… ad hominem attacks were cowardly and used only by those of inferior intellect. And I agree.

Yet the CPC doesn’t see it this way. Politics over policy. Attacks over debate. Accusations over cooperation. It’s the Stephen Harper Way.

Daniel Veniez penned a good article in iPolitics about the latest series of cowardly attack ads on Bob Rae.

Mr. Harper has taken Canada down an ugly path of gradual incrementalist polarization, division, cynicism, and subterfuge. I am deeply embarrassed and ashamed that such an amoral and unethical character could sit in the chair of the most important office in the land. He does not deserve the respect his office commands. Why? Because this sinister attack is only the latest in a very long string of flagrantly debasing drive-by hits, destructive and cynical policy, and immoral conduct by this small man and his smaller coterie of taxpayer-funded cheap shot artists and assassins.

This criticism is not aimed at the vast majority of Conservative Party members. They are good and decent people. I know they are horrified with how Stephen Harper has perverted the basic values of the old Reform and Progressive Conservative parties.

Robert Stanfield, Joe Clark, Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell would never sanction – much less stomach – Stephen Harper’s actions and the ugly politics he personifies.

My favourite quote : “Stephen Harper is the Todd Bertuzzi of Canadian politics.” Good one!

Majority Government. No election in sight for years. And still they practice the politics of cynicism and fear…

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

My son Owen just squeezed my palm real hard and said : “I just killed your hand” – after seeing a Con attack ad aired during Backyardigans.

Stephen Harper. Urging 3 year olds to kill hands since 2011.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

I’m not going to jump into the OdaGate debacle. Nor am I going to rant again against the attack ads that the CPC continues to run. The description of the what she did and the outright condemnation by Canadian of all stripes has been well-covered in the MSM and the blogosphere. As well, there does seem to be a bit of a backlash against the attack ads that the Harperites continue to air.

Regular readers of this corner of cyberspace know where I stand on these things.

Instead, I want to look at what some conservatives themselves are saying.

From My Corner of the Universe, re: Oda:

It’s a big deal because it proves that politicians can’t truly be trusted.  It proves that the CPC has members that can’t be trusted.  It proves that the CPC has lost those true conservative values and are willing to do whatever it takes to stay in office.

I was willing to overlook the attack ads.  All the parties slam each other, it seems to be an expected behaviour.  The Minister of Finance has done an okay job, despite his apparent ignorance of basic economic principles.  But bald-faced lying is the straw that’s broken the camel’s back.  I cannot, will not, support a party that not only encourages its members to lie, but supports it as well.

From the Blogging Tories forum:

What Ms. Oda is, in fact, a big deal. The facts seem to verify that she did lie and deliberately try to deceive Parliment (sic). It’s an old story. The coverup is worse than the crime (think Nixon and Clinton). What her punishment, if any,will be is anyones (sic) guess but I suspect she will simply go to the back benches in the next cabinet shuffle.

From Searching for Liberty:

And if you notice, Bev Oda signed the recommendation..  err.. the “NOT” recommendation, some two months after the other two committee members.  One might guess that amongs (sic) the thousands of civil servants in Ottawa, maybe, as this obviously wasn’t an urgent priority, they might have found one employee to re-type the form, or maybe, oh I’m just spit-balling here.. maybe Bev Oda could have written a whole sentence in her own handwriting saying, “I respectfully decline to approve” or something like that.

Call me crazy, but as a government Minister, I’m guessing she talks and writes occasionally in complete sentences.

I’ll tell you what.

I’m guessing the committee reviews these things and then comes to a unanimous decision as a rule.  And then they draft the memo and they circulate it for signatures.

And then they sign the stupid form.

But this time, someone vetoed them.

I’d like to know who.

But then, as a card-carrying Conservative, who donates to the party.. I’m just another one of those lefties in a knot.

Not.

I’m a Conservative who doesn’t like weasels when they are Liberals and I don’t like them any more when they are Conservatives.

In fact, I like them less.. because I don’t expect federal Liberals to be honest and open.

From Conservatives, I expect more.

And finally, from The Squid Zone on attack ads:

It has become clear, however, the the Conservative Party of Canada wishes to lower the standards of political behaviour.  Instead of educated and intelligent people debating issues and presenting facts, CPC would prefer to sling mud and make attacks worthy of any kindergarten sandbox.  I am embarrassed that a party of conservatives – people who value our best traditions (that is what “conservative” means) – would go out of their way to try and destroy what I think is one of our best traditions: gentlemanly discourse in the political arena.

I wish to make this perfectly clear.  The Conservative Party of Canada will not get so much as a penny from me, nor will any CPC candidate gain my support in an election as long as the party continues to produce or run attack advertising.  If the party cannot stand on its record and on its position on issues, it is unequivocally unworthy of my support financially and at the polls.

There is just one thing to remember – Oda and the CPC communication folks take their marching orders from the same person: Stephen Harper. Bev Oda may indeed be a competent Minister, but Harper has set her up in order to knock her down. Make no mistake about that.

Maybe, just maybe the politics of cynicism and division will eventually catch up with our dear PM. The polls are not showing that currently, but rather than illustrating asurge in support for the CPC, I really think that they are a reflection of the unpopularity of Iggy – whether he deserves this or not is another matter.

Here’s what I think will happen in the election that is almost sure to happen this spring. There will be good CPC strength right through the campaign… showing numbers close to a majority. But what happens on E-day might be different as I suspect that just enough conservative supporters will either stay at home or hold their noses and vote for the Grits if they have a good local candidate.

And *poof*! Another minority ReformCon government.

And you know what? They will have only themselves to blame.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Attack ads “drag the political process right down into the toilets.”

Nice rant by Rick.

Common household toilet AFTER having been exposed to political attack ads.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

So I’m getting these damn leaflets in the mail. The text attacks Iggy as being pro-raise-taxes and extols the virtues of the ReformCons as being the economic saviours of Canadian families everything.

Do I really want this crap to be funded out of the pockets of those same families? Doesn’t Harper (and ol’ Larry Miller) realize that we have been down this road before and that the Cons have angrily and self-righteously launched into vitriolic attacks against the Grits for engaging in the same type of political game-playing?

And why am I getting this leaflet from the M.P. for Bruce/Grey/Owen Sound? I cannot help but think that the ReformCons are once again exploiting holes in the Elections Act.

Here are copies of the leaflet that I received.

I am, apparently, not the only one who is questioning the use of these obviously partisan leaflets and the public purse being unzipped to finance them.

Bill Tieleman, a B.C. political commentator, says:

Perhaps the federal Liberals will send me a similar letter soon with these and other quotes about Stephen Harper – and I supply them to Iggy here for free.

But I’d rather that all parties talk a lot more about their policies and a lot less about their opponents’ many and obvious failings.

And most of all – stop wasting my damn tax dollars mailing me junk I didn’t ask for!!

But I’m a little worried. This Larry Miller guy is a bit freaky lookin’… and he gets things “done”…  I may wanna check over my shoulder a bit more often.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Stephen Harper has tried to portray an image of being a middle-of-the-road Conservative who does not pay fealty to the far right wing elements of his party. Knowing that a majority government hinges on his not being seen as a PM who would lead Canada too far to the right, his policies, speeches, ads, etc. have all been pushing the Mr. Nice Guy image.

He has also carefully steered away from talking about a majority. The last time he did that, potential voters were spooked and flocked to the Grits.

And man, is he careful about centralized messaging. NOTHING gets out to the media without his approval – until now.

In a speech to the party lapdogs in Sault Ste. Marie last week that was closed to the public and the media, Stevo’s blah-blah speech was taped by an audience attendee.

Whoa! But this is not at all surprising. Those of us who have followed Harper’s moves through the years have known that his mask of moderatism was just that; a façade.

And this proves it… bad move Stevie… very bad…

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Never one to miss a chance to score some political points, Stevie lays the groundwork for blaming the Grits et al if the refugee claimant system isn’t “fixed”.

Mr. Harper insisted the visa obligation for Mexicans will remain in place until Canada’s refugee system is fixed, calling on opposition parties to join his party in reforming Canada’s refugee system to discourage bogus claimants.

“The visas will stay as long as the problem exists,” he said.

“Parliament should be seized with this issue [and] I hope our Parliament will take advantage of the attention that’s been brought on this issue to deal with this problem,” Mr. Harper said.

Next to come will be:

• blaming the previous regime (the Liberals) for not doing something about this during their (brrr…) reign of terror

• the introduction of legislation that will be just contentious enough to fall outside the “we’ll sign on the dotted line” zone of approval for one of the Opposition parties.

• attack ads labelling Iggy as being soft on bogus refugees and hence soft on terror… or something like that. The words “soft on” will most definitely be used.

Just watch. He is becoming so bloody predictable.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Possible summer election

As much as I’d like to say that I’d like to see an election this summer I have to counsel caution… leadership numbers still too soft, unpredictable and therefore the Grits are vulnerable to the slightest slip-up. Give Iggy the summer. The Harperites will no doubt stumble some more and give the Grits some firm wedge issues on the leadership front.

The risk is that we really are seeing the beginnings of an economic recovery and this will bode well for the Harperites. I doubt that this is the case and that we are at least a year away from seeing real recovery. And even then the manufacturing sector in Ontario will still be undergoing a long period of restructuring.

Regardless, give the ReformCons the summer to (pick one or all of the following:

• Say something stupid about race, religion, immigration or language
• Leave Top Secret docs on an OC Transpo bus
• Leave Top secret docs in the washroom of the Spark Street CBC studios
• Reveal information that links a sitting ReformCon MP to a white supremacist group or a  loony religious sect
• Miss a photo op with other world leaders
• Wear a leather vest or something equally unflattering – like a sweater vest for instance

Sprawl

Ottawa will expand the boundaries of the City by a few hundred hectares.  Despite the Official Plan provisions that intensification projects be preferred over more suburbanization, the City staff and politicians will undoubtedly give in to pressure from developers and allow a further stretching of the designated urban area.

I am a Planner by training. Have a Masters degree in the field as a matter of fact. And, in planning school we were taught that sprawl was bad. Infrastructure costs are higher, a sense of community is more difficult to foster, there are higher GHG emissions due to higher automobile traffic, etc., etc.

Haven’t we sprawled enough? Time to give up the quaint notion of the Greenbelt and plan our City more sustainably.
The kids who are running the government

Is it my imagination or does it seem like most of the staffers who work with the ReformCons are under 30? Not to put down those who have yet to experience the delights of middle-age, but the inexperience is beginning to show. Witness the problems that various Ministers have experienced lately that have been the direct result of ill-prepared staffers.

Still. The buck stops at the Minister’s office, doesn’t it? Folks like Lisa Raitt have to accept responsibility and not use the poor kids as scapegoats.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

How Conservatives try to distort the truth. Lesson #231.

I recently blogged about this right-wing site that at times will register right off the ol’ cynicism meter.  But I do enjoy my visits there – if not only for the “wtf” factor than anything else.
It is also quite well-written. Although I don’t think the author and I would agree on much past “good morning”, I do respect his talent vis à vis the written word.

But.

I was on the site this morning to see what latest drivel was seeping from the blog. The most recent post was about the “eviction” of the much-aligned Grit, Ruby Dhalla (and man, this guy has some hate on for poor Ruby!).

I, being the curious cat that I am, went immediate to my trusty Globe and Mail to see what their take was on all of this.

Hmm… nothing there.

OK. The National Post would OF COURSE have something… likely a half-page column!

Nope. Nada.

So I Googled her name combined with the word “eviction”.  And the only things that rained out were on a bunch of right-wing blogs… most of them citing the aforementioned Angry in the Great White North blog.

So, I, being the helpful little guy that I am, commented on the posting noting that I couldn’t find this information anywhere else and could someone please help me verify it.

Funny thing is that I can’t find this story anywhere but in the conservative blog world. Can’t find a mention of it in the Star either. Maybe I’m simply not looking hard enough but can someone point me to a source that I can believe?
I always enjoy reading these posts – from a “wtf” perspective. But I cannot believe that even a right-wing blogger would make something like this up!
Convince me otherwise!

THIS set off a number off “uh-oh” type comments. Some of which mentioned the word “libel”.  Soon thereafter, the poster placed a request from the MP’s office asking him to remove the post as it was patently untrue.

Of course, I, being the resourceful soul that I am, saved the original posting before it is erased.

Now, I’m not saying that the Grits or anyone else never tries this thing once in a while, but I would like to think that the non-Harperites would AT THE VERY LEAST do some background work BEFORE posting something that could harm the rep. of a public figure.  This was deceiving, deceitful and shameful.  Not to mention sloppy.

The postscript to this is that the blogger has apologized to the M.P. for the misinformation:

Since I have no reason to doubt this, I’ll retract the statement that
Ruby Dhalla has been evicted.  Appropriate sections have been struck out.

I have asked for clarification on two issues:

• Is the letter legitimate?
• If so, is the
  landlord providing permission for the office to operate?

If the letter is not legitimate, then it would appear that I’ve been snookered by someone who has access to
Ruby Dhalla’s office in order to post a letter on the inside.

If so, I apologize to
Ruby Dhalla, and wonder who would be interested in embarrassing both of us.  I would also like confirmation from
Ruby Dhalla that there is no problems between her and the
landlord.

Final Resolution:
Ruby Dhalla never responded to my requests for more information, including a clarification regarding the original notice terminating the lease.  I retracted the statement that she had been evicted, because despite the content of the letter, Dhalla insisted her office was open.

Fair enough.

I also received third-party confirmation that the letter had been posted.

Finally, I got in touch with the Bailiff, Earl Lewis.  His only statement to me was to say “The matter has been resolved.  I have no further comment”.

So it seems clear that
Ruby Dhalla had gotten into some sort of bind with her
landlord regarding “improvement maintenance and repair requirements”.  It had gotten to the point that the
landlord initiated action to terminate the lease.  At the 11th hour, it seems,
Ruby Dhalla sorted things out.

An honourable retraction and I give him credit for it. But it still does not erase the fact that ReformCons are getting more and more desperate and will stop at NOTHING to discredit the Liberals.
<

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Yeah, I know. I shouldn’t be giving bandwidth to propagandists like this.

But it is the ill-informed and self-serving agents of the Politics of Cynicism that make me wish that there were an election just around the corner… when we can reduce the ReformCons to a rump in the boondocks of Alberta and rural Canada.

What pisses off RefoooormCons more than anything else is the ability of others to formulate a vision for the country that is not simply an anti-whatever-the-other-guy-is-saying. They are incapable of this and are envious. I guess I’m a little sorry for them.

I may not be Iggy’s biggest fan but I’m 100 % behind him as he tries to put together a forward motion that is NOT cynical and vindictive. This sets him apart from the Harperites.

Stay above the fray M.I.! Leave the gutter sniping to the gutter snipes!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario