Saturday, July 24, 2021

Erin O'Toole and the Return of Stephen Harper

In my last post I told you that Erin O'Toole was looking like death warmed over. Or the closest thing to a zombie since Andrew Scheer.

And who can blame him?

He has been accused of rewarding his friends with tax payer money.

Accused of letting SoCons in his creepy party recruit even more religious fanatics as new candidates, so they can turn the Cons into the Party of God.

And now many of his supporters are revolting.

And some are finally speaking out.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is facing questions from within his own party over allowing his deputy chief of staff to help social conservative candidates secure party nominations. 

“The story has caused concern and discussion, particularly this close to a possible election call,” one Conservative MP, who requested anonymity to discuss internal party matters, told the Star. 

Another MP was more blunt: “There are people that can’t figure out what’s going on at (the Office of the Leader of the Opposition) because, quite frankly, OLO has been such a dismal disaster over the last number of months.” 

And with all that infighting, and all those dismal polls, it's not surprising that some Cons, and their media stooges, believe that the only man who can keep the party from flying apart is Stephen Harper.

A Harper-led Conservative Party would cut the Liberal advantage by two-thirds among decided voters, from a 14-point Liberal lead under current leader Erin O’Toole to a 5-point lead under Harper, according to a new poll for Maclean’s by Lyle’s firm Innovative Research Group.

Innovative found the Trudeau Liberals lead Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives by 14 points, 41 per cent to 27 per cent. The NDP under Jagmeet Singh is at 17 per cent. Those popular-vote shares would be consistent with a Liberal majority government, since it found Liberal support two points higher and Conservative support five points lower than in the 2015 election, which produced Justin Trudeau’s first majority government.

But then Innovative asked how respondents would vote if Harper came back to lead the Conservatives. In that scenario, Liberal support falls four points to 37 per cent, Conservative support increases five points to 32 per cent, and NDP support falls a hair to 16 per cent. A rout starts to look more like a race.

I find it hard to believe that Harper would come out of retirement after what Justin Trudeau did to him in 2015...

And Paul Wells, his faithful would be Boswell, has been wrong before.

But the stakes are so enormous, the party that Harper considers his own is in danger of tearing itself apart.


So he might do ANYTHING to save it.

And as I pointed out the other day, there are many old Harperites in this country,  including some so-called "progressives" who pine for the return of Great Leader.


If only because of their diseased hatred for Justin Trudeau.

Fortunately most decent people, and real progressives, still remember what Harper did to this country. 

Know what that monster could still do to it.

And like me are prepared to defend it, by whatever means necessary.

So I have to believe that the Con zombie train has left the station.

And won't ever be coming back...

32 comments:

ottlib said...

Well, I guess the Liberals have no other choice. Bring back Jean Chretien!

Anonymous said...

So the best the Cons can hope for with Harper at the helm is to hold the Libs to a minority government. So what's in it for Harper, another loss to JT and a term as opposition leader? This is just pundits playing what-if.

Anonymous said...

‘Whatever means necessary’

Cut the historic crap Simon. You aren’t going to do shit outside of the law and you know it.

Jackie Blue said...

The intensity of Cons' fawning for Harper roughly equals their level of loathing for PET some 20 years after his death and almost 40 after he left office. Even the Bloc were trying to goad JT into condemning his own father, and of course the NDP's bizarre and misogynistic loathing of poor Maggie knows no bounds. Seriously, what would they run on policy-wise if the only thing uniting them wasn't a Pavlovian foam-at-the-mouth reflexive hatred of the name Trudeau?

The opposition has some gall to complain about Liberals being a cabal of velvet-rope insiders or a cult of Trudeau, when Cons have nothing else but nostalgia for Harper. To the extent that his arrogant #WhiteBoySummer Sith Apprentice chad offspring is being groomed in Kenney's office to become their eventual scion messiah. How can anyone honestly say that Liberals have exhausted their "but Harper" points when the party still bears his imprint and he won't go away?

Likewise, the Trudeau derangement syndrome of the media is on full display this week, both in Wells' pontificating and Coyne's off-the-rails rant (seriously, he needs professional help for how he channels his obvious family strife into his job). It's summer, the pandemic is abating, baseball is back, and there's nothing to write about until the election actually kicks in (well, nothing that they want to write about anyway, because it's bad for their preferred party) so they've decided to fill column space with alt-history fanfic. Fanfic is fun, but it shouldn't supplant serious political discussion. Unfortunately there's almost no one in Canada who actually fills that void.

Wells should submit an entry to Chatelaine imagining what if John Turner had married Princess Margaret, PET married Barbra Streisand or, heck, why not, what if Maggie Sinclair married Fidel Castro. What if Jack Layton married Jane Fonda? How would the 2015 election have turned out if Angry Tom shaved his beard? What if Andrew Scheer and Devin Nunes fought over the same dairy cow? Thing is, he's not that creative or funny. Anyone can play pretend or dive into QAnon theories, but only the real cabal of cliquey insiders could turn their personal Wattpad diary into a high-paying gig at Maclean's.

Simon said...

Hi Ottlib….Yes I think you’re right. I can see Chrétien greeting O’Toolle with a warm Shawinigan handshake. And then I can imagine O’Toole showing us how fast he can jog, and running for his life….😉

Simon said...

Hi anon….I don’t think believe that they could beat the Liberals with Harper as their leader. But what they might hope is that Great Leader could keep the party together, because especially in Alberta that could be a problem. As I said in my post I doubt this will happen, Steve Closet Harper is not known for his extraordinary courage. But as I also said, desperate Cons can do desperate things….

Simon said...

Hi anon@5:57 PM…..You disgusting Disaffected Con, how dare you even suggest that I would break the law? I have never done that (apart from a speeding ticket, nor will I ever.. I’m talking about social media, postering, knocking on doors etc. Nor do I use the vulgar language that characterizes you and makes you so despised by so many.. Give it up loser your day is done…

Simon said...

Hi Jackie….The foaming hatred the Cons have for all members of the Trudeau family, is one of the most deeply disturbing things about this country as far as I’m concerned. It makes the Cons look like animals, but it also makes us all look bad. What makes it even more appalling is that our shabby media doesn’t denounce that sick Trudeau hate, it encourages it. And again makes us all look very cheap and small. I’m proud that my parents taught that good manners are really important. I don’t.know who raised the Cons but they should be ashamed of themselves….

jrkrideau said...

@ jackie
What's this baseball thing?

@ simon
I can see Chrétien greeting O’Toole with a warm Shawinigan handshake.

Can we have a trigger warning? I nearly lost a keyboard!

If Harper was disinterred, I wonder what it would do for Liberal & NDP turnout? Such a move might be self-defeating. Not to mention the retread jokes.

Unknown said...

Singh is far worse. He has done nothing but create havoc for the gov't. He takes credit for everything the gov't has accomplished. Singh is a trickster beguiling the electorate

Anonymous said...

Big talk, little man. I know your type, all talk online but in person….well not so much.

But I have to thank you for your blog, it has been most useful in convincing people not to vote for Trudeau. Good for laughs around the office. PSAC reps think so too.

Dan said...


But I have to thank you for your blog, it has been most useful in convincing people not to vote for Trudeau. Good for laughs around the office. PSAC reps think so too.


Judging by the panic I see coming from the Con side (I have friends who are well connected), I'd say that you guys are doing an even better job keeping voters away from you.

Thanks for making me laugh.

Anonymous said...

Abusers have a bait and switch story line. The first part is that you are beautiful but the others are keeping you down, let me help. Once sucked in the second part becomes all about them, the others are attacking me for supporting you but your silly talk is not helping... shape up and get in line or face the (godly?) consequences. Recent polls show the provincial Cons are having difficulty moving to phase 2 which is negatively impacting the Tool's courtship phase.

https://globalnews.ca/video/8057837/polls-conservative-support-crumbling-in-western-canada

RT

Simon said...

Hi jrkrideau….Yes, the poor Cons think Harper could save the, but I think he would scare so many others the Liberals would end up winning a massive majority. The Cons must think we’re idiots. And since I feel that way about them I must make sure to put up some lawn signs supporting Harper’s leadership. “If you thought he was great the first time, you ain’t seen nothing yet!!!” 😉

Simon said...

Hi Unknown @11:02 AM….I don’t like to criticize other progressive parties. I progress to focus my fire on the Cons. But I must admit Jagmeet Singh has disappointed me recently by the way he goes after Trudeau all the time, and by the way he takes Liberal ideas and claims them for himself. So I will be writing a post on the NDP very soon….

Simon said...

Hi anon@11:55….Oh boy you Cons really are in bad shape. I mean look at you, you’re trying to sound like a street thug, and only managing to sound even more ridiculous. If that’s possible. I could say something rude, but as I said before, unlike your parents my parents taught me manners. But for the record, I’m not small I’m tall. And since I studied martial arts (judo and karate) for almost 13 years. So if you want to take me on please bring your own wheelbarrow or ambulance. Now get lost loser…

Simon said...

Hi Dan….Thanks for that. I was shocked to hear that my humble blog is convincing people not to vote for Justin Trudeau. I had hoped I was doing the opposite. But of course you’re right, it is panic. I’ve had to delete so many vulgar and violent comments I’m afraid they are losing their minds. The poor losers can’t decide whether to snarl or squeal, but they’ll soon have four long years to wallow in their own despair, and it will be beautiful….😎

Jackie Blue said...

Simon and Unknown, I think Singh is playing a dangerous long game and I'm not alone. I just wrote however that even the feel of a potentially tightening race could hopefully motivate Liberals to stop the NDP due to fear of the Cons, versus getting complacent that Trudeau has it in the bag. But Singh is a snake, and his party are selfish enough that they don't mind the attention they get from Cons as long as it means wounding their mutual enemy. He's angling for something really worrisome if his plot comes to fruition.

By focusing negative attention on Trudeau, Singh admits he won’t be Leader of Opposition - not discouraging CPC votes but trying to get LPC votes to come over to NDP. He’s campaigning on status quo, hoping to hold PMJT in minority until Tik Tok followers are old enough to vote.

The NDP is still hoping, as they did in 2006, that the Liberals will become weakened and ultimately become irrelevant, so that they can leapfrog them as the sole viable option for the anti-Con vote. And/or force Trudeau's hand this time around on one of their core Christmas wish list items, to attain power at the VIP table they haven't been able to get otherwise: the menacing spectre of proportional representation. Recall that NDP MP who forced the process committee to agree to undertake another electoral reform study. They're never going to let go of this bone until they get what they want. Beating a dead horse will continue until morale improves.

The NDP talk a good game about Israel but when it comes down to it, Singh would love for Canada to have the same kind of ad hoc chaos their government has, as long as it means he can be "alternate prime minister" in a formal coalition. In this scenario, Trudeau would be Naftali Bennett for two years and then Singh would be Yair Lapid. Typical of the misogynistic dudebros, Freeland once again gets overlooked and displaced (as their supporters violently tear her picture in effigy and then attack people for calling them out).

The federal NDP are zealots led by their Rose Twitter and Tik Tok tankie youth wing, unlike their more mature, centrist provincial counterparts whose coattails they are riding on (ironic in that they like to gaslight the public into believing that provincial jurisdiction is a "Liberal excuse").

They don't think things through because they're reactionaries. Their answer to every conceivable problem or manufactured "scandal" is to either abolish or nationalize everything. SNC? Nationalize the company. Vance? Abolish the military. WE? Overthrow capitalism so that charity becomes obsolete. I'm surprised Singh hasn't called on Trudeau to nationalize and then abolish the NHL to prove he's a real feminist. The kind of things their core base believes in would upend Canada's constitutional system and irrevocably change the country. Public ownership, central planning, and ill-thought-out activism. They're campus communists at heart.

And if they were ever to get what they really wanted, it could fragment the country even as they'd claim to be bringing it together. God help poor Canada if Jagmeet Singh memes his way into another Liberal minority and emboldens his Pied Piper audience. You guys will be in big trouble if the Nutcase Delusional Party pushes the Overton window so far to the left that Canadians end up falling off a cliff.

Simon said...

Hi RT...Thanks for that link. It's amazing to see how how damaged the Cons are even in Alberta. And you're right, the provincial Cons aren't playing the Con game, and as long as Kenney and Ford are so unpopular we can hope for a real collapse. They are pulling the roof down on themselves, and we could be soon witnessing an historic turning point. The Cons, just like the ones in the United States, are becoming too diseased for most decent people to vote for them...

Simon said...

Hi Jackie....Yes, I must admit I am a bit worried by the way Singh is behaving. That cheerful narcissist is fooling a lot of Canadians into believing that he is a real leader, if it wasn't for him Canadians would have dropped like flies during the pandemic. And that he is the REAL Prime Minister of Canada. It's all totally absurd, but he is counting on the ignorance of Canadians to believe that nonsense. I just saw his latest TikTok video and it seemed to me that he is aiming that fakery at children who may be easily fooled, but fortunately can't vote for him. The Con media is trying to make him look good to try to split the vote, but my feeling is that when Singh is fact checked he will be exposed as a fraud...

Jackie Blue said...

Have you seen this about "influencers" and what they're up to?

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-57928647.amp

It doesn't have to be anti-vax disinfo. It could be any kind of disinfo esp. about elections, the constitution -- like say, gaslighting about which level of government is responsible for implementing a particular desired policy. Remember all the Bernie bots who parroted the line that Hillary rigged the primaries? The NDP's perpetual whining about PropRep is along the same lines of rhetoric: that Trudeau "stole the election" or committed "voter suppression" because he didn't rig it in their favour. All you have to do is vote another Lib-NDP minority to "push Trudeau" because "I alone can fix it." Who else was orange and pushed that idea?

There's no way "Jagmentum" is 100% authentic either. His latest video is in front of a rap video playing on a green screen. Those aren't even real people in the clip. If we're going to investigate data usage, then have an objective, arms-length professional officer of Parliament examine all the parties without scandal-mongering partisan fanfare. That includes Tik Tok and the Top Hat crew O'Toole hired from the UK. CSIS has warned about foreign ops leading up to this next election. I don't trust these "influencers" any further than I could throw 'em and no one else should either. It's a scam.

https://www.csis.org/features/countering-russian-chinese-influence-activities

Influencers can and do spread disinfo to gullible followers coming from the ostensible left as much as the MAGA right. And what better way to sow chaos than by exploiting the ignorance and impatience of naive youth with a poor background in civics. Add a GOP-owned propaganda oligopoly into the mix and you're looking at a media Molotov cocktail. Trudeau is a target as Clinton was in 2016.

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/01/1012107432/how-a-former-spy-trained-conservatives-to-infiltrate-progressive-groups

Simon said...

Hi Jackie....I am familiar with the so-called influencers, and I have no doubt that the Cons will use them to try to steal the election. They already have their monkeys trying to use our progressive social media to spread their propaganda to divide us. I have had to delete about a dozen comments for this post alone. I assume the Cons are responsible fr most of them, but it could also be the NDP. All I can say is that they are playing a dangerous game, for if they are exposed it will cost them everything. And for a long long time....

Jackie Blue said...

Sorry to keep butting in, but here's the latest egregious example of Dipper bullshit that needs to be debunked. Looks like this is the shape Jagmeet's campaign is going to take: lumping Trudeau in with the "Maclean's Resistance" crew that he pretends not to exist.

https://twitter.com/NDP/status/1419734984190054409

Why campaign with Notley and Horgan if provinces don't matter? I wish that new elections law prohibiting "willful" lying could be expanded to outside the writ period. This is shameful and disgusting. He knows what he's doing. He's emulating the worst of "Do Something" Twitter.

Jagmeet knows damn well whose jurisdiction LTC homes are in, but he continues to obfuscate and say "pretty words" he can't back up with facts. He's blaming Trudeau for the responsibilities of Doug Ford and Mike goddamn Harris. He came from Queen's Park, he's riding the coattails of provincial NDPs against unpopular con premiers, yet continues to pretend provinces don't exist. Toxic fucking liar.

At this point the NDP account should be reported to Twitter for spreading COVID disinfo. The constitution is not an inconvenient recommendation that can just be ignored or superseded at will. Why does no one press Jagmeet and his central-planning fantasists on why they're willing to let Ford get away with blood on his hands?!?

In case Canadians are unaware of their own constitutional provisions, the easily digestible U.S. equivalent would be roughly something like this, because the roles are somewhat similar:

Ron DeSantis: (does something horrible)
Gregg Abbott: (does something horrible)
Brian Kemp: (does something horrible)
Bernie/AOC/Squad: "Why would Joe Biden do this?!?!"

Simon said...

Hi Jackie...unfortunately Singh is turning into a disgraceful Con-like populist. I used to believe that he was too lazy or too dumb to understand different jurisdictions. But now it's pretty obvious that he's misleading people, lying for crass political purposes, and I can't believe what he is doing to himself. When he is exposed, and he will be, whatever credibility he has left will be blown out of the water...

Jackie Blue said...

Yikes. He never quits! The Singh-Byngh Affair is in full swingh.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2021/07/28/say-no-if-justin-trudeau-asks-for-an-election-jagmeet-singh-tells-new-governor-general.html

Christ, I'm American and I know how the Canadian constitution works better than he does. Or pretends not to know. I get that he went to prep school in Detroit but come on... Wikipedia and Google exist outside the world of Tik Tok. If 2/3 of his base weren't trolling Dale Smith on Twitter, they might actually learn something. Again I ask, why doesn't Canada have a version of School House Rock?

Maybe he's not so confident of making gains after all, at least not when tested out on the campaign trail. Or he just wants more attention from playing on Canadians' lack of civics education. God I hope he gets fact-checked for this kind of crap that he's sure to unleash during the campaign, and that this stenographer press release isn't the kind of media coverage he's going to get.

Dippers really are central planning fantasists at heart.

ottlib said...

When I saw that story today Jackie I smiled. Mr. Singh saying our new GG should deny Mr. Trudeau an election is yet one more indication that the Opposition Parties are not ready for an election. They are expecting to lose.

If you listen to NDP partisans you would hear that the NDP is no longer in debt (it is), that it has more than enough money to mount a national election campaign (it doesn't) and that they are poised to overtake the Conservatives as the Official Opposition (LMFAO, they won't). The Party leadership knows this and they are quite frightened of what might happen in an election.

Then you have the Conservatives where Erin O'Toole felt the need to campaign for over a week in deep blue Alberta and where the desire for Stephen Harper to return is no longer spoken in whispers among Conservatives. Mr. Scheer was the Conservatives' Stephane Dion and it could very well be shaping up that Mr. O'Toole could be their Michael Ignatieff.

I will always preach caution because elections are always crap shoots but all of the signs are pointing to an early fall election with the most likely outcome being a Liberal victory, perhaps one of historical proportions. I believe the Opposition Parties feel the same way and they are looking for anything that will stop the train.

Anonymous said...

I work with numerous die hard union people who have NEVER EVER voted fort eh Cons or the Libs.
They are looking at this looming election and many many many of them are saying...they may sit this one out.

NDP ...? Pffft. Nope.
Libs....? Nope. Spending too much money.
Cons....? O'Toole who?

I wont be surprised if this unnecessary, mid term election..... has the lowest voter turnout in history.

jrkrideau said...

@ Jackie Blue

Christ, I'm American and I know how the Canadian constitution works better than he does. Christ, I'm American and I know how the Canadian constitution works better than he does.

From what I have heard Singh is pretty ignorant of a lot of things but both he and O1Toole seem to routinely “lie” when talking about Fedelal versus Provincial jurisdictions. Both are lawyers so there is no excuse.

@ Anonymous 8:2
The Party leadership knows this and they are quite frightened of what might happen in an election.

I think they may be more afraid of going into an election with Singh. I think the NDP is resigned to an early Fall election. They may even pick up a few votes here and there what with O'Toole and Kenny messing about though I doubt they will take any seats. Still Alberta might be a surprise.

Simon said...

Hi Ottlib....Singh asking the Governor General to deny Trudeau an election is outrageous. She doesn't have the power to do that under the present circumstances. And if or when she accedes to Trudeau's request Singh is setting her up to be targeted by NDP and Con thugs. He really doesn't understand how this country works. He's an absolute dilettante and a dangerous one at that, but people are afraid to criticize him lest they be accused of being racists. Well I'm not afraid of being slandered, for my country comes first, and I will not standby while Singh splits the vote, and delivers us into the hands of the Cons. I want to like the guy, but it's getting harder and harder...

Simon said...

Hi Jackie...sorry to get back to you so late, but I've been forced to build up my flying hours, so I have been literally above it all. I've just finished writing a post on Jagmeet Singh, and although it's bit of a rush job, like everything else in my life, I will do better because we all have to. He is getting away with murder, and our useless Con media is failing to fact check all his lies. Thank goodness for real reporters like Dale Smith and a few others, who are preventing the prevailing ignorance from killing this country...

Simon said...

Hi anon@8:20 PM...You may be right about the low turnout, only time will tell. But it's useful to remember that sometimes perfection is the enemy of the good. We have to work with the parties and candidates we have, even if we wish that more of them were better. And above all we have to keep the Cons out of power, or they will change this country beyond recognition. Then people will be sorry, but it will be too late...

Simon said...

Hi jrkrideau....As much as Singh's appalling ignorance shocks me, I would not underestimate him. Canadians are not the most literate of people when it comes to how our country works. So Singh is able to fool a lot of people, particularly younger ones, and that could be trouble. If we had an educated media we might be able to check Singh's wild flights of fantasy, but most of them are uneducated and biased, so we are going to have to find other ways to fact check him...