04.19.2018 03:29 PM

It was ineffective, sure

But did it have to be political self-plagiarism, too?


21 Comments

  1. Pierre D. says:

    She’s not wrong, but then neither are you.
    Where I do disagree is this is going to “11”, in the parlance of our times.
    There is so, so much more that can harm Doug. His adding to the Sunshine List under his brother’s rule, his attacks on sufferers of Autism, his lack of plan, the wonky platform that is his plan (i.e. a $15 min wage gives more than the tax reduction), his painting himself in the owner on the pot issue, seeing he is is alleged to have done so in the past.

    I mean, Wynne should go, but Ford is an empty carnival barker and loud-mouthed populist. Calling him out when he attacks you isn’t wrong, it’s essential and especially when tied to the truth refuting his statements.

    • Warren says:

      Comparing an opponent to Trump is like comparing an opponent to Hitler. It’s stupid.

      Also stupid: accusing a number of opponents of being like Trump/Hitler. That’s stupid and desperate.

    • Matt says:

      “(i.e. a $15 min wage gives more than the tax reduction)”

      Um, not if a minimum wage earner has their hours slashed, or worse, loses their job due to their employers having to reduce labor costs.

      Several reports from the likes of the Bank of Canada, TD Bank and the Ontario Financial Accountability Office say a $15 minimum wage could cost 50,000 to 90,000 jobs.

      Funny the left wing Centre for Policy Alternatives report that made the claim a $15 minimum wage is more beneficial to minimum wage earners than a zero percent provincial income tax (a report Wynne is using to attack Ford) made no mention of those estimated jod losses.

  2. Matt says:

    Was just going to post this in the other thread about the Ontario Liberal tweet.

    Lorrie Goldstein tweeted this story link earlier today as a reminder about the Liberals trying to paint Brown as Trump last October.

    Seems they’re just replacing the name Brown with name Ford in their campaign plans to paint any OPC leader as a Trump clone.

    Wonder if they would have done the same had Elliott won. I’m guessing yes because it seems to be all they got.

  3. Peter says:

    It looks like the Premier is trying to play twelve-dimensional chess. For all his faults, not even the PM is so reckless.

    Looking at the Harper era, Brexit, several European elections, 900 Dem losses during the Obama years and, of course, the day Trump won and the world stopped spinning, I am starting to think the port side of the political spectrum needs some mass therapy. It doesn’t seem to matter how many electoral disappointments they suffer or what the polls show, the response is always the same: “racists, angry old white guys, stupid people, Trump, Hitler”, etc., etc., all in shrill, panicked Chicken Little voices. It’s not like you can’t win–Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania and Doug Jones in Alabama showed how to do it and won two solid GOP seats. It really isn’t that hard. Just stop being so contemptuous of people who don’t agree with you and telling yourselves you sing with the angels.

    • Gord says:

      Seems to me that if you decide to write off and demonize whole segments of the population because you think they won’t vote for you, it kind of becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

    • doconnor says:

      Doug Jones won in Alabama because the Republican candidate was so horrible, a modest number of them did vote for him.

      We’ve become more and more shrill because the right keeps getting more and more racist, angry, stupid and Fascist. I don’t know how you can’t see it.

      • Fred from BC says:

        “We’ve become more and more shrill because the right keeps getting more and more racist, angry, stupid and Fascist. I don’t know how you can’t see it.”

        I just saw a perfect validation of our argument.

      • Peter says:

        Really, doconnor? That’s how you would describe half of the Ontario electorate? Sixty-three million American voters?

      • Pedant says:

        They probably can’t see it because it’s a figment of your imagination.

        Btw the most fascist, bigoted leader of a political party in the Western world today is the far-left UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

      • Ronald O'Dowd says:

        Warren,

        Negative attributes know no political stripe. It’s all about the individual and what that person deliberately chooses to put out in life. It’s that simple.

        • Fred from BC says:

          Warren knows that. Doconnor doesn’t.

          Screaming, “Racist! Bigot!Homophobe!!” at your political opponents WILL NOT suddenly cause them to change their views and see things your way. It won’t get them to vote your way, or even shame them into not voting. No…what it WILL do is anger and insult them to the point where many of them may vote for someone like Donald Trump just to teach you a lesson.Want to change peoples minds? TALK to them…don’t yell insults at them.

          People who have faith in the democratic political system know that one man (or woman) voted into office can’t destroy society or ruin the entire country despite the hysteria and hyperbole put forth by those with differing views.

  4. Sean says:

    I accuse Wynne of imitating Paul Martin’s desperate campaign of 2006. Soldiers in the streets. We did not make this up.

    • Fred from BC says:

      That was a good one, yes. My favorite Mr. Dithers moment, though, was when he was at a press conference (or a debate?) and suddenly blurted out that he was going to “eliminate the notwithstanding clause”…and a couple of his people *visibly flinched* in response. They clearly had NO IDEA that he was going to drop that particular bomb. None. It was pretty hilarious.

    • Pedant says:

      Well you could argue that the Martin/Herle gambit partially paid off. The Harper Tories won only a very slim minority in 2006, not even 20 seats above the Liberals.

      • Miles Lunn says:

        Fair point and the Liberals actually finished ahead in Ontario that election (40% vs. 35% and 54 seats vs. 40 seats), but Martin’s approval rating was still in the upper 30s when he lost while Wynne’s is around only 20%. The only recent politician I can think of with an approval rating as bad as Wynne is Greg Selinger and he lost quite badly. Of the recent defeats, Stephen Harper, Christy Clark, Jim Prentice, Pauline Maraois, Darrell Dexter, David Alward, Shawn Graham, and Paul Davis all had much better approval ratings than Wynne yet still lost. True in the case of Christy Clark she did technically win in terms of getting more seats but her approval rating was around 35% not 20%.

  5. Matt says:

    Meanwhile, the privatization deal Wynne made for Hydro One keeps getting worse and worse for taxpayers:

    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-hydro-one-board-increases-price-tag-for-ontario-government/

    • doconnor says:

      Why are Conservatives suddenly concerned about they pay of CEOs of for profit businesses? It’s just the “free market”. I’m sure if they where in power they would have sold off 100% of Hydro One by now.

      • billg says:

        Maybe, but, we didn’t.
        Not putting it past a Conservative government to spend a billion dollars moving a gas plant in order to win 2 seats but, we didn’t.
        We may have supported spending 45 billion over the next 25 years to save voters 29 billion now on they’re hydro rates to win an election, but, we didn’t.
        The last few years of Stephen Harper’s government dismayed me, they grew to be a tired, mean spirited group, cynical and with little to no vision, it was obvious a fresh face and some energy is what the country needed. Its been 15 years of Liberals in Ontario, the only vision they have right now is to say and do anything that might win votes, borrow what ever they have to. Its over. Its the way healthy Democracy’s work. And I’m sure in 10 years we’ll all want Premier Ford gone as well. Regardless of which party is voted in, Canadians go about their daily lives, help each other when we can, and, generally make this a great country to live in. Quit being afraid of change.

        • doconnor says:

          There are an infinite number of ways to change, but most are worse or nonsensical.

          I’m an NDP partisan so I have no problem with change, but I’ve spent a lot if time recently defending the Liberals from Conservative attacks because they have been so hypocritical about it.

      • Miles Lunn says:

        Actually Hydro One has divided both parties. Mike Harris is on record saying it should have been sold off entirely. Ernie Eves says selling it was a bad idea although he seemed to be open to selling a minority stake, but not majority. With the Liberals, Dwight Duncan also like Harris called for it to be completely sold off while certainly other past Liberals have condemned the idea.

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