Sartorial and social lapses can hold a good man back
Conservative colleagues—not that I have colleagues who are not of that patriotic philosophy—are badgering me to get a special fund going for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Now, with increasing frequently, I receive letters from the Conservative Party of Canada proclaiming I as one of its most generous donors, so would I pony up another $100.
Cripes, Harper’s proposed legislation limiting donations to $1,000 in any given year is going to save me a stack of money, and party headquarters a lot of dough in postage.
All this said, I am becoming open to my political friends’ urgings to set up a special fund for Stephen, for it is to buy him a couple of expensively tailored, embroidered cowboy suits and highly polished cowboy boots.
This man, who, despite Brian Mulroney’s claim to the title, may become the greatest PM since Sir John A. Macdonald, simply has no sense of dress.
His senior staff, by the way, have no sense of how to promote and present our youthful leader, allowing anyone else in the vicinity to grab the limelight.
Perhaps I’ll have to return to Ottawa to shake up the PMO. But more on this aspect later.
Readers may recall the 2005 Calgary Stampede and how Stephen—yup, I still refer to him as Stephen, unlike President George W. Bush who uses the diminutive—was snapped walking around various functions dressed in the most gawdawful set of jeans, western shirt and hat. The Toronto media took delight in splashing this embarrassing image around.
It reminded me of when that embarrassment of a PM, Joe Clark, was assured by some canny salesman the trend in tuxedos resembled a long morning jacket, so the hapless Clark wandered around to everyone’s amusement looking like Wyatt Earp.
Anyway, I thought either Harper or one of his aides would have cottoned to the fiasco of Harper’s western dress in 2005 and we’d see a vast improvement in 2006.
Not so, same third-rate looking rags again.
That’s why we need a fund to get some stylish top-notch western suits tailored for our boy.
Now to the dearth of public relations, promotional and publicity expertise in Harper’s office. Several years ago New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was in Calgary. A good friend—man-about-town Grant Doyle—kindly gave me a ticket for the event.
Harper was then head of the Canadian Alliance, and leader of the Opposition. Yet, glancing at the head table list, his name was ominously missing. Clark, the utter failure of a PM—was on the head table list instead.
Another balls-up by some amateurs.
Furious, I went searching for Stephen and his entourage. Harper was standing all alone, with no aides. He should have had several aides armed with Polaroids squiring him around, introducing him to hundreds of guests and asking if they would like to be photographed with the next PM.
To save the day, I led him through the halls, introducing him to as many as I could.
Following these shameful incidents—Clark at the head table, Harper left to wander aimlessly—I thought someone at party headquarters or in the Opposition leader’s office would smarten up.
Sadly, no—at this year’s Stampede, Harper was seen at several functions still wearing undistinguished duds. Stephen, you have a great intellect, but no sense of style. You need panache.
Also, at one prestigious Stampede event, Mayor Dave Bronconnier was gladhanding his way around, getting his photo taken with everyone. Dave is a whiz at that and Stephen, while not exactly standing alone in a corner—was overshadowed. It was left to his gorgeous and charming wife, Laureen, to do the job.
Stephen, you’re the top dog these days. You got rid of the squalid Liberal regime of Jean Chretien and Paul Martin. You are giving Canadians back their self-respect, and turning our nation right-side-up again.
So get rid of your feeble publicity and promotion ad-visers and replace them with people who can do the job.
If not, we’ll be handing Canada back to the Liberals.
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