In today’s Sun: Remembering Keith Davey

— 01.23.2011 07:50 AM

“Aug. 4, 1984. That was the first time I can recall seeing Sen. Keith Davey up close. It was one of those hot, humid Ottawa Valley afternoons and, among other things, the Liberal Party of Canada was in a freefall, the campaign manager had quit, and things were rapidly going from bad to worse.

We – the majority government, the natural governing party – were going down the toilet. So Davey, ever the Grit optimist, agreed to step up. To try to save the unsaveable.

I, and a few dozen other Liberal national campaign staff, had gathered in a boardroom in our national headquarters in downtown Ottawa. We huddled there among the heat and the fax machines (such was modern campaign technology in 1984) and we waited.

Davey bounded into the room, well-attired, well-groomed and exuding energy. “I am a Liberal!” he said to us. “I was a Pierre Trudeau Liberal and now I’m a John Turner Liberal! And we are going to win this thing!”


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The Emb Timbes

— 01.22.2011 07:58 PM

[It’s snowing as the youngest and the eldest and I step outside.]

Me: Wow! Look at all the snow!

Youngest: It’s the abobalybse, Daddy!

Me: It’s the what?

Youngest: The abobalybse!

Eldest: [Peals of laughter.]

Me: Buddy, it’s called the apocalypse.

Youngest: I can’t say abobalybse.

Eldest: [More laughter.]

Me: I think abobalybse is way better, anyway.


Comments (9)

When I post this one, you know I mean it (updated)

— 01.22.2011 12:37 PM

About this.

Five points.

One, everyone knows CATSA suck.

Two, CATSA in Ottawa particularly suck. They’re jerks.

Three, I have read that story from top to bottom three times. I didn’t see the news.

Four, the story has the faintest odour of one newspaper chain going after people at another newspaper chain. I’ve experienced it personally, recently. And with the same paper.

Five, yes, this is Warren speaking.

UPDATE: Ninety minutes after this post went up, a Citizen writer sent me an email saying how what what I’d written was, quote unquote, “deeply resented.”  He then – out of the blue – went on to tell me a great deal about the pleadings in my divorce action, and about things that have happened, therein, which have never been made public.  He then concludes his missive by noting that – so far – his newspaper hasn’t published anything about my personal life.  He could have added the word “yet,” but he didn’t need to.  The message was clear.

Boy oh boy: I put up a tiny post questioning the media/bureaucratic treatment of a man who has been no fan of mine (to say the least), and the media organization in question sends me a note containing a not-so-subtle threat.  Wow.

I’m still processing all of this, but one thing’s for sure: I’m not someone who takes to intimidation very well.  You’d think some folks would know that by now, but apparently they don’t.

Stay tuned.

UPDATED: And the rave reviews about the Shitizen’s reportage keep pouring in, here and here.


Comments (32)

Spot on

— 01.21.2011 03:02 PM

I am just back from Sen. Davey’s funeral – also attended by hundreds of political giants, from David Peterson to David Dingwall to John Laschinger to Jerry Grafstein – and I can now finally post the Liberal ads.

I’m biased, because I am always a big fan of my friend Bob Richardson’s stuff.  But here’s why I think they work:

  • They’re factual
  • They aren’t ad hominem
  • They’re visual

Why are those things important?  Because the Reformatory ads contained factual errors (eg. their big false claim about the G7).  Because the Reformatory ads are all about attacking a person, instead of an idea.  And because the Grit spots have creative and compelling visuals, and TV is all about pictures.

The Conservative buy is apparently $2m, but I haven’t seen much evidence of it yet.  But, in the long run, the buy doesn’t matter as much as the content.  I run a firm called Daisy – that much I know.


Comments (74)