This is Mark Warner. He was the Conservative candidate for Toronto Centre. He would have been running against Bob Rae. He's now been told that he cannot run. Apparently he occasionally speaks contrary to the Con message. I'm not sure if that is because he disagrees with Michael Coren but if it is, the Con's just made a big mistake. If you aren't familiar with Michael Coren do look him up on You Tube. I'm loathe to call him a loon, because I think it's too tame a term. I think that Coren would love a Theocracy in this country, provided it was Roman Catholic.
This is Brent Barr. He was the Con candidate for Guelph. Apparently he too has been told that he cannot run. Apparently, he didn't make enough gains during the last election. Huh? He brought the con vote from 26% in 2004 to to 30% in 2006, vs the winning Lib @ 38%. (The Lib's were at 45% in 2004).
So, here we have two apparently capable people running for the Con's, yet the powers that be deem them unsuitable.
In Mr. Warner's case, I can only assume he is too "centre" and not right enough from that position to articulate Harper's vision. Toronto Centre people! Do you really think a right of centre individual has a hope in Hades in this riding? Bill Graham's old riding? Idiotic and it remains to be seen who they put in there. If she/he is more right, not a hope. If she/he is more left, laughable. If she/he touts the Party line....perfect, but no sale in this neighbourhood.
As for Mr. Barr, he is quite upset apparently. He's worked to get the Con message out, but it's not good enough I guess. He increased the con profile, but not to Harper's liking. This guy is loyal and devastated.
So who do the Con's want? We don't know yet, but we do know they want an election.
Here's the thing. When the Lib's look at their candidates, it's all "ooohhh, aaahhh...they are in so much trouble, they are resorting to naming candidates" so say the media. When the Con's do it, it's a post script.
When the Con's abstain from a vote, it's mentioned. When the Lib's abstain, it's wall-to wall, front page news. "Party in Disarray", "Mutiny in the Caucus", etc, etc. This has been the narrative since since Martin lost. Do the media seek out Dion supporters? No. Do they choose critic's that have something positive to present to the public on their journalist panels? No. Even that so called bastion of Liberalism, the CBC, has no one who speaks for the Party. Newman, relatively fair is still touting the con lines he's been fed. Mansbridge? Please, he practically giggles as he goes to Chantal Hebert. CTV? Well we all know where they stand.
It's pretty funny to me that the right continue to suggest that the media is "left". It's not people, it simply is not. They trot that line out because it has resonance. It's long been used by the Limbaugh's of the world and it's crept up here. It's absolute fallacy and fantasy, though it's being consumed. Lord Black's perfect dream. (Note how he's retreating and groveling to Canada now. Apparently we're not that bad. LOL)
So, how to get our message out?
I don't at this point have the answer, but we have to get credible people out there who can shoot these theories down on the first take. I know media go for the blood, but that in itself says something. The Con's reduce all to black and white. Perhaps because the media see their words written in that literal context, they are happy to spew from that narrow view. Whatever happened to grey? You know, that place where you actually analyse and seek the under-story?
Does no one exist in this realm anymore? Me thinks not.
Update - Kady O'Malley speaks to the issue here.
9 comments:
"It's pretty funny to me that the right continue to suggest that the media is "left". It's not people, it simply is not."
Knb, and just to prove the point, this story about Con candidates is VERY hard to find on any news website. I've surfed around, and I'm very surprised how spotty the coverage is, considering the reaction to "other" parties.
Exactly Steve. I heard the news at about 14:30 EST. Didn't write about it then because I was waiting for a story.
I searched and searched...nothing, nada, so I constructed my own.
Bravo media.
I'm convinced that the Conservatives paint the media as "left" to make their far-right agenda appear moderate.
I find it confusing how the conservatives are scorning these centrist candidates. Do they fear another Bill Casey incident or Danny Williams sympathizers? Scared of 'red tories' and their social conscience for the glorious day when the Conservatives come to power?
We do know who the Con's want in Guelph, Gloria Kovachs. Six months ago I placed bets that Brent BArr would be asked to step aside for her. She was HArpers hand picked candidate whom he thought would handily win the nomination but she didnt do much work and didnt resign as city councillor or President of the Municipalities for Canada, sorry i forgot the exact title.
I'm pretty sure he was asked to step aside and when he refused they just diallowed his nomination.
Like I said, that was obvious to six months ago. If the election had been called early after his nomination Harper may have let him run, but I even placed bets against that. The conservatives want Guelph badly. The Liberals were stupid not to appoint in a sitting Liberal riding which is one of the five most consistent bellweather ridings in the country.
They want Guelph bad. I would put forward that getting rid of the candidate in Toronto centre at the same time is a smokescreen so that the removal of Barr in Guelph doesn't get covered as much. They had no hope in Toronto Centre. They want Guelph and will bring out the big money and the big guns to do it.
The story was on CBC last night.
As to the other news coverage, sadly I think you can thank the few underhandedly vocal dissident liberal "insiders" for that. Apparently they are STILL emailing journalists voicing their discontent. Duffy is not harping about a coup to dethrone Dion without some reason for doing so.
I have said this many times, and I will say it again - I am not donating to this party to fund leadership campaign after leadership campaign.
The liberals who are complaining about Dion's "failings" should look in the blood mirror.
"Duffy is not harping about a coup to dethrone Dion without some reason for doing so."
Duffy has never let the facts or lack thereof interfere with a good narrative.
The beauty of these kinds of whisper campaigns is the media does not actually have to point to any evidence of what they are reporting and you will note that Mr. Duffy's continuing reports of discontent are completely lacking in it.
Mike Duffy is no better than Jane Taber really. Both care more about spreading rumour and innuendo than actually digging up real news.
Lazy, lazy, lazy.
Good point about why they paint the media that way Ryan and indeed, I think they are happy to keep Progressives out.
s.b., remind who she is again?
Gayle, overall I agree and if there is still that kind of nonsense going on it needs to stop, but ottlib makes a valid point.
In this past week, he's stated his own opinion as fact more than once. He's also misstated many facts.
He's a good ol'boy more concerned with the game of politics rather than how it impacfts the country, imo.
btw, did any one notice that he teared up yesterday when speaking about the Afghan mission?
Don't get me wrong, I do not trust Duffy with the facts, but I also highly doubt he is making everything up. Someone is saying something to him, and whoever that person is knows that by speaking to Duffy it will hit the program.
I must say I disagree with the liberals' abstaining yesterday. I think it would have been better to vote with the government and say something about how Harper is clearly listening to the liberals because he reintroduced the liberal tax cut, and he introduced the broad based cuts the liberals have been calling for, rather than relying on the targetted tax cuts he has implemented in the past. This shows the liberals are doing their job - though they have to hold their nose and agree to the GST as well.
Harper keeps saying he does not want an electio - what better way to avoid an election than to include liberal initiatives in their mini-budget?
Of course, I am not a politician, but that is what I would have said...
PS - your link does not work
Thanks Gayle and sorry about that. I guess links work better when you actually link them to something, ;).
You make an interesting point about the vote but that would have given the NDP even more fuel to their current ridiculous charge of a coalition between the Lib's and Con's.
In the end, I don't think the masses remember abstentions, but I do hope that Dion is not backed into another corner for some time.
Post a Comment