With less than thirty shopping days to go before Christmas, I've been trying to ease myself into the spirit of the holiday season.
But let's face it, it's not easy.
Not with Donald Trump running wild in the United States.
Not with his malignant influence spreading into Canada.
And as Ekos' Frank Graves suggests, possibly giving the Cons a Trump bump.
The Liberals have dropped 5.4 per cent nationally over the last month, according to a new poll from EKOS — a statistically significant decline that’s benefited the Conservatives but likely wouldn’t translate into more seats.
Though Graves was hesitant to draw any definite conclusions, he said he sees other constituency shifts perhaps heralding something more significant on the horizon. Men and the high school-educated, for example, have both moved from the Liberals to the Conservatives in the last month.
“I don’t think there’s anything that clear at this stage. This might be a reflection of the same kind of forces operating in Canada that produced Trump and Brexit, but it’s premature, obviously, to make that conclusion,” he said.
And while most of this increased Con support comes from Alberta where horrible things are happening.
And there are more angry bigots, misogynists, and Trump supporters in that province than you can count...
It is something to think about, especially since the Cons are now clearly the Trump Party.
For we all know where Kelly Leitch would lead them...
We know that Steve Blaney is making his campaign all about niqabs.
We know that Brad Trost has the support of the religious fanatics just like Donald Trump has in the United States.
And now we have the old Con redneck Larry Miller declaring his support for Trump.
Bruce Grey Owen Sound MP Larry Miller doesn't have a problem with Donald Trump as President. In fact, he feels Trump will be good for the American economy and good for Canada.
Claiming that any notion that Trump is anti-women is baloney.
And retweeting his support for Marine Le Pen...
The leader of France's racist National Front.
So who knows where the Cons are going.
But if you know one please buy them this brassy Christmas ornament.
And tell them they can keep their dirty old Santa...
For he won't get them anywhere.
Not as long as Canadians reject racism.
And Justin Trudeau is our prime minister...
How lucky we are to have him. Imagine what trouble we might be in if Stephen Harper had won the last election.
Stand up for our Canadian values.
And bury the rotting Trump Party before it stinks out this country...
Trudeau is a globalist who will bankrupt our country and the youth who you so deeply care about will have to pick up the tab.
ReplyDeletehi anon...well we'll see about that, but one thing is for sure he can't leave the country in a worse economic situation than did the ghastly Con regime. With its fraudulent Great Economist Leader putting all our economic eggs in one oily basket, only to have the price of oil fall through the floor, decimate jobs in Alberta, and threaten the economic future of all of us...
Delete"Imagine what trouble we might be in if Stephen Harper had won the last election."
ReplyDeleteScary thought Simon. Had we experienced the voter apathy they had in the states that may very well be the hell we'd be living in right now. Harper would be sucking up to Trump big time as only he could. He'd blame Alberta's woes on Trudeau senior, on the "one percenters" while being supported by his "one toothers". Minorities would be demonized, Kellie Leitch would be the immigration minister, forcing her "Canadian Values" test on all minorities and would be immigrants/refugees.
We are so fortunate to have avoided that. JT awoke the sleeping giant that is our youth and they responded by seeing the Cons for what they were and ousted the oppressors.
So I'd like to say a big thank you to PMJT and to our youth for delivering us from this evil.
JD
hi JD...yes it is a scary thought. Having the bloated orange demagogue Trump as president is bad enough, but if the Con regime had survived it would have been even worse. Harper would have done a monkey dance on the White House lawn, while Trump bombarded him with peanuts out of an upstairs window. And yes wasn't it great to see young Canadians march to the polls in greater numbers than ever, and help give the Cons the boot. Let's hope that we never find ourselves in such a desperate situation again....
DeleteBe wary of anything coming out of Franky Graves, his polls were awful leading up to, and during the election. He claimed a bump in support of Harper after the little boy washed up on the beach that no other pollster picked up. Worry when Nik Nanos shows a Con bump. He has Trudeau going up 3% since trump "won."
ReplyDeletehi anon...yes you're right, one can't rely on any one poll, or any one pollster. And as you can see Graves only hints about a possible "Trump Bump." I'll have to see what other polls say before pressing the panic button. And I must say that his claim that Rona Ambrose is leading the Cons in the right direction strikes me as laughable...
DeleteDid you see the message Trudeau released about Fidel Castro? Absolutely shameful. Hundreds killed by firing squad, thousands of political prisoners. He also rounded up gays for "re-education".
ReplyDeleteI'd imagine Trudeau admired his "basic dictatorship".
-MC
Where's your news sources on these supposed atrocities MC? The Rebel? Should JT have been dancing in the street celebrating his death to appease the Con/rebel crowd?
DeleteI thought JT's response was classy yet subdued to news of Castro's death. He also stated that Castro was a controversial figure(ie-not everyone loved him). The facts are, our countries share a long history of friendship and given that Cuba is our number one winter travel destination, I'd say most of us love the place.
If demonizing Castro upon his death makes you feel better MC, then you go right ahead. It truly shows the level of class one can expect from the Cons, and reminds me of your fallen hero Harper and how he demonized Pierre E. Trudeau the day after his funeral. How classy was that?
JD
No I didn't see it but Cuba also has first world class health care and education and it's for everyone. Like it or not MC Castro did wonders for the people of Cuba.
DeleteTo a large part, it is due to him that Latin America is not being totally looted by American business interests and he/Cuba made a very large contribution to the defeat of apartheid in South Africa.
In terms of the points you mention, which may or may not be accurate though I suspect the political prisoner issue is very true--refs?
Castro spent his entire political career under the threat of the most powerful country in the world. Almost the first thing the Americans did was finance and facilitate an invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.
Before the revolution, the US thought that, with the aid of Batista, tthey owned the island and the revolution not only was a threat to US commercial interests the loss was a true blow at their amour-propre. I suspect that this last is the real reason for truly irrational animosity against Cuba that we did not see against Vietnam, for example.
Anybody know how many times the CIA tried to assassinate Castro? It just might make a person a bit paranoid. And remember if they get him. there goes the revolution in all likelihood, at least in the first years.
A vicious trade embargo, the arming and training of anti-Castro terrorists, allowing those stupid pilots to buzz Havana ever day, might even be considered threatening. There is even some suspicion of chemical/biological warfare, and while it seems a bit unlikely I would not put it past a combination of rouge CIA agents and the mad Miamians. Add to this have every president from Eisenhower at least G. W. Bush threatened t to get rid of him, supported by a chorus of US senators.
While this might not excuse the human rights violations it does make them more understandable.
Castro also made some stunning mistakes, the worst, to my mind, being betting everything on sugar at the expense of the rest of the agricultural sector. In this, he was the predecessor of Steven Harper in the oil patch.
BTW, I am old enough to remember everything from the Bay of Pigs on, so I take a lot of the crap coming out of the US government and the anti-Castro Cuban community in Miami with a block of salt.
jrkrideau- Very well and accurately said.
DeleteJD
hi MC...I happen to know a lot about Cuba, and I think what Trudeau had to say about the death of Fidel Castro was both truthful and fitting. To know why I say that please read my next post...
DeleteIt will be interesting to see the Con reaction if Trudeau attends Castro's funeral. Hey it's not like Bush sr. or Mulroney attended the funeral of Emperor Hirohito.
ReplyDeletehi Way Way Up...I would be shocked if Justin Trudeau didn't attend Castro's funeral. Castro was an honourable pallbearer at the funeral of Pierre Trudeau, and a great historical figure. Millions of Canadians myself included are friends of the Cuban people, and Justin must go to represent us all...
DeleteIn certain areas there is a backlash against Trudeau due to the policies of provincial premiers, namely Wynne and Clark. for example; I pay more in user fees for my hydro in Ontario than hydro used, and my situation is not uncommon. When there is obvious problems with a system, and the public protests without any indication the government cares, it does create bad feeling.
ReplyDeleteCastro according to what I have read, did not want support from USSR, but the CIA screwed him royally on arms shipments, giving him little choice in who he allied with. This has been the bulwark of American foreign policy,: my father said it was "whats good for general Bullmoose is good for the USA" on YouTube :)
Absolutely correct! The US did not support Castro because the Batista regime was funded by anyone associated with gambling.
DeleteThis was the Yankee playground, dont' forget. No question Fidel was a "dictator" in our so-called democratic understanding, but he realized that educating his population, giving all families health care, plus other benefits would bring his people into the 20th Century. Having the US denounce him made it more difficult, given that they were only a few miles off of Florida. Have a look at history, and what countries (fiefdoms) the US has continually supported should give rise to a solid hmmmmm.
hi anon...Castro's problems with the Americans started when he first went to Washington and President Eisenhower refused to meet with him. And he was forced to rely on the Soviets to help him and his country survive. It really is tragic because the truth is the Cubans and the Americans are made for each other. They are separated by only a small body of water, have close family ties, and baseball is the Cuban's number one sport, unlike other countries in Latin America where soccer is king. And the only reason the U.S. maintains its hardline on Cuba is to please the Cuban-Americans in Florida. It's so unnecessary, and simply pathetic...
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