Ms. Stronach's Defection

Letter to CBC's The Current yesterday:

"First of all, that was a very well done interview with Ms. Stronach. Mr. Germain asked almost all of the hard questions, and put them forcefully. From someone I've often thought of as a fellow who throws softballs to Liberals, it was a pleasant surprise. The only big question I think was missed was 'It appears that you had made up your mind to defect prior to sitting in on a Conservative Party strategy meeting on Sunday [according to an interview I heard with Chuck Strahl yesterday]. Did you not have an ethical obligation to advise the party before that meeting that you were leaving, or, at the very least, excuse yourself from that meeting - even if you were only considering defecting at the time?'

Secondly, Heather McIvor as a political talking head is down to about 0 on the credibility scale. I've been listening to her on CBC radio for years, and she has been a fairly consistent shill for the Liberals, and a very consistent slanderer of the Tories, and before that, Reform and the Alliance. Belinda Stronach never was the heart and soul of the Ontario Tories, and that comment about Paul Martin being seen as a "...vulture feeding on the carcass of the Conservative Party" betrays her motivation to sell the idea that the Tories are dead. The fortunes of the Tories do not rise and fall with their ability to sell themselves to ultra-left liberals like Ms. McIvor - sorry, Ms. McIvor, but they're not actually looking for your vote. Your other two commentators were much more balanced in their perspectives, although it's interesting that no one seemed to see this as a potentially huge boost for both Stephen Harper and for Conservative Party fortunes. Let's see, they've a) lost a mole from their ranks before she could do more damage, b)lost a high-profile but weak MP who has always been seen as an awkward fit for the party and an unapologetically extreme social liberal who was unacceptable to the base, c)had the base's enthusiasm instantly stoked by a back-stabbing defection, and d) lost a problem MP to Paul Martin - who may be smiling now, but who has just let a clearly untrustworthy person into his cabinet. The net result of this whole affair might be a further cementing of the reputation of the Liberal Party as the party of sleaze and the ethically challenged. The irony of putting one of those ethically challenged persons in charge of cleaning up the sponsorship mess seems to be lost on Mr. Martin."

(I write this as I listen to your replay of Susan Murray's report on Scott Brison's defection. Gee, isn't it a surprise how CBC political reporters feel right at home working for the Liberal Party? Susan Murray as Scott Brison's communications director, Jason Moscovitz as VP of Public Affairs at the BDC...)

CBC & the BC Election debate

I listened to the 1st 45 minutes on the radio. The way I heard it, the commie twins were throwing nerf balls, and Mr. Campbell was scoring body blows. Perhaps I am somewhat biased, tho. I popped up CBC radio's web article, and immediately experienced that jarring disconnect that inevitably accompanies input from "blue state" reporters. They invited me to write, so I did:

'"Campbell's credibility questioned during debate" - nice headline. Gee, I wonder how the Communist Broadcasting Corp. is going to spin this story?

"VANCOUVER – Premier Gordon Campbell was forced onto the defensive during Tuesday night's leaders' debate, as NDP Leader Carole James accused him as someone who can't be trusted to keep his campaign commitments. " - I don't know which debate you were listening to, but the one I heard had Mr. Campbell hammering Ms. James & Ms. Carr repeatedly - and this from a guy who could make the Gettysburg Address sound like a shopping list. Ms. James' lame attempts to pin those "broken promises" assertions on him had all the impact of tissue paper hitting the floor. What was it that Clinton guy used to say? "It's the economy, stupid!"

"She began by getting the premier to promise he would not privatize the Insurance Corporation of B.C. and B.C. Hydro." - umm, except she didn't, and neither did he. He phrased his answer carefully, and it wasn't a blanket commitment to never privatize ICBC & BC Hydro - at least I didn't hear it that way. I think Mr. Campbell is quite intent on keeping that door open this time around.'