04.12.2011 06:28 AM

KCCCC Day 18: The past 24 hours – will they matter tonight?


 

 

62 Comments

  1. Bryan says:

    Caption:

    Turner: I’m rubber you’re glue.
    Mulroney: You take that back or I’m taking my free-trade agreement and going home.

  2. MontrealElite says:

    Igmatieff was given a gift y’day. The G8/G20 story is a gift that feeds the contempt meme.

    He’s gotta get his punches in early with Harpo then rise above it and appear Prime Ministerial.

    Remind progressives from all parties that a vote for Jack and Gilles = more Harper.

    Closing statement should remind voters that we’re here because of Harper’s contempt for democratic institutions.

    And I hope they find a way to get Harpy angry…he’s always a question away from losing it.

    • Swervin' Merv says:

      Ignatieff’s real test in the debates is whether he can be a multitasker. Sure, roll out the ever growing list showing contempt for Parliament and the people, whether or not it can serve to get under Harper’s skin (Duceppe and Layton will help here). But Ignatieff also must sell himself, and rise about the attack ads (which surely will continue after the debates), by presenting a convincing, positive vision for Canada, in contrast to Harper’s narrow, fear-laden resentments. Ignatieff always displays a strong intelligence, but he must score well on the “likeability” scale, instead of just harping at Harper.

  3. George says:

    I hope Ignatieff’s narrative in this debate is more about him and less about the other guy otherwise we might see another Rob Ford effect happen. It’s Ignatieff that Canadians still don’t know and can’t warm up to. I’m hoping like hell that he’s the angry guy on stage tonight and that he leads with the G8 report
    http://www.torontosun.com/comment/editorial/2011/04/11/17954471.html

  4. Rob says:

    “My God! We’re wearing the exact same outfit!”

  5. Robin says:

    “Pull my finger.” “No, you, sir, pull my finger!”

  6. Dr.J says:

    So a politican lied…well tell me one who doesn’t big guy, a 100% honest politican now that would be a real story. However, you gotta give the red meat to the folks here so please continue with the chatter about those lying bastards!! Let me say what the Liberals talking points will be no matter what happens tonight…….Iggy wins!!!! Now, this is the “game changer” for the Liberals!!

  7. Mike says:

    Turner: Pull my finger.
    Mulroney: No, YOU pull MY finger.

  8. The other George says:

    Well, at one time Preston Manning wanted to convert Stornoway to a hotel. Seeing how Steven Harper is cut from the same cloth as ol’ Presto, it is no surprise then, that turning 24 Sussex into a whore house is completely in keeping with Steven Harper’s vision of Canada.

  9. Cat says:

    Caption – “Hey! I recognize that suit – Blue Suit Week at Woolco right?”

    Where’s your column WK? It’s actually not too bad at all.

  10. eattv says:

    It would be interesting if Ig started off with an admission that the Liberals deserved their last few years’ time wandering in the desert. He could say that they’ve used the time to renew, listen to people, and get rid of the problems that got them booted out in the first place. Then he could frame the argument as being about a party that got rid of its corruption and is ready to ethically govern the country versus a party that power has completely corrupted in a shockingly short time. To me, that would be unassailable.

    • Cat says:

      yes, they listened to everyone but their base and membership. You’d first have to convince those people, who I’m not sure aren’t still smarting from that promise of electing their next leader and rebuilding the party. What’s been done on those two fronts?

      • smelter rat says:

        Geez Cat, since we’re asking pointed questions, how’s that elected Senate doing?

        • Namesake says:

          it’s on a waiting list, along with abolishing the gun registry…. and crime. And disease. And death. And taxes.

          But not war. No, not war, because then the new Chief of Staff and all the CPC’s other military industrial benefactors — and benefitees — wouldn’t be able to profit from the inappropriate (for us) and inappropriately procured F-35s.

        • JS Rothwell says:

          Or who funded Harper’s Allince Leadership bid. Inquiring minds want to know Cat.

        • Cat says:

          about as well as that Liberal base.

          • smelter rat says:

            So even though Harper has spent the last 5 years ruling as though he had a majority he couldn’t find time to reform the Senate? Must have been all those prorogation’s that got in his way.

    • Intrep says:

      Those would be great items to lay out, if they were factual. The truth is we have not had our time in the wilderness, we have not fixed the divisions within the Party, and we have not figured out that we need more than just a warm body to lead us. I’m hoping for a CPC majority so we are forced to enter a period of reflection and renewal such as you have laid out. I don’t think we’ll ever do it on our own without voters forcing us.

  11. Lance says:

    ….”if most of the minutes that make up a debate are dominated by the other guy’s campaign themes, you’re going to lose. Period.”

    You mean ALL the other guys’, right? It is not as if it is not going to be a pile on like it was every other time. Not that it shouldn’t when they’re facing the front runner, but that is just the way it is.

  12. Be_rad says:

    Caption: Pull my finger. No, you pull my finger.

  13. Elisa says:

    The one where the Government used a report from years ago,by the Auditor General. after 911 and the money Chretien spent on security..passed well….only the Conservatives have been using the results to bolster their G8 G20..and the AG did not like it and rebuked it.

  14. kyliep says:

    Is it possible that discussion of the AG report, which likely dominate at least some of the debate tonight, could actually help the Conservatives? It seems there’s a solid 35% of voters who are going to vote Conservative, regardless of the lies, misspending, and lawbreaking, and this is one of the few national opportunities for Ignatieff to put forward his case to undecideds and centre-left voters. If the discussion is dominated by opposition leaders denouncing Harper, is there enough oxygen left for the articulation of a viable alternative?

  15. Michael Behiels says:

    Yes, Warren, your advice about debates in which every nano second is worth it’s weight on gold is bang on!

    My concern is that Mr. Ignatieff is too much of a gentleman to take on a political mobster like Harper.

    For Harper politics is never about the truth, it is first and last about the message. The end always justifies the means so misrepresentation of the truth and outright lies are all part of the game. And, Harper can tell boldface lies without as much as a mild blush because he has so much experience in doing so.

    There will be no knockout either way. But the CP War Room and it’s heavily finance electoral machine will crush all opposition thanks to their renewed attacks on Ignatieff ‘the foreigner.’

    Harper’s contempt of Parliament and his growing scandals – we are entitled to our entitlements according to Baird and Clement – have made a great many voters cynical and angry. Many have been turned off politics and will stay home. A low turn out helps the Harper gang.

  16. James Bow says:

    CAPTION: Mulroney: “Pull my finger!” Turner: “No, you pull my finger!”

  17. James says:

    Libs, don’t get all lathered up about transitory, flash-in-the pan, laboured news stories. Voters want to hear about policy and which party provides the best direction for the country; this is an election, not a high school popularity contest. They’ve become inured to pseudo-scandals because it’s all just base politics – they’ve seen and heard it all before. Listening to Mark Holland and the assorted “rat pack” on television hammering away at the Conservatives about things that don’t matter to voters won’t enhance Liberal fortunes. The Conservatives have been focussing on broader themes in this campaign; the Liberals have so far only come up with a warmed over version of the 1993 “Red Book” called the “Liberal Family Pack”. (Who actually reads these “Red Books” anyway?!).

    There is still no Liberal breakthrough in the polls. What’s there to be excited about?? I find such a disconnect between what I’m reading on this blog and what’s going on “out there”.

    As for the debates, if voters see an effort on part of the “coalition leaders” to merely gang and beat up on Harper, this will actually help Harper.

    • JS Rothwell says:

      Someone’s getting a pay bonus from Reformatory HQ! Maybe an autographed picture of Doug Finley!

      • James says:

        Ha! Why is it that when the truth hurts, the Libs just shoot the messenger???

        There has yet to be any breakthrough for the Liberals so far in this campaign; this is why they’re placing so much hope and stock in the debates in the next two days.

        Lately, there has been renewed concern about Iggy’s absence from the country for over thirty years. This is a valid issue. Imagine if Obama were away from the U.S. for that long? He would most definitely not be president.

  18. Emily says:

    caption; the Day the Music Died … thereafter it was only Irish Eyes … and brown envelopes

  19. MontrealElite says:

    Mulroney: “No John, I am not the worst SOB you’ve ever met. You wait a few years and see!”

  20. Pete says:

    It doesn’t seem like this AG report is the issue that you thought it was yesterday.

  21. kat says:

    I just turned you into floor wax

  22. Ted says:

    That photo is actually a historic Canadian moment but one that is usually not remembered correctly. Because of spin and old age, most forget how the exchange really went down. So for the benefit of all, here is the original transcript:

    Turner: Mr. Mulroney, I told you I was going to wear a blue suit, white shirt, with red and white striped tie. You knew I was going to wear a blue suit, white shirt, with red and white striped tie. The Liberal leader always wears a blue suit, white shirt, with red and white striped tie. And yet, here you are, copying me with your own blue suit, white shirt, with red and white striped tie. Just like your policies. This is not the kind of leadership Canadians want.

    Mulroney: You had an option, sir. You could have said, ‘I am not going to do it. This is wrong for Canada, and I am not going to ask Canadians to pay the price.’ You had an option, sir — to say ‘no’ — and you chose to say ‘yes’ to the old attitudes and the old stories of the Liberal Party. That sir, if I may say respectfully, that is not good enough for Canadians.

    Turner: I had no option.

    Mulroney: Sir, that is an avowal of failure. A confession of non-leadership. You had an option, sir. You could have done better.

    Turner: But I look good in a blue suit, white shirt, with red and white striped tie. It shows off my silvery hair better.

    Broadbent (off camera): I’m not wearing a blue suit. Ordinary Canadians don’t wear blue suits. Hello? Over here. Hello?

  23. JS Rothwell says:

    Too bad Zaccardelli isnt still in charge of the RCMP eh Tulk? Maybe he could help you out.

  24. JS Rothwell says:

    Or that you are completely wrong as per usual.

  25. wannabeapiper says:

    Caption-Rock, Paper Scissors….” I had dynamite first. No I did…No I did…No I did…No Idid…No I did……………”

  26. Namesake says:

    you “read” that, or you “blue” that?

    ‘Cuz the only ones I’ve seen playing games with withholding &/or leaking draft reports & pre-budget releases to the media or lobbying companies as suits their convenience are: CPC staffers.

    More rumour-mongering (and btw, the Libs have a full, er, Slate, now… w. the possible exception of the one they tried to turf; but then, the CPC are only running 307, as well, given the lack of official CPC running against the independent Conservative Bill Casey)

    • Jason Hickman says:

      Quibble/Point: As I understand it, the independent that the CPC isn’t running against is Andre Arthur in Quebec; Bill Casey retired & resigned in ’09. And at least as of yesterday afternoon, 308.com was saying that the LPC guy you’re talking about in Quebec was still on the ballot.

      • Namesake says:

        ok, I stand corrected, re: which independent conservative the CPC wasn’t running against, thank you;

        but my point against the indelible Tulkster was, pace his rumour-mongering the other day, the LPC and CPC are running an identical no. of candidates in this election, as it turns out.

  27. james curran says:

    Gord, I hardly think anyone in the Con party should be touting the word criminal these days. Hookers in 24 Sussex? Seriously? You sure you want to die on that hill?

  28. Philip says:

    “The failures of conservativism are always moral failures.”
    Rudyard Kipling
    I was dropping that one all last week while door knocking for my Lib candidate. There is a real sense out there that this government is bankrupt, both morally and ethically. That resonates. I have seen the polling numbers but I have also pounded some pavement lately and Harper is in trouble. The stolen $50,000,000 for Tony Clement is bad news for the Conservative Party. Now I can ask committed Conservtive voters why they choose to reward moral failure with their vote.

  29. Curt says:

    When you point a finger at a person remember, ther are three pointing back at you!

  30. MikeM says:

    Gord said: “The partisan bureaucrat behind this leak is a criminal.”

    So what does that make the Conservatives?

    “The Conservatives, however, released a second draft to The Globe, dated in February, in which the Auditor-General was still sharply critical, but dropped the reference to breaking the law.”

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/the-g8-legacy-millions-mismanaged-parliament-misled/article1981130/

    • Philip says:

      Gord “AstroTurf” Tulk doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Like facts, fair play or hypocrisy. He has only one channel in his universe, Fox News. Whenever things go badly he just turns up the volume and drowns out the world around him. In other words an archetypical con-bot troll. Mike, don’t bother to waste bandwidth on introducing Gord to actual facts, there is simply no point.

  31. james curran says:

    How could you even dare to bring up the RMN/Kennedy debate? The was a debate between the beautiful, gorgeous JFK vs. the homely looking RMN with a voice only a mother could love.

    Kinda like tonight when Canadians finally look at how much weight Harper has put on since the 2008 election from all his pork barrelling. Someone otta caution him against using that old “trimming the fat” line.

  32. Patrick Hamilton says:

    Caption: “Drinks afterwards at Winstons?……You’re on!”

  33. smelter rat says:

    Ms. Fraser won’t have to look far to begin her investigation of where the leaks came from…paging Mr. Baird, paging Mr. Baird…

  34. Troy says:

    “You suck more than me!”

    “No, you suck more than me!”

    Seriously I really miss the pointing. This PC/BS of clenched fist pseudo-pointing is a refined form of hypocrisy.

  35. Michael, you nailed it. Great message. All of us who want to sink Harper and his party should spend less time ranting to the choir, like I am right at this second, and more time convincing people, especially young people, to get out and vote and in my books, vote strategically. Tell them about advance polls. No line ups and quick service.

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