It's voting day in Ontario, and I must admit I have no idea who is going to win this weird election.
The last polls are in, but while some have the NDP and the Cons running neck to neck.
Most are predicting a Ford majority.
And one thing is clear, only a large turnout can save us from the bestial Dougie.
But even though he is obviously unfit to hold public office, I wonder whether we will see that turnout in a province where only about 50% normally bother to vote.
Especially after what was the most uninspiring election campaign I have ever seen.
A campaign from Con Hell where Ford was even allowed to get away with not having a proper campaign platform...
By claiming that he didn't need one because he had a PLAN...
And was allowed to pose as a man of the people, and a Great Economist Leader...
Even though he is a millionaire, and his own sister-in law is claiming he couldn't even run a small label factory.
He is also a man who is surrounded by some of the worst religious bigots in Canada.
A man who is bad for women.
One who threatens LGBT and other bullied kids in our schools....
A man who bad for the environment...
A corrupt political thug who will almost certainly privatize much of our medicare system, fire thousands of nurses.
And by closing down safe injection sites will be directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of mostly young people...
But despite that, and as far as I could tell, none of the progressive parties made the slightest effort to reach out to the millennial generation, even though they are now the biggest voting bloc in Canada.
Which made the job of those of us trying to motivate them even harder.
Attention millennials, Ekos has released this alarming prediction.https://t.co/tAR8uWoSrx And you know who is going to be blamed if it turns out to be true. So get out there and VOTE!!!! Don't let this beast destroy our future. #OntarioVotes #onpoli pic.twitter.com/5jE321vr7W— Simon (@montrealsimon) June 6, 2018
Especially since school is out, and many of the younger ones are out of their ridings working at summer jobs.
And then of course there was the role of our shabby Con media, who let everybody down.
By trumpeting Ford's propaganda like the Toronto Sun...
Or by repeatedly claiming that he was not a Trumpling...
When he clearly was a cheap homegrown version, as produced by his ghastly handlers at Team Harper...
And as if all of that wasn't bad enough, the media somehow managed to gloss over Ford's long list of scandals.
Which had the media pursued them, with even half the zeal as they went after Justin Trudeau in India, would have left Ford waist deep in the swamp where he rightfully belongs...
And will no doubt find himself eventually.
Along with the media who enabled his victory.
Yup, as I said, it has been a depressing campaign, and I wouldn't be surprised if many people decide to enjoy the warm weather, and didn't bother to vote.
But I hope I'm wrong, for as Martin Regg Cohn writes, a vote is a terrible thing to waste.
If you want to throw the bums out, you can’t just sit it out — you have to vote them out. And if you want to keep another party out of power, you have the power to vote against them.
Be careful who you vote for, and what you wish for. Be mindful that if you don’t, and feel non-voter’s remorse over the results, you’ll have only yourself to blame.
I voted, and brought two friends with me, and since in my riding the Cons don't stand a chance.
I know that whatever happens in this riding at least we'll be celebrating tonight.
While hoping that millions of others will also vote to save this province, and our decent Canadian values.
From those who would destroy them...
22 comments:
Good luck Ontario. You're gonna need it. May the Force be with you.
Heard this song on the car radio in the car the other day and thought of you, Simon. It's an oldie but a goodie, and it reminded me of what you'd said in an earlier post about tuning out from the chaos when necessary. (Election day is not one of those times -- but the aftermath might be.)
Little River Band - "Cool Change" (1979)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bKwRW0l-Qk
Simon,
Thank you for all your coverage of this election. A few weeks ago, although it seems like forever, I commented on the first PC debate. I have been absent ever since attending to family needs.
The polls: Horvath can win and I hope she does. The Cons were supposed to win in the last two elections based upon the polls. Unfortunately there are very few polls published and those that are make aggregation difficult. The media bias is overwhelmingly conservative, no Conservative. In the Toronto area the two news/talk stations feature conservatives, failed conservatives, conservative election campaigners, conservative propagandists, and the occasional alternate voice.
Print, which at least employs some journalists, is overwhelmingly conservative. National Post? Sun Media? Are you kidding me? Ford fluffers.
Ford is a despicable man. What kind of person fucks over his sister-in-law, nieces and nephews when executor of a will? What about the corruption in the PC party? Not much complaint from Druggy when he's the winner by a nanometer. His first campaign promise was to fire the head of Hydro because the dude was overpaid. How does his Deco pay stack up against someone actually doing a job?
I wish I could have said more.
p2p
I found the election very entertaining, but the results...I will only enjoy an NDP victory. If Ford wins, well I try and focus on his better promises like cutting income tax for minium wage workers, increased, and fighting for free speech on university campuses, and not on the fact that Ontario has a premier who has no idea what he's doing or how the Queen's Park works. I'm praying for an NDP government!
Its a huge loss for common sense. Its a cry for proportional representation. Its a sad day for Canada. I feel betrayed by my fellow citizens.
However they reacted to a situation that was a fantasy by voting for a nightmare.
Too late. Whither Canada. The Dumpster Fire strikes back.
https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1004894830533709824
Time for a cool change. Between this and Kinsella's orchestrated Schmear campaign that the irresponsible clickbait hacks at BuzzFeed ran with despite having no proof whatsoever, I'm about ready to jump in Lake Ontario.
It is now 8:46 p.m. B.C. time and the horrible depressing news has sunk in. I'm sure doubie will be in touch with dump shortly to compare notes and under mine Trudeau, or try.
When people vote for a government which does not have their interests at heart or don't even see the benefit of providing basic services to many in the province, I come to the same conclusion: you will learn to live with it or die because of it. of course to those many progressives in Ontario, that is not much help. People will die and perhaps then the electorate will see the light.
On the other hand, people can move to Quebec, the Maritimes is close by, and then of course there is British Columbia which has a shortage of medical staff, teachers, and trades people--On Vancouver Island projects can't even get finished on time due to the lack of tradespeople. the weather is better also.
I'm very sorry about the election results Simon. I know you did your best.
Doug Ford rides populist wave to victory in Ontario, Tories form majority
http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/1575947-doug-ford-rides-populist-wave-to-victory-in-ontario-tories-form-majority
Cartoon:
https://twitter.com/dbiz4u2/status/1004984917019615232
People will also die from cheap gas x cheap beer. This guy is a pusher and a thug.
e.a.f., the problem in greater Vancouver and Vancouver island is the absurdly high cost of housing, even for the professional or highly skilled workers you mention. Some of the most expensive cities, such as London and, I believe, San Francisco, are providing social housing for "key workers" (teachers, firefighters, etc)https://www.peabody.org.uk/find-a-home/key-workers-regency/about-the-scheme# Historically, social housing was not only for the poorest people.
One of my good friends in Toronto, a social worker with a seething hatred of the Ford crime family, will be really down. I hope she can enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend and not obsess about it too much.
As for mega-malls, quite a few malls are failing nowadays. There was longstanding corruption in northeastern Montréal with a "mall" that never broke even in Rivière-des-Prairies (a mess of regressive sprawl)
Ontario Electon Results: Great way to greet the day. And, I just noticed, it's my birthday!
One good thing is my riding went NDP. I was shocked that the PC candidate came in second though the margin between the PCs and the Libs was tight.
We are going to be looking back on Mike Harris with nostalgia.
I guess the best we can hope for is that Dougie self-destructs before he does too much damage but it's a rather a forlorn hope.
Check out H.L. Mencken On Politics: A Carnival of Buncombe 1920.....says it All!
Hi Jackie...thanks for the cool video. Those big dolphins remind me of the ones that sometimes approach my sailing boat off the Moray coast in Scotland. They are bigger than the Flipper kind, but incredibly sleek and just as playful. But I'm afraid after what happened last night the only way I'm going to stay cool is to stick my head in a bucket of ice... ;)
Hi p2p... It's always good to hear from you, and you've served our cause well for many years, so you shouldn't feel bad about taking some family time, and avoiding this ghastly election campaign. Believe me, I sometimes wished I could have taken a break from what was without a doubt the most frustrating election campaign ever. The Con media were absolutely useless from the beginning to the end, and never even bothered to fact check the torrent of lies pouring out of the Fordzilla's pie hole. So like Donald Trump he was able to get away with it again and again. And that is how democracy dies. But that's OK, eventually Ford will get so tangled up in his lies, and his followers so disappointed, that he will hit the ground with a sickening thud. It's in the cards, and the future still belongs to us...
Hy Gyor...I didn't find the election entertaining, and I expect nothing good from Ford. His plan to replace a minimum wage increase with a tax cut will end up costing the poorest workers money, and is half assed like most of his wild promises. But you'll be happy to know that most progressives where I live voted for the NDP in the hope they could form at the very least a minority government. So the entire waterfront where I and other members of Ford's hated "downtown elite" live, is now totally orange. Hopefully he will take the hint and stay far away...
Hi Steve...it is indeed a huge loss for common sense. I can understand the desire for change, but anybody who thinks Ford is the right kind of change must be either incredibly ignorant, or out of their minds. His ham fisted tea bagger policies stand to cause enormous damage to the safety net we have taken decades to build. And as I pointed out in my post, result in the deaths of hundreds of young opiate users, for which I will never forgive him...
Hi Jackie...yes it certainly is a dumpster fire big enough to be seen from outer space. But please don’t jump into Lake Ontario, because I accidentally fell in the other day while fixing something on my uncle’s sailing boat, and it’s still freezing ☃️
It is a setback, and as annoying as it is we should not let it get us down. The way I see it, Ford will do so much damage the Cons will be gone for a generation, and Justin Trudeau will have his chances of winning another majority increased exponentially. So life is a struggle, but from bad will come good...
Hi e.a.f...thanks, it was an ugly evening, and I was particularly disappointed by the size of Ford’s majority. But it will only make him more arrogant and make him think he can do what he wants, sonI fully expect him to have shot himself in the foot so many times by this time next year, that he’ll be crawling on all fours heading for an early exit, or a corruption trial. And in addition to that happy spectacle I get to caricature Ford which as everybody I’m sure knows is something I greatly enjoy...😉
Hi anon@3:18 am...yes I saw that de Adder cartoon, and all it needs is a soundtrack “here’s Dougie,” or a primal scream. It’s mind blowing that a province like Ontario could elect a moron like Ford, at a time when we’re struggling to cope with a rapidly growing aging population. But most of those who inflicted him upon us will be devastated when they understand that he has no intention of delivering on his wild promises, and that as a millionaire he is only interested in feathering the nests of the rich. It will be a bitter lesson but they deserve it, and I for one wouldn’t miss it for anything...😎
Hi lagatta...everything about Ford seems out of another era. Him and his brother couldn’t run City Hall, and Dougie is now in the deep end of the pool posing as a Premier, so I fully expect thiat this story will also end badly. But that’s the problem with far too many Canadians these days. All a demagogue needs to do is shout “I’m cutting your taxes,” and they go for it like a trout goes for a fly. And then grumble when we don’t have enough money to provide proper medical and social services for those who need them. This anti-tax mantra is just pure greed, and unless it can be halted we will end up living in a shabby backward country, when we could have been so much more....
Hi jrkrideau...Happy Birthday!!! 🎂 And I can’t help asking, apart from that how did you enjoy the play Mrs Lincoln? But seriously, it is an ugly episode in the life of this country, and Ford is capable of causing mass misery. But as you suggest the Fordzilla is quite capable of self destructing in a spectacular way, and I look forward to doing what I can in my humble way to help him blow up as soon as possible. So settle back, enjoy your birthday, and order up at least two tons of popcorn 🍿 to enjoy the show...
Hi Kathleen....thanks for your suggestion, although I may need to lie on a beach for a few days before I can read somebody like Mencken. Right now the only thing I believe I can handle is the new Peter Rabbit movie. I grew up reading all the Peter Rabbit books, and I’m hoping the movie can take me back to the halcyon days of my childhood, where people like Fordonly appeared in my worst nightmares... 🐇
Kinsella's been infuriating with his constant armchair quarterback bullshit. Doesn't seem to understand that these elections are life and death for some people.
Greater Vancouver is very expensive. Affordable is in Chilliwack and Vancouver island, north of Victoria is affordable. Nanaimo is heavenly. Houses are affordable, on the ocean, just an hr. to great skiing and not enough tradespeople. We also need teachers and medical staff.
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