In normal times, in a different Canada, a story about Andrew Scheer's monster bigot problem would be enough to end his political career.
For his bigotry couldn't be more disgusting, or more damaging.
Especially at a time when he has finally decided to tell us who is the real Scheer.
Which should be a laugh, or a scream.
But here's the really scary part.
In the new Canada, in the age of fake news, the monster Scheer can still hope that his grotesque bigotry will only be seen as a minor character flaw.
And according to the latest Abacus poll can still hope to be Prime Minister.
For although the Con lead is not a big one, almost half of Canadians have a negative impression of Justin Trudeau, about half of those who voted for the government in 2015 feel the country is heading in the wrong direction.
Voter volatility is up, Con supporters are more motivated to vote than the others.
And with the Greens increasing their share of accessible voters the danger of a progressive vote split is increasing.
But that's where it ends, and anyone dreaming of the Greens forming a government is dreaming in technicolour as we say in Quebec. For whatever the Con media might say, the Green wave is just an illusion.
With just over five months to go the party has neither the resources nor the candidates to mount a serious cross-country challenge.
A closer look at their party platform will reveal that it is incredibly social conservative with whole sections written by "men's rights" activists.
They have a horrifying number of racist supporters compared to the Liberals.
Which will make the vetting process even more difficult, and weaken them in an election where racism will be a big issue.
As much as I like her I don't think Elizabeth May is quite ready to be Prime Minister...
Neither is Jagmeet Singh
And as far as the climate emergency goes, if Justin Trudeau delays or cancels construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline, and gets into a big fight with people like Jason Kenney, his environmental credentials could be rapidly restored.
For not only is he waging a heroic struggle to impose a carbon tax on climate change deniers like Scheer, Ford, and Kenney. His Bill C-69 will make it almost impossible to build another pipeline again.
And let's not forget this is a country whose people like to have their cake and eat it. Or claim they are for the environment, while driving their gas guzzling big cars or monster trucks.
As Abacus' David Colletto points out, the volatility of the electorate which is dogging the government today could help it tomorrow.
The Liberal brand has been damaged and more Canadians are looking for an alternative to the government they currently have. But many haven’t yet really considered the alternatives and what an alternative government and Prime Minister might mean to the issues they are most concerned about. Until that start to happen during the formal campaign period, much of the numbers from this survey could change, and change substantially.
And since this is what I think of Scheer's plan to tell us who he really is...
And since stopping Scheer is my main political goal, and I would vote for the leader best equipped to do that.
As I say in my Twitter profile, this is why I intend to keep supporting Justin Trudeau...
I fought the Harper regime for years waiting for the light of decency to return to Canada.
So I'll be damned if I'll let the Cons steal my country again...
Call him Opie. It makes him sound like a little kid.I tried it on a con acquaintance and it made him splutter and rant. Hat tip to Jackie Blue for coining this excellent name for the schmeagle.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks. I call him Yankee Doody Andy too, to highlight how un-Canadian and Trumpmerican his values truly are. And per Justin's Star Wars fandom, I call him Android Sneer, with his Rebel scum stormtroopers. Tell your friend we know about Hamster the computer chipmunk, aka Goebbels the Gerbil. Nicknames are fun, and satire is maybe one of the best ways to demoralize these humorless wingnuts. They want to be feared, and taken seriously. They go on with their stupid, bigoted and uncreative "Justine Turdeau," "Hairdeau," "Dildeau," "Castreau," meh, whatever. In response, be sure to call out Doug the Thug aka Torontosaurus Rekt, Kluless Klutz Klanney, and of course Herrball Harper aka Ernst Stevero Blowhard (the Bond villain stroking his... cat) aka Emperor Steev Harpertine. They can't stand that we're smarter and cleverer so they just want to sack everything like the Vandals of Rome. Laugh at them and tear them down instead. Like Justin said to Barack Obama, fight them with a smile on your face.
DeleteHi Anon...I agree that Jackie is brilliant, but if Opie makes Cons rant even more that they already do, is that a good thing? 😳
DeleteI'm holding my breath and praying, Simon. I'm really worried. Losing sleep again, actually. Scheer is a nutcase and he's got some very powerful people backing him. White nationalism is a worldwide epidemic, but the blinkered media and insular "old stock" denizens are either too selfish or bigoted themselves to care. Trudeau derangement syndrome is a helluva drug, just like the Clinton and Obama equivalents were and still are down here.
ReplyDeleteI hope Justin does decide to put off the pipeline and arouse Kenney's ire over the "grand bargain" that Kenney broke first. Like you and others have said, he has nothing to lose by doing so and everything to gain. I really hope he's getting (and heeding) some good advice and is able to recapture the progressive coalition, because he's going to need everything in his toolbox to fight a multi-front war. Build up the comms team! Fight the propaganda wars! Where's the Liberal version of Canada Proud?
Keep up the good fight, Simon. We're pulling for you guys here in America as shit hits the fan in Trumpworld. Justin is a great guy, a genuinely compassionate humanitarian and a real leader. He might not be a ruthless politician, but he's not a snowflake or a phony, and he does fight for what he believes in. He's a victim of a relentless Schmear campaign just like his contemporaries in America. Considering all the vile threats and rhetoric that have been dished out to him and to his family, it's a credit to his tenacity that he continues to fight on. He will fight on until he breathes his last breath, and no doubt the Cons want that to happen sooner rather than later. As he told Barack Obama, and is quoted as saying in Ben Rhodes' elegy for the hope and change era, The World As It Is: "I will fight them, with a smile on my face. That is the only way to win."
The fact that we live in the age of all-or-nothing extremes and the politics of populist petulance, full of people who fight like rabid pack animals with a Sneer, not a smile, on their faces and foam around their mouths, is not his fault. But I really, really hope against hope that, again to borrow from Yeats, things don't fall apart and the center does hold.
We love him. We love team Canada and we love team Trudeau. He's not perfect. No one is. But he is by no means the caricature his haters make him out to be.
Hi Jackie...I don't blame you for being worried. This country is indeed passing through a very dark valley, and I don't know any true progressive who isn't concerned about where it's heading. I was lucky to be able spend a few days in Scotland recently, where I was able to lose myself in the highlands. And was able to see Canada more clearly than I sometimes can here. And I came out of that experience more confident than I was before. So while I realize that the campaign ahead will be a brutal one, I still believe that we are going to defeat the Cons. So as those Blitz signs say, stay calm and carry on...😼
DeleteIt's crazy how much is being made about a by-election in some nowhere B.C. riding. And why has nobody in the media pointed a finger at all those other Green candidates like you did Simon. Are they that ignorant or are they working for the Cons?
ReplyDeleteReferring to Nanaimo/Ladysmith as some "nowhere B.C. riding" explains western alienation. You aren't helping.
DeleteThe riding has approx. 120K people. We are approx. 3 hours north of Victoria, which is the capital of B.C. You might know B.C. as the place Vancouver is located, the most expensive place in the world to purchase a home. People are starting to move to Nanaimo because they can commute to Vancouver to work, yes you take a plane or ferry, but you can commute.
It is something that the Greens won in this riding. It had been held for approx 40 years by the NDP. The NDP came in third. the Conservatives can in second. the Liberals came in fourth. That is not good news. Now it can be said the demographics have changed in Nanaimo/Ladysmith due to an influx of Albertans and those from the Greater Vancouver area. The Albertans to work and those from Greater Vancouver its a combination of white flight, lower housing costs, less traffic, quieter area, better schools, work, etc.
Given every riding is going to count in the upcoming election, no riding is going to be "nowhere" place. As it currently stands, it was Ontario who voted for Ford and given your comment about Nanaimo being a "nowhere" place, I would not be surprised you're from Ontario. One could say Ontario is the black hole of Canada. We know why Albertans voted Conservative. that is what they always did until they voted for Notley.
If enough of these "nowhere" places are pandered to by the Conservatives or Greens, they just might put other parties out of contention.
As to your question regarding the greens and the media, as many of us have explained here before, the MSM in Canada is owned by a few corporations and their interests are not those of working Canadians. They have more in common with Trump. The media isn't ignorant at all. They know exactly what they are doing. is the media working for the Conservatives, not for the Conservatives, more like with them or the Conservatives are working for them. Corporations donate to main stream parties and then expect a return on their money. It has always worked like that.
DeleteJohn B.
DeleteRe: Does anybody agree that it’s seldom got this crazy so far in advance of a Federal Election?
I do.
Hi anon @2:16 PM...I have no idea why our hapless MSM appears so biased in favour of the Cons, or alternatively is just so incompetent. But what I do know is that either way they are doing our democracy no favours...
DeleteJustin Trudeau is doing a super job trying to get Canadians to.understand the threat climate change poses, without any support from the premiers in this country. Compared to what he has done the Green Party is a joke.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2019/05/06/if-you-dont-have-a-plan-for-the-environment-you-dont-havea-plan-for-the-economy.html
DeleteCatherine McKenna's op-ed on the "Clean New Deal." Again she warns Canadians not to throw away progress due to the kind of emotional polarization that's sweeping the globe. Beyond reason, to borrow from the title of Margaret's first book. The visual-learner and storyteller in me would sum up McKenna's article as: Goldilocks, now a grown woman, is an environmental activist and legislator, admonishing the public in a contentious election not to go too far right or too far left but stay in the middle... just right.
For all the hate she gets -- death threats, rape threats, "Climate Barbie" insults, accusations that she hasn't done enough by purists who let the perfect be the enemy of the good -- nevertheless, she persists. Far from being a fake feminist, Justin Trudeau has lifted up some of the best and brightest female cabinet ministers Canada has had in a long time. It's Scheer's Rebel scum who exploit his sincerely-held beliefs in bad faith even as they spew bile at her from the "comfort" of their social media vomitorium.
He is a champion of women and of the environment. It's the sexist Cons and some of the more toxic elements pretending to be progressives who accuse female Liberal supporters of saying so because "you think he's cute" and "you just want to sleep with him." Sounds like petty jealousy to me. The root of the derangement syndrome as it's always been. The deadly sin of envy.
A prophet is not without honour but in his homeland, among his kin, and in his house. Mark 6:4
Hi PR
DeleteThe Norman case is minor compared to some of the crap Harper pulled and the IOU's Scheer has accumulated. Oh WAAH its so unfair, the much anticipated Con media circus has been cancelled without refunds. Its unfortunate that the Canadian political scene has forced Trudeau to take some of the padding out of his boxing gloves but he should be able to handle the gang of clowns without putting on the brass knuckles. Unlike the Smearmonger and he is still a gentleman.... just a little more seasoned.
RT
Hello RT,
DeleteI doubt if this will make it to you.
Harper was defeated 3-1/2 years ago.
Using past shenanigans to justify recent ones is a poor argument.
As for JT being a gentleman forced to defend himself, his actions contradict that line.
Usually incumbent politicians are good for a 2nd term. However, Mr. Trudeau has used up a lot of good will and benefit of the doubt.
Oct shall be interestingm
Anon 2:29
DeleteRe: Compared to what he has done the Green Party is a joke.
So true. Let them run on their record. LOL.
That should take care of those who'd chance it. Gambling the future on the totally abstract.
Hey, BS Guy:
DeleteDon't even try to make this a referendum on judgment of character. Mr. Trudeau has not used up anything. Except, perhaps, a lot of wasted energy and effort trying to fix the mess that Harper left behind (with a lot of booby traps that he unfortunately got tripped up by), and convince Canadians to vote in their own and their neighbors' best interests. Considering all the shit that's been flung at him, including an unexpected ambush from within his own party by a pair of egotistical disgruntled employees and a relentless media blitz aimed directly at destroying his public reputation, he deserves a lot of credit and respect rather than blame for his misfortunes. It's not his fault that all the sunny ways in the world can't fix selfish and stupid. If an NHL player intentionally throws games by scoring own goals because he is angry that the coach benched him for poor performance and damaging team morale, why should the coach take the flak for the playoff loss? Why should the captain be blamed for a mutiny? Christ for the betrayal? Caesar for his stab wounds?
What Mr. Trudeau, like Mrs. Clinton, does not have in his corner is what you claim to specialize in: "PR." You can't spell "propaganda" without it, but the Cons, like their inbred GOP cousins south of the 49th, have plenty to offer. Mr. Trudeau is a gentleman whether you admit it or not, and a genuine public servant who left his calling of a successful teaching career to be reluctantly drafted into politics and the leadership of his dysfunctional party. Perhaps he should have stayed away from Ottawa except to go skating on the Rideau Canal, and perhaps his good nature has not served him well in the vomitorium of Canadian politics because he is not ruthless and does not play dirty. Cons are not gentlemen and there is no honor among thieves or bigots. Funny, I don't see Justin Trudeau or his supporters calling Andrew Scheer's children homophobic slurs on the Internet, threatening to rape his wife and daughters, or shooting off racist memes and "anti-globalist" conspiracy theories. I see zero Liberals waving around signs with vulgar sexual references to Mary Scheer like I have Conservatives with abhorrent rhetoric targeting Margaret Trudeau. "Your mum fucked Castro" has what to do with pipeline projects, DPAs or carbon taxes? And where is the condemnation from anyone in the CPC or its provincial Hydra offshoots after being repeatedly made aware of this? I could go on, but it's clear that you're just interested in trolling and schadenfreude and not interested in facts.
You say "October shall be interesting." Sounds like the old Chinese curse of "may you live in interesting times." If the worst should happen, well, just like the U.S. in 2016 focused more on the PR-opaganda of "her emails" and the meme about "Crooked Hillary" instead of actual policy positions and the impending threat of stealth fascism, history will demonstrate that the voters will have made a terrible mistake. I hope that Mr. Trudeau will take the time and any opportunities availed to him to clear his unfairly tarnished name. He has sacrificed so much and done so with genuine grace, even for ungrateful haters like you. Perhaps "people kindness" is not in your vocabulary. That doesn't surprise me in the least. But it is for Mr. Trudeau, who despite the slings and arrows and smear campaigns he has faced throughout his career, remains a truly compassionate leader with integrity. If he ends up facing the wrath of the irrational populist mob for circumstances that are not his fault, he deserves a chance to rebuild his life, to continue working in whatever way he sees fit for his passion of making Canada a better country and the world a better place, and to go out with his head held high. Just watch him.
...and not a peep from y'all, regarding the other "non-scandal"
ReplyDeleteYour boy Justin lost another one in the Norman case.
Justin does not control the prosecution of leaks. This was a very serious leak,and lets not forget it was a sole sourced contract by Herr Harper. Lets sink that ship every time.
DeleteHi PR Guy.... The Trudeau government did not lose anything. You Cons are the ones who lost a chance to make hay with yet another fake scandal. And since you depend on fake scandals because you have no policies, what are you going to do now? And let's not forget that the real scandal is Andrew Scheer's links to far-right extremist groups, which unlike the Norman case are a real threat to this country...
DeleteHello Simon,
DeleteLet's call the Norman case a controversy then. Controversial issues that are not well explained in a transparent manner grow legs.
Politics 101: when your opponent is making errors, keep reminding everyone.
Trying to link Scheer with far right extremist elements is equivalent to saying Trudeau is cozy with terrorists.
Both are not substantive and divert from making policy or plans public. Anyhow the onus is on the government to defend itself.
@unknown
DeleteTrying to link Scheer with far right extremist elements is equivalent to saying Trudeau is cozy with terrorists.
Both-sides fallacy. You should work for CNN, or its equivalent CBC. Trudeau never gave interviews to ISIS propaganda fronts or showed up to rally the troops at an outdoor event with Al Qaeda recruits. Instead he got criticized by some Con for calling La Meute a bunch of morons when they disrupted a memorial for the victims of the mosque shooting. Simon already documented Scheer's history of lending support to homophobic bigots who were too toxic (publicly, at least) even for Harper. The man and his party are nothing but a toxic stew of hate. There's no comparing the two. And why should the onus only be on the incumbent government to "defend itself" -- against what? Why should the opponent get to operate in stealth?
Name dropping logical fallacies doesn't cut it.
DeleteThe CBC and CNN don't bother with false balance, you know that!
The government had better be defending it's record.
Instead it's clearing the clunkers off the lot: a couple of scandals (false or otherwise).
The opposition doesn't have a record to defend, and it's platform will come out in due time.
Nothing to say about the 2nd "false scandal"?
Simon can you please delete PR Guy again?
ReplyDeleteHe's a troll and he's stinking up the place.
Hi Jackie...I'm sorry, I should have got back to you sooner. But what I want say as this. I delete a lot of troll comments, on average about a dozen a week. But as long as they are not vulgar or bigoted and are reasonably polite I like to publish a few Con comments so that we can expose the hollowness of their arguments. I have complete confidence that you and others who contribute to this blog can more than hold your own. So please remember the truth is on our side, and wield it like a weapon...
DeleteI am just going to close my eyes and vote liberal and hope for the best. The point is any goverment can be painted like a miata. Goverment is tough. So do you wanna buy it will all the rust spots, I do , because the conservative car is rusted through and through.
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Steve.
DeleteThank you!
Hi Steve....Your heart is in the right place, but before you do that make sure that the Liberal candidate is the one best equipped to defeat the Con candidate, or the Con could benefit from a vote split...
DeleteThat’s right. The Greens are not going to form government. But I’ll say the same thing to all the Liberal tribesmen that I’ve told the guys for Green: your vote only counts in your district. Remember that and don’t get carried away by the national numbers. What’s more important is where you put your hours and how many of them you put there. And you don’t have to vote for the guy for whom you volunteer. When it’s close enough between the relevant contenders that it’s undetermined by my estimate, I disobey orders and don’t vote in advance. Never tell yourself that it’s only one vote. Of course, I keep my business to myself.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody agree that it’s seldom got this crazy so far in advance of a Federal Election?
Does anybody agree that it’s seldom got this crazy so far in advance of a Federal Election?
DeleteIt's the name, the legacy obsession, plus what Heather Mallick correctly diagnosed as prime-ministerial envy. He is male Hillary. He's also what you might see in the U.S. if George Clooney became president. Kennedy north. The cons are a Manson family of obsessive celebrity stalkers, and their catch-and-kill National Enquirer media vultures are the equivalent of the British tabloids chasing Diana into a tunnel at a high rate of speed. They don't care about issues and they don't care about the good of the country. They're on a mission to bury the star candidate because he is the star candidate. Everything about him makes them insecure and whipped into a jealous frenzy. Yet nobody gets this vengeful about the idjit brudda of the dead crackhead mayor. Like I said, Trudeau Derangement Syndrome is a helluva drug.
Certainly is crazy on the national scene and it is change. Of course for those of us who live in B.C., this is nothing new. Politics here has always been "crazy".
DeleteOther federal elections have been more about policies, the economy. this election is more than that. we are seeing the spill over of American politics and that isn't a good thing. This election will have a great deal more hate involved than others. Given who Scheer's campaign manager is, in my opinion, we have entered the "clear and present danger zone".
Hi John...I have absolutely no problem voting for the progressive candidate best able to beat the Con candidate. I used to hope that progressives would unite, but in the absence of that, and in the face of such a murderous right-wing threat strategic voting is our best hope of beating the Cons. And yes, I have never seen things get so crazy before an election, but with Trump's influence affecting our politics can we really be surprised?
Delete