What part of “you have idiots infecting your communications strategy” do they still not understand?
In offering rapid apologies, the Conservatives seem to be attempting to limit damage to the campaign and maintain control of the messages.
That’s a marked difference from Mr. Harper’s first and unsuccessful campaign in 2004, when Tory official Yaroslav Baran issued a news release suggesting that then-prime minister Paul Martin supported child pornography. The release was withdrawn, but Mr. Harper refused to apologize and the issue festered for days.
Mr. Baran was not suspended for that stunt and is now running the Conservatives’ Ottawa war room, where he was Sparrow’s supervisor and is in charge of the team that oversaw the website.
Good grief.
They don’t know their audience. They don’t know the tech side. And they don’t know when to keep their mouths shut.
What on earth are they still drawing paycheques for?
Update – “Fact Check”, in the comments writes;
“Your complaints of immaturity would be more believable IF YOU WEREN’T SOLICITING, AND I QUOTE, “LESS FOREST GUMP, MORE TEAM AMERICA” ON YOUR OWN FRIGGIN’ SITE! The rule is that if you go neg, it has to be believable, and your attack just ain’t believable.”
You know, if this comment hadn’t been posted from a Falun Gong associated IP address, the statement is dumb enough to raise suspicions that it originated in the war room itself.
Do they not understand the difference between an unaffiliated individual and a political party trying to make the case that they deserve majority control of Parliament?
That, in essence is the problem with notaleader.ca
It should not exist at all – it’s juvenile and ridiculous, it taints the brand and suggests that the first letter in CPOC is “clown”. It’s why you leave the “South Park” conservativism to the blogosphere. No one has to answer for us. We’re not running for office.
Meanwhile, how much have they spent on those ads aimed at reinventing the image of Stephen Harper?
The facts as I see them
CPL. Davis had the support of his family and his family supports continuance of the efforts in the ‘Ghan.
The Davis family political affiliation is THIER RIGHT. CPL DAVIS died trying to protect OUR rights. You people need to get over yourselves. Some things transcend political affiliation. If you’re not smart enough to recognize that I have no sympathy for you.
Mr. Davis admitted on Adler that he is indeed a Liberal volunteer and supporter of Ignatieff. So Sparrow was correct.
My question is – If Mr. davis does not want his son’t death to be politicized why did HE contact the media to make a statement slamming the PM?
Sheesh.
re Lori’s post at 5:53;
You are right on the mark… as is Kate and so far no one is listening ‘up there’.
Families of lost military men and women have made the supreme sacrifice and should be treated with respect. Mr Davis has political affiliations and so what. He was commenting on a recent statement by the PM, which while supporting the work our troops have been doing. Sparrow screwed up, and the only reason he wasn’t fired outright, was because Mr Harper and Mr Davis share the same viewpoint that we must be careful when we are making decisions about someone’s livelihood.
Mr Sparow offered to resign and was suspended. BTW, I think those who are criticizing Harper’s announcement as cut and run need to take a pill. He was talking about Canadian involvement. People need to understand the toll this mission has taken on our military. They have done their part, they have poured their blood on Afghanistan. We have contributed way above our weight, and still are giving 3.5 years notice.
The Afghanistan campaign is moving to a new phase, a surge into Pakistan. (What a laugh to hear Pakistan crowing about sovereignty over an area which they clearly have no control – the complaint that they weren’t informed of attacks inside Pakistan is crap – yes, let’s do that so somebody can warn the Taliban).
If we have the b**s to carry this fight to Pakistan, then we can defeat the Taliban and AQ. It’s time for other nations to step up to the plate; or stop whining when US does the heavy lifting.
“lost in the “gaffe-du-jour” festival we have had so far.”
Lori,
What gaffe-du-jour”? So far, a juvenile mistake on a website and an official calling another guy a partisan Liberal. So what? It’s not like the wheels have fallen off the wagon.
“Rallying behind a mistake is no favour.”
From what I see, nobody is doing that. However, some are blowing it all out of proportion and are dragging it on, which certainly isn’t helpful.
I agree with you about Tory. But what does that have to do with Harper? Rather, it has everything to do with Dion. He came up with something even dumber, campaigning on a carbon tax while the economy is shaky. Dumb.
I’ve been told from a very good source that Harper is all over this and it won’t happen again.
Meanwhile, Conservatives on blogs replaying it over and over certainly isn’t helping. If you believe that it does help, I’d like to know how?
Well said, Shamrock.
Some of the issues Fact Check raises remain unaddressed: it’s not the few superficial criticisms Kate’s made as soon as the writ dropped that raise questions about her loyalties from the Tories, it’s the lack of anything good to say about them, and the snide comments about redirected donations, and the coincidental claim of suddenly being too busy to blog this election, which is about as believable as Dion’s recent revelation that he is deaf.
You’re also a western separatist (nothing wrong with that in my books, as it happens), that’s a conflict of interest right there. Having a successful prime minister from Alberta doesn’t exactly help your cause.
Two major policy announcements that you should care about, the diesel tax cut and the 2011 pullout, you’ve pretended didn’t happen. Instead, you are joining the pile on. Not capable of discussing serious policy issues are we?
The Conservative Party of Canada has never been more popular, Stephen Harper has been a good prime minister, and it is fair game to question why you are suddenly attacking them with superficial criticisms and snide comments during an election. It’s obvious to me you aren’t supporting the Conservatives this election; may I suggest you write a plainspoken paragraph or two to clear the air?
Seriously, are people questioning someone’s loyalty because they dare to bring up an obvious mistake and point to the fact that this issue was brought out months ago, but was not addressed?
Irwin Daisy – as of the writing of this post, there are 7 headlines headlines in the election coverage section on the front page of the National Post website, a paper which is more or less a CPC supporter include the following:
they are:
1) Campaign message derailed by bumbling and gaffes, again
2) Conservative war room zings Duceppe on lengthy career
3) MacKay: Not all of Canada’s roles Afghanistan will end in 2011
4) Reaction to Harper’s talk of Green Shifting to a recession
5) Kevin Libin: Elizabeth May lowers the boom on bothersome
6) Don Martin: Harper lets malevolence get to his message
7) John Ivison: Harper suffers from sins of a sloppy staff
So, the top headline, and 2 of the 6 under it, relate to this issue. And not a word about the CPC message.
Does someone want to pretend that this isn’t a problem?
Considering how lib problems have been under reported by the media (actually, not reported at all in most cases), I was flabbergasted by Graham Richardson on Duffy Live. I’m paraphrasing: “I expect the Conservatives to go into a bubble. If they turtle, we (media) will expose them.”
Incredible!
Who’s questioning anybody’s loyalty, certainly not me. I’m questioning why people continue to harp about a mistake that has been taken care of. And sure, a legitimate and important point was made about the juvenile approach to the web here a while ago. And though I agree with the point, am I to believe that the government gets its marching orders from a blog, however popular it may be?
So, is any of this new? It’s an election campaign.
Of course Conservative supporters want a flawless campaign. But humans are fallible. Plans of mice and men and all that. And of course the media is going to be all over mistakes, especially when they are made by the ruling party.
Your list consists of two minor mistakes. The rest are arguable, based on nothing more than the writer’s opinion. And certainly anything Don Martin says can’t be taken seriously.
Still, my question stands. If you believe criticizing the Conservatives over a couple of mistakes that have already been taken care of, over and over helps, I’d very much like to know how and in the end who it helps?
Stating the obvious: it’s the new “scandal”. Tomorrow’s “gaffe”
HARPER: “TODAY I THINK I’LL HAVE A SANDWICH”
OTTAWA (CP) – Prime Minister Stephen Harper scrambled yesterday to explain remarks that suggested he would it a sandwich today.
“These comments are shocking and outrageous and we demand an immediate apology to all Candadians” said Liberal spokesperson Gilles Meloche. The Prime Minister’s office, already reeling from the Puffingate scandal, is now battling to spin a third major scandal only days into an election.
Conservative Director of Communications Kory Tenycke downplayed the remarks, suggesting a “conspiracy” on the part of the media. “What the f*ck? Are you people on crack?” he replied in a media availability on Parliament hill yesterday evening.
Critics suggest this lastest gaffe by the Conservatives may harm the Conservatives’ twelve point lead in Ontario and projected 211 seat majority.
Stating the obvious: it’s the new “scandal”. Tomorrow’s “gaffe”
HARPER: “TODAY I THINK I’LL HAVE A SANDWICH”
OTTAWA (CP) – Prime Minister Stephen Harper scrambled yesterday to explain remarks that suggested he would it a sandwich today.
“These comments are shocking and outrageous and we demand an immediate apology to all Candadians” said Liberal spokesperson Gilles Meloche. The Prime Minister’s office, already reeling from the Puffingate scandal, is now battling to spin a third major scandal only days into an election.
Conservative Director of Communications Kory Tenycke downplayed the remarks, suggesting a “conspiracy” on the part of the media. “What the f**k? Are you people on crack?” he replied in a media availability on Parliament hill yesterday evening.
Critics suggest this lastest gaffe by the Conservatives may harm the Conservatives’ twelve point lead in Ontario and projected 211 seat majority.
The following was directed toward Kate and I won’t presume to speak for her but these idiots need to be addressed…
Some of the issues Fact Check raises remain unaddressed:
Fact Check is a lib-left troll. He has ‘issues’ that Freud couldn’t address. Ever seen some of the crap he dreams up at the Shotgun?
it’s not the few superficial criticisms Kate’s made as soon as the writ dropped that raise questions about her loyalties from the Tories, it’s the lack of anything good to say about them, and the snide comments about redirected donations, and the coincidental claim of suddenly being too busy to blog this election, which is about as believable as Dion’s recent revelation that he is deaf.
I’ve been reading Kate’s blog daily since 2004. Note once have I seen her tow the party line for the sake of the ‘party’. Why should she start now?
You’re also a western separatist (nothing wrong with that in my books, as it happens), that’s a conflict of interest right there. Having a successful prime minister from Alberta doesn’t exactly help your cause.
Harper turned socialist when he got to Ottawa. How are his origins relevant to his current policies?
Two major policy announcements that you should care about, the diesel tax cut and the 2011 pullout
The tax cut got lost in the puffin scandal. That’s the friggin’ point… The pull out is nothing more than pandering to the folks in Toronto. It would get more airplay but it got lost in the Sparrow scandal.
Get it yet? The real issues are being clouded by stupid errors on the part of Harper’s war room.
The Conservative Party of Canada has never been more popular, Stephen Harper has been a good prime minister, and it is fair game to question why you are suddenly attacking them with superficial criticisms and snide comments during an election.
And their arrogance over those fragile numbers is going to cost them unless they’re careful. Think we haven’t seen it before? Think again…
It’s obvious to me you aren’t supporting the Conservatives this election
See my earlier comment. Conservatives aren’t sheep. Pull your head out of your butt…
Most members of the media are gunning for the Harper Conservatives. That’s a given. The first place reporters are going to go to is that dumb, childish website. When a story breaks, they are going to seek reaction from that dumb, childish website. And once something ignorant gets out there, it stays out there. The media will make sure of that. Shut it down! It’s garbage.
Irwin Daisy, you said “Still, my question stands. If you believe criticizing the Conservatives over a couple of mistakes that have already been taken care of, over and over helps, I’d very much like to know how and in the end who it helps?”
Fair enough. I believe that it might help people at CPC headquarters who think that this is a minor problem that can be ignored. Or who say that it’s a “one off” kind of thing that won’t happen again rather than a mindset problem. Or who thought that the criticism of the notaleader.ca website was just a bunch of malcontents talking, who could be ignored.
But, indeed, if the point has not been made by now, it will not be made to such people. So this is my last posting on this topic. Unless Kate sees fit to bring it up again. Hopefully, she will not have occasion to.
I bid you good night sir.
Lori,
Understood.
“Harper turned socialist when he got to Ottawa. How are his origins relevant to his current policies?”
What?
“Harper turned socialist when he got to Ottawa. How are his origins relevant to his current policies?”
What?
Have you not been paying attention to the news over the past few years? Start back when he said that “Quebec is a nation” and work your way up to the present…
“Having a successful prime minister from Alberta doesn’t exactly help your cause. ”
Ah, I believe Mr Harper is originally from Ontario, Taronna in particular. I’m from Taronna, too and I “live” and pay taxes in Alberta right now. What’s your point?
Harper is a shrewd politician. Currently, the Conservatives occupy the centre right. Exactly as planned. Realpolitik comes to mind, especially concerning Ottawa, the media – and after 80 years of almost unbroken rule – federally entrenched Liberalism.
The Liberal stranglehold over Quebec is no longer.
Have you not been paying attention?
To call Harper a socialist is laughable and only serves to ruin your own credibility. Ridiculous.
Fact Check is a lib-left troll. He has ‘issues’ that Freud couldn’t address. Ever seen some of the crap he dreams up at the Shotgun?
Maybe someone could register factcheck.com and link it to NAMBLA?
Now…Who would be able to do this?
First, to let everyone know, I am a card-carrying Conservative. And I still do not understand what a troll is.
Now, I just watched the first “Infoman” of the season. For you blokes, he is a Quebecois version of Rick Mercer. Anyway, he sent applications for party cards to the three parties under three names: Ayman al-Zawahiri, Le Zèbre Alakazou and Vincent Lacroix (if you don’t know, Google). Bottom line, Vincent Lacroix got a card from all three, but only the CPC sent a card to the turban head and to the zebra puppet.
The whole Quebec was watching. I was ashamed. They have problems with more than communication here.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/infoman/saison9/episode.asp?idDoc=63684
Maybe someone could register factcheck.com and link it to NAMBLA?
Now…Who would be able to do this?
CC’s been outed as an individual who likes the idea that 45 year old men should be able to bed 14 year old boys… Why don’t you go over and ask him for some help?
Just to throw another kipper into the frenzy
ABOTECH: LIB front for laundering Fed funds:
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/002845.html
enjoy, even if it isdated 2005.
I personally feel rather bad for Sparrow. He made a mistake and I think it is quite understandable in a context where there is a lot of stress and the need for quick responses. So did those of you with comments like “Do the “generals” of the “war room” not grasp these simple basics?” never say something foolish or inappropriate. It would be great if they got it right all the time, but everyone slips up on occasion. The bigger problem is the MSM that laps this stuff up and makes such a big deal out of it that it really undermines fair elections. For MSM, elections, supposedly, are not about policies and people — they are about trapping people into making mistakes, and exploiting small insignificant errors, pretending that these are the “stories” — rather pathetic, really,
On another note, Lewis MacKenzie gave a good defense of Harper today on Newman (I think Newman was expecting the reverse — that is, criticism of Harper.) Among other things he pointed out that Afghanistan is a NATO mission — not a Canadian Mission and that after 10 years, Canada will have done more than its share with respect to making a contribution. In the light of this, the Dad’s statement that his son died in vain makes little sense. I do wonder what his motives might be. Maybe he was just confused.
I thought the whole thing kinda funny. Than again I have a low sense of humor . If it would have been Harper still would have laughed. To bad they’re doing it officially it makes people think there ganging up. But then again Dion being hurt by a cartoon pigeon pooing on him is just so effetely French. I wonder if his wife carries bandiads in her purse for his tarnished honor.
Frankly if Dion would have laughed at this it would have went in his favor. These guys by the way should have been fired. This is serious business. But for us lone gunmen…..
I have yet to read all the comments on this,but the term ‘war room’ was mentioned. Harper also described his campaign headquarters as such on ctv today. Hey,the average Joe and Latoya hears ‘war room’ and thinks of war.It is a negative term. This does not help the party at all.The conservatives should read the blogs before making decisions. The are more astute people on this site and the linked sites than the ‘war room’ could ever have.
No one has to wonder why I will spoil my ballot this time. Kate, you better fly to Ottawa and run the Conservative war room!
After reading the coments here,I must finally admit that SNL is not really funny.Sheeesh.Even “new” makes more sense then some of the comments.
I am a father. Believe it or not, my son and daughter are more more important to me than any political affiliation. I think the same holds true for Mr. Davis.
If you are going to a job interview (like PMSH is doing) do you really want “your” people putting a spot of mustard on your lip and a stain on your your shirt?
I haven’t slept well and it’s early in the morning. Hopefully, I can still put to words what I’m thinking…
Regarding the errors that has many Conservative supporters frustrated and many on the left laughing with glee…
1) This has been the first week of the campaign. If one has to have a stupid gaffe, that’s the place to have it. It will be forgotten in the longer term of the campaign.
2) The response by Harper to these gaffes helps continue the current re-imaging process and counter memes that many have held about him.
a) He can’t be that much of a “control freak” if this can get through his hyper-controlled agenda.
b) He is still a strong leader as he was swift, strong and correct in his response.
c) He apologized for the perceived slights. Something very Canadian, something an American would never do (according to certain beliefs). You’d never see Bush apologize for something like that, and heck, Obama didn’t apologize for the “lipstick on a pig” remark, he blamed the right for over-reacting.
Even the media are commenting on how he has changed and how, in the previous campaign, he would never apologize or make such corrective action.
By the end of the campaign, I expect / hope that is what people will take away from it. There may have been a few issues that cropped up, but they were dealt with quickly, appropriately, and in a very Canadian way.
Of course, this is assuming that the stupidity has come to an end and the rest of the campaign will stay on track. Here’s hoping.
Perhaps they should attend to their own knitting before they start slagging any father of any soldier who was killed in action at any time.
I decided to make a substantial donation a few days ago on the CPC website and discovered a real piece of crap. An ordinary person likely would have just given up on trying to navigate their donor pages and just gone away but I was intrigued by how awful it was. When I finally solved the puzzle (do the unrequested second stage option mail address thingy first in order for the first stage residence address thingy to stop vomiting and have it come out sort of almost right) so I could proceed to the “send THEM the money page”, it finally worked. I received a nice auto reply, also.
I also sent a livid email to the contact address with my opinion of their incompetence. No auto reply this time. Or any other reply for that matter.
Harper dealt swiftly with Sparrow and puffin poop incident, and will no doubt ensure his “war room” delivers a message of governance and policy, an moves off the sophmoric crap.
BTW, Grits changed the channel for the Tories today with Orchard (problems with green shift), Bedard (removed as Grit candidate for Oka remarks), and, my favourite, Thibault calling the prime minister a pig, with our without a sweater.
So far, action has been taken on only Bedard’s gaffe. Hello, MSM, are we now going to talk about Dion terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?
I didn’t think so.
Sparrow did the proper thing by apologizing and Mr. Davis did an unbelievably noble thing by forgiving him.
However, I really think Sparrow should have considered what day it was before he leveled his accusation. He should be reading classified ads right now.
You know, this Sparrow thing is symptomatic of a speeding train of “whatever” incompetence coming down the track at all of us.
We’ve got a couple of generations of twenty-something’s who’ve come out of our elementary/secondary “schools” (of leftism) and universities (of leftist socialism) just pouring into the workplace.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve been finding “service” and competence from these guys to be peremptory, negligent, and usually rudely offhand. If you say anything about your concern that they, for instance, can’t find your medical chart or have left a pile of other patients’ medical charts OPEN so that new patients standing at the counter can read them, they are more than likely to just wave a hand at you and say, “Don’t worry. It’s OK.”
Hey, jerks, it’s NOT OK.
There’s no discernment bewteen what’s acceptable and what’s not. They’ve actually LEARNED at school that everything’s acceptable, that there’s no line that you’ve crossed because there are no standards, no right and wrong, no OK and not OK, just a wide-open, anything goes attitude, especially if you’re being “creative.”
Expect a lot more of this stuff–and expect that when it’s happening in the Librano, Dipper, Blockhead, and Greenie communications teams, the MSM won’t bother to dwell on it.
We used to have a kid who went to our local high school he played football and his name was SPARROW TANG and yes we SPURWING PLOVERS are indeed very very conservative SQUAWK SQUAWK
stand up. tell the truth about anything and everything and fire anyone who doesn’t like the truth. sue anyone who lies about you.