• It’s Sunday, and a day of rest…sort of. Quickie bits on assorted NNW-influenced subjects below!
• It’s an election!  Time to write the obligatory ad and image “experts” story! I don’t know the other woman, but Bernie Gauthier is a smart cat. That said, I suspect Bernie is amused as I am by the regular-as-the-seasons predictability of some assignment editors, who get these types of “expert says” stories written up every damn campaign.  Newsflash from the back rooms, assignment editors:  no advertising people, with precious few exceptions, have ever done political advertising.  They know dick about political communications. So why call them experts on political ads?  Ditto most of the self-appointed image consultants: the best image, every smart campaign knows, is the one that is truthful – and the best “look” for a politician is the one that is truly them. Simple.
• Is Stephen Harper hated by the media? No more and no less than other Prime Ministers, I’d say: Trudeau was openly detested by many Gallery folks in the latter years; Clark, Campbell and Turner were ridiculed throughout their brief reigns; Mulroney was distinctly unloved in the second half; Chretien was called a “dictator” and worse; Martin was “Dithers” and so on.  The PM-Gallery relationship is a useful hate-hate relationship, in both directions: a leader’s core like it when he dismisses/disrespects his/her ink-stained detractors – and all writers write better when they have a villain.  Thus, as one of the bosses to both Bono et moi told me this week, the Toronto Sun would not have existed, and flourished, had it not been for Pierre Trudeau.  Both sides gave each other something to swing at.  It balances the universe.  Yin and yang, etc.
• How is our Invisible War going? As you may recall, a few weeks ago, our Prime Minister (a) declared war on Libya (b) started to help bomb Libya and (c) called an election in Canada.  Thus, this must-read column by my colleague Mercedes, who has forgotten more about the military than Harper will ever know.  We are indeed hypocrites, as she writes – and it is foolhardy to believe we will ever triumph in Libya (as in Iraq and Afghanistan). Never get involved in a land war in Asia, as Gen. McArthur once said; we shouldn’t have (but did) in Libya.
• Nanos Nick’s nightlies: Cons 39, Libs 31, Dippers in deep shit, here. Will the Cons win?  Seems likely.  Will they win a majority?  Seems highly unlikely.  Will Con, Lib and Dipper folks ask on May 3 why they didn’t resist the temptation to have an election? Seems inevitable!
• Caption contest!

“On top of old smo-key, I saw the latest elections polls!  And for my Diiiii-ppers, they are for the whom the bell tolls!”

 

 

Comments (42)

This being a country currently run by Conservatives, I figured I’d write this one for them. I’m a liberal, and a Liberal, but I thought I’d give it a shot. Here goes.

I define a liberal as someone who believes in protection of citizens by government. A conservative, on the other hand, is someone who wants citizens to be protected from government. Conservatives believe in liberty and in freedom.

They don’t believe those things come from governments. They believe those things are taken away by governments.

I have a slightly more benign view of government. But, since I wanted to write for a conservative audience, I looked around and I found some pretty good quotes. They were about what a conservative is and what freedom is, and they were words spoken by former prime minister John Diefenbaker.

Around my house, we held Dief in pretty high regard. When he died in 1979, in fact, I remember my dad crying — even though he was a Liberal like me. Here’s what the giant of Canadian conservatism said:

“Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong.”

Comments (43)

• Okay, fine, guilty as charged! It was beautiful enough to take your breath away, today, and I had a boy with me who wanted to play hockey and basketball, so KCCCC got sidelined.  It was hard to think about politics on a day like this.  So, accordingly, this edition won’t be just late – it will be positive and upbeat!  Uncharacteristically, I will be only say nice things!
• The NDP and the Tories have run great campaigns! So says Ipsos and Post Media! Well, I’ve been saying the Liberals have been running the best campaign, and others agree, so it would seem that everyone is running a great campaign!  Way to go, political people!  Wooot!
• Great hair, Lois! Reformatory MP has been rather critical of me in the past, but that’s okay! All is forgiven, Lois! And so what if you’ve spent a small fortune of taxpayer’s money to get your hair done, and that the results resemble the mane of Scar, from The Lion King? I’m sure that you consider it money well-spent, and that all of your constituents would eagerly contribute to other Lois-related causes, like therapy!
• Conrad says leave Bruce alone! And who are we to argue?  They’re very much alike! I mean, both fellows are arch-conservatives, both like to play with other peoples’ money, and both have served time in the Long Bar Hotel! I think it’s nice that Conrad is nice to Bruce, don’t you?  I mean, if convicted conservative criminals don’t stick together, who will?  God bless them both!
• The National Post is kind of mean to Michael Ignatieff! I know that is, like, a totally huge surprise, but it’s okay!  In 2000, when the aforementioned Conrad Black was super-mean to Jean Chretien (before Mr. Black became prisoner number 18330-424, that is), and used his newspaper chain to attack J.C. a lot, the Liberals ended up with more seats than they won in 1997!  So go ahead and be mean, National Post! It makes you feel better, and us Liberals, too!  Everyone wins!
• There is absolutely nothing negative about Max Bernier in the papers today! Isn’t that nice?  Here’s the official portrait of Max we will always remember:

Comments (19)

Bit of ee cummings, there. Spring has sprung in TeeDot.

I’ll do KCCCC later. Me and son have some basketball and road hockey to play.

Get outside!

Comments (15)

Harper claims he is all-Canadian, and Ignatieff isn’t.  Harper uses – and shamelessly copies – an American politician’s commercial to communicate how Canadian he is.  Font, music, creative approach, even the script.

I’m late to the party on this one, but Lopinski made me watch it.  Amazing – and not in a good way.

Comments (45)

…that, or he’s dropping acid and then scrumming:

Quote of the day from the federal election campaign trail (FedElxn-BuzzQuote)
Source: The Canadian Press
Apr 8, 2011 16:10

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Quote of the day from the federal election campaign trail Friday:

“They’re bouncing all over the place. They’re like needles on a gas tank that’s just about empty on a bumpy road in an old car.” –  NDP Leader Jack Layton on public-opinion polls.

INDEX: NATIONAL POLITICS

 

Comments (8)

Here.

We all know the reality, anyway.  The reality is that these guys are making it up as they go along, and are hoping no one will notice.

I guess we did.

Comments (28)

Rocco Rossi, a.k.a. Benedict Baldy, has been going door-to-door for his new federal party of choice, the Conservatives. The Con candidate in Eg-Lawrence is Joe Oliver. The Liberal incumbent is Joe Volpe.

When he gets to an Italian family’s door, he asks the older folks therein if they “will take a sign for [his] friend Joe.”

They say yes, thinking he means Joe Volpe, not Joe Oliver.

The next morning, a blue sign is on their lawn, and the family is upset by BB’s dishonesty. They are registering their unhappiness, big time.  Some with media.

Benedict Baldy: a man of integrity and honesty.

Not, as Bev Odious would say.

Comments (7)

…and another Reformatory campaign day gets blown to smithereens.

Perhaps they will order the RCMP to physically remove pesky journalists who ask questions about the latest Carson scandal.

Comments (41)

• The tale of the tape in Hamilton: The Liberal and Conservatives were in the Hammer last night for rallies.  Thus, journalists were wondering who would have the biggest and best crowd.  Here, then is an account from SFH’s manager, Hammer Dom, who was there to tell the tale:  “W, just back home – attended Iggy’s Town Hall here in Hamilton. Over a thousand people, they let anyone in, he answered 15+ questions from anyone with a hand up. Man of the people.  What a wonderful, charasmatic, intelligent and in-touch individual.  Harper’s rally, 300 people, and the bus load of McMaster students that were at Iggy’s show – we’ll, they were barred from Harpers an hour before.  Conservative shit-show.  Igg’s next PM – I promise you.”
• Is Hammer Dom right? Well, let’s pore through this morning’s entrails, shall we?  The Spectator, the Hammer’s paper of record, has this headline this morning:  IGNATIEFF DRAWS THREE TIMES THE CROWD THAT HARPER DID. Is that a big deal?  It sure is.  Federal Liberals have been dead in the water in the Hammer for almost seven years – principally due to what the Martin team did to Sheila Copps.  The party has had little on the ground there, in the interim, but they still pulled in 1,000 Hamiltonians last night.  Like, wow!
• What do the polls say, in Hamilton and elsewhere? As prognosticated in this space for the past nearly-two-weeks, (a) campaigns matter and (b) the Reformatories have indeed, as Dom says, been running a dismal campaign – while Ignatieff’s has been better than everyone expected.  Sayeth the soothsayers: “The Conservatives are clinging to a six-point lead on the Liberals nationally but the critical gap is closing in Ontario, a new poll shows…“It still looks like Mr. (Stephen) Harper will win a minority, but that is by no means a sure thing – particularly with these differences in Ontario,” said pollster Frank Graves. “What is quite clear is that a majority is really unlikely.”
• The Cons are trapped: As all know now, they were using the RCMP (illegally) to eject citizens. The RCMP has now admitted they made a mistake, and won’t do that anymore.  Now, the Cons are stuck: they can’t do much about protestors on their own – if they touch a person, it’s assault. Thus, they’re stuck with coverage of residents of the Hammer speaking up.  As happens in, you know, a democracy.
• What does that all mean for the good people of the Hammer? It means that, despite being the subject of all manner of Conservative blandishments and affection, Ontario is slowly turning its back on the Angry Man from Alberta.  And, as one of the smart Anderson brothers point out, the Cons need to “up their game” in Hamilton, Ontario and elsewhere – and particularly in the debates.  I have long felt Iggy will do very well in the debates – and that, seeing things thereafter slipping away, the Tories will unleash a barrage of attack ads unlike anything this country has ever seen.  It might work.  It has before (cf. “bomb the bridges,” circa 1988).
• TV talking head is heard from: How nice. Perhaps he could invite the Canada Israel Committee’s favourite white supremacist, too. He has before. What’s the Hamilton angle?  Um, er.
• Salutin in the Star!  On Iggy! I think Rick might be from Hamilton.   He was there once, at the very least.  Anyhow, so sayeth Rick:  “[Ignatieff] was an awful candidate, a gift to Stephen Harper like the second coming of Stéphane Dion. Now he looks comfortable in his own skin, and in Canada. I don’t think he’ll make voters wince, the way he used to…Harper…seems off his game. He keeps flubbing it, starting with his early campaign challenge to a one-on-one debate, which he suddenly retreated from when Ignatieff agreed. Wouldn’t Harper, the acclaimed chess master, have anticipated that move?”
• Pic of the day: Iggy is swallowed up by Grit logo in Hamilton!  Caption contest!

 

Comments (36)