03.28.2011 02:52 PM

Is this for real?

If so, it would certainly explain the abundance of pro-Harper comments now showing up on my site – simultaneously, and saying suspiciously-similar stuff.

50 Comments

  1. Tim Lemieux says:

    Damn! I’ve been doing it for free all this time. I feel like a chump.

    • Warren says:

      And isn’t that comment interesting.

      It exactly mirrors a Conservative poster over on Twitter, using a different name, just a couple minutes ago.

      What a fascinating coincidence, Tim. Where do you work, by the way?

  2. M-J says:

    Maybe you could use Craigslist to hire a, what do they call them?, fact checker. No post by that title appears on Toronto craigslist.

  3. Al in Cranbrook says:

    First I’ve ever heard of this…and I won’t be applying.

    For the record, and FWIW.

  4. I said it before, this is going to be a really ugly election. This is just day three. Next we’ll be hearing that it was someone from the other side who did it to set the Conservatives up.

  5. David_M says:

    Ideally you can find or MAKE UP facts and statistic!

    Split a gut reading that one. Thanks W.

  6. Pcase says:

    Zing….!

    A different type of “Action Plan”.

  7. Dan says:

    I hope you are just feigning shock.
    At the end of the day does it really matter?
    I (like I think most Canadians) put more stock into the opinion of someone to adheres to journalistic standards rather than “anonymus @2:12am said:”

    • Warren says:

      You’d be amazed.

      • Dan says:

        Death by a thousand virtual papercuts?

        While I agree that third-party endorsements can be powerful I see them as having a lesser effect than television ads. They rev up your base, and hope to sway leaning voters, but lack the emotional and visual effects that a television ad would have.

  8. Warren says:

    I don’t know if it is a hoax or not, which is why I asked if it was for real. I presume (and would hope) a serious journo or two is trying to track down the source(s).

  9. Harith says:

    Oh the right-wingers (both everyday people and folks paid to do so) have been flooding comment sections for ages, they’re just ramping up their efforts whenever something big happens.

    And for the legit path, people sign up at tory nation dot ca.

  10. I’d expect these same ads to be popping up for the LPC and NDP all afternoon now. It is an obvious fake, and it would take the ignorance of a Toronto Star reporter to actually report on a fake ad on Craigslist.

    • Warren says:

      Why is it obvious? Do you have proof?

    • MississaugaLibPeter says:

      I agree with WK, where is the proof it was fake.

      Nothing to do with Harper surprises me any more. Today’s beauty: the supposed economist who couldn’t see the recession in his face in October 2008, is already making promises for the next election.

  11. fritz says:

    My guess it’s a prank; a good one but none the less still a prank.
    Right wingers dominate every media blog already so why would you need to pay them?
    But if they did pay I wonder if it would claimed as a national or local campaign expense.

  12. Chris says:

    Nice – “The Incredible Tulk” comes through with a very subtle variant of “the liberals did it first”!

    You deserve a raise, Gordie!

    • JStanton says:

      If that is even his name. I picture a 20 year old geek-with-a-grudge who dreams of getting into “Police Foundations” at community college, typing away furiously in his mom’s basement, all sweaty palms and personal hygiene issues – kind of of like a younger Ezra Levant, only not as hideous.

      .

  13. Nastyboy says:

    Who would waste money on doing that? Blogs and message boards are echo chambers for political junkies and policy wonks who already have firmly entrenched partisan opinions. Not enough people read them to swing opinion.

    • Nastyboy says:

      Let me amend that last sentence. Not enough undecided people read them to swing opinion.

    • The Doctor says:

      I totally agree with your second and third sentence.

      I think a lot of posters to comment boards have a rather inflated and deluded view of the significance and impact of what they do. I’ve even read some of them claiming that they’re heroically speaking “Truth to Power”. Yeah, whatever, buddy.

    • Namesake says:

      but it’s not just for blogs, but for newspaper & other types of media (e.g. CBC, CTV, Macleans), who get hundreds of thousands of readers, if not millions, collectively.

    • Sean says:

      Exactly.

    • Riley Robertson says:

      If it gets in the mainstream news it becomes an issue and feeds into the “Harper has a secret agenda… and thinks you’re stupid” meme. If people get a sense that Harper’s a phony and has been trying to trick little old ladies into voting for him, they’ll turn on him like a pack of hyenas. If, incredibly, it turns out to be legit, it should be in the next days batch of ads, along with Harper calling an audience of Sikhs “You people” — classic Ross Perot moment.

  14. Wayne says:

    Parody is lost on some of you apparently.

    Get a grip, folks.

  15. Brian says:

    I smell Kouvalis.

  16. Ash says:

    That’s really funny. And I thought Craig list stopped advertising for “Escort/Hocker” services
    Ooops. Forgot that some escort worked for a lobyyist/advisor in the PMO office !

  17. Art Williams says:

    You have to wonder if this is “above board” or if someone is planning on breaking the Elections Act. Exactly who is responsible for this?

  18. Raymond says:

    Naah.
    I’m thinking many of us visit simply because you’re an interesting fella’.

  19. Harper is totally kewl. He should be Canada’s PM for life. He is a comtemptorary leader for the modern time. He is Canada’s Movementarian guru. He is Canada’s next Rick Mercer. We should worship Him as our living god. He’s got a Mr. Universe bod. He’s got early Bieber hair. He is against the collision of the two Pacific plates near Japan. He definitely does not like collisions in Canada.

    Vote for Harper. He is Canada’s Montgomery Burns. He’s full of integrity. He’ll eat three-eyed fish if he visits your family (husband-wife-children version only).

  20. dave says:

    Well, the wussy losers in the House of Commons gave the in & out scheme a bad name, so if there is extra cash around, a war room has got to put it somewhere.

  21. Windsurfer says:

    Warren, I want to put Gord T. on ignore.

    Do you have that button? Only trouble is that your volume here is going to drop off by about 75%.

  22. Candace says:

    Well, either my last comment was lost in the ether or it was deleted. Anyway, I come over for conversation for free, and have been for quite a few years.

  23. MississaugaLibPeter says:

    If a job posting appears on Craigslist, do the Conservatives count as a new job, or as an unreported job?

  24. burlivespipe says:

    It’s part of the CON election spending spree; with all that money at their disposal they’ve hired bloggers to purposely divert and h-jack the discourse on the internet. Nothing to report to elections canada, so its all fair. The idea that through white noise Harper can drown out real debate and real facts is nothing new, and we’ll see how it works.

  25. you says:

    May be out of topic but I think people forget Japan disaster now and only focus to win election solely:
    but need to do not forget hazardous can spread all country soon

    japan solution to store or reduce waste radioactive water from thier nuclear plan

    may be realistic way just get out of japan as soon as possible and live as immigrant in other country

    or tell their expert to creat new machine that able to do:
    to vapor the water and make sure water vapor but radioactive stay in filter

    store in new water tanker and discard in ocean

    store nuclear waste and send to air space or barry in new plant like moon

    carry to carry in other country like Africa or etc..

    or if not or if they can not do any above

    tell japanees just get out of their country as soon as possible

    we have land in Canada and we can bring at least
    30 million of Japaneese live in Canada

    bring japenese who are rich educated and believe god

    and sent the rest to russia or US or other europen country

    this is not safe place to live in Japan

    http://hive.slate.com/hive/averting-meltdowns/article/how-to-fix-the-nuclear-crisis-in-japan

    http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&biw=1362&bih=505&rlz=1R2ADSA_enCA398&tbs=nws:1&q=japan+nuclear+water+radioactive+nuclear++waste&aq=&aqi=&aql=&oq=&fp=86051305ee5d19e

    http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&biw=1362&bih=505&rlz=1R2ADSA_enCA398&tbs=nws:1&q=japan+nuclear+water+radioactive+waste&aq=&aqi=&aql=&oq=&fp=86051305ee5d19e

  26. Namesake says:

    BigCityLib’s noticed the Conbot ad is running again:

    “Writers Needed To Post Right-Wing Comments (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Halifax)”

    http://calgary.en.craigslist.ca/wri/2291978638.html

    http://bigcitylib.blogspot.com/2011/03/trolls-r-us-part-ii.html

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