— Musings —12.05.2018 09:03 AM
Canadian politics, in a single tweet. You’re welcome.
— Musings —12.05.2018 09:03 AM
The chips seem stacked in Trudeaus favour.
I’m still a bit fascinated by Bernier’s desire to pander to the worst and split the Con vote. How is this better for him than to wait out Scheer’s ouster and then run again? He truly must be a megalomaniac, because there is no valid strategy here. I guess he truly is racist too.
Also, whenever I read the comment section under news or opinion pieces (esp in the National Post), there is an absolute blind eye on the right to the cratering of the NDP. These people are convinced Trudeau is so awful that he’s toast next year and that Scheer is a shoe-in. They’ll be in for a world of disappointment. The collapsing NDP doesn’t factor in at all for them.
Did you see the oath Bernier is making everyone who wants to be a member, candidate, or work in a riding association for his party?
You have to swear you’ll never criticize him and that you acknowledge Bernier’s policies are the party’s policies and you will never attempt to challange or change them.
Opposition to open borders is racist now? Are you racist for controlling and limiting who can enter your home?
If you only complaining when Muslims are asking to come in, then yes, it is racist.
“f you only complaining when Muslims are asking to come in, then yes, it is racist.”
Which no one is doing. Try to keep up.
Bernier is a very minor threat to the CPC — his party is no Reform or Canadian Alliance.
CPC strategists can continue to sleep relatively soundly where Max is concerned.
He MIGHT help the CPC.
Bernier attracts the Rebel, Faith Goldy types away from the CPC and they COULD become less scary to blue Liberals and undecides unhappy with Trudeau.
Matt,
I think what counts more is shrewd strategy: think back to 2006 and Harper’s brilliant move to go into the campaign with one-issue per day. That focused on the message and took the spotlight off the leader.
Harper was keenly aware that a lot of voters were at best mostly undecided about him personally, so he compensated for that in a highly tactical way.
I would contend that Scheer is more of a positive blank-slate than Harper was, which gives him more of a favourability rating now than Harper had at the outset of the 2006 campaign.
You’re assuming that the Rebel/Goldy types are just going to walk away from the CPC in favour of Bernier.
Their existence depends on their ability to latch themselves on the centre-right as an appendage and they have no incentive to abandon the mainstream status of the CPC in favour of Bernier’s fringe.
If they are the fringe of the Conservative party, they can’t be the fringe of the fringe with Bernier.
The only way Rebel/Goldy characters leave the CPC fold is if the CPC finally figures out a way to force them out without pissing of a good chunk of their base.
The Rebel and Goldy types were pretty unanimous in their praise for Bernier when he left the CPC.
What would you have advised Scheer to do regarding Ford’s French services cuts?
He was between a rock and a hard place. The cuts were being heavily criticized in Quebec
He most likely can’t win without some significant seat gains in Quebec. He doesn’ have the NDP and Bloc splitting the left vote like Harper did.
I would’ve gone bananas on it. He could pick up seats with this in Quebec – and lose none anywhere else.
That’s what Muldoon would’ve done.
I don’t know. Remember how P-E-T was despised by many in Quebec by the end of his last term, if not before. And yet, Quebec is pretty solid behind Justin, the native-federalist-son.
Trudeau has to play this properly in Quebec. Otherwise, it could create an opening for the CPC and Scheer but the game-changer depends more on what the PM does, or fails to do, than on any action or inaction by Scheer.
I think Scheer has a golden opportunity to depict himself as a “different kind of conservative” (a la David Cameron in the UK) by criticizing some of the more controversial moves of provincial conservatives (eg cutting French language services) as well as denouncing the Bernier / PPC types and making it clear that those elements have no place in the CPC and if they want to join the PPC – good riddance to them.
I just don’t see the PPC as Reform redux. Let’s not forget that in its first election Reform won a measly 2% of the vote and no seats, while the PCs won another healthy majority. I foresee a similar outcome for Bernier’s vanity project – I’m not even sure he wins his own riding at this point.
He shouldn’t have played so buddy-buddy with Ford, because it’s obvoius he would do something controversial sooner-or-later.
doconnor,
Ford looked more ready for the big chair than he actually was. His natural inclination and gut instincts are more towards excessively radical policy than should normally be the case during an initial mandate.
The more he takes Mulroney’s wise counsel, the better off his government will be going into the next election.
Blunt-instrument-politics rarely are the solution to obtaining a second term, especially in Canada.
Except it wasn’t a cut. The university would never have been built given Ontario’s crippled finances and stagnant post secondary enrollment. The commissioner had only been in place for ten years and average only one inquiry per day. Ford’s only mistake was not burying the announcement among a package of significant cuts.
Bo-Blandy, Fat Bastard-Ford, & Jason ‘the misogynist’ Kenny
are all working at cross-purposes to the Federal Government of CANADA long term planning for Carbon Based Taxation.
Collectively, they are idiots, and lack the requisite education to even remotely understand planning at the federal level.
Mad Max has much greater potential than everyone gives him credit for. I suspect that he will fair much better than Bo-Blandy will when all is said and done.
RW
Fat shaming is not cool, Robert.
I was referencing his Net Worth and not body morphology but I respect your perspective, so I’ll behave accordingly.
RW
Is bland necessarily a bad quality in the era of Trump and other celebrity politicians? The Conservatives might be able to play bland as an asset (i.e. working instead of chasing photo ops and appearances with celebrities, foreign travel with actual agendas instead of stylists and wardrobe,)
In the ongoing Trump-like Ford government
https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/12/04/integrity-watchdog-urged-to-probe-taverners-appointment-as-opp-commissioner.html
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/12/05/close-adviser-to-premier-doug-ford-had-real-estate-deal-with-future-opp-commissioner-ron-taverner.html?
fbclid=IwAR0pakKUsXUGrfN5krQqIaW7tyMVIjMwtIVd4vIXKTXBZMZm2-yQsyG5n4M
https://www.thestar.com/politics/political-opinion/2018/12/05/doug-ford-crosses-the-thin-blue-line-of-police-independence.html?
fbclid=IwAR02iyr8FNN4jeOgp2ustL5w2_xAN2ham5wvpjL1Cm3rE50abpxssURUfWo
Another one – I don’t think Doug Ford understands about conflict of interest or the fact that he should recuse himself. He is very Donald – Trump like.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2018/12/05/provinces-chief-accountant-quit-after-refusing-to-sign-off-on-fedelis-15-billion-deficit-figure.html?fbclid=IwAR0OmuKK6JdAaOtNSTHh8GW64xza7mK1z8zbMLombwnc6rJd_yu8N9H_Pao