08.31.2012 04:58 PM

On Stockwell Day on Trudeau and Obama

Truly, this was a pleasure to read. Didn’t know he had it in him. Hope he keeps at it.

Can’t believe I wrote that, can you?

34 Comments

  1. Philippe says:

    Good article, but what the hell is it with the right-wingers harping about a biased media that tilts left? The own the Post, the Sun – what exactly are they freikan talking about? They OWN the media these days and use it to propagate their message of anger and fear.

    • Reality.Bites says:

      What they don’t own, however, are the media that people read. The Post in particular spent years casting its right-wing “pearls” before indifferent swine.

  2. David_M says:

    I can tell you I was impressed with this article. Well written and honest.
    Where was that guy when he was leader?

  3. Iris Mclean says:

    He can write.

  4. Chris P says:

    Almost feel bad now for laughing at him on the jet ski …(not! still funny..)

    • frmr disgruntled Con now Happy Lib says:

      I remember leaping out of my chair, and rejoicing, because I knew with that idiotic move, our PC Party would live to fight another day(of course only to be sold down the river by Peter MacKay)
      Mr. Days biggest mistake was letting son Logan run things……had he had better advice, he might have made PM(Barney notwithstanding)
      Still, he was a capable minister, and I remember sending him an email and getting a very nice reply in return…..made me have a lot more respect for the man…….

  5. Tiger says:

    I can.

    One can certainly enjoy reading material from those diametrically opposed, politically.

    That’s why I read stuff and comment here, after all!

  6. GPAlta says:

    Two problems with the article.
    1) If most in the MSM are liberal, why do the Cons keep appointing them to the Senate and the cabinet?
    2) it is plainly untrue to even imply that Canada or the US have high taxes relative to other developed countries.

    • Phil says:

      As an enthusiastic young Canadian, currently striving to get out of poverty and reach a position of impact, I find myself taking a study break from the LSATs and reading this article. Your comments, GPAlta, I’m afraid to say, are fallacious. What that means is you have committed errors of logic on your post. While they are easy enough to make, from the perspective of someone who is quickly learning to examine arguments, these arguments are worthless.

      Here we go (and Warren…please back me up or let me know if I’m mixing this logic up…would deeply appreciate it come LSAT time :P)

      1. 1st statement, your conclusion is “Cons keep appointing (literally) most in the MSM to the Senate and the cabinet”. Your use of the term “them” literally means the most previous subject matter…which is “most in the MSM”. Given that most is defined as “more than %50”, you are thoroughly mistaken. That would mean hundreds, if not thousands, of journalists (over %50 of all in the mainstream media) have been appointed by the Conservatives to the Senate and the cabinet. There are not even enough positions available in these places for “most” of the MSM.

      2. The literal use of the word “them” aside, I believe that you meant to conclude “Cons keep appointing (select) MSM members to the Senate and the cabinet.” Your only evidence is “most in the MSM are liberal.” You are making an assumption that, if most of the MSM are liberal, the ones the Cons appoint to the Senate must be liberal as well. However, most ONLY means “over 50%” Thus, there are SOME (defined as “at least 1”) who are NOT liberal. This means that, even if over 50% of the MSM are liberal, there could still be SOME (at least 1) who are NOT liberal. In this case, there is a possibility that the Cons would select the SOME who are not liberal to fill S and C positions. You are fallaciously arguing/implying that, in the event MOST in the MSM are liberal, the Cons would HAVE to be appointing the LIBERAL MSM MEMBERS to the Senate and the cabinet, not the minority SOME. Mixing up sufficiency and necessity, and confusing ALL for MOST are logical flaws that render your first point illogical.

      3. “It is plaintly untrue to even imply that Canada or the US have high taxes relative to other developed countries.” This, GPAlta, is a conclusion. Your use of the word “plainly” is a term of emphasis in this case indicating the author’s opinion. An argument is comprised of evidence and a conclusion, with assumption bridging the gap between evidence and conclusion. Providing a conclusion with no evidence leaves a whirlwind of assumption behind. I won’t even begin to analyze your use of “to even imply”, as it is unnecessary to your argument (although it’s a commendable use of sensationalistic writing!)

      Based on my above evidence, I come to the conclusion that your arguments are illogical. As illogical arguments tend to be mostly useless, I would argue that your arguments are likely mostly useless. Please desist from repeating the aforementioned flaws of logic (and grammar).

      Most sincerely,

      A far-too-hyper-focused-on-logic law school applicant

      • GPAlta says:

        Hello Phil,
        I apologize for offending your delicate sensibilities with my little jokes.

        Please let me clarify. First, I read the article Warren has linked to; perhaps you didn’t?. Second, I pointed out two of my concerns, one was a joke and the other was a statement of fact. I regret that you did not understand them.

        Day “argued” that most of the MSM is liberal. I joked that several high profile Conservative members of the government were highly successful former members of the MSM (Wallin, Duffy, Kent) in a failed attempt to humorously draw attention to Day’s error. Let me clarify that there is a strong and proven Conservative bias in Canada’s MSM. http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/media-watch/2011/07/liberal-media-exposed – [in the last election 95% of major newspapers endorsed Harper, even though the popular vote showed far less than half of voting Canadians agreed with those endorsements http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election,_2011. The fact that the media supported the conservatives more than twice as much as the electorate did means that the media has a conservative bias, relative to the electorate.]

        Day implied that the US has high taxes by discussing Obama and then stating “His deficiency, in my view, is a similar lack of the understanding of the detrimental and eventual devastating effects of ongoing deficit spending, high debt and high taxes.” Incidentally, he also implied that Obama is responsible for the US deficit and he stated that Obama would be buying the US election using additional deficit spending “The emotional support of most in the media, along with the temporary stimulus effect of another round of QE, will sway most of the undecided voters in the United States by November and will give President Obama his victory.” The facts are that the US has one of the lowest tax rates in the developed world (as does Canada), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_rates , http://www.businesspundit.com/12-countries-with-the-highest-lowest-tax-rates/, and incidentally, that the factors driving the US deficit have nothing to do with Obama http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3516. Day’s implication about taxes is false. Day’s statement about US deficits is false. Day’s article is likely mostly useless.

        All the best with your studies and with your people skills

  7. Have you never watched Mr. Day on the P & P program on CBC?

  8. smelter rat says:

    The real issue is that the MSM is arguably pro-democracy, whereas the conservative right is not. That’s why they believe the MSM is liberal.

    • frmr disgruntled Con now Happy Lib says:

      AHAHAHAHAHA…….bow down to “Dear Leader” Les…..I hope your relatives wont mind being bought out by some huge agribusiness because they cant make it on the price they receive for their grain they produce sans Wheatboard…..
      But keep living in that fantasy world……

      and FYI, Im from the West…

    • smelter rat says:

      Les also undoubtedly believes that the CBC is a state broadcaster. Too much Sun News will do that to the mind.

      • Bill says:

        smelter, where does that 1 billion + dollars come from a year, not out of thin air my friend……CBC should have been killed along time ago, hopefully it will in time. If 30 million Canadains are paying for it, how is it not a state broadcaster?

        • smelter rat says:

          It is not a state broadcaster, because it is not an arm of the governing party. Jesus Christ, can you please learn to think for yourself, and quit believing contard talking points?

        • Bill says:

          You sure about that…..the CBC has modified it’s approach as the conservatives have governed, it’s a survival mechanism (budget survival). As soon as the liberals or NPD are governing they will return to a more extreme left leaning bias. If the state is paying…..it’s a state broadcaster, not being controlled by a particular party has nothing to do with it.

  9. Sean says:

    yes, the media often has a left wing tilt… you know, TOWARDS REALITY.

  10. Sean says:

    also, I don’t believe for a second that he actually wrote any of that.

  11. Attack! says:

    Day: “…by their own internal polling “vast” numbers of the mainstream media claim to be small-L liberal in their philosophical worldview.”

    The actual 2008 Pew poll of, er, US journo’s & their bosses he was citing:

    “As was the case in 2004, majorities of the national and local journalists surveyed describe themselves as political moderates; 53% of national journalists and 58% of local journalists say
    they are moderates. About a third of national journalists (32%), and 23% of local journalists, describe themselves as liberals. Relatively small minorities of national and local journalists call
    themselves conservatives (8% national, 14% local).”

    http://www.stateofthemedia.org/files/2011/01/Journalist-report-2008.pdf p. 18

    And although the word “vast” does occur 2 or 3 times in the report, it was about other matters.

  12. Riaz Khan says:

    Mr. Day has certainly grown from that disaster of an event. It shows that he can grow unlike many people who cannot look beyond their noses. I met with him many times and always found him pleasant. He and Mr. Prentice always impressed me. Even though we disagreed on many things, he was still a respectable guy- Mr. Day that is…..

  13. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Warren,

    It’s rather ironic that as someone who opposed with every fibre of my being the merger of the PCs with the Alliance, that I would have a soft spot for a much maligned former leader. Even while in the CPC, my view rarely coincided with that of Mr. Day but I have to tell you that Stock was one of the politicians in Ottawa I most admire. Why? The man is a straight-arrow and has personal integrity. It also doesn’t hurt that he also has the intestinal fortitude to stand up to prime ministers when the occasion demands it.

  14. Welby says:

    After his disaster as leader of the Reform party; once he became a cabinet minister, he always seemed to be professional (maybe due to being a cabinet minsiter in Alberta). I also enjoyed the article and his prognostications.

  15. Joe says:

    I’m about as much confused that Day writes for the CBC than Warren writing for The Sun.

  16. Lipman says:

    Good column by Day. But his comment on the preponderance of left wingers and dearth of right wingers in the mainstream media probably wouldn’t hold up in a litmus test.

    It all depends on a person’s definition of “conservative” and “left wing.” The majority of mainstream newspapers endorsed Mr. Day’s party, and most of the people commenting on the news and in papers (even the “moderates”) are probably right of centre.

  17. Charlie Smith says:

    My gut instinct tells me that Stockwell Day is possibly waiting in the wings to become the new right hope in B.C. to take on Adrian Dix and the NDP. I blogged about this a little while ago on the Georgia Straight site:

    http://www.straight.com/article-742926/vancouver/christy-clark-stockwell-day-and-northern-gateway-pipeline

    Since then, we’ve seen a flight of prominent Liberals out of the B.C. cabinet. Gordon Campbell’s former chief of staff, Martyn Brown (who came from the Reform BC wing of the party), wrote a book that condemned Christy Clark’s leadership.

    Charlie Smith
    Georgia Straight

  18. Dan says:

    You guys have lost your minds.

    He says a few nice things about Trudeau junior. Yay.

    But Conservatives are somehow less emotional in their worldview than anyone else?
    The mainstream media gives progressives a free pass?
    Progressives want to tax the working class? Conservatives can balance budgets?

    You guys are easily bought.

    • The Doctor says:

      I’m betting it’s number 2. Read the article again, it’s pretty obvious that’s what SD is saying. JT is formidable, charistmatic, intelligent — he has the Royal Jelly that people who have the genuine ability to go places in politics have. You might not like Stock, but Stock’s been around the block. Hey, that rhymes!

  19. Jim Hanna says:

    Well, I guess CBC had to do something to counter Sun News, I heard they have some lefty – liberal geriatric punk working for them…whats his name again?

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