Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Coming Apart at the Seams?

The Tories are a "big tent" party, especially for social conservsatives, the gang who call the shots in  Redneckistan. They had one of their own running the show during the Harper era and they thought Harper's successor, Andrew Scheer, would carry the same flag. Only, in their eyes, Scheer wimped out. He failed to keep the faith. He let down the side.

The progressive side, what remains of it, is already out for Scheer. Now it's the redneck base that is honing its knives. Sounds like a good, old fashioned, Tory skinning party is in the works.
“A lot of social conservatives have no interest whatsoever in backing Andrew Scheer," ex-Conservative MP and defeated leadership candidate Brad Trost told The Globe and Mail. “We feel we are being made the whipping boy for his communications blunders.” 
Mr. Trost, along with the Campaign Life Coalition and evangelical Christian leader Charles McVety, all told The Globe the Conservatives need a new leader. And the anti-abortion group, Right Now, which ranked Mr. Scheer as its second choice during the leadership race, said it is taking a “wait-and-see” approach before making its own decision. 
Mr. Scheer’s office said it didn’t have a comment on the criticism.

During the election, the party came out with “confusing and garbled” messages on abortion and abortion funding, said Alissa Golob, the co-founder of Right Now. She said Mr. Scheer’s position that the party would continue to fund overseas abortions through foreign aid, was against party policy and his position on whether MPs would be able to introduce anti-abortion legislation was unclear.
All of this is bad enough but, to add insult to injury, the Globe's John Ibbitson has already written Scheer's obituary. He says the 'summer help insurance clerk' simply hasn't got what it takes.
Leading the fractious Conservative Party of Canada is a challenge for any leader. Andrew Scheer does not appear up to that challenge. Within the party, people are asking whether he will step down now or draw out the agony until April’s leadership vote. 
Mr. Scheer’s supporters have good reason to be upset by this lack of loyalty. The Regina MP took a party that appeared doomed to a decade in opposition and brought it to the brink of victory in the Oct. 29 election. The Conservatives increased their seat count and won the popular vote, reducing Justin Trudeau’s Liberals to a minority government. Why on earth would the Tories be in almost-open rebellion after such a result? 
The answer is simple: Mr. Scheer is a leader who is unable to convince.
For starters, his tactical judgment is unconvincing. On the weekend, he fired his chief of staff and communications director, more than a month after the election. Such bloodlettings are best dealt with immediately after a loss. 
This was yet another example of the leader’s chronic inability to head problems off at the pass. (Not dealing with the question of his American citizenship before the election might have been the worst such example.) A politician needs to have a certain touch. Mr. Scheer lacks it.
A word of advice for my Tory friends. If you're planning on attending the party in April don't wear your good shoes. 

6 comments:

the salamander said...

.. sadly I give not a shite re Andrew Scheer. He was a useful tool for Harper as Speaker, somehow was utilized to prevent on 13th ballot, the ascension of Bernier. Someone tell me that Michael Chong is not essentially the exception to the shrill dullards infesting a rotted political party. Without the nasty & vicious assault of Jason Kenney & Post Media, surely a half or even dozen Liberals and NDP could have been elected in Saskatchewan and Alberta..? In which case, Scheer would be gone already from his free ride on the taxpayers dime. Damn but aint he a champion welfare queen ?

Scheer had become a multimillionaire with zero expenses and constant access to privileged high level information.. Can somone identify his portfolio or wealth manager, please ? They are all doing it.. using inside information.. blind trust or no blind trust.. Harper the master of it.. as Laureen was the perfect conduit. Does anyone actually believe privileged information does not permeate through political caucuses.. on on into the upper crust of Party ranks ? If one knew in advance that Harper would give away the Wheat Board or sell off GM stocks, would anyone not act on that ? Just look at Rona Ambrose and her cowpoke buddy investment buddy, both best friends aboard the wealthiest Bitumen king of the tar sands, mega yacht.. or Joe Oliver, investment banker..

Peter McKay is an insatiable opportunist, egoist and sellout .. I look for him to sense an opportunity to cream Trudeau.. Crazy, as he's dumb as a sack of hammers.. but he has $$$ and name recognition and he's neither gay like John Baird or in a closet, not wantonly promiscuous like James 'ride me Wilfred' Moore or ambiguously asexual like Kenney who's saving his virginity for the right gal.. and realistically he is unelectable except in Alberta, Lisa Raitt is all over the place & loud, gone on a Kenney style diet to drop pounds and had a serious makeover to appear less sloppy.. What else is there ? Kellie Leitch has left the country for the excitment of the USA and Trumplandia..

Who did I miss of sny note from the previous 'leadership' musical chairs 13 ballots ? Doug Ford ? Brad Trost? Surely you just ! Stephen Lecce ? Not a chance .. was up to his ears in the Great Election Fraud of 2011 scurrying from PMO to Fantino's Vaughn campaign office and back to PMO and then back again (which is illegal). He knew all the dirt & utilized Omerta & Arthur Hamilton's sheltering guidance as did Jenni Byrne.. when the shit hit Michael Sona and the Guelph campaign took the hit and went on the lam to countries without extradition.. Mrs Rempel-Garner ? Oh spare me.. that's a bad joke

No, its slim pickings in the Royal Reform Rump ranks.. I think McKay gets the Royal Pope Harper blessing, kisses the ring or the Harper ass or both.. and I also say Scheer has about till just a few weeks after New Years to slink away quietly .. he was only supposed to be a caretaker for 4 to 6 years.. but delusions of grandeur due to the absurd failures of Trudeau/Butts et al overcame reality.. and his daily braying is just plain boring anyway, thanks to Hamish Marshall

Trailblazer said...


Re,Leading the fractious Conservative Party of Canada is a challenge for any leader.

As it is for any party, I hope!
Surely leading a totally united political party is a form of populism?
Scheer was humiliated in this last election and his opponents were found lacking.
Only Liz May took charge of her failure to promote the Greens cause and is to stand down as a leader.
In this age of corporatism true leaders are in short supply .

@ Salamander.
Thanks, brilliant post.
An almost complete disassembly of the Canadian establishment.


TB

e.a.f. said...

I though it interesting that Scheer didn't fire Hamish Marshall. If the Conservative Party is ever to get back on track Marshall and Scheer need to go. Perhaps some of them may be more comfortable over at the pP party.


Scheer did better than anticipated so perhaps the Cons ought to keep him but he isn't going to win against Trudeau. Trudeau now has a deputy P.M. who will be able to take care of a lot of business he can/t. It would appear the Cons have been taken over by a bunch of wing nuts and they need to go, if the party is to win. Not keen on the Conservatives, however, we are a democracy and we need alternatives to the natural ruling party, Liberals if we are to continue to be a democracy. People need a party to vote for and represent them in Parliament. Strong opposition parties are necessary to keep the party in power honest.

the salamander said...

.. I think e.a.f. is getting after an interesting, truly significant point.. it seems also to be lying there in plain sight in your post, Mound. All of us say it but do we really see it ??

We use the wrong words and terms over and over again.. we are stuck in a convenient litany. As I pointed out to Lorne the other day, I need a new lexicon.. We keep calling them 'the Conservatives'.. we reflect MainMedia by calling them ''Tories' or we call them 'Cons'.. we repeat terms like 'Conservative Leader' .. or 'the Conservative whip' .. we look upon election signage that is blue.. We fell into a trap that should have been filled in with earth and stone topped by a cross of jeebuz.. 'Here Lies The Last Vestige of Progressive conservatism'

This is 'naked emperor' stuff. There is no Conservative Party ! Does anyone believe Jason Kenney, Andrew Scheer or Hamish Marshall are 'conservative' .. they seem more the filthy rag used to handle the nightly soil jar to the outdoor privy as your other hand holds your nose from the stink. This is the Stephen Harper Enhancement Grift. A so called political 'party' that was actually just a hostile 'brand takeover' via dumb as a sack of hammers rich kid Peter McKay... My parents and grandparents are long gone.. but my boomer generation is mainly alive and voting.. and sadly, many 'vote the party' .. ie Conservative or Liberal - Tory or Grit .. its 'auto voting' .. old bad habits. Ignorance. Flawed or non-thinking herd behavior.

So no.. I will do everything in my power to never describe the current Harper Reformer Grift or the current Trudeau Government Party as Conservative or Liberal.. they are franchises.. or ranches. Keep in mind who outright bought a big western spread from a state governor who tumbled from wealth and power.. the new owner was Jeffrey Epstein. We know who he saw as cattle.

The current GOP claim exalted 'party status' .. why? Its a corrupted entity enriching themselves and their backroom moguls. There are no real rules to 'politics' today.. its 'get it while you can' and do anything it takes to get it. Playing the political systems and outdated prehistoric governmental pomp and ceremony is their playground. Use taxpayer money (there's lots) to obstruct and delay.. and if you do gain power, seed the Judiciary & the Senates.. to either maintain a chokehold on the money.. or to be ready from the inevitable rainy days.. & 'make hay while the sun shines' ..

Northern PoV said...

If the CONs were truly ready to turf Andy, the caucus would have adopted their new (Chong-bill) powers and turfed him already to make their April convention into a leadership CONtest. They believe voters are mistaken, not themselves in their bubbles.

imho, Andy will lead the CONs again to defeat.

Outside of the CON party, folks are afraid of the SO-CON stuff & austerity & climate change. 3 strikes.
(Greenwashing will win a lot of votes before it is exposed as empty counterproductive camouflage for the fossil fuel industry. )

the salamander said...

.. the Harper Reform Rump, N POV .. is a collective cautious backwater.. prone to putting out feelers.. private polls.. Chong is just too clean for them.. they like fellow dirtsacks.. He's born n bred Wellington County, Ontario, farmboy like me.. still runs the family farm.. though he is a risk to jettison or ignore.. he frightens the evangelistics.. and their skinwalkers, pus sacks, forked tongue dullards and spokeswanks.. and the base cranks.