Justin promises to "grow the economy ... from the heart outwards"

Justin Trudeau at a campaign stop in Regina today:

"We're proposing a strong and real plan, one that invests in the middle class so that we can grow the economy not from the top down the way Mr. Harper wants to, but from the heart outwards,"

 That ranks right up there with "the budget will balance itself".

Well, he's very consistent. Whenever he's off script his true "thinking" shines through.



[h/t sda]

Mulcair's debate "zinger" a calculated lie

William Watson: Oops Mr. Mulcair, you just flunked your recession history

Instant reports on last week’s leaders’ debate suggested one of the most telling lines was Thomas Mulcair’s “Stephen Harper is the only prime minister in Canadian history who, when asked about the recession during his mandate, gets to say, ‘Which one?’”

 That’s too bad. The line wasn’t especially well delivered ... and it was obviously canned. 

... Two more serious problems with Mulcair’s zinger are that it’s almost certainly not true and, beyond that, it’s just not very relevant. But apart from being wrong and immaterial, it was a great line.

Watson provides the record: MacDonald was PM for 6 recessions, Laurier - 4 recessions, Borden - 4,  King - 5, St. Laurent - 3, Diefenbaker - 2, Trudeau - 3 and Harper - 2. 

How much more wrong could Mulcair be!  However, given that it was scripted implies that his "zinger" was a calculated lie, a cheap shot lie for scoring debating points. 

Mulcair could have truthfully claimed that there have been no recessions during any NDP administration, but that wouldn't have scored him any points, except maybe for laughter.

Mulcair - "a self-righteous, even simple-minded politician"

Robert Fulford reviews Mulcair's autobiography:

Tom Mulcair has proven himself a talented opposition leader but close scrutiny of his written words can only detract from his reputation. Strength of Conviction (Dundurn Press), an autobiography and a campaign kickstart, gives the impression that Mulcair is self-righteous and simple-minded, even for a member of the New Democratic Party. ...

...

 That's just for openers!! Ouch!

Kathleen Wynne's bizarre assault on Stephen Harper

Kathleen Wynne has been feuding with Stephen Harper, in part because he refuses to have the feds  collect the mandatory deductions for her new Ontario pension plan.  And why would he?  He is against expanding CPP mandatory deductions, favoring instead voluntary contributions, the  approach preferred by, for example, the employers of 2/3 of the private sector workforce.

Kelly McParland on Wynne's latest bizarro outburst:

Wynne’s latest effort is the suggestion that, had Harper been prime minister instead of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s national railway would never have been built.

... This is an odd statement, considering the considerable efforts Ottawa has put into convincing Ontario to get behind Energy East, the transcontinental pipeline that would move crude from Alberta and Saskatchewan to Saint John. It’s a truly national project, it would work to the benefit of the country as a whole, would create jobs and expand domestic refining activity ...

... Wynne and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard have issued a list of conditions they want met before they will deign to support the project.

... If Sir John A. had faced similar efforts to derail the railway over patently partisan provincial antics, the great project might indeed never have been completed. But it wouldn’t have been Ottawa’s fault, it would have been that of petty, narrow-minded premiers protecting their flanks at the expense of the country as a whole.

This an example of how the "loony left" earns its name.

The great and not-so-great debates

The not-so-great debate
Last night's Macleans/Rogers leaders' debate was painful to watch. It was a heavily sloped (one against four) playing field with a lone Stephen Harper facing off against three opposition party leaders and a Media Party Trudeau cheerleader, Paul Wells, who "moderated".

Predictably, the Media Party's National Post front page opinion column by another Trudeau cheer leader was headlined: "Billed as a gaffe-prone bumbler, Trudeau surprises with solid performance".
 
Well, at least the "gaffe prone bumbler" part of that sentence is accurate.  Justin has no record to defend, except for his ultra-thin resume, his bumbling, his gaffes, his broken promises, his shameless collection of speaking fees from charities and schools while still an MP.  However, none of that was challenged last night.  If this had been a debate run by, say, Fox News professionals he would have had to answer for all of it.  But, like the NP and Michael Den Tandt, Paul Wells has been a Trudeau cheerleader from day one.  Neither Den Tandt nor Wells has ever exposed any of Trudeau's bumbling and contradictions to daylight for the public to see and assess.  They have instead, to their discredit, consciously covered for him and they continue to do so.

In spite of having to deal with four opponents, Stephen Harper still came out ahead.

"Mad Tom" Mulcair
Oh, and one thing about Tom Mulcair - his smile looked like it had been botox'd in place (though it faded towards the end of the evening).  Together with his wide-eyed stare this gave him a bit of a crazed appearance.  So, he's managed to change his demeanor from "angry Tom" to "mad Tom".

The great debate
After getting tired of wincing during the Canadian leaders' debate, I switched to the Fox News hosted Republican top-ten candidates' debate in Cleveland, Ohio.  Now that was something to behold.  Ten contenders for the Republican nomination on one stage in a two-hour debate, tightly moderated by three exceptionally talented TV journalists.  The moderators pulled no punches in grilling the candidates who in turn gave frank, concise and sometimes funny answers.  Unlike the Canadian debate, there was suspense, there was drama, there was action and there was comedy - it was absolutely fabulous.

Obama's delusional rhetoric on Iran nuke deal

Charles Krauthammer nails it, saying Obama has set a new low with his demonization of Republicans who oppose his deal with Iran on nukes:

Election 2015 is on!

The Prime Minister, as expected, dropped the writ today, with the Media Party absurdly whining about Conservatives' taking "unfair advantage".  Good grief!  Brian Lilley reacts:



Terry Milewski can be an idiot sometimes.  It's part of the job description for Media Party "reporters".