Maybe the bully boyz are finally figuring out bullying isn't popular - at least the smart ones....
Tory attacks against NDP getting little media traction
- Thread starter mentalfloss
- Start date
Much cheaper to give a bank. Do you know how many you have to go through to get even an ounce of working grey matter?
Depending on what perspective you use to determine 'grey matter', one office in one branch would suffice.
If I want to know about water conditions, or small engine repair, I don't call the bank.
If I want to get a good idea of where to invest my money, I call a retired bank VP. She may need to be told to stay away from the Grizzly Bear and her cub, but her investment advice saved my portfolio during the economic crunch.
I'm still looking for the Thread on Mulcair's solution to this "Dutch Disease"....
Tom Mulcair is the NDP version of Liberal Stéphane Dion.
yawn, wake me when they find a leader that's will win an election..
Stéphane Dion
Tom Mulcair
What they needed to do is ask the NDP voters.. not run some private race..
Nathan Cullen for Leader of NDP.
Mark my words, with Thomas Mulcair running things, the NDP will lose seats.
Nathan Cullen
yawn, wake me when they find a leader that's will win an election..
Stéphane Dion
Tom Mulcair
What they needed to do is ask the NDP voters.. not run some private race..
Nathan Cullen for Leader of NDP.
Mark my words, with Thomas Mulcair running things, the NDP will lose seats.
Nathan Cullen
I really don't know much about Cullen. So, Boomer, can you fill us in on what you'd like about him as leader?
I seem to remember that he is more conciliatory, which can certainly be a good thing, at least in some circumstances.
I seem to remember that he is more conciliatory, which can certainly be a good thing, at least in some circumstances.
Mulcair is enjoying a well-deserved honeymoon.........he won the ticket, and he deserves a little joy. Especially considering the way the Conservatives have been behaving as of late.
But don't expect it to last.
Mulcair and the NDP are extremely vulnerable, and once Canadians get them under the microscope, I believe their support will fall like a train going over a cliff.
Examples:
I am pleased with Mulcair's economic moderation...........but the very constitution of the NDP declares it to be a socialist party, and the enemy of capitalism. That simply will not go down well.
I am pleased with Mulcair's support of Israel, if not the rest of his foreign/military policies.........but the rest of the NDP are NOT going to let him put that pro-Israel stamp on the party.....a very divisive issue.
NDP unfriendly to Israel | Columnists | Opinion | Toronto Sun
Mulcair (and the Party) are completely off the mark on the environment. It is fine to pay lip service to radical environmental concerns, but the minute your policies start costing Canadians significant amounts of money....bye-bye votes. Remember Dion???
Mulcair's dual citizenship will be a factor. Dual citizenship is fine for Canadians.....unless they intend to be PM. It is called "divided loyalties", and yes, Virginia......it will count.
The 50% + 1 position on Quebec separation is absolutely insane........and will leave the NDP twisting in the wind in the rest of Canada.
Mulcair's attack on the oil sands was also out to lunch. Remember the NEP???? He needs to attact votes in the ENTIRE country.
Which leads to the next problem....keeping the support of the Quebecois left and gaining support in the other provinces....Good Luck!
Meanwhile he will cement support for the Conservatives, and get out the vote for them among gun owners and anyone else with a shred of good sense with his promise to revive the gun registry.
Oh yeah.
Mulcair is gonna crash.
Wait and see.
But don't expect it to last.
Mulcair and the NDP are extremely vulnerable, and once Canadians get them under the microscope, I believe their support will fall like a train going over a cliff.
Examples:
I am pleased with Mulcair's economic moderation...........but the very constitution of the NDP declares it to be a socialist party, and the enemy of capitalism. That simply will not go down well.
I am pleased with Mulcair's support of Israel, if not the rest of his foreign/military policies.........but the rest of the NDP are NOT going to let him put that pro-Israel stamp on the party.....a very divisive issue.
NDP unfriendly to Israel | Columnists | Opinion | Toronto Sun
Mulcair (and the Party) are completely off the mark on the environment. It is fine to pay lip service to radical environmental concerns, but the minute your policies start costing Canadians significant amounts of money....bye-bye votes. Remember Dion???
Mulcair's dual citizenship will be a factor. Dual citizenship is fine for Canadians.....unless they intend to be PM. It is called "divided loyalties", and yes, Virginia......it will count.
The 50% + 1 position on Quebec separation is absolutely insane........and will leave the NDP twisting in the wind in the rest of Canada.
Mulcair's attack on the oil sands was also out to lunch. Remember the NEP???? He needs to attact votes in the ENTIRE country.
Which leads to the next problem....keeping the support of the Quebecois left and gaining support in the other provinces....Good Luck!
Meanwhile he will cement support for the Conservatives, and get out the vote for them among gun owners and anyone else with a shred of good sense with his promise to revive the gun registry.
Oh yeah.
Mulcair is gonna crash.
Wait and see.
Funny thing is ... you know they're worried when they run out of logic before they run out of Romper Room
Chris Selley: The Conservatives send in the clowns
The federal Conservatives’ dark-arts bureau recently unveiled its latest masterpiece: Mulcairsndp.ca. Featuring graphics vaguely reminiscent of a horror movie, the website ominously invites you to “get to know [Thomas] Mulcair’s NDP shadow cabinet.” On Monday, reporters tried to goad NDP house leader Nathan Cullen with the suggestion that this was precisely the sort of thing that torpedoed the prime ministerial aspirations of Michael Ignatieff (“he didn’t come back for you”) and Stéphane Dion (“not a leader”).
Mr. Cullen declined the opportunity to vent outrage and, unsurprisingly, professed not to be worried in the slightest that Mr. Mulcair might be the third victim. “We’re different [than the Liberals],” he responded, obliquely. Then he hit on a better answer: “The attacks are different.”
The attacks on the NDP shadow cabinet members are different — so different that they’re barely attacks at all. We learn things such as that Don Davies has been “happy to associate” with pro-immigration extremists No One Is Illegal; that Alexandre Boulerice and former interim leader Nycole Turmel (who is a socialist!) have supported the separatist left-wing party Québec Solidaire; that Charlie Angus and Nikki Ashton were against the long-gun registry before they were for it; that Matthew Kellaway “believes that digital recording devices such as iPods should be taxed”; that Mr. Cullen “strongly opposes the Conservative government’s plan to streamline the review process for major economic projects”; that Irene Mathyssen served in Bob Rae’s Ontario Cabinet; that Peggy Nash dislikes tax cuts and austerity measures; and that Peter Julian opposes free trade — and that, well, all these things are really bad.
They are all valid reasons not to vote NDP. But none of it exactly smacks you in the gob. Maybe the Tories thought they would dial back the attack and let the horrible, spine-tingling facts speak for themselves. But if large numbers of Canadians actually believe the New Democrats are tax-cutting, free-trading, gun-toting resource-extractors, and that their new Quebec MPs are Trudeauvian federalists, one must assume they aren’t very susceptible to political advertising.
This oddly damp squib from the much-feared Conservative war machine is a reminder of just how vulnerable the Tories could be to some competent opposition advertising — as opposed to the same old “guns in our streets” nonsense. Whether or not Stephen Harper harbours terrifying designs for Canada and its democracy, the endless struggle to convince Canadians that he does has manifestly failed. Arguably, treating the Conservatives as frightening squanders an opportunity to showcase just how ridiculously they are capable of behaving, and to invite people to laugh at it.
Imagine an ad stringing together a dozen absurdly overconfident statements from Conservative ministers about the excellence of the F-35 fighter jet, and the impossibility of cost overruns, and how anyone who doubted this was a troops-hater. It could end with clips of the Auditor-General’s press conference and the appropriate ministers’ humiliating climb-downs, with a sad trombone for musical accompaniment.
Or consider the ever-evolving Afghanistan pull-out. Back in the day, Mr. Harper scoffed at the idea of setting a firm date. His MPs called Mr. Layton “Taliban Jack” in the House of Commons. Sixteen months later, the Prime Minister promised we’d be out in 2011: “You have to put an end date on these things,” he said. Then it was out in 2014. Then it was a humanitarian mission, then it was a military training mission. Now, says Mr. Harper, “as we approach [2014], we will examine all options,” and if you disagree, like the New Democrats do, you’re a troops-hater.
Or consider the travails of Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page. The narrative in an ad could begin way back on Oct. 6, 2004, when Mr. Harper stood in the House and proclaimed the need for such an officer to “ensure that the government is genuinely accountable for taxpayers’ dollars.” Then to May 30, 2008, when MP Chris Warkentin stood to crow of Mr. Page’s appointment. Then to Mr. Page’s many predictions and warnings, their instantaneous and scornful dismissal by the Conservatives, the cutting of Mr. Page’s budget, and the routine collapse of the Conservatives’ own estimates. Remember Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s legendary November 2008 fiscal update, and its predicted $100-million surplus for 2009-10? Let’s just say Mr. Page was closer to the $55.6-billion deficit that ensued.
The old adage is that governments defeat themselves. But most of the major allegations against the Conservatives concern more extreme forms of misbehaviour that was patented by the Liberals — and it took 13 years and a scandal of historic proportions to derail that juggernaut. So there’s certainly no reason for blind hope of fantastic governance awaiting in the opposition benches. But another old adage is that politicians fear laughter more than any other reaction. It’s three years, probably, until the next election — time enough, maybe, for the Conservatives to be scared straight.
The Conservatives send in the clowns | Full Comment | National Post
The federal Conservatives’ dark-arts bureau recently unveiled its latest masterpiece: Mulcairsndp.ca. Featuring graphics vaguely reminiscent of a horror movie, the website ominously invites you to “get to know [Thomas] Mulcair’s NDP shadow cabinet.” On Monday, reporters tried to goad NDP house leader Nathan Cullen with the suggestion that this was precisely the sort of thing that torpedoed the prime ministerial aspirations of Michael Ignatieff (“he didn’t come back for you”) and Stéphane Dion (“not a leader”).
Mr. Cullen declined the opportunity to vent outrage and, unsurprisingly, professed not to be worried in the slightest that Mr. Mulcair might be the third victim. “We’re different [than the Liberals],” he responded, obliquely. Then he hit on a better answer: “The attacks are different.”
The attacks on the NDP shadow cabinet members are different — so different that they’re barely attacks at all. We learn things such as that Don Davies has been “happy to associate” with pro-immigration extremists No One Is Illegal; that Alexandre Boulerice and former interim leader Nycole Turmel (who is a socialist!) have supported the separatist left-wing party Québec Solidaire; that Charlie Angus and Nikki Ashton were against the long-gun registry before they were for it; that Matthew Kellaway “believes that digital recording devices such as iPods should be taxed”; that Mr. Cullen “strongly opposes the Conservative government’s plan to streamline the review process for major economic projects”; that Irene Mathyssen served in Bob Rae’s Ontario Cabinet; that Peggy Nash dislikes tax cuts and austerity measures; and that Peter Julian opposes free trade — and that, well, all these things are really bad.
They are all valid reasons not to vote NDP. But none of it exactly smacks you in the gob. Maybe the Tories thought they would dial back the attack and let the horrible, spine-tingling facts speak for themselves. But if large numbers of Canadians actually believe the New Democrats are tax-cutting, free-trading, gun-toting resource-extractors, and that their new Quebec MPs are Trudeauvian federalists, one must assume they aren’t very susceptible to political advertising.
This oddly damp squib from the much-feared Conservative war machine is a reminder of just how vulnerable the Tories could be to some competent opposition advertising — as opposed to the same old “guns in our streets” nonsense. Whether or not Stephen Harper harbours terrifying designs for Canada and its democracy, the endless struggle to convince Canadians that he does has manifestly failed. Arguably, treating the Conservatives as frightening squanders an opportunity to showcase just how ridiculously they are capable of behaving, and to invite people to laugh at it.
Imagine an ad stringing together a dozen absurdly overconfident statements from Conservative ministers about the excellence of the F-35 fighter jet, and the impossibility of cost overruns, and how anyone who doubted this was a troops-hater. It could end with clips of the Auditor-General’s press conference and the appropriate ministers’ humiliating climb-downs, with a sad trombone for musical accompaniment.
Or consider the ever-evolving Afghanistan pull-out. Back in the day, Mr. Harper scoffed at the idea of setting a firm date. His MPs called Mr. Layton “Taliban Jack” in the House of Commons. Sixteen months later, the Prime Minister promised we’d be out in 2011: “You have to put an end date on these things,” he said. Then it was out in 2014. Then it was a humanitarian mission, then it was a military training mission. Now, says Mr. Harper, “as we approach [2014], we will examine all options,” and if you disagree, like the New Democrats do, you’re a troops-hater.
Or consider the travails of Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page. The narrative in an ad could begin way back on Oct. 6, 2004, when Mr. Harper stood in the House and proclaimed the need for such an officer to “ensure that the government is genuinely accountable for taxpayers’ dollars.” Then to May 30, 2008, when MP Chris Warkentin stood to crow of Mr. Page’s appointment. Then to Mr. Page’s many predictions and warnings, their instantaneous and scornful dismissal by the Conservatives, the cutting of Mr. Page’s budget, and the routine collapse of the Conservatives’ own estimates. Remember Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s legendary November 2008 fiscal update, and its predicted $100-million surplus for 2009-10? Let’s just say Mr. Page was closer to the $55.6-billion deficit that ensued.
The old adage is that governments defeat themselves. But most of the major allegations against the Conservatives concern more extreme forms of misbehaviour that was patented by the Liberals — and it took 13 years and a scandal of historic proportions to derail that juggernaut. So there’s certainly no reason for blind hope of fantastic governance awaiting in the opposition benches. But another old adage is that politicians fear laughter more than any other reaction. It’s three years, probably, until the next election — time enough, maybe, for the Conservatives to be scared straight.
The Conservatives send in the clowns | Full Comment | National Post
A ridiculous idea, setting up an anti-NDP website.....the only people that will visit it are either already anti-NDP, or so pro-NDP they simply go there to get their anti-Con ire up.
Silly, silly, silly idea.
I imagine the Conservatives are saving the big guns (TV ads etc) for Mulcair..........and he is one hell of an easy target (see below)
SOCIALISM vs CAPITALISM
Should say Authoritarianism vs. Democracy, and if you insist to be politic, Communism vs. Democracy.
Germany is quite a socialist country. In fact, the rebuilding of Berlin after the fall of the wall could not have been achieved without their social programs that funneled money out of the west and into the East. They have socialized medicine, socialized daycare, socialized education, socialized employment insurance, strong labor protection, all the normal socialist norms.
Germans today believe in socialism, that should be the real lesson of East Germany: the failure of communism is not proof of the inevitable failure of socialism.
More on topic. I agree that Mulcair will probably alienate a lot of people if he campaigns on reviving the gun registry, but it will be a few years before that comes up. Who knows what the issues will be in 2015.
Correct on all counts.....except that I would call Germany capitalism with a social conscience.
I was just stirring the pot a bit............
Well, it really depends where you draw the line, but yes, Germany is properly characterized like that, Canada too. In my opinion Canada just needs a teensy bit more socialism on education, however, but that is another story.
Trying to manage every market with socialism is just as idiotic as managing everything with capitalism. For many things capitalism is the way to go, undeniably. People tried with forced socialism on everything (communism) and failed. Some people don't realize that the other extreme will be just as bad and push capitalism a wee bit too much.
Yeah, like J K Galbraith said, "In capitalism, man exploits man. In communism, it's the reverse". Extremes suck.
The Liberals were corrupt and most Canadians knew it, that's what made them such easy targets for the conservative slime slinging.
Now the shoe is on the other foot, the conservatives don't have anything important about the NDP to piss Canadians off while millions of us are tired of being keep in the dark and **** on by the Harper government. The NDP is going to find it much easier to get poo to stick to the men in blue.
Now the shoe is on the other foot, the conservatives don't have anything important about the NDP to piss Canadians off while millions of us are tired of being keep in the dark and **** on by the Harper government. The NDP is going to find it much easier to get poo to stick to the men in blue.
But if the NDP have any dignity, they won't attack the Conservative Party, in fact won't even mention the conservative Party, and instead will simply focus on educating the public on their policies.
Of course if the Conservatives end up with some dignity themselves, they'd do the same.