.. how many of you have seen the cheesy ad (oops… NOT an ad… just a video, according to the NCC) made by that reactionary of all reactionary groups in Canada – the so-called National Citizen’s Coalition. I don’t think it is getting a lot of air time. And it IS really cheesy. And the NCC has disabled comments on the vid. Chickenshits…

And no, I’m not posting it on my blog. The stench would sully my else-wise nice and tidy venting space that I call Trashy’s World.

It’s about Grit interim (in name only) leader, Bob Rae. The vid goes on about how Rae ruined Ontario when he was Premier, spent like a madman, ate babies… that sort of thing. This is an ad for the Cons without the blue and white logo, pure and simple. And it’s an attack ad. The CPC really, really likes these ads because it suits their bumper sticker politics of fear: keep the message simple and portray the other guy as the baby-eating, spend-happy demon who will jack taxes up by 10,000%

And, as we saw in the last election, these ads work. And while the CPC themselves are not putting these ads out at the moment, their minions at the National Conservative Cabal are more than happy to oblige.

Now, there are two things I have to say about this.

1. The vid is inaccurate about the timing of Rae’s ascension to the Premiership. It claims that the NDP pulled Ontario into a recession. This is factually wrong. The recession was already well under way when Rae took office. Look it up.
2. Some Grits are whining about this video not being “fair” and that rules around third-party advertising should be tightened. And they are probably right. But instead of crying about how mean the Cons and the Nut-bar Convention of Cucumberheads are being, they need to strike back. And fast! They have some momentum coming out of the Ottawa Convention and they need to maintain it.I do hate negative ads and how they lower the level of political debate into the sewers. But they do serve to package the candidate in a negative light before the candidate has the opportunity to do so themselves. The CPC did it to Dion and masterfully to Iggy. And this must be stopped in the tracks. ASAP.

So, my fellow progressives and Liberals, quit whining about the rules and fight fire with fire. It pains me to write that, but it must be done.

Now.

Go.

You dislike this video. Thanks for the feedback!
Ratings for this video (307 total)

	110	Like
	197	Dislike

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…is what I call these words:

Conservatives are reacting with fury to a Liberal attack ad that accuses them of harbouring a secret agenda to cut health care funding if they obtain a majority government.

“The Liberal ad uses some of the dirtiest tricks in the book — including twisting words out of context and deliberately altering dates to make old words appear recent,” Tory campaign manager Jenni Byrne wrote to party supporters in reaction to the new attack ad.

I hate attack ads no matter who the source and who the target, but I had a bit of a belly laugh when I read the bolded text above. The Cons perfected the art. And isn’t imitation the highest form of flattery?

Remember this ad that was pulled from the Con website after they were spanked by everyone for so blatantly taking words out of context?

Cons – if you’re gonna give crap like that, ya gotta be prepared to take it too.

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

Since it seems that some folks aren’t buying the traditional ReformCon attack ad, the Harperites are trying something new

I new message slimed its way into my inbox last week from a group calling itself Republicans For Ignatieff. It purports to be a collection of American Republicans who are rooting for Iggy to get into the PM’s chair. My Harper-sense clicked in as I thought it extremely improbable that:

a)    Any Republican would know Iggy’s name
b)    Any Republican would know that we have a Prime Minister and not a President.
c)    Any Republican would have ever heard of “Canada”.

Upon going to the site that the message pointed to, I read lots of text about how Iggy was much more “America-friendly” than Harper and how his values more closely aligned with those of the GOP. I’m not going to repeat the rubbish here. You can go to the site to see it for yourself.

However, I can’t let this go by without some kind of retort. So, I proudly present the launch of a new lobby group that I like to call…

Soviet Russians for Harper

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Until the wall came down, the Soviet Union and Canada had the closest bi-national relationship in the world. Yes, we hated each other’s hockey teams, but we still respected them.

Stephen Harper, 1997

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

* Russia and Canada share the polar icecap
* For the past 36 years we’ve been playing hockey against one another.
* And, thanks to the tar sands, Canada is an ally with a growing supply of energy.

In short, we’re friends, we’re neighbours and we’re allies.

Now more than ever, Russia needs a Canadian Prime Minister we can count on. A Canadian Prime Minister who knows us. A Canadian Prime Minister who loves us.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Now, this is coming from a Canadian who is not even a citizen of your country, but someone who has loved this country.”

Stephen Harper

(Lecture to the Russian Naval Academy. March 2001.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Stephen Harper is the best choice for Canadian Prime Minister.

Although born in Canada, Harper has always been fascinated by Soviet Russia.

* As a young man, he believed in the Fatherland in a way that Canada never allowed.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“I loved my own country, but I believed in the Soviet system in a way that Canada never allowed”

Stephen Harper, 2002

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

* While living in the Canada, Harper pined for the CCCP, saying “Someone like me does not exist in the Soviet Union and that seems to me to be terrible.”

Stephen Harper, 1988

(The Toronto Sun, February 28, 1991.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

* Once in Russia, Harper called it his country on national television.

* And when speaking to a Soviet Military Academy Harper said he “loved” The Great Bear to such a degree that he was thinking of changing his name to Vlad.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Now, this is coming from a Canadian who is not even a citizen of your country, but someone who has loved this country.”

Stephen Harper

(Lecture to the Russian Naval Academy. March 2001.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Stephen Harper has not only been supportive of Russia he has also been very supportive of Soviet ideas and causes.

* He stood with us on Iraq.

* He defended torture, including coercive interrogation.

* He agrees with the governance model that emphasizes strength, coercion and intimidation.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

“To defeat evil, we may have to traffic in evils: indefinite detention of suspects, coercive interrogations, targeted assassinations, even pre-emptive war. Even nasty attack ads!”

Stephen Harper

(The Walrus, May 2004.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

*He loves the tar sands.

“I think the best way to show our love and respect for our Russian comrades is to jointly exploit these valuable resources. And those ducks will just have to deal with it.”

Stephen Harper, Calgary Stampede, 2008

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Join Soviet Russians for Harper today and show your support for Stevo. He’s the right choice for Canada, the right choice for Russia, the right choice for Soviets.

_

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

Great editorial cartoon in the Globe today.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Face it, we Canucks are almost to a fault a very accommodating people who do not glory in the faults of other and truly like to think of ourselves as a family. A dysfunctional family, maybe – but still a family.

Families are built on trust and respect. Going outside established boundaries is frowned upon and such folks are pushed to the fringes.

Occasionally these people work their way back into the fold by wearing sheep’s clothing. They portray themselves as something they are not in order to curry favour

Consider Harper for example, while with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, he railed against the separate treatment of Québec in confederation. Shouted at the Liberals who were putting into place a system of corporate welfare by subsidizing big business. And, most ironically, bemoaned the state of political discourse in Canada and vowed that the Reform Party would NEVER sink to suck lows.

But the Politics of Cynicism does not presuppose adherence to any previous beliefs. The Politics of Cynicism is aligned with victory and a dogged pursuit of the dogma that is its raison d’être.

In the past little while, Steve has declared Québec to be a nation unto itself. He has handed out money to the auto makers. Has engaged in personal attacks that would make Karl Rove proud. And he has ensured that his closest advisors – select members of his cabinet – mirror his behaviour.

Last of all, he has gotten around his own fixed election law to ensure that the dropping of the writ was at his command and not of the democratically elected House of Commons.

All that matters is complete victory to Mr. Dead Eyes and it maters not what principles or standards of good taste are trampled along the way. Man, he cannot even admit that Dion may have a family!

Canadians cannot trust someone who so easily throws the principles of all Canadians to the wind in the name of a victory designed to put into place his own dogmatic weltanschuung. Those principles that make us a very accommodating people who do not glory in the faults of other and truly like to think of ourselves as a family.

He says that abortion is off the table. Is it really?

He says that arts funding will be reinstated, but in a different format. Sure.

And he says that his is the only hand that can steer our ship.

Don’t trust this man to steer us into anything but a flotilla of neocon icebergs.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

How tasteless is this? Doesn’t anyone vet these things?

Shows just how low Stevie’s boyz will sink.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario