spin

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Would someone please plug Justin Trudeau back in?

Next time, try Norway
Postmedia’s Michael Den Tandt thinks the cringeworthy promotion for Justin Trudeau’s “Justin Unplugged” event, and his bizarrely appreciative comments about China’s political system at that event, however they might have been intended, represent “the worst kind of unforced, bone-headed error — the equivalent of Stephen Harper kicking a chair in public, or Tom Mulcair bellowing ‘Viva Che Guevara!’ on the steps of the Centre Block,” in that they speak directly to people’s doubts and misgivings about the politician in question. In Trudeau’s case, it suggests he’s not very substantial and not very smart.

The Sun Media editorialists make another good point: That Liberal women would put together such a ridiculous promo for this event suggests that even “Trudeau’s own team doesn’t take him that seriously.”

In the Montreal Gazette, Celine Cooper — who enjoys “getting into my pyjamas on a Friday night and snuggling in on the couch with my best girlfriends, a glass of Chablis and a bowl of microwave popcorn to watch reruns of Sex and the City” — agrees with Conservative MP Michelle Rempel that the “biggest problem facing women” is “crap” like the condescending, stereotype-enforcing invitation.

Terry Glavin, writing in the Ottawa Citizen, transcribes Trudeau’s impromptu attempt to explain himself in the aftermath of his China comments: “Ah, in this world we are competing with countries that have the capacity to react to big issues quickly and completely. We need to make sure that even though we have to compete with them, ah, we can get things done completely, and that means that not, that not falling back on our, ah, not weakening on our human rights, making sure that we are still protecting all of the things we know. But we do need to get together to support people.” Glavin suggests “a Miss Teen USA contestant wouldn’t get away with saying something like that,” but he doesn’t think Trudeau is actually an ill-intentioned commie-hugger. He just thinks the Liberals are “a shambles,” and that Trudeau is “a ridiculous, morally illiterate and fathomlessly unserious person.”

CBC’s Terry Milewski not very usefully tries to compare the nice things Trudeau said about China to some nice things Stephen Harper has said about China, none of which he said after being asked about a government he admires.

In the Journal de Montréal, Richard Martineau reminds us of Trudeau père‘s willingness to publicly admire dictatorial regimes and their leaders, and to say things about them that in hindsight — albeit years later, as opposed to seconds — look very silly. He also reminds us of the astonishing hagiography of Fidel Castro that Trudeau frère Alexandre penned for the Toronto Star some years back. Maybe the Trudeaus need a new family rule: If communism comes up, just run away. (Source: National Post)