By Crawford Kilian

Published December 22, 2008 03:00 pm |

The blogosphere, normally full of hot air, succumbed to an Arctic front of chilly disapproval when Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced 16 new Conservative senators this morning.

At Keeping it Real, retired journalist Harvey Oberfeld was quick to denounce the appointments:

Liars! Deceitful charlatans! There has been only one elected, and then officially appointed Senator … Stan Waters of Alberta. That was it. All for show, quite clearly now not representing any ongoing real substance. Because now, the Prime Minister has publicly and unashamedly reverted to the same cynical sewer-level pork barrel politics he used to so loudly condemn. Remember the Triple E principles for the Senate? Equal, Elected and Effective. Gone, caput, trampled to death by a Prime Minister who had already shown us he is willing to use the political jack-boot to retain power … shutting down Parliament to prevent it voting against him. And now he has abandoned Triple “E” opting instead for a Triple “P” Senate: Pork-appointed Partisan Prostitutes.

In an earlier post, Oberfeld predicted a short political future for Harper, based on the Senate appointments and a number of other miscalculations.

The Shotgun, a right-wing blog, offered a left-handed compliment to Nancy Greene Rain: “She possesses a fairly sharp political mind, one that tilts decidedly to the right.” No comment on the policy implications of deserting the concept of the triple-E Senate.

Bill Tieleman erupted: “Senate’s Red Chamber becomes Porkers’ Hall of Shame”:

The real Christmas message is more clear from today’s pork-fest though: “We will say anything and do anything to stay in power and reward our friends and insiders - principles be damned!”

The Left Coast concurred: “Nice way to show the country that he has learned from his recent brush with defeat and has chosen to be more conciliatory. Not.”

And the commenters on North Vancouver Politics offered, at best, tepid support for the appointments.

Most right-wing blogs have so far said little about the Senate picks, but The Hook will link to any that do comment on them.

Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor to The Tyee.