On Politics tonight, the ever petulant Poilievre took a slightly different tack. I suppose all his recent whining about the Con's being treated differently than everyone else had run it's course, so instead he displayed a rude, cavalier and dismissive attitude that suits him so very well.Of course the issue was the In and Out scheme and Newman had just played video of a former Conservative candidate who could not have made this whole scam simpler to understand. Here's the clip (click on Thursday)and the ensuing interview with Poilievre and LeBlanc.
What is disappointing is that Newman, who obviously knows his stuff and is usually pretty good at following up on something that opens up unexpectedly, somehow tonight missed the obvious.
In the interview with the candidate Goudie, he (Goudie) claims that he received instructions from the Nat'l offices that $2000.00+ was going to come to his riding account to contribute to his advertising campaign for television advertising.
Hello? The party is telling him that they will put money in his account for local advertising, but they will make the buy and it will be on TV. When Goudie's people asked if they could instead use the money for local radio the answer was no. The money must be returned tomorrow. (Hmm, any accountants out there? Could this money have been re-used elsewhere and still show a legit expense/intake balance at the end of a fiscal reporting period? I ask the question because perhaps that would address just how much information the commissioner required.)
Poilievre then goes on to say that Goudie obviously chose not to spend the money he was given on Conservative advertising. Huh? No, he chose not to claim it as regional advertising, BECAUSE IT WASN'T. Goudie clearly lays out the scheme.
I suspect Newman was taken aback by Poilievre's arrogance, rudeness and general dismissive behaviour. Not only of the accusation, but of a former candidate of the team he bat's for. (I wish anyone considering running for this party well. Check your brain at the door though.)
It's unbelievable to me that any of this is being swallowed, even by Con's.
I'll exclude Newman from this next comment, but most of the media is becoming dismissive of this issue now. Tonda McCharles who I generally respect was all sympathy and tears for the poor Con on her panel today. The opposition was apparently piling up. It must be noted that she was one of the invitees to the Con spin control session last week. Craig (it's time to retire) Oliver commented that the Con's should have just buried this a long time ago with a different strategy. Yay, democracy...you go Craig! Jane Taber and the equally riveting Gloria Galloway did their level best to portray the Con's as victims too.
It's time to ask some serious questions here and I suspect that is what EC is doing. I think these questions are reasonable and of course, they are partisan.
Anyway, I say to the Con's, keep Poilievre out there. What you consider to be your asset will turn out to be your demise.
12 comments:
The damned liberal media.
The media kept the sponsorship scandal going for three years, even when the Conservatives took a bit of a break from trashing the Liberals over it.
Now they are complaining about the Liberals piling on the Conservatives?
Is it any wonder why I have ignored the whole of the Canadian MSM for the last half decade?
Jane Taber is an empty shirt. Forgive the characterization but she is a dumb blond with a smarmy streak that just sets my teeth on edge.
I guess we can now understand why Ms. McCharles was one of the chosen.
Craig Oliver is one of those MSM types that desperately wants to be a back room strategist. The only problem is he lacks any real strategic ability so his dream is dashed. Unfortunately, CTV gives him a forum so instead of actually talking about issues and ideas he tries to look like he has a clue about what is good political strategy.
As I have said before knb, I would suggest you stop watching these political talk shows. Most of the folks on the screen are only talking to themselves and they usually just become big circle jerks.
I stopped long ago and I my blood pressure is the better for it.
I had to wipe a tear from my eye.
Little Pierre is growing up "right" before our eyes. His petulant adolescence has passed and he's become rude and dismissive. What a fine Con he's grown up to be.
Knb
It's all a big misunderstanding, it's like when four people go to a restaurant and they get the bill. Wow, who thought up that beauty.
I posted on the same interview, the only difference you said "Hello" and I said "Hello in there" ;)
Well, well - take a looky here:
I put this on Far and Wide as well - hmmm....
Watchdog had warned candidates
Elections boss sought Tory ad receipts in 2006
Glen McGregor, Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, April 25, 2008
OTTAWA - Less than a month before he resigned from his job, former chief electoral officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley wrote to some Conservative candidates' campaigns instructing them to back up claims for advertising expenses that are now central to the investigation of the party's spending in the 2006 election.
The elections watchdog told Tory campaign officials they needed to provide more details to support the advertising expenses in returns filed to Elections Canada.
Mr. Kingsley asked the candidates' official agents for copies of the contracts with their advertising agencies, scripts of the ads and the dates the ads appeared.
In a series of letters sent out beginning on Nov. 29, 2006, Mr. Kingsley gave the agents deadlines to provide the documents and told them failure to do so would be an offence.
Less than a month after sending the letters, on Dec. 22, Mr. Kingsley wrote to the Speaker of the House of Commons saying he was resigning. The Prime Minister's Office announced his departure six days later.
....another shocker - this article appeared in the National Post.....
ottlib, I'm sure my BP would benefit too, but if the masses are consuming this crap, I guess I want to know.
Great round up on the specfic MSM group.
My biggest disappointment is with Tonda. She's always been tough on Lib's, but tough on Con's too. Not so much this week.
Again, I know I would do my health well to stay away, but I need to know what is being fed to the masses.
Well said Jay.
Steve, if you and I were married, we'd be boring as hell, lol.
By that I mean that we agree on so much there would be little to discuss.
The restaurant analogy was a beaut! I noticed it hasn't been used since.
LeBlanc's line that they were never at the meal was priceless.
sandi...I'm not clear on the whole Kingsley retirement.
It feels like there is somethng there, but he's silent.
Perhaps he had to sign something, but that would make me question his integrity.
I'm sure there is more to be learned there but I'm not sure we'll get it until it's after the fact.
"Again, I know I would do my health well to stay away, but I need to know what is being fed to the masses."
That is just it. This stuff is not being fed to the masses. All of these political talk shows speak to a specific audience. People who are already political junkies and who already have their allegiances set. So really these panels and talk shows have very little impact.
What the "masses" see is the evening news. And in this scandal they saw the RCMP raiding CPC National Headquarters and senior Conservatives escaping down emergency stairs.
Those are the images that will stick with Canadians more than all of the BS we have been hearing since.
ottlib, you have a way of unearthing me when I get buried.
That is not to say I won't continue my futile persuit, but I think I will take a step back. I hope my most recent post has done that.
knb
You do need some friction ;)
LOL Steve. I won't expand on that comment, :).
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