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Thursday February 11, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday February 11, 2021

White House says Biden is too busy to pay much attention to Trump impeachment trial

The historic second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump was already draining the oxygen from the air of political Washington on Monday, one day before it began. But one important viewer is making a point of saying he won’t tune in.

November 14, 2020

President Biden will be too busy this week to catch much of his predecessor’s Senate impeachment trial, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. He’ll be focused on pushing his pandemic relief package, visiting the National Institutes of Health, touching base at the Pentagon and tackling his other duties at a time of crisis, the White House says.

On Monday, Biden declined to comment on what is arguably a central question facing the country — how and whether his predecessor should be held to account for his role in encouraging a mob that sought to overturn his election loss.

“Let the Senate work that out,” Biden replied when asked by reporters.

“He has a full schedule this week,” Psaki said when asked about Biden’s plans as the Senate trial unfolds amid what is likely to be bitter partisan acrimony. “I don’t expect that he’s going to be, you know, posturing or commenting on this through the course of the week.”

February 4, 2021

But it is unclear if the White House will, or even can, be as removed from this political drama, as Biden and his aides suggest. No sitting president has ever had to contend with the impeachment trial of his predecessor unfolding during his own presidency, let alone in the crucial opening weeks that often present the best opening for getting things done.

Besides siphoning off the attention of the public and lawmakers, the trial, which is expected to last until at least the middle of next week, could delay Biden’s agenda and the confirmation of top appointees. Vice President Harris could be summoned to cast tiebreaking votes on procedural issues.

More broadly, Biden has spoken for two years of “restoring the soul of America” and moving beyond the Trump era. Yet in making it clear he will distance himself from the Senate trial, Biden is removing himself from the highest-profile effort to grapple with Trump’s legacy.

“The closest comparison, but it’s not direct, is Ford trying to figure out what to do with Nixon,” said Timothy Naftali, a historian who has written about impeachment. “Ford needed to find a way to turn the page.”

November 17, 2020

Then-president Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon, ensuring he would not face criminal charges for the wrongdoing of the Watergate scandal, arguing that the country needed to move past a bitterly divisive period.

“I understand why Gerald Ford did what he did. But I think there was a cost to turning the corner as quickly as he did,” said Naftali, the former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. “And I worry that, through an understandable concern about the pandemic, Joe Biden may be turning the corner too quickly.”

Trump was impeached for allegedly inciting an insurrection, a charge that stems from his encouragement of a mob that assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6, forcing Congress to suspend the process of tallying the electoral college votes that showed Biden to be the victor in the November election.

Biden has said his focus is on tackling the crises facing the country, including the pandemic and the economic collapse, which are disrupting — and sometimes ending — the lives of millions of Americans. (Washington Post) 

 

Tuesday January 30, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 30, 2018

Ontario PC president steps down amid purge of Patrick Brown loyalists from top posts

The fallout from Patrick Brown’s resignation last week continues to roil Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives as members wage an internal civil war over the future of the party and Brown loyalists are ousted.

Rick Dykstra stepped down as PC president Sunday evening, saying he was taking “a step back” as the party moves to “coalesce” around a new leader

Several hours after Dykstra posted his statement to Twitter, Maclean’s magazine published a story alleging he had sexually assaulted a parliamentary staffer in Ottawa when he was an MP in 2014.

The report says Ottawa police investigated the complaint. Contacted by phone Monday morning, a police spokesperson said the force could not comment on the Maclean’s report because no charges were filed.

Brown’s deputy chiefs of staff, Tamara Macgregor and Rebecca Thompson, have been assigned to different roles and their former positions abolished. Thompson, a communications specialist, formerly worked for former minister of foreign affairs John Baird when he was transport minister. Brown brought her in from Ottawa to hone the party’s message heading into an election year.

News of the shuffling of top party players comes as the PCs try to contain another internal clash over whether to hold an open leadership race in the coming months or go into the June 7 provincial election with Fedeli as leader. Fedeli was chosen as interim leader at a snap meeting of the 28 caucus members on Friday morning.

Some MPPs who spoke to CBC Toronto last week said that a leadership contest would only distract members from the campaign to defeat Ontario Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne. Just hours after Fedeli was chosen, the party’s executive committee opted to hold a leadership race.

The move was met with cautious optimism by those who favour an open contest, such as dozens of current PC candidates, including Caroline Mulroney, whose name has been floated as a possible leadership contender.

In an email sent out to party members, the president of the Eglinton-Lawrence riding association in Toronto urged the party to stick to its decision to initiate a fair and open leadership race.

“The Ontario PC Party is not made up of 28 people. It is made up of over 200,000 people,” said Clare Schulte-Albert. “This is a democracy, and we must all have a say in who we vote as our leader.” (Source: CBC)

 

Thursday May 7, 2015

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday May 7, 2015 Alberta election 2015: NDP sings for joy, Harper's caucus like 'morgue' The ballots cast in Alberta on Tuesday didn't have any federal names on them, but Parliament Hill was a study in contrasts the morning after, as New Democrats cheered, Conservatives lamented and Liberals refocused on the ever-changing road toward this fall's election. "There's only good news in this," a jubilant Tom Mulcair told his federal NDP caucus, trying to feed off the momentum for his own future campaign, with cameras capturing cheers and chanting. Mulcair said his party had a "spring in our step" and was extremely proud of Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley's campaign. The mood across the hall in the Conservative caucus room Ñ absent Stephen Harper, who was still travelling home from yesterday's VE Day celebrations Ñ featured many shades of blue. "I had some questions if the sun was going to rise this morning," said Manitoba MP Steven Fletcher. "And when it did, there was an orange tinge to it. Very disconcerting." The normally message-managed Tory caucus emerged for the media's post-mortems Wednesday working through various stages of fear, denial, blame and regret. "It was more like a morgue. Someone said it was like Ñ it's Albertastan now," said Justice Minister Peter MacKay. "Having lived through the experience federally when Conservatives [were] divided, it is a recipe for losing, period," MacKay said. "There has been, shall we say, an exchange of members over the last number of weeks," he said, noting that not just the Alberta result but the majority Liberal result Monday in Prince Edward Island was "very informative Ñ instructive, in fact." (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/alberta-election-2015-ndp-sings-for-joy-harper-s-caucus-like-morgue-1.3063472 Canada, Stephen Harper, Alberta, Edvard Munch, painting, parody, The Scream, NDP, New Democrats, election, orange

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 7, 2015

Alberta election 2015: NDP sings for joy, Harper’s caucus like ‘morgue’

The ballots cast in Alberta on Tuesday didn’t have any federal names on them, but Parliament Hill was a study in contrasts the morning after, as New Democrats cheered, Conservatives lamented and Liberals refocused on the ever-changing road toward this fall’s election.

“There’s only good news in this,” a jubilant Tom Mulcair told his federal NDP caucus, trying to feed off the momentum for his own future campaign, with cameras capturing cheers and chanting.

Mulcair said his party had a “spring in our step” and was extremely proud of Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley’s campaign.

2011-2015

2011-2015

The mood across the hall in the Conservative caucus room — absent Stephen Harper, who was still travelling home from yesterday’s VE Day celebrations — featured many shades of blue.

“I had some questions if the sun was going to rise this morning,” said Manitoba MP Steven Fletcher. “And when it did, there was an orange tinge to it. Very disconcerting.”

The normally message-managed Tory caucus emerged for the media’s post-mortems Wednesday working through various stages of fear, denial, blame and regret.

“It was more like a morgue. Someone said it was like — it’s Albertastan now,” said Justice Minister Peter MacKay.

“Having lived through the experience federally when Conservatives [were] divided, it is a recipe for losing, period,” MacKay said.

“There has been, shall we say, an exchange of members over the last number of weeks,” he said, noting that not just the Alberta result but the majority Liberal result Monday in Prince Edward Island was “very informative — instructive, in fact.” (Source: CBC News)

 

Published in the St John’s Telegram, Gull Lake Advance (Saskatchewan), L’Acadie Nouvelles, Edmonton Journal