say more because the rest is part of our evil hidden agenda”.
Hire someone like Dana Perino, the current White House Press Secretary, or the equally good Tony Snow, her predecessor. They are not simply good communicators who can bounce media “stars” like a bouncy basketball, but they advocate the conservative message throughout their delivery. They seem to actually want people to like conservative ideas and policies, and yes, also the administration they work for. (It can be argued it’s not working very well given Bush’s low ratings right now, but it could also be argued that the ratings could be even worse; and that the Democratic-controlled Congress’s ratings are even worse than Bush’s).
Meanwhile, the state-owned media is busy trumpeting the Hillary/Obama campaign rally in New Hampshire today, for no good reason (McCain and Romney? Who are they?), while paying but the shortest possible shrift to the story on Sandra Buckler resigning her position.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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