I tuned in to Power and Politics this afternoon to see Frank Graves getting mugged by the Con flunky Kory Teneycke because of some advice he gave the Liberals.
Frank Graves of Ekos Research, in agreement with the analysis, has told the Grits that the wedge politics of the Conservatives provide them with an opportunity to stake out a stark alternative. Stop worrying about the West, he’s told them. No need to fear polarizing the debate. It’s what worked for Mr. Chrétien against Preston Manning and Stockwell Day.
“I told them that they should invoke a culture war. Cosmopolitanism versus parochialism, secularism versus moralism, Obama versus Palin, tolerance versus racism and homophobia, democracy versus autocracy. If the cranky old men in Alberta don’t like it, too bad. Go south and vote for Palin.”
But I think that a Con like Korny calling anyone too partisan is like Harper calling anyone a liar and a dictator. And that Frank Graves deserves a medal, because he's absolutely right. That is the missing narrative, and the ONLY way to go.
The Cons have been playing wedge politics from the moment they came to power. They've been waging a culture war against our precious Canadian institutions. They are racists, homophobes, dangerous religious fanatics, sinister autocrats, they're raping our values, and trying to turn us into Amerikans. If that isn't a culture war what do you call it?
Michael Ignatieff has been playing a fool's game by sucking up to Alberta.
When NOTHING he ever says or does will make the rednecks and oil pimps in that province vote for him. And his support for the oil sands only loses him votes in a province like Quebec.
Instead he should be attacking the province for torching the planet, smearing Canada's reputation abroad, and destroying manufacturing jobs in provinces like B.C. and Ontario...where the next election will be decided. Attacking the theocons in the PMO and standing up for our secular values.
I think it's time to give the Cons a taste of their own medicine. Let's give them a wedgie they can CHOKE ON.
Nothing will heal the divisions in this country. Stephen Harper has made sure of that. So let's use them to our advantage to beat these AmeriCon thugs over the head, and win the war for the country that reflects our CANADIAN values..
Because it's about time
It isn’t complicated. The choice between Harper Conservatism and progressive Liberalism is amply clear. Thus far, Mr. Harper has done a better job of articulating his brand than the Liberals have done of theirs. He knows how to fight a culture war. They've barely been trying.
Oh yeah...and if those Cons and rednecks don't like it we tell them to go south and vote for Palin eh?
Fight them, fight them, fight them.
Hit them where it HURTS....
It was painful to watch. I went to my inner lizard brain to grasp Korncalling and was rewarded with "even the dullest Canadian sees thru this shit. Time to get a Timmy's"
ReplyDeleteAbout time we started seeing improvement.
ReplyDeleteIggy shouldn't even try to pander to provinces like Alberta, no matter what he does, to them, he will always be considered the leader of the Toronto party.
Harper masterfully played the divide and conquer game and has been winning at it thus far, that's why we hear grossly misinformed Connies from out west. It's also why we will never see a coalition with the NDP (well, one of the reasons, anyway)
He should concentrate on the Rest of Canada.
You know, for those of you who are continually accusing the Conservatives of being bigoted, it would be interested to see a few of you at some point provide some actual evidence of it.
ReplyDeleteAnd just for triple irony score, it's amusing to see CK who has her own troubled history of bigoted comments.
Then again, I guess that's just the way things play over here: your bigots are A-OK fine, and culture wars are "good".
The Liberals are forever and I mean, *forever* tagged with the NEP in Alberta. Not the NEP that existed, but the NEP version that is told to horrified children around campfires (I personally have someone in the family who believes unblinkingly that if you work in oil and gas you MUST vote Conservative or die, and this someone is way too young to know what the NEP was at-the-time)
ReplyDeleteThat said, I don't want the Liberals as a party brand attacking the oil and gas business in Alberta as specific eeevil. Oil and gas is happening across the country and will be so long as fuel is needed to power society.
I want the Liberals building up the social network, equality, environment, diversification, etc across the country.
Put teeth in real communication and values other than Galtian and industry gets dragged along with new regulations they can't backdoor lobby their way free from -- and that's the price of doing business.
*Everyone* has an inbuilt five-year old who tests society to see if they're really going to be hauled away from plundering the cookie jar and having it all their way.
We either promote authority that demands cookie sharing in moderation, or we watch bullies use cookie jar control to reward their suck-ass toadies for beating the rest of us up by the bike racks.
hi Toe... I was sorry to see Graves on the defensive, because I find some of his attitudinal polling really interesting, and we need more educated commentary not less.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course because I love every word he said.
As for getting a Timmy's I don't know. The way things are these days, I think I'd rather have an orange juice and vodka... :)
hi CK...I don't know if the Liberals will heed Frank's advice. I doubt it.It probably sounds too radical.
ReplyDeleteBut the way I see it Harper is waging a culture war, and we should fight fire with fire.
I know some will say if we do that we'll be like them, but I know our side has higher ideals, and the only thing that counts is winning...
hi Patrick...I don't believe all Conservatives are bigots, but there are more of them in Harper's party than there are in all the progressive parties put together. I particularly object to Jason Kenney imposing his religious beliefs on Canadians. I have no problem with his opinions, I object when they become government policy. Because I don't want ANY religion telling me what to do, and we all need
ReplyDeleteto stand up for our secular state.
As for C.K. she's not a racist. She likes to battle other bloggers, like you do, and in those kind of blogging wars all kinds of heated words can fly. But all she was trying to say in the links you provided is that Karzai's guy, like his master, is a flunky. And I think we can all agree about that... ;)
hi Niles...I just used the oil sands as an example, because I happened to have a graphic already made. :)
ReplyDeleteBut the fact is that not being harsher on that environmental nightmare is costing Iggy votes in Quebec, and not gaining him any out west.
But beyond that, I like what Graves had to say, because it's a narrative that can motivate people. The fact is in the age of focus grouped video clips, and attention deficit, unless you can connect with the emotional as well as the cerebral your message will be lost in the din.
We need to take a look at the big picture, be honest about where our country is going, realize that our politics have been Americanized whether we like it or not, and attack our adversaries as hard as they attack us. It's bad enough that the progressive side has not adapted to the reality of a united right, but to carry on with politics as usual in this situation, would be absolutely fatal for the kind of country we want to live in.
Times change, tactics must change with them. When two parties are very close, using wedge politics to chip a few votes away from your opponent can make the difference between victory and defeat.
In short: we've been living in a fantasy world and it's time to get real...
"As for CK she's not a racist. She likes to battle other bloggers, like you do, and in those kind of blogging wars all kinds of heated words can fly."
ReplyDeleteSorry. Not buying it.
If these were just words uttered in the heat of a blog exchange -- something she in fact shies away from, she only seems to try to pick at people who pay no attention to her -- then she'd be better served saving them for when she's actually engaged in one, as opposed to aiming them at Quebecois conservatives or Afghan officials.
Sorry. Not buying it, Patrick. I;ve been to your blog.
ReplyDeleteUgh!
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteIf that's your reaction to the Nexus, it's evident that you're precisely the kind of person the blog is designed to invoke that kind of response from.
Thanks for playing.