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Thursday May 11, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 11, 2023

Words can sink campaigns, while Trump’s actions fuel his support

April 26, 2023

The verdict in the E. Jean Carroll case against Donald Trump was a momentous win for survivors of sexual assault, as well as women who have suffered due to lack of belief in their claims. The jury found that Trump sexually abused Carroll and awarded her $5 million for battery and defamation. Although the jury didn’t find that Carroll proved rape, it still marked a significant victory. As a former president, Trump enjoys considerable goodwill with GOP voters, despite scandals that would have doomed most politicians. However, as his legal woes increase and primary debates begin in August, his support will be tested.

This ruling marks a new chapter in the #MeToo movement, which has empowered survivors to come forward with their stories. The verdict demonstrates that no one is above the law, not even a former president of the United States. In his response to the verdict, Trump stated that he plans to appeal the decision, calling it a “disgrace” and a “political witch hunt”. However, this should not detract from the fact that this ruling sends a powerful message to survivors of sexual assault and shows that justice can be served.

News: Jury Finds Trump Liable for Sexual Abuse and Defamation  

September 24, 2022

Trump’s legal troubles continue to mount, with probes in New York, Washington, DC, and Georgia still underway. His willingness to deny allegations and call the case against him a political witch hunt undermines the bravery and courage of those who speak out about their experiences of sexual assault. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump faced backlash for comments made on the “Access Hollywood” tape, in which he bragged about sexually assaulting women. Despite this, he managed to survive the scandal and go on to win the presidency. However, as the Carroll case has demonstrated, times have changed, and Trump’s actions are finally catching up with him.

The ruling against Trump is a momentous win for survivors of sexual assault and women who have suffered due to a lack of belief in their claims. It sends a powerful message that no one is above the law, and that justice can be served. Trump’s continued denial of the allegations against him undermines the bravery and courage of those who speak out about their experiences of sexual assault. It remains to be seen how this case will affect Trump’s popularity, but it’s clear that his support will be tested as his legal woes continue to mount. (AI) 

A short history of gaffe disqualifiers 

July 26, 2016

In the 2016 US presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton referred to some of Donald Trump’s supporters as “a basket of deplorables,” causing controversy and backlash. Clinton later apologized for the comment, but it was used by her opponents to paint her as elitist and out of touch with working-class voters.

During a 2012 presidential debate, Mitt Romney claimed to have received “binders full of women” as part of his effort to hire more women for his cabinet. The phrase was criticized as insensitive and objectifying, and became a memorable moment of the election.

(It was Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live who paraphrased Palin’s foreign policy on Russia)

In a 2008 interview, Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, claimed that Alaska’s proximity to Russia gave her foreign policy experience. She stated, “You can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska.” The remark was widely mocked as evidence of her lack of foreign policy expertise.

In a 1999 interview, Al Gore stated that he “took the initiative in creating the Internet”. While he played a key role in supporting legislation that helped fund and develop the internet, his comments were widely criticized as an exaggeration of his contributions, leading to the popular misquote “I invented the internet”.

(The infamous Howard Dean Scream)

In 2004, Howard Dean was a presidential candidate and during his campaign, he gave an impassioned speech after a disappointing result in the Iowa caucuses. At the end of the speech, he let out a loud, guttural scream that was dubbed the “Dean Scream”. The moment was widely parodied and criticized, and is considered a major factor in his campaign’s ultimate failure.

(Rick Perry’s Oops Moment)

In a 2011 Republican presidential debate, Rick Perry forgot one of the three government agencies he wanted to eliminate, famously stating “Oops” when he couldn’t recall the third. The moment became a defining moment of his campaign and is often cited as one of the most memorable debate gaffes in recent political history.

Saturday March 6, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday March 6, 2021

Payday lender lines of credit and instalment loans at 47% create debt traps, critics say

Patricia Edwards of Toronto wanted to help her two adult daughters when they fell behind on bill payments at the rented townhouse they share.  

October 18, 2006

She has few assets and a poor credit history, but she was employed at the time, so she went to a payday lender — not for a payday loan, but for an ongoing line of credit. 

“I was like, OK, let’s see if I qualify for the loan because I’m working.”

Edwards, 53, was able to borrow $1,500 early in 2019 from Cash Money. But then she lost her job, and in 2020 came the pandemic. She’s had to refinance the loan twice, and went to another lender, Money Mart, for an instalment loan that could be repaid over two years.

Now she’s close to $5,000 in debt, all in, paying nearly 47 per cent interest on both loans.

December 6, 2014

Her predicament, and that of many other Canadians like her, has a chorus of voices calling for industry reform. Activist groups, elected officials and even some smaller lending companies say financially vulnerable people are too often lured by payday lenders’ low bi-monthly payments on longer-term loans without realizing how the costs will add up.

“I’d love to get a bank loan,” said Edwards. “But I don’t have a car, I don’t have a home, I don’t have any assets. I don’t qualify.”

Payday lenders argue that’s exactly why their services are essential. They provide money to people in need who otherwise would be unable to borrow. 

December 11, 2015

In a statement to CBC News, the Canadian Consumer Finance Association, which represents close to 1,000 high-interest lenders across the country, said unsecured loans are expensive to provide, and that its members’ interest rates are government-approved. 

Acorn Canada, a national organization that advocates for low-income people, has taken aim at large payday lenders, organizing protests across the country and calling on the federal government to take action.

Donna Borden, vice-chair of Acorn’s East York chapter in Toronto, said the pandemic has forced more Canadians to turn to high-interest lenders.  

September 11, 2015

“A lot of people are using or taking these loans to buy food, to pay their rent,” she said. “And especially now with COVID, it’s even worse.” 

Instalment loans, where regular repayments are scheduled over a number of years, were the fastest growing segment of lending among payday companies, according to the results of a limited online survey conducted by Acorn in February. It found that the number of survey respondents who reported taking instalment loans had jumped from 11 per cent in 2016 to 45 per cent in 2020. 

Independent Sen. Pierrette Ringuette of New Brunswick has sponsored two bills to have the Criminal Code amended to lower the maximum interest rate that lenders can legally charge from 60 to 20 per cent plus the overnight bank rate. Neither bill moved forward due to prorogations and election calls, but Ringuette said she intends to sponsor another one.   

“Canada is like a gold mine to these institutions because of the current state of legislation we have in place,” she said. (CBC) 

 

Saturday May 12, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday May 12, 2018

NDP suspends Quebec MP Christine Moore in wake of inappropriate conduct allegations

November 6, 2014

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has temporarily suspended Quebec MP Christine Moore from her duties with the party and ordered an investigation after a veteran of the war in Afghanistan accused her of inappropriate sexual behaviour.

The allegations against Moore are the latest to rock the third-place party. Singh expelled another MP from caucus last week following a three-month investigation that was sparked by a complaint from Moore.

In an interview, retired corporal Glen Kirkland said Moore first approached him after he testified before a parliamentary committee in June 2013, where he had been asked to speak on the treatment of ill and injured soldiers.

January 31, 2018

Kirkland was wounded in an ambush in Afghanistan in 2008 while driving a light-armoured vehicle that was hit by recoilless rifle fire. The shot killed three other soldiers and left Kirkland with severe injuries, including a damaged pancreas and right eye, crushed vertebrae, bleeding in the brain and PTSD.

Kirkland did not want to get into specifics Tuesday. But he did tell the CBC that Moore followed him back to his hotel and continued to send explicit messages, even turning up unannounced at his Manitoba home before he forcibly told her to stop.

January 26, 2018

“I’m not claiming rape or anything,” Kirkland, who is now a real estate agent in Brandon, Man., told CP. But, he said, “she was inappropriate. She used her position of power and authority to get what she wanted.”

In a statement released Tuesday, Singh said Moore will remain a member of caucus pending the results of an investigation, but that she is being temporarily relieved of her duties on committees and other party matters.

“I take these allegations very seriously and I will be appointing an independent investigator to conduct a fair and full examination,” Singh said. (Source: Edmonton Journal)