Jim Travers of the Star writes:
Conservatives were as skilfully swift in positioning Dion as an impotent environmentalist as they were framing him as a weak leader.”
No, Mr. Pro-Liberal MSM pundit, Dion’s position as an impotent environmentalist and weak leader isn’t due to the Conservatives. It’s due to himself.
I went to an all candidates meeting in Toronto Centre last night. The St. Lawrence Theatre takes over 500, and it was packed. At first I thought I’d wandered into a British SitCom.
There was a troop of medallion bedecked grannies singing Songs of Peace.
Various impoverished and earnest activists, looking like Bertie Worster Without Jeeves – handing out flyers insisting that a basic income and house are a Human Right (particularly if both are provided by the Working Taxpayer. A deeply committed 9/11 Denier (It was Bush Who Did It). Others Against The Imperialist USA. Unreal.
Rae, on stage, is smug, smooth and polished. He deals with his Years of Deficit by removing it from criticism..by beginning his comments by a joking reference to it. That acknowledgment, which turns it into a joke, removes it from the table. How does he deal with Dion?
He deftly turns the tables. He accused both the NDP and CPC of having brochures that depict Dion in unflattering images, as weak, as.. The NDP countered that the images weren’t altered. Rae then acknowledged Dion as a ‘nerd’ but continued that it wasn’t ‘nice’ to focus on such personal things.
This ignores that he defines the CPC as The American Republican Party.
I got the impression – but I’m possibly biased as it is actually my opinion – that the Liberal Party is acknowledging Dion as a nerd and leaving him outside to play on his own in the sandbox. They can’t do anything about him. They dare not have an election now (to get rid of him) because their loss in seats would be far more disastrous to the Party.
So, they’ll let Dion make a fool of himself, with his claims that ‘we can’t have an election now because it’s snowing’. Or, ‘because it’s Easter’. But they won’t let him have an election (which he wants) because of that disastrous seat loss.
Therefore, they’ll put up with him, and even, isolate themselves more and more from him. Token acknowledgments as Our Leader. But, I’m saying the Real Leader is going to be Rae. And the image he’s going to present will be Experienced, Wise, Smooth and above all, Genial, Friendly, Open. Above all- open. In contrast to Harper’s shyness and ‘coldness’. Rae is going to be The People’s Man.
Their other strategy is to define the CPC and Harper as Corrupt. Their tactic is endless accusations. All unfounded. But they don’t care; the Public Image promoted by their faithful MSM friends is all that matters.
Let’ see:
So far the MSM have ignored Rae calling Dion a nerd(quoting ET),
and they have ignored Mulcair’s rampage in the HoC,
so I guess that to be fair they will ignore the cool stuff PMSH is doing this week, like dogsledding and attending the winter games.
Oh…CTV mentioned that PMSH was taunting Dion in the HoC.
Go figure.
ET …CPC has set up a list of accomplishments on the web site.How does this info go ‘mainstream’?
ET. I live in this riding, and have lived in Toronto as a voting adult for 25 years. I agree that Bob Rae should not be underestimated. I don’t think that he is as hated as some people here suggest, or seem to want to believe.
Bob Rae has been sold very successfully as the “practical socialist” – someone who made the hard choice of going against his political base and doing the right thing for the province when it was faced with bankruptcy. He can be painted as the “man with a heart who can still be trusted to run things”.
In many minds, his creation of the Rae Days is actually considered a plus, and the fact that it took near desperate financial straits for this to occur is attributed to the “bad economy” at the time, not to Rae’s mismanagement.
I think one of the best ways to attack him would be over the mismanagement of Ontario health system, which began its accelerating decay under his watch, due to a number of flawed policies with regards to doctors and hospitals.
Also, I agree with you that the Conservatives need to improve their image in the cities. Writing off all those urban ridings for perpetuity just because they are not winnable now is a long term mistake. A Ministry of Cities would go a long way in that direction, even if it does nothing major. It would certainly be a way of pre-empting one possible line of attack that the Libs might use in a future election.
Rae as a prominent liberal will be a boon to the CPC, I’ve said it all along. Remember that a lot of people in Ontario still hate him.
Bob Rae is Maurice Strong’s nephew. When Rae was premier of Ontario he took nepotism to new heights. Maurice Strong was given the keys to Ontarion Power and the nuclear industry. That must be very helpful now that Maurice Strong is the best friends of communist China.
And, Bob Rae’s brother is John Rae – VP of PowerCorp – yup, also best friends with communist China along with Chretien and gosh even Paul Martin was “gifted” a shipping line by good old Uncle Mo.
So, Bob Rae will take his rightful place with the same cabal of elites who have picked the pockets of Canadians for about 40 years – every since Trudeau.
Seems about right. Then the media can go back into la la la land and get nice little jobs for their friends and family, ambassadorships, senate jobs – even GG!
Canadians are pretty stupid or easy to fool don’t you think.
Bob Rae, the “Peoples man” as in the “Peoples” Republic of China? Gimme a break, he can’t whitewash his record, aside from the Socialist Haven of Toronto, the land of brain free Liberal, with a smattering of Dipper, voting.
Anyone who thinks he can do any serious damage to Harper had better go off and try to smuggle dawn past a Rooster.
real conservative,
I don’t live in Ontario so I may not have seen what you have seen.
Having said that Rae concerns me much more than Iggy. He’s bright, articulate, and good off the cuff. His speech at the LPC convention was delivered sitting on a stool, like a friendly grade school teacher on the first day of classes. Stuff like this can take you a long way, particularly in our shallow, “People Magazine” culture.
Those who disagree should look south of the border right now.
In reference to the write up by the newspaper character: Actually the French citizen Dion does not really need conservatives to do anything at all, he can do it all by himself, that is only fair.
Having a hard time grasping this situation, Rae is a socialist that screwed up the finances of Ontario. How is it, that he is so popular with the Liberals? How is it that he is practically elected but for the formality? What is it with people in that riding? It must be the taste of power, irregardless of politics and certainly does not involve public good. That looks more like prostitution racket.
Lev: he’s media savvy, sounds authoritative, and has a good sense of humour. His ideas are ridiculous, practically a parody of academic socialism – but that doesn’t matter to Liberals. Style over substance on that side of the spectrum.
Lev, it doesn’t have a lot to do with the people in the riding. The overwhelming majority of people who vote, do so on the basis of party affiliation, not the candidate. In close races the candidate matters. This is not the case here. Bob Rae will win of course, but frankly they could have put in anyone here, and been assured of victory.
Right now the Conservative brand is not relevant to the mostly low income residents of this riding. According to the 2001 census, >30% of the people who are eligible to vote here are non-english non-french speaking. Those people generally do not vote, but when they do, they vote Liberal or NDP.
The large gay population in this riding is not very likely to vote Conservatives, so scratch them. And they actually turn up for voting, so they are a significant block.
In the higher and very high income neighbourhoods there are much fewer people (private homes, so less people per area), so they have less impact on the outcome. This group may split between CPC and Lib, but until the “we hate the cities” aura that the CPC gives out is somehow dampened, they have no real reason to vote for the CPC.
Don Meredith is a good candidate for this riding, but it would not surprise me if he came in third after the Libs and NDP. A cynical observer might suggest that Conservative voters here are better off voting for the NDP, to further weaknen the Liberals and keep Bob Rae out of parliament, but I would have too much respect for a guy who puts himself on the line despite all odds, like Don Meredith, to do that.
real conservative: I only wish I sensed as much dislike for Rae in Ontario as I sense for Harris.(unwarranted IMO)
And I have never heard of union dissatisfaction with Rae…it is primarily directed at Harris.
God help us indeed.
Do you suppose the ppl in toronto are stupid enough to put this ndp hack into parliment after what he did to ontario when he was there preimer.
Ralph…(I don’t know how far east you are)
Yes…
I live in moncton new brunswick but was there in toronto when rea screwed it up lol
SCREW THE GREENS tell them to GET A LIFE and stop acting like jerks
I live in this riding as well. And very much understand ET’s reference to the moonbat activists and kool-aid drinking grannies.
However, I think Rae isn’t going to be as effective a leader as the Liberals are hoping. He is afterall, a socialist and former leader of the NDP. The Liberals need to tilt right and all he’s going to do is take them further left. All helped along by the CPC, comfortably ensconced in the centre.
Whether or whether not the people of Ontario remember the disaster that was Rae hardly matters, they will. The facts are not going away. From what I recall, the weasel doubled the deficit to $96 billion and S&P, amongst others, significantly dropped Ontarios credit rating. His government and its fiscal mismanagement was the worst that Ontario ever experienced. He was hated.
Whether he attempts to laugh it off or not, he will be hammered on the facts about his brutal leadership. He is a socialist through and through and cannot be trusted. Canadians know this about the NDP.
It’s ironic how the Liberals were accusing the NDP of being fiscal imbeciles in Parliament a week ago, when they have one of the worst of them vying for leadership of their own party. What a bunch of strategic wankers.
Well said miss daisy
I disagree, irwin daisy.
You say that Ontarians will/will not remember the Rae deficit. I’m saying that it’s utterly irrelevant to them now. Remember, this was FIFTEEN years ago.
People who were 15 years old, below voting age, are now in their 30s, starting their own lives etc.
There are immigrants to this province who weren’t here 15 years ago.
THEY WON’T KNOW OR CARE.
Rae is extremely smooth; he’s a practiced hand at non-answers. I heard him answering ‘why won’t the Liberals go to an election if they don’t like the CPC policies’….and his answer was ‘it’s all about context’. But he wouldn’t explain CONTEXT.
Context is that the Liberals would get rid of Dion in an election but the major thing they’d get rid of is SEATS. They can’t afford that; they can afford to ignore Dion and let him dribble away and talk to himself in his outdoor sandbox.
INSIDE the House – it will be Rae.
Genial, welcoming, open-arms, smiling, joking, accepting all views and all people. It will be Rae.
That’s what will appeal to the under-40 crowd in Ontario, as they move into their government funded jobs: in education, health care, civil service and so on. All of these are BIG employers in Ontario – and they are therefore in favour of BIG and money-friendly govt. That’s the Liberals.
And balkanized multicultural Toronto knows that the funding for their special schools, their community centres, their special newspapers and events – that’s Liberal money. For their votes.
Ignatieff will leave; he’s not The Chosen Boy. But the Desmarais, PowerCorp Boy – is Rae.
A BC boy, I used to travel to T.O. for business. The 401 was practically devoid of cars in the dying days of Rae’s Ontario. I came back several years later during Harris’s rule and the 401 was packed. Bumper to bumper at 10mph.
Ya, Rae’s socialist policies trashed Ontario. Yet the hatred for Harris eclipsed Rae in my not so humble opinion. How to explain that? Ontario’s voters are distinctly socialist……. and economically dumb.
Rae’s disastrous economic leadership will be overlooked I venture. Yes, it will be an issue….. but a small one overwhelmed by the voter’s desire for, ahem…. social justice. I am sure that the average voter just thinks that socialism will work if the dials just get set right. They know that Rae didn’t twist the dials properly last time out, but there belief in the concept of socialism will trump its past disaster. Why the idiocy of socialism never goes away. As it should.
Rae will win the leadership of the Libs. He will win the country too, because we live in a socialist swamp.
The only hope I have is that an election is called before they dump Dion. Prissy boy Dion on the stump. Rae on the stump, and the MSM will turn themselves inside out to get him elected.
Yuck.
Depends on the economy, doesn’t it?