Yup. Kinsella's campaign of hatred and division and bigotry was all over this one for sure.
Here is what I heard happened. John Tory put out a 56 or so page policy book - quite a long time ago after their policy convention.
The fair funding for the existing faith based schools in Ontario (they are already there) comprised 6 lines of type.
In poring over this policy manual the Kinsella-ites honed in on THIS one knowing they could poison enough voters with anything to do with Conservatives and religion.
Made no matter that Dalton McGuinty had proposed exactly the same thing. This was left unspoken.
So, just like Kinsella did to Stockwell Day with the dinosaurs and creation VOILA! Liberal majority based on hate and fear mongering and lies.
Oh - and apparetnly nearly ALL of the Liberal communications team were FORMER journalists who blackberried their friends, the CURRENT journalists and gave them talking points - even suggested the wording of questions to pose in scrums.
How's that for the unbiased just the facts ma'am media. Can anybody win by playing fair in this country when the media is conscripted to participate in political hate mongering?
Lorraine - Some of what you mentioned was on Mike Duffy tonight. Especially about them seizing on the Tory policy well before the election.
I believe it was Gloria Galloway who made some observations in that regard, and that the Liberals were for FB-funding (or inclusive public education as Peter Shurman called it), but then realized that they had a tactical advantage and went on the offensive with it as soon as Tory announced the policy.
Because all that matters in politics is getting into power.
Actually it was Mike Duffy talking to Bernard Lord that mentioned that the Liberals set up a war room outside the hotel where the PC's were debating policy, and had people on the floor feeding them info.
I wonder how this happens? How could they infiltrate the convention?
I know the term is getting tired, but we aren't called La Latario for no reason.
Why were tax paying voters not demanding more decisive policies re: law and order and health care? The only time Caledonia was mentioned was when McGuinty was taped by a hidden mike.
Was health ever discussed?Tory blew it by not having these issues in the forefront.As mentioned on another site McGuinty had a target on his back and Tory didn't aim.
And 50% voter turnout?
This is sad.
"Our man, our team and our vision prevailed because -- as in the Ontario Liberal campaign slogan--Ontarians saw "change that is working."
I'd like to see Warren explain why the last Ipsos Reid poll, 4 days before the election, revealed a 9% lead for Tory over McGuinty when those polled were asked who would make the best premier.
There's a lesson from this election for all politicians, and it isn't a new one. A large percentage of the electorate is politically disengaged, uninformed, and downright stupid. Elections are lost when one party gives its opponent a hot button issue that the opponent can use to easily manipulate the above mentioned demographic. Obviously, in this election, that issue was faith based school funding. McGuinty and the Libs flattered the disengaged, the uninformed, and the stupid into believing they were in fact engaged, informed and intelligent. They voted Liberal and gave themselves a congratulatory pat on the back for staving off the societal collapse which would have followed a PC victory.
Having saved the province, these buffoons can, in good conscience, return to their reality TV programs and their Internet chat rooms, until Dalton comes calling again in 4 years time.
Mike, that was tough talk but it needed to be said.
Unfortunately we are preaching to the converted.
Joanne:
In politics, it's more important to know your electorate than your enemy. Tory forgot that. Whether he can learn from such a colossal blunder is of no consequence; he won't get another chance.....
This passage, taken from a London Free Press article titled "Premier vows no tax hike," the day before the election, epitomizes the level of idiocy that permeates the electorate in this province:
" Told of Tory's claim, McGuinty was categorical: 'We're not going to raise taxes,' he said. But he refused to promise to resign if he doesn't keep that pledge."
All this hand wringing and blaming the stupid voters is quite pointless. There is no one to blame but John Tory the people who decided that this issue should be included in the policy book.
You'd have to be living on the moon to not know that this issue raises strong feelings in this province, yet they still went ahead with it, when it didn't really have the power to help put them into power. Certainly not the take they took with this issue.
We already know the Liberals are cut-throat. You just can't afford to hand them the knife like this!
As a conservative, I think the only reasonable stand on this issue is to have one school board. Religion belongs in the home, the church, the heart.
Yeah that stupid electorate.
John Tory put himself out of the running with his religious school BS. How is that even a conservative policy? We can barely make two school systems run, why not spread it out a bit more and see what happens? It was a wasteful and stupid idea. So stupid in fact, that the PC party couldn't even capitalize on Dalton's hypocrisy on the subject.
This is the first Ontario election that I haven't voted PC for and it was because of Tory's idiocy. You can't just pass by such a monumental policy gaffe and expect him to do better on other decisions.
"This is the first Ontario election that I haven't voted PC .."
The earth just shook. I think it's Bruce having a conniption.
"Yeah that stupid electorate.
John Tory put himself out of the running with his religious school BS."
This issue wouldn't have put Tory "out of the running" had he been dealing with a better informed and intelligent electorate. Faith based school funding should have been a minor, backburner issue, especially given the baggage train McGuinty was dragging behind him into this election. Instead, religious schools became the all consuming focus, and to repeat what I said above, that can't happen without a staggeringly out of touch electorate. So blame both Tory and the electorate, if it suits you, but don't give a pass to the dummies who voted Liberal based on 5 second soundbites attacking faith based funding.
"It was a wasteful and stupid idea. So stupid in fact, that the PC party couldn't even capitalize on Dalton's hypocrisy on the subject."
Dara, how could the PC capitalize on McGuinty's hypocrisy when a sizable proportion of the voters had already heard all they wanted to hear (faith based funding bad......), and in many cases, aren't intersted enough or smart enough to delve deeper? Everywhere you turn, it's there. Voter stupidity.
"This is the first Ontario election that I haven't voted PC for and it was because of Tory's idiocy. You can't just pass by such a monumental policy gaffe and expect him to do better on other decisions."
There's a strong argument to be made (and one I subscribe to, by the way), that Tory's position on faith based funding was just, fair, and good public policy as well. Moreover, Tory promised to implement it when he ran for the PC leadership in 2004, which tends to discredit somewhat the accusation that this was a cynical last minute vote grab.
This wasn't a "monumental policy gaffe," it was a monumental political gaffe. Contrary to your conclusion, Dara, Tory's blunder doesn't cause me concern over his decision making ability. He did what he thought was right, and it blew up on him politically. Contrast that with McGuinty, who knew Tory was right, had in fact said in the past that faith based funding was the fairest policy, and yet demonized Tory over it during the campaign. In that sense, you should be far more concerned with the decision making of your re-elected Premier, a man who has, time after time, chucked morals and ethics over the side in favour of political gain.
There's a bigger consequence in play here as well, one that will further dumb down our political process. Politicians of all stripes have just watched an election turn on the silliness of a fairly inconsequential, racially charged issue. In the space of 6 weeks, it carried McGuinty from possible defeat(or at best a minority government), to another huge majority. Expect to see future campaigns, both provincial and federal, dominated by the search for similar knock out punches, rather than the issues that matter.
Personally, that troubles me greatly, but judging by the outcome on Wednesday, I expect many others won't even notice, let alone be concerned.
Mike H: "Expect to see future campaigns, both provincial and federal, dominated by the search for similar knock out punches, rather than the issues that matter." Esp. if Warren the "War Room" K is involved.
Mark
Ottawa
Mark:
Warren could do us all a favour by forgoing any further involvement in politics, and focus instead on reviving his punk rock career.