10.18.2015 10:20 AM

KCCCC Day 77: look who is in the Sun!

  

  • Packing up the cabin, so I don’t have much time. Will try and post later. 
  • But in the meantime, I agree with this:  “To his credit, Trudeau accepted Gagnier’s resignation, and has condemned what his former confidant did. But reporters keep peppering Trudeau about who knew what, and when they knew it. Until now, Trudeau has enjoyed a pretty decent reputation for integrity. He’s not perfect, but he looks better than Stephen Harper and Tom Mulcair. Trudeau has also turned out to be a solid candidate — and way more ready than all those slick ads would have you believe. But Dan Gagnier has changed all that. And we — the voters — are entitled to know who knew what, and when they knew it.”
  • Check out who wrote it: Right here!

44 Comments

  1. Matt says:

    Uh, yeah you’d better agree with it, or that would be a rather awkward car ride home.

    And Trudeau would have done better to fire him rather than first defending him, claiming it was just CPC dirty tactics, then distancing the Liberals from him and waiting for him to resign.

  2. cassandra says:

    Lisa’s writing is clear, concise, informative and to the point. Thanks for posting

  3. Vancouverois says:

    To his credit, Trudeau accepted Gagnier’s resignation, and has condemned what his former confidant did.

    I don’t see how it’s to his credit: self-preservation demanded it. How could he have done anything else?

  4. Chris says:

    With a shiny new last name and everything!

    I don’t think that there is enough here to put much of a dent in things.

    The news breaking on the same day as Bautista’s homer helped.

    The Harper-Ford connection provided noise for the weekend.

    Tomorrow will be a hell of a day.

  5. DougM says:

    It will be interesting to see if Gagnier has any effect on Monday. It may have been too late in the campaign. As much as we’re all sick of the election by now, analysis of certain ridings after the fact could be interesting from the perspective of how things did or did not affect the outcome.

    But I do have to say Trudeau’s reputation for integrity was simply because of the kid gloves handling by the media. Particularly where it came to “open nominations”. Sure we here all know about how “open” they actually were, but what about the general population? The non-political junkie crowd?

  6. JH says:

    That’s a pretty fair summation of what most non-partisan folks would be thinking.
    I also have another question that maybe you both/either/or, could comment on. Am I being naive to think that Robert Fife and CTV really stepped over the journalistic line with an interview of a leader’s wife the day before a federal election? I mean, it’s obvious Fife and Oliver hate Harper, and that’s ok as commentators I supposed, but was this interview just a little much for CTV to be party to?
    Or maybe I’m just old-fashioned and this is now the new journalism?

    • Jack D says:

      I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of spouses being a focus of media attention.

      This is both he fault of the media and parties. I would much prefer that husbands/wives remain non-factors. I understand that it allows the public to see a relatable and endearing side to politicians but its heavily tinted in American style of politics where families are sold as a part of the political package. Its unnecessary and a bit superficial.

      All parties are guilty of this. Mulcair constantly name drops his wife into his speeches; Conservatives parade Laureen Harper like an object of family values; and Liberals allow Trudeau’s wife to do these sorts of interviews.

      I think if we do insist on doing it this way, then spouses should be discussed on the basis of their own merits and not as extensions of their partners. It’s also meant as a way to preserve the integrity of private life for these politicians. They should be allowed to function with relevant freedom and not under such scrutiny akin to celebrities.

      With regards to any bias for a certain party by CTV personalities –everyone has inherent bias; the best journalists are able to hide it. If you suspect that some people hate Harper, I can assure you, there are plenty of other journalists who have a pretty big hard-on for Liberals as well.

      • Jack D says:

        I should also add though, that interview with Mrs. Trudeau was probably one of the best Canadian interviews I’ve seen in a long long time.

        I never knew she was so intelligent and articulate.

    • KBab says:

      Hey, this is merely the unregulated News market at work. Trudeau’s wife has more marketability at present.

  7. MississaugaPeter says:

    Methinks it is too late to affect Trudeau significantly outside Quebec. If it had been discovered prior to last debate, the Libs and NDP positions may be reversed. As a result, I expect 35% CONS, 33% Libs, 24% NDP.

  8. Bluegreenblogger says:

    Big difference between ‘lobbying’ the Government, and ‘lobbying’ the third placed party. Does it become ‘lobbying’ every time a politician formulates policy? Because you cannot make policy without talking to those people most affected, and taking their interests into account could always be misconstrued. I don’t really care about Gagnier, although it is quite distasteful to see him counting his consulting fees on the campaign bus. But to draw a parallel between illegal lobbying and a stupid gaffe is a bit much. The one is distasteful, the other is illegal.

  9. Greyapple says:

    Yup, the Gagnier affair is a blow to the Trudeau campaign, no doubt about it. He should have spent the last few days closing the deal with voters, but instead he’s had to answer or deflect from this mess. We’ll see tomorrow how bad it effected the campaign, but I suspect this may have cost him any hope of a majority. To my mind, more damaging than any call back to Liberal scandals of years past, was how Trudeau looked and sounded when responding to the matter. He didn’t seem an avatar of change and reform then, he looked and sounded like….any other run of the mill politician. That alone is severely damaging to the Justin Trudeau brand.

    • Jack D says:

      Do I sense sour grapes coming for a New Democrat?

      Look, try as he might, Mulcair won’t be able to dent the credibility of Trudeau on the back of this issue. You have to realize that after an abundance of attack ads belittling Justin Trudeau as being incompetent, one cannot paint Trudeau as a Machiavellian character over night. It took months and months of the Duffy affair to middle away at the perceived integrity of Harper. With all the revelations of contradictions and backroom politics that were constantly being concealed, it finally boiled over into a full blown scandal. But even that took a lot of attention by the opposition and the media.

      This Gagnier issue is effectively over; the media is now looking for answers on issues regarding a possible Liberal government and what that would mean for a potential parliament (coalition, cooperation, minority, etc.). The only one fixated with this matter is Thomas Mulcair and just like the TPP, its going to do absolutely nothing to mitigate the crash of orange.

      If there were any repercussions for the Liberals it was being knocked off message. But now that the focus has shifted, the NDP is sounding like a broken record. If we’re talking about change, then its curious that the party that is still claiming to be the agent of change is focusing its entire narrative on the state of politics back in 2005. These are sequential strategic errors that the NDP are committing and are failing to realize so.

      Mulcair got lucky with a good hand this week, but as is typical, he’s over played it and is starting to sound like a parody of Harper.

      • Greyapple says:

        Nope, non-partisan, voted for all three in my time. I’m not overly impressed by Trudeau, but I’m not opposed to a Liberal government.

        However, this issue did get traction, Trudeau spent the better part of the last few days deflecting questions on it from reporters, and Liberal partisans (such as yourself), have been going into overdrive to downplay it. A sure sign that, beneath the bluster, you know its a problem.

        Having your campaign co-chair resign in the crucial last days of a campaign for ethically questionable behaviour that echoes the past scandals of the party (to say nothing of the botched way they handled it), is a monkey-wrench in the gears of an otherwise impressive campaign. There’s no two ways about it. Had this broken two weeks ago, I’d probably join you in dismissing its impact, but in the last few days, when they needed it least…..not something you want fresh in the voters’ minds.

        Will it derail the campaign entirely? Probably not. I think there’s strong enough desire to oust Harper that many voters will hold their nose and vote Liberal strategically, in spite of their questionable ethics. But this has given both of Trudeau’s opponents much needed ammunition, and I think it could sway votes in Quebec, downtown Toronto, or Vancouver, i.e. areas where the sponsorship scandal and environmentalism are hot topics. Mulcair has had a lot more bounce in his step in the last few days than he has in the last few weeks.

        Will the damage from this be enough to make a difference seat-wise? We’ll know tomorrow night. But I think you are letting your partisanship cloud your judgement.

        P.S. I recall much more instant damage and outrage from the Duffy affair towards Harper, though perhaps I’m misremembering

        • Ridiculosity says:

          Gross over-generalization. The Liberals don’t have questionable ethics.

          One volunteer did. And he’s gone.

          Next….

  10. RogerX says:

    No…. Justin is #golden now and this Gagnier affair will slide off him like off teflon, he’s immune now.
    Those who decided to vote for Justin are emotionally besotted with him, and now he can do no wrong.
    Try as they may, the Cons and Dips are flailing in futility because they botched their cozy campaigns and hiding behind voices.
    Justin stood up and out, facing Canadians in all his media ads, and his message to crowds was filled with hope and hate of Harper.
    Only in the last week of the campaign did Mulcair and Harper expose their old and ugly faces in their desperate final ads.
    Canadians, rightly or wrongly, are willing to give Justin “a chance” to prove himself as PM of all of Canada.
    Remember, the collective age of the voting masses is between a 10 – 12 y.o. mentality, and easily emotionally motivated.
    Justin is now a celebrity, a political rock star, a visage that is embedded in the voters subconscious mindlets…. he’s okay.
    The final issue in this election campaign is “it’s time for a change”, and Justin has sold Canadians on the idea that change is good.
    30

  11. PJ says:

    Past indiscretions of the Harper govt seemed to not affect the electorate in any way come election time. Its unfortunate timing for M. Trudeau, but given the past history of the Cons indiscretions and their effect on elections, I suspect the electorate will give M. Trudeau a pass on this too….

  12. Jack D says:

    Mulcair is a total desperate-dick for trying to milk this Gagnier story. It’s over; no ones talking about it and it was dealt with immediately. Yet this power hungry, hypocrite is hammering away at Justin Trudeau’s credibility standing in the middle of a thinning crowd of supporters holding “Stop Harper” signs.

    Thomas Mulcair would have been a much better Conservatives than a Dipper because no ones buying his anti-Harper, loveable socialist grandpa act. I truly can’t wait for the NDP’s vote to collapse on Monday so we can stop hearing the self-righteaous, sanctimonious, holier-then-thou garbage these Dippers insist on spewing.

    That said, something is happening on the ground right now that we’re starting to sense a momentum thats not just in polling numbers, but might end up translating in incredible vote efficiency for the Liberals. I can say confidently that since the start of the campaigning (pre and post writ drop), I haven’t sensed such a palpable support for Trudeau and the Liberals like we’re seeing now.

    I don’t know about majority, but we could end up seeing a healthy minority for the Liberals.

  13. KBab says:

    Wow. Speaking of integrity, this– http://www.theglobeandmail.com//news/politics/harper-has-lost-the-moral-authority-to-govern-says-former-pmo-lawyer/article26864767/?cmpid=rss1&click=sf_globe

    And there are many more like him. Conservatives with integrity. Hats of to Benjamin Perrin.

    If the Kool-Aid tastes funny, spit it out.

  14. littlemissbliss says:

    why oh why did his name have to be gagnier.
    we’ve had ten years of duffys wallins and carsons and now i feel like I have to lay boards down on the sidewalk on my way to the polling booth to avoid squishing all the corrupt advertising consulting and marketing rats that are slowly slinking back to cut up the liberal cash… shit piss merde … The old boss etc etc

  15. Kevin says:

    Yeah, well…. Kind of convenient for this to happen when it did, huh? Accepted his resignation because we’re all about integrity and his actions were unacceptable…

    I am a born and bred Liberal (Grandma and Ma raised me right!!) but the timing is just too convenient to believe. Let’s check in a year about how much of a pension there is (shades of conservative payouts).

    Listen, Liberals: you’ve got me forever, unless you jerk my chain.

  16. Austin So says:

    Well written, but…

    The fact of the matter is that no one can predict whether a person is genuinely motivated to a movement or are secretly laying seeds for their own opportunism.

    It is a shame that this guy made it all the way to the campaign bus, but who really would have known? I’m sure a sense of disbelief followed by betrayal came over JT et al.

    But at least this came out now, and that this cockroach Gagnier got punted.

  17. JonT says:

    T’was the night before Voting when all through the Nation;
    Stephen was searching for more votes in deep desperation!
    Thomas was waiting, so meek and so mild,
    While Justin was shouting and going wild!

    The pollsters were nestled each snug in their bed;
    Dreading voting results and to see who’s dead!
    Then Election Canada forbid further campaigning;
    And all were wondering who’s gonna be winning!

    Now fly to the Earth where Canadians live;
    Announce the glad tidings and to forgive!

  18. Tim White says:

    Meet the new Boss, same as the old boss,

    The Psych Furs wrote this song,

    You have to have a party
    When you’re in a state like this
    You can really move it all
    You have to vote and change

    You have to get right out of it
    Like out of all this mess
    You’ll say yeah to anything
    If you believe all this but

    Don’t cry, don’t do anything
    No lies, back in the government
    No tears, party time is here again
    President gas is up for president

    Line up, put your kisses down
    Say yeah, say yes again
    Stand up, there’s a head count
    President gas on everything but roller skates

    It’s sick the price of medicine
    Stand up, we’ll put you on your feet again
    Open up your eyes just to check that your asleep again
    President gas is president gas again

    He comes in from the left sometimes, he comes in from the right
    It’s so heavily advertised that he wants you and I
    It’s a real cowboy set, electric company
    Every day is happy days it’s hell without the sin, but

    Don’t cry, don’t do anything
    No lies, back in the government
    No tears, party time is here again
    President gas is up for president

    Line up, put your kisses down
    Say yeah, say yes again
    Stand up, there’s a head count
    President gas on everything but roller skates

    It’s sick the price of medicine
    Stand up, we’ll put you on your feet again
    Open up your eyes just to check that your asleep again
    President gas is president gas again

    President gas
    Oh, president gas
    President gas

  19. Karl Littler says:

    The issue didn’t have staying power. Starting to feel like a majority win for the Liberals.

  20. Kelly says:

    Ekos now has Liberals pulling away…

    Make sure you get the hell out there and vote tomorrow, though. The cons ground game is still strong. That being said, I live in Winnipeg South and in the last two days my neighbourhood has turned into a sea of red Terry Duguid signs after nearby polls went 60% con last election. And seniors have swung to the Liberals now, too. Thanks Hazel.

    But progressives need to finish the job tomorrow. Remember you are entitled to time off with pay to go vote. If you have an asshat boss who tries to tell you you can’t remind him he could go to jail for prohibiting you from voting.

    • fan590 says:

      Good advice about your bosses not being able to stop you from voting.

      Globe and Mail and National Post employees take note.

    • The Doctor says:

      CBC, CTV and Globe websites all seem to be preparing us for the Liberal Coronation.

      On a related note, it will be interesting to see if Justin actually follows through on his promise to fully legalize marijuana, or instead does a Chretien-GST Special on that one.

  21. fan590 says:

    I was the only person here a few months ago who said Justin was being underestimated and Angry Tom was really Sleepy Tom and wouldn’t attract voters if they had time to get to know him better.

    The PM needed to get very warm and kind and promise hope to grow….because he finally met someone who could perform like a rock star.

    Justin-David Lee-Trudeau-Roth, 2015/1984, some of us knew it and knew that he wouldn’t let up when the prize was for the lead job on the big stage. After all, this dude wants his Dad to look down with pride.

Leave a Reply to JH Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.