First time I have seen an analyst analyze it right.  There’s Ford-ism, and anti-Fordism.

“In politics, sweet are the uses of adversaries.

Worse things could have happened to the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty than the election — and brash taking of office this week — of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

Unfolding before the eyes of the city — and province — will be a case study in the politics of certainty, simplicity and culture war.

There will, naturally, be much giddiness among Ford fans over trouncing the vilified “elites” and taking city hall. Vengeance is ours, sayeth the suburbs and the generally ticked-off.

But such indulgent and unlovely emotion tends to be short lived. Reality eventually bites. Soon enough, the less rabid of Fordians — the swing sorts the premier will presently be wooing — might come to see the limits of slogans, ostentatious frugality, polarization.”

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My daughter intensely dislikes this tune, but I still think it’s catchy.  What thinkest thou, armchair music critics?

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“The vast majority of Ontarians would agree that attacking somebody’s family is across the line.”

“Look, we need a new kind of politics, a better kind of politics, a politics that relies not on spite and spin but on civility and common purpose. That’s what’s demanded of us.”

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This is being handed out at the Leg as I type this.  Among other things, it represents a huge, huge strategic error by the Hudak Hillbillies – it shows that, despite all their braying and screeching about accountability, they have voted against rules to get tougher on lobbyists and consultants. They voted against all that. (The NDP voted for it.)

We’re going to tattoo this one on Timmy’s forehead, now.  It’s a huge fumble.  And it’s amazing, frankly.

***

For Immediate Release

Hudak’s Conservatives Vote Against Tougher Rules

for Lobbyists and Consultants

(Queen’s Park) – Tim Hudak and the Ontario Conservatives put the interests of their high-priced Conservative lobbyist friends over taxpayers today, voting against a ban on taxpayer dollars being used to hire lobbyists to ask for more government money.

“Tim Hudak has a lot of antics, but his actions speak louder.  He’s putting the interest of high-priced Conservative lobbyists ahead of taxpayers.  That’s the Conservative way,” said Liberal MPP Dwight Duncan.

The Conservatives have tried to block accountability and transparency at every turn.  Conservatives opposed:

• • Banning taxpayer funded  lobbyists: they voted against stopping taxpayer  dollars from being wasted on lobbyists asking for more taxpayer  dollars
  • Increasing transparency and  accountability: they voted against requiring  expenses to be posted online for Ministers, their staff, and the executives  at public agencies like hospitals, hydro companies, and local health  integration networks
  • Banning partisan  advertising: they wasted $250 million of  taxpayer money on partisan self-promotion, and voted against legislation to  stop it
  • Independent auditing of the books  before an election: after hiding a $5.6 Billion  deficit from Ontarians, they voted against requiring the Auditor to sign off  on the books before an election

Conservatives have a long record of trying to reward their friends and then trying to hide it.  In 1999, the Harris-Hudak Conservatives removed agencies like Hydro One from freedom of information requirements, and then funnelled millions of taxpayer dollars through untendered contracts to Conservative insiders like Tom Long, Leslie Noble and Jamie Watt.

“Tim Hudak just doesn’t get it.  He should be standing up for hard-working families instead of protecting his friends at the trough,” said Duncan.

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“In Ontario and British Columbia – the two provinces that implemented a harmonized sales tax (HST) this year – the two premiers have not fully recovered. McGuinty is slightly down from his November 2009 numbers, and Campbell – who announced his retirement as premier before this survey was conducted – is now posting better numbers than the all-time low of nine per cent he experienced in October.

Jean Charest heads to 2011 as the lowest-rated provincial head of government in the country, dropping 11 points in a year marked by political infighting and allegations of corruption. His disapproval rating of 67 per cent is the second highest in Canada, just below the departing Campbell (73%).”

What’s it mean? Well, after the HST and other tough decisions, it means I’m pretty surprised – and pleased. “Down slightly” from a year ago is pretty darn good, frankly, given our economic circumstances.

McGuinty [full disclosure: whose caucus I’ve given comms advice], like Chretien, is an asset. And we got a third majority term with Chretien, too, as I recall.

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Canada (left) poses with the United States for official diplomatic portrait.

I was amused by this story from the New York Times last night.  It fronted their web edition – which is significant, because I can’t remember the last time Canada figured near the front of any section in the Times.

This was my favourite part:

“In early 2008, American diplomats stationed in Ottawa turned on their television sets and were aghast: there was an “onslaught” of Canadian shows depicting “nefarious American officials carrying out equally nefarious deeds in Canada,” from planning to bomb Quebec to stealing Canadian water supplies.”

You can debate the merits (and we will), but what I found simultaneously hilarious and terrifying was that the our largest trading partner and ally learns about us by…watching television programs.

Television! The mind boggles.  On the upside, however, this means that my three sons have a fruitful career in the diplomatic service ahead of them.

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I always said the federal campaign would come before the Ontario one (that’s my fervent hope, too).

So, is this the thing that’ll trigger it?

Who knows.  I thought Justin Bieber would never catch on, so what do I know.

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Your by-election roundup, showing total unanimity by the punditocracy:

• Hebert: A Conservative majority is imminent, the Liberals and the NDP are screwed.
• Macdonald: The Liberals did way better than expected, the Conservatives are fine, the NDP is screwed.
• Yaffe: The Conservatives should be happy, the Liberals should be nervous, the NDP is screwed.
• Simpson: Don’t read too much into any of this stuff, but the NDP are screwed.
• Ivison: The Liberals had a good day, the Conservatives had a better day, the NDP are screwed.
• The Star: Nothing to see here, move on.  But, incidentally, the NDP are screwed.
• The Free Press: The Conservatives and Liberals shouldn’t claim victory, the candidates should.  The NDP is screwed.
• The Herald: The Conservatives should be happy, but sort-of shouldn’t be.  The NDP are screwed.
• The Chronicle Herald: The Liberals and Conservatives shouldn’t claim credit!  The NDP is screwed.
• The Globe: We’re not sure what it means.  We’re not even sure if the NDP is screwed.

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…yep.

Marky Ramone played this one on his Punk Rock Blitzkrieg show on XM tonight.  Said it was as punk as anything that came in 1976 and after.  True enough.

I love how crazed they look at the end. That’s punk.

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My former Calgary Herald colleague, Don Martin, has left the National Post – and, I presume, the Herald – to become the new host of Power Play.

That’s good news for CTV, but not so great for Postmedia.  The Post’s John Ivison is a gifted writer with an acerbic wit, but – last time I checked – John was one person.  He can’t cover the entire Hill, as a columnist, all on his own.  I think Postmedia will need to sign up someone else for North of the Queensway columnar duties, but what do I know.

In any event, big congrats to Don.  I miss sparring with Powers on CTV’s news channel, but he’ll be Prime Minister of Newfoundland in a few weeks’ time, so that’s that.

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