Musings —03.04.2011 07:59 AM
—I love this
From my Sun Media colleague Akin:
@davidakin: On the Hill: The Kenney Branding Strategy: “We Are Losing” but “We Are Losing Less Badly” http://bit.ly/ea98ks
Musings —03.04.2011 07:59 AM
—From my Sun Media colleague Akin:
@davidakin: On the Hill: The Kenney Branding Strategy: “We Are Losing” but “We Are Losing Less Badly” http://bit.ly/ea98ks
I have heard reporters spin that these various faux-pass’ made by the tories will pass and not stick and really have no effect on the voter. The question has to be asked,what do the Tories have to do for the electorate to remember? I think there are plenty reasons for the voter to know why the Tories are on the slide and why they have to be turfed.
Thsi is not ADSCAM and voters are not stupid. Bigger concerns prevail such as jobs and the economy nda Canadians are doing much better , thank you . “It’s the economy stupid”.
Before declaring what is and what isn’t stupid, spelling “this” right would be helpful.
But it IS an Adscam; in fact, it’s one more piece of a giant Adscam tapestry that the Cons have been weaving since BEFORE they came into office, which has fleeced taxpayers out of much, much more than what went on under the Liberal government 15 years ago.
Essentially, Adscam entailed diverting taxpayer money via advertising agencies to a political party for the very partisan purpose of getting them re-elected.
In the Kennney case, the now ex-political staffer was hired just three weeks ago — probably at a hefty salary, considering he made $250k a year at his last job — to spearhead this ethnic outreach campaign.
http://twitter.com/Crockatteer/status/43867293079437313
And not only was he clearly doing this on taxpayer time & using Parliamentary resources on the fateful day (the letter was hand-delivered to Duncan’s Parliamentary office that morning, the same day it was dated), but all the material that went into the demographic information & media strategy briefing note that accompanied it probably was, as well, and there are serious questions about who gathered & paid for the information (was it just purchased census data, or immigration dep’t data, and did the CPC pay for it? ha!)
So the ill-fated letter was just the tip of what certainly seems to be a veritable ethnic vote war room that’s been run out of Kenney’s office for years, probably: i.e., taxpayer-paid partisan activity.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/jason-kenney-minister-of-the-crown-or-party-operative/article1931098/
And then there’s the In & Out scandal, which involves about $800,000 in disputed rebates from the taxpayers for ad buys which Elections Canada believes have been illegally claimed as being made at the riding-level rather than nationally.
And then there’s the way this has been replicated in both the PMO and virtually all the line departments, who’ve seen their communications budgets balloon by millions a year to open up satellite offices (in ethnic markets, in the PMOs case) and increase the number of staffers whose job it is to monitor the media (including social media like this!) to keep tabs on what people are saying about the Conservatives.
http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/national/article/75301–pmo-puts-communications-staff-in-vote-rich-toronto-vancouver-montreal
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/05/23/social-media-government-monitoring.html
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/01/22/16994106.html
http://www.canada.com/news/Feds+spend+more+monitor+media+less+poll+public/4174624/story.html
And there’s the millions and millions that have been spent on the EAP signs and ceremonies & press conferences for all the inky dink projects, to give the Harper gov’t max. visibility.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/stimulus-signs-go-up-on-time-but-ottawa-lags-with-payments/article1726506/
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Clues+Tories+stimulus+strategy/4300192/story.html
http://davidakin.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2011/2/23/4757153.html?message=
And the millions in advertising on the EAP (which is STILL going, even during mega-expensive time slots like the Oscars and the Super-Bowl, even though, um, the recession is over and the plan expires in three weeks)
http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/09/21/conservatives-spent-record-130-million-on-advertising-in-2009/
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/governments-new-economic-action-plan-ads-dovetail-with-partisan-tory-campaign-115113314.html
(Even though it hasn’t worked that well: only 70% of the populace realize that the feds HAVE been stimulating the economy to combat the recession, the past two years)
http://www.harrisdecima.ca/news/releases/201103/1066-canadians-split-approach-government-spending
And the millions in redesigning the government websites to emulate the Conservative Party’s colours and appearance (contrary to the rules).
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-owe-public-purse-45-million-for-partisan-ads-liberals-charge/article1860447/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/the-paper-trail-on-a-tory-blue-website/article1860390/
In sum, the (taxpayer-funded) “PMO’s like a permanent campaign machine”
http://www.thehilltimes.ca/page/view/campaignmachine-
01-24-2011
and now the entire government is even being rebranded — at taxpayer expense, to implement and monitor and enforce the directive at the affected line departments — as, and to promote, the cult of personality Harper Government.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/948436–tories-rebrand-government-of-canada-as-harper-government
It’s official: this whole government is an adscam.
Depicting the voter as not caring about all of these gaffes overlooks the cumulative effect. It is also arrogant, and easily recalled when the time comes, especially in ‘bulk’ format.
I also wonder about all of this crowing over the economy from a guy who is on tape saying “Canadians aren’t worried about losing their jobs or their homes” weeks after the last election. Besides if the economy is just swimming along, then it’s a good time for a change, isn’t it?
The target just gets bigger and bigger.
It feels like the Tories are using the Chinese plan as a template. The Chinese government has long had a policy of buying off thier populations desire for human rights and fair government by offering them greater prosperity. The Consrvatives hope (and they seem to be succeeding) that the Canadian voter will accept the erosion of fair and transparent government so long as our economy remains on track.
I would think most Canadians do not see any erosion of fair and transparent government. Most Canadians view the old Liberal governments as the “sponsorship scandal” governments and the new conservative governments as not perfect but nowhere near as bad as the past. The conservatives would have to do something as bad or worse for people to believe the “erosion”” argument. In fact most probably believe there is improvement.
Reality may be different than perception but perception is what is driving voter opinions.
Except this Conservative government completely and utterly worse than any previous Liberal government. Ever. You mention the difference between perception and reality and I think you are on to something there. The present Conservative Party seems to be coated in Teflon, in terms of avoiding the perception of being covered in sleaze. That said, they can coast along until their “squeaky clean” image disappears one day. My feeling is that change in voter perception happens pretty quickly. I believe that events/scandals etc pile up in the background, until a tipping point is reached and the voters wake up, if you will, with a new perception. Every voter obviously gets there on their own timeline. Some will never have their perceptions of a government change, for good or ill.
All that said, I think the “squeaky clean” image of this Conservative government is gone. My sense is that a large group of voters will decide whether or not to stick with the devil they know or take a flyer on the alternative, who unfortunately carries some party baggage of his own.
Completely my own two cents obviously but I do think we are looking at a watershed election for both the Liberals and Conservatives.
Most Canadians are paying attention to their families and jobs. They are not political junkies watching political shows and blogging. Some think Bev Oda is the President of Somalia!!
MJH
I’m not completely sure why you think Canadians are incapable of raising their families, holding down a job and keeping up on current affairs in their own country. What with TV, newspapers and the internet it is actually quite easy to keep up with Canadian politics while doing other things.
They could, but they are not engaged at this time. The economy is improving, job prospects are sound and the country is headed in the right direstion. Life is good. Peace.
Life was better, in 2006 (when there were a lot more employed, for a lot better wages), but we still threw the bums out for a lot less corruption and arrogance than this lot has been showing since day 1. No justice, no peace.
MJH
First you say we have bigger problems like the economy and jobs, then you say the economy is fine and job prospects are sound. You can’t have it both ways. Which is it? I also find it interesting that you seem to think that Canadians can either enjoy a robust economy OR a functioning democracy but not both at the same time. Why do we have to choose? Shouldn’t we be able to have both and more importantly the CPC should not continue to underestimate the intelligence of the ehe electorate.
Big Daddy: you are spot on! This bunch of Conservatives don’t give a hoot about accountability or democracy. Unfortunately much of the the media don’t seem to care either.
There are rumours floating around that there maybe a non confidence motion floated mid next week to trap the Dippers into an election b/f the budget is out.
Before Jack Layton to gets out of the hospital?
Sound like something the LIbs would do to a sick man.
Dunno ’bout that.
But there is a rumour that the Cons would drag one of their own sick men away from their chemo treatments to vote down a bill that would stop a bankrupted company’s creditors from getting away with cheating other sick people out of their disability pension benefits, for a company that the Canadian government has poured millions into, to prop up, and whose buildings they just bought for its own use.
Oh, wait, that wasn’t a rumour, at all. (Unlike whatever you three are piling on.)
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/909500–disabled-nortel-employees-face-a-bleak-future
http://www.yourottawaregion.com/news/local/article/891800
http://www.canada.com/Defence+Department+take+over+Nortel+building/3680233/story.html
So the Liberals have to do it as well!! Vote Green
http://trashysworld.ca/2010/05/29/jason-kenney-liar-extraordinaire/
You aren’t talking about this Kenney are you? Accountability, at what price sir?
http://www.ottawasun.com/news/canada/2011/03/03/17486111.html
If he had one Oda of respect for the political process he would fall on his sword, but his bm buddy Baird will rescue him too.