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Thursday October 22, 2020

October 29, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday October 22, 2020

Canadians don’t need election melodrama

If not for Jagmeet Singh and the NDP and the three members of the Green caucus, Canada would be heading into a federal election today. We are not, and we should be thankful for that.

November 12, 2018

An election campaign, with the federal Parliament adjourned for campaigning, is the last thing the country wants, or needs. The second wave of this pandemic is sweeping across the nation. We need all hands on deck to manage the crisis, and no one needs to be distracted by an election campaign and everything that goes along with that.

But how did we get here? How did we end up on the brink of an election no one wants? 

There’s blame to be apportioned across the board, but the majority of it falls on the governing Liberals and Opposition Conservatives. They joined in a high stakes game of chicken that was not driven by anything other than partisan advantage. 

First, the Conservatives. They launched a motion on Opposition Day that called for establishing a new super-committee to investigate corruption, specifically the WE scandal. It would have had unprecedented power to call not only members of the government and civil service, but people such as friends and relatives. It could have compelled the release of private citizens’ financial records over a 12-year period. That is probably not even legal.

October 23, 2019

It was a massive overreach, especially considering Parliament already has multiple committees that can do that work. And given that this is a minority government, those committees are often dominated by opposition MPs, so the government doesn’t always get its way. 

Further, there is a central hypocrisy in what the Conservatives are saying. They want a committee specifically focused on government corruption, and they publicly declare they do not have confidence in the government. But they also say they don’t want an election. You cannot square that circle.

But the Liberals delivered a surprise — they chose a nuclear response to the Conservatives overreach, saying the motion amounted to a loss of confidence in the government, and therefore would trigger an election. They drew a line in the sand, and they dared opposition parties to cross.

October 28, 2016

There’s no doubt, from a political strategy perspective, that the government outplayed its opponents. But beyond that strategic victory, this brinksmanship isn’t a good look for anyone involved. The government is acting like it has a majority when it doesn’t. The Conservatives wanted to weaponize the committee process for partisan gain. Both were willing to force Canadians to endure an election campaign in a very dangerous time. For that, they should be ashamed.

Thankfully, Singh’s NDP sought middle ground. They proposed a committee that would oversee and investigate all spending and management during the pandemic, including in the WE affair. That is a reasonable mandate for a new committee. We don’t know what the Liberals agreed to in exchange for the NDP’s support against the Conservatives, but don’t be surprised if the end result of this drama fest is something like what the NDP proposed. 

So for now, this melodrama is over. Don’t be surprised when the next game of chicken breaks out, as happened frequently when Stephen Harper’s minority government was challenged repeatedly and dared opposition parties to trigger an election. 

That said, there was ample cynical political gamesmanship on display here. It’s wasn’t pretty. The Liberals and Conservatives should take a long look in the mirror and try to remember what Canadians are dealing with. That’s what matters, not an unnecessary election campaign. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Posted in: Canada, USA Tagged: 2020-35, Canada, circus, confidence, donkey, drama, election, Elephant, Erin O’Toole, Jagmeet Singh, Justin Trudeau, politics, Punch and Judy, puppet show, USA

Wednesday August 26, 2020

September 2, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday August 26, 2020

The coronavirus took a back seat to culture wars during the RNC’s first night

Despite the ubiquity of the coronavirus in American life in 2020, the pandemic was not a top tier issue during the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday.

GOP elephants

Rather than placing the pandemic as a central theme to kick off the convention — in the way 9/11 did for both parties in 2004 — the leadoff speech Monday night from 26-year-old Charlie Kirk framed Trump as “the bodyguard of western civilization.”

Segments on violent crime and cultural issues like “cancel culture” far outweighed anything on the virus.

In one clear COVID-19 focused bit, Trump did a stand around interview with frontline workers.

July 10, 2020

In a mix of asking them how they were doing and soliciting flattery, Trump once again made avoidable missteps that have come to characterize his response to the pandemic.

“Your blood is very valuable, you know that, right?” the president told a COVID-19 survivor.

“OK, and I won’t even ask you about the hydroxychloroquine,” Trump quipped at another point, referring to the unproven therapeutic normally reserved for malaria treatment. There was also a speech from a West Virginia nurse that praised Trump’s pandemic response. 

May 5, 2020

“As a health care professional, I can tell you without hesitation Donald Trump’s quick action and leadership save thousands of lives during COVID-19, and the benefits of that response extend far beyond coronavirus,” Amy Ford, a registered nurse from Williamson, W.Va. said. 

The only other focused messaging on the virus came in repeated lines about Trump banning travel from China on Jan. 31, which was part of what Ford was alluding to when she claimed Trump saved “thousands of lives.”

July 22, 2016

Fact checkers have found there is little to back up that claim on the ban — which wasn’t a complete ban — and public health experts have noted it did little to mitigate transmission once the virus began coming to the US from Europe.

Subsequent nights of the convention might feature more on the pandemic, but months of communications issues and a consistent reluctance to back a national response instead of delegating it to the states have shown Trump has little appetite to make the virus a major campaign issue. (Business Insider) 

Posted in: USA Tagged: 2020-28, convention, Coronavirus, covid-19, deflection, Donald Trump, Elephant, GOP, pandemic, politics, RNC, USA

Wednesday May 27, 2020

June 4, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday May 27, 2020

Trump, Biden signal how ugly the campaign will be

The 2020 general election campaign has already become a slugfest—and it’s only just beginning.

March 6, 2020

President Trump on Tuesday shared a video on social media showing his opponent Joe Biden’s campaign logo on a coffin. 

The video was meant to telegraph the Trump campaign’s sentiment that Biden’s campaign is dead after he said last week that black voters who can’t choose between himself and the president “ain’t black.” 

It follows a weekend on insults from Trump to Biden. 

Asked to talk about Biden’s strength as a competitor, Trump came up empty and added an insult about Biden’s mental acumen.

“Well, I would have said experience but he doesn’t really have experience because I don’t think he remembers what he did yesterday,” the president told Sharyl Attkisson on her show “Full Measure” before adding, “he was never known as a smart person.” 

May 12, 2020

He also shared a tweet from Fox News commentator Brit Hume that appeared to mock Biden for wearing a mask in public during a visit he made to Delaware’s War Memorial Plaza on Memorial Day. Health experts have recommended the wearing of masks in public settings, though White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday said Biden didn’t need to do so since he was social distancing during the visit. 

Biden has been no shrinking violet when it comes to Trump.

Team Biden in a 30-second ad on Sunday that blasted Trump for playing golf during a pandemic that has killed nearly 100,000 Americans. 

The back-and-forth underscores how negative the 2020 race is likely to be. 

“This is going to make 2016 seem like ice cream in the park,” said one former aide on Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. “It’s already so much nastier than even I anticipated.” 

August 16, 2016

The Clinton-Trump contest was itself a battle of insults and negativity. 

During that cycle, voters witnessed Trump call on Russia to hack into Clinton’s emails. He also led crowds in cheers of “lock her up.” 

After the “Access Hollywood” tape of Trump talking about grabbing women by the genitals was released, Trump invited women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct to a presidential debate against Hillary Clinton. 

Trump and his campaign have made it clear it will be a gloves off contest, and strategists say the fact that Trump is behind in polls is only likely to make him go more negative. 

Asked about the negativity,  Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for the Trump campaign said “every election is a choice.”

“Voters may know of Joe Biden but they really don’t know much about him. When we finish defining Biden, the choice will be obvious for voters and President Trump wins again,” he said. 

The Real Clear Politics national average of polls shows Biden ahead of Trump 48 percent to 43 percent. 

“Trump is going to drag this into the mud because he’s losing,” said Democratic strategist Joel Payne. “Joe Biden is the more likable and more trusted candidate and the only way Trump can win is slash and burn. So it’s not surprising that this has already gotten nasty.”

Democrats — including Biden allies — say they’re preparing for an onslaught of not just cheap shots and insults but all-time-lows. (The Hill) 

 

Posted in: USA Tagged: 2020-18, Donald Trump, election, gaffes, Joe Biden, leadership, politics, USA

Wednesday September 11, 2019

September 18, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday September 11, 2019

Why is it so hard for Independent candidates to get elected to Canada’s House of Commons?

May 28, 2019

Canada has not had a strong Independent movement since Confederation when there were several Independent politicians in government. They were called “loose fish” and operated separately of political structures, explains John English, director of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International history at Trinity College.

When the party system began to take hold at the turn of the century under Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, these “loose fish” declined in numbers. The party structure became the main source of funding for candidates and also provided patronage appointments to important positions such as the railway or the post office.

November 9, 2018

Independents made a brief resurgence in the Second World War. When Prime Minister Mackenzie King broke his promise of conscription, Quebec Liberals declared themselves Independent (but still affiliated with the Liberal party for the most part).

By the 1960s, Independents became especially rare in Canadians politics, limited only to “those candidates who got kicked out of their party or decided their interest didn’t align with party values or the party leader,” English said.

The debate over the strength and influence of central party power in politics isn’t new, either. Collenette says this discussion has been occurring within parties for years, but “the question now is larger because its not contained in the party anymore.”

Promising the moon

The main reason Canada doesn’t have more Independent politicians is because “they don’t win,” Thomas said. Before campaign finance legislation changes were created in 1974, local electoral campaign officers would identify supporters and then get supporter to learn the name of the candidate. Now, voters are more likely to recognize party labels than individual names.

David Moscrop, political scientist and author of “Too Dumb for Democracy,” agrees that central party authority needs to be loosened but worries about the tradeoffs. First, it’ll require a lot of cooperation from parties, civil service, staffers, leadership and media. (“I don’t think that is going to happen,” Moscrop says.) Then you have to balance loosening party control while maintaining party cohesion. (“How do you do that?” he asks.) (National Observer) 

 

Posted in: Canada, Ontario Tagged: #elxn2019, 2019-32, Canada, candidate, election, Parliament, partisanship, politics, trained seal

Wednesday September 11, 2019

September 11, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday September 11, 2019

Why is it so hard for Independent candidates to get elected to Canada’s House of Commons?

June 11, 2014

Canada has not had a strong Independent movement since Confederation when there were several Independent politicians in government. They were called “loose fish” and operated separately of political structures, explains John English, director of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International history at Trinity College.

When the party system began to take hold at the turn of the century under Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, these “loose fish” declined in numbers. The party structure became the main source of funding for candidates and also provided patronage appointments to important positions such as the railway or the post office.

May 28, 2019

Independents made a brief resurgence in the Second World War. When Prime Minister Mackenzie King broke his promise of conscription, Quebec Liberals declared themselves Independent (but still affiliated with the Liberal party for the most part).

By the 1960s, Independents became especially rare in Canadians politics, limited only to “those candidates who got kicked out of their party or decided their interest didn’t align with party values or the party leader,” English said.

The debate over the strength and influence of central party power in politics isn’t new, either. Collenette says this discussion has been occurring within parties for years, but “the question now is larger because its not contained in the party anymore.”

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Wednesday September 11, 2019

The main reason Canada doesn’t have more Independent politicians is because “they don’t win,” Thomas said. Before campaign finance legislation changes were created in 1974, local electoral campaign officers would identify supporters and then get supporter to learn the name of the candidate. Now, voters are more likely to recognize party labels than individual names.

David Moscrop, political scientist and author of “Too Dumb for Democracy,” agrees that central party authority needs to be loosened but worries about the tradeoffs. First, it’ll require a lot of cooperation from parties, civil service, staffers, leadership and media. (“I don’t think that is going to happen,” Moscrop says.) Then you have to balance loosening party control while maintaining party cohesion. (“How do you do that?” he asks.) (National Observer) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: #elxn2019, Canada, candidate, election, Parliament, partisanship, politics, trained seal. 2019-30
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