Hudak PC calls families “ridiculous”

First they disrupt a speech by a statesman like Bill Davis – and then they call families “ridiculous.”

Quote:

“TORONTO – The Dalton McGuinty government is promising a Family Caregiver Leave that would allow Ontarians to take up to eight weeks off work to care for a sick or injured family member…

Tory MPP Jim Wilson said the premier provided scant details about his election-style promise…Wilson said: “It’s a ridiculous announcement if you ask me.”

“Ridiculous.”

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think that families, and families caring for family members, is “ridiculous.”

Does Tim Hudak also consider families “ridiculous”?  And, while we’re at it, will he apologize to Bill Davis for sending our three of his candidates with HQ-prepared signage to disrupt a non-partisan event?


Hudak PC candidates disrupt Bill Davis speech

Check this out. I would not have believed it had I not seen the photograph with my own eyes.

It is a picture of three Hudak minions, to the left – all of them sad-sack Hudak candidates, Pam Hundal (Brampton-Springdale), Sanjeev Maingi (Bramalea-Gore-Malton), Amarjeet Gill (Mississauga-Brampton South) – actually disrupting a speech by former Ontario Premier Bill Davis, to the right and onstage.  They’re holding a sign that says “don’t let them fool you,” and it includes Tim Hudak and Ontario PC hash tags.

In Brampton, no less.

Davis was there to talk about health care and leadership at the local level. I don’t know (yet) how he reacted to this stunt.  But I can say that protesting us is fine. But disrupting a speech by their former leader? Seriously?

What a disgrace Tim Hudak is.  What a total buffoon. First he plunges a drawerful of silverware in John Tory’s back, and now he’s sending out candidates to disrespect one of his party’s true remaining statesmen.

Unbelievable.


In today’s Sun: ch-ch-ch-changes

The political truism is that “change” is good. Except when change isn’t the kind of change voters want, in which case change is bad. Got that?

It’s not an idle question. There are, or have been, a bunch of federal, provincial and territorial election campaigns taking place this year. In each one, the concept of “change” has or will be a factor.

The reason why you hear about change so much during election years is simple: It’s a simple, inoffensive way of saying “throw the bums out” — we want a new direction, new faces, new energy. It’s a powerful message, too.

Brian Mulroney rode “change” to a massive victory over the tired old Grits in 1984. Jean Chretien rode “change” to a massive victory over tired old Tories in 1993. Stephen Harper’s win in 2006 wasn’t massive, but it had everything to do with change. Barack Obama was arguably the most successful “change” campaign ever — he crushed Republicans across the U.S. People wanted change, people voted for it.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty also greatly benefited from change in 2003, when his campaign slogan was “Choose Change.”


Leader of Hudak front group has a past

Check this out:

…the only thing I’ve ever seen on Tristan Emmanuel’s name is his comment to The Globe and Mail in 2005 when he was asked:

Asked if Emmanuel — it means “God with us” — is his birth name, he replies: “That’s an area I don’t want to get into.”

How very interesting. Comments/tips gratefully accepted on Hudak’s man, please and thank you.


GritChik on Hudak the So-Con

GritChik this morning, who I want to quote word-for-word:

“I’ve been posting all summer about Hudak’s record on abortion. (He’s pro-life and has pledged to defund abortions on a petition he first denied signing, then finally ‘fessed up to it). All summer this issue has dogged him but he stupidly refused to answer any questions from the media and now sees his party sliding in the polls, in part, because of it.

On Saturday I posted about a new pro-Conservative group that boasts Tristan Emmanuel as one of its creators. Emmanuel is a far-right evangelical preacher who is vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage and homosexuality.

To wit:

In a 2005 interview with the Hamilton Spectator, Emmanuel described homosexuality as “a choice,” said that he regarded it as “the wrong choice, a bad choice,” and further argued that “the state shouldn’t sanction wrong choices.”

And:

[Emmanuel] has described homosexuals as sexual deviants.

Where am I going with this? Well, Tim Hudak’s abortion quotes, helpfully captured by the Canadian Life Coalition, also highlighted this:

Tim Hudak believes that it’s “government’s role” to ensure the success of the “traditional family.” Tristan Emmanuel, the anti-gay activist, is one of the leaders of a group whose sole purpose is to elect Tim Hudak premier of Ontario.

Hudak should be judged by the company he keeps. Elect Hudak and you’ve also given people like Emmanuel a seat at the table.”


When he stops telling lies about us, we’ll stop telling the truth about him

Recent attack ads against Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak seem to have found their target, with Dalton McGuinty’s governing Liberals closing the gap between the two provincial parties, a new Nanos Research poll shows…

The negative ads launched by both the Conservatives and the Liberals have narrowed the race but it is too early to predict longer-term trends, pollster Nik Nanos cautioned.

The Liberal surge is explained by the proximity of their attack-ad campaign, Mr. Nanos said.

Mr. McGuinty…fought back last month by launching his own negative campaigning initiative, unveiling ads that said Mr. Hudak treated voters like “dolts” and “chumps.”

Support for the Liberals rose from 34 per cent in May to 37.6 per cent in the latest Nanos poll, conducted last week for the Globe and Mail and CTV.


Nanos on Ontario race

CTV / Nanos poll, broadcast on CTV Toronto @ 6pm:

PC – 42.1
OLP – 37.6
NDP – 16.2

1000 voters, Aug 10-12th

What’s it mean?

It means we Ontario Liberals have to work even harder, to earn the support of working Ontario families.

And we will!


In today’s Sun: he hasn’t done as horrible a job as I expected

(EDITOR’S WARNING: If you are a federal Conservative, this column may make you faint. You are advised to immediately locate the smelling salts and lay down on the couch before proceeding any further.)

Yes, folks, it’s true: I am about to say something nice about Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. Me, the resident Bolshevik at Sun Media. Me, the guy who never met a Conservative he didn’t like.

Here goes: Over the past few days, in which economic turmoil has left quite a few of us feeling exceedingly nervous, Jim Flaherty has been doing a not-bad job. A good job, even.

There, I said it.