This Is Not Fair!

Political Animal 133 Comments

In the immortal words of John Travolta – “Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive, stayin alive.”
In an echo of this memorable moment, this morning Stephane Dion is hard at work ensuring his meltdown before CTV Halifax remains in the news cycle, where it will spark curiousity among those who may not have yet heard about the incident.
Then, there’s the other problem – the shattering of the “fourth wall” and the reaction of journalists in certain quarters. There is outrage among LIberal friendly media that one of their own has had the audacity – the audacity! – to actually broadcast the unvarnished truth.
This, you see, is inappropriate.
That outrage has less to do with what happened to Dion than it does the fact that Canadians just caught a glimpse of how this business operates, and they don’t like it. It’s a “gotcha” moment all right, but this time it’s the media with their pants down. The restarts, the admission that ATV had first agreed to bury it before succumbing to sober second thought – that’s too much information.
For as hundreds have already pointed out across the blogosphere over the night, the very suggestion that Stephen Harper would have been afforded equal protection under the circumstances is laughable. The tape would have led the national newscasts, political analysts at the ready to drive the point home, pollsters already tasked with gauging the reaction of the electorate.
If broadcasting the Liberal leader’s performance before a running camera is a breach of journalistic ethics, I wonder what they’ll say about Greg Weston’s teleprompter-bites-man story?

“Thank you to welcome me in the chamber of commerce of one of the most successful city of Canada and certainly the most resilient Halifax,” Dion began ad libbing as he waited for the teleprompter.
Thanking the person who introduced him and saying a word about local Liberal MP Scott Brison, who provided a warm-up act, should not have been too tricky for a prospective prime minister.
“Thank you very much, um … Thank you. Uh, and thank you also. Thank you, Valerie. I think exactly like … I will speak with my heart, okay?”
“Thank you Valerie. Thank you so much because what you have as an agenda is at the core of a plan that Scotch, um, Scott has shown, a plan that want development and for the next generations as well, build on the economy and environment together.”
The teleprompter finally operational, the Liberal leader reads the rehearsed script, decrying Stephen Harper and telling the crowd why Stephane Dion should be the next prime minister.

He reported verbatim! This is not fair!
Update; What would we do without CBC campaign aides?

Well that’s interesting because we hear about [Dion’s plan] every single day,” said the CBC’s Julie Van Dusen, who is covering the election.
“It’s … about meeting the premiers, it’s about creating infrastructure jobs to kick-start a slowdown in the economy. It’s about his $1 billion fund that he has for the manufacturing sector in case they want to tap into it.”

h/t the Rat
Update: The launch of the Dion Excuse Platform.
Welcome Hotair readers, where this comment captures the essence of the matter perfectly;

“Hilarious! The ultimate softball question – where one gets to use perfect hindsight to flog the predecessor – left this dolt speechless.”

Three Strike Stephane (bumped)

Stephane Dion English To English Dictionary 305 Comments

“The Liberal campaign was anxious that this exchange not be broadcast…”

Liberal response: Do you tink it’s izzy to hear de question?
Or, maybe he’d just come from a cocktail?

Mr. Dion said the issue was most problematic in large crowds, when numerous sources blend together and make it difficult to understand. “If I am at a cocktail and everybody is speaking at the same time, then I will have difficulty.”

Oh… and did he ever answer the question? You be the judge.
Update:

And thus begins a new chapter in media navel gazing. Aaron Wherry despairs that Canadian “Nobody brings you sweaters like we do!” journalism has hit a “low point”.
Man, it feels like I’ve lost my innocence or something.

Knights Of The Long Knives

The Libranos 61 Comments

By the twiddling of his thumbs, something Ignatieff this way comes;

Stéphane Dion is refusing to delay his Green Shift plan if he forms a government although his deputy leader, Michael Ignatieff, says he’d consider changes to the scheme because of the difficult economic times.
“I know that the contrary has been said in the papers,” Mr. Dion said in French to reporters Thursday in Halifax.
But he said that Mr. Ignatieff had confirmed a shared view with Mr. Dion that the Green Shift plan would stimulate the economy.
On Wednesday, as Mr. Dion was defending his Green Shift plan to reporters and saying he would not delay it or change it if he became Prime Minister, Mr. Ignatieff was telling a different story to the editorial board of Montreal’s La Presse newspaper.
[…]
Yesterday, Mr. Ignatieff tried to clarify his remarks to La Presse. But his comments still appeared contradictory. In a telephone interview, he said, that the Green Shift plan is “the condition for the economic survival.”

Don’t forget to Vote!

Elasticity Of Demand

Little Known Facts 22 Comments

And more

[CD Howe economist] Jack Mintz does not sound as supportive of the Liberal Green Shift as the Liberals make him out to be. What I would like to note two things. In terms of the tax itself, Mintz does not seem to think the Green Shift would obtain the targets the Liberals need to obtain to meet the Kyoto Accord. Secondly Mintz seems to think that the Conservative plan is much more effective at the real goal of meeting the targets themselves.

A tangentially related 25 billion dollar mystery…

[the Liberals] say they will borrow $25 Billion to fund post secondary education, but this will somehow be done outside the Government of Canada spending envelope and promised debt reduction.

Home Sweet Home

Uncategorized 33 Comments

What recession?

“Saskatchewan is expected to lead all provinces in growth both this year and next year with overall GDP rising 3.9% and 3.5%, respectively, because the province is enjoying very high prices for most of its key exports, including grains, oil, potash and uranium,” the RBC forecast says.
Although commodity prices have come off recent highs, they are expected to stay at historically high levels and support business and household spending, RBC says.

It’s amazing what happens when the chains of socialism are removed from an economy. On the other hand, it’s no surprise what happens when socialism (Fannie and Freddy) is allowed to mix freely with capitalism.

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