Sunday, March 11, 2012

Robocall Impact

I find it a bit odd, the rush to verdict on the robocall affair, particularly when it's clearly an evolving story, that is nowhere near crescendo. How anyone can make definitive conclusion on resonance escapes me, particularly seasoned observers like a Gerry Nichols for example. Much of the impetus for these rash pronouncements seems to stem from already held beliefs on what matters to Canadians, rather than viewing the robocall affair with non jaundiced eyes. Considering many a government has been harmed by non "trains on time" scandals, the dismissive tone from many quarters strikes me as misplaced cynicism.

Kinsella is on the money again, to date one of the better continual reads on this scandal:
"As a general rule, they will not pass judgment unless they see perps being led away in handcuffs and orange jumpsuits"

I've made this point as well, when we start seeing Conservatives walking into court rooms, no matter how far up the chain, it will tarnish, it will impact public perceptions, anything but irrelevant or inconsequential. We are at the early stages of this scandal, already we see a public that does want answers, but it is hardly surprising that an overwhelming judgement has yet to pass, unlike some who are covering the affair. Cheating, getting caught and going to jail, Canadians don't like, dismiss and time may betray you.

Kinsella makes a wider point, which "opposition" to Harper must tackle, if things like the robocall scandal will truly have measurable electoral impact. There is a very compelling, almost irrefutable, argument to be made that the current party divisions constitute a "free pass" for these Conservatives, relatively immune due to fundamental negating forces. It is for this reason that we can see devastating right direction/wrong direction polling for the Conservatives and it still translates into power, comfortable at that. Every conversation starts with 30-35% support in the Conservatives pocket, almost unshakable, something that can be depended on no matter the issue that arises, it simply has no place to go. It is a bit disconcerting that you can have two thirds of Canadians vehemently opposed to this regime and they can simultaneously feel no discernible threat. It is this dynamic that represents the single biggest reality in federal politics, if not addressed, much of the sound and fury is marginalized.

Moving forward, I think what is imperative, understanding the best possible path that delivers the most comprehensive impact. What scenarios will make things like robocon truly BITE the Conservatives, how to take certain outrages and maximize the damage to their fortunes. One thing is now beyond clear, the current political makeup has a "scot free" component which undermines any notion of accountability or normal consequence.

13 comments:

Jerry Prager said...

tens of thousands of Canadians on the streets today all across the country, the Canadian Spring, the Global Spring, the beast is against the wall.

Omar said...

Yeah? Just like the prorogation rallies accomplished what exactly, Jerry? I froze my ears half off for nothing. The beast is the wall. And I for one have no answers.

Steve V said...

I still don't see that as "for nothing", it was good to see so many like minded, even if it didn't equate to critical mass.

Omar said...

I don't really see it that way either, but at the time it was frustrating to see so few people 'getting it' while just about everyone else trundled along oblivious.

Steve V said...

Agreed for sure. Again though, perhaps the divided opposition doesn't exact true consequence.

Lorne said...

Given the absolute intolerance that the Harper Conservatives have for any dissent or challenge to their worldview, all protests, no matter how small they might be, are worthwhile.

The time to worry is when everyone has given up and simply stays home. That is a victory we should never give to Harper.

Edstock said...

Well, it’s 3 years to the next election.

That’s one hell of a long time. Now, politics is a combination of the empirical and the ‘inspirational’. When the stars are in the right alignment, we get leadership. Jack is dead, and there are no people in the ‘progressive’ cohort right now that have caught the public’s imagination. The Liberals do not need another Dion, or a Stanfield malaprop.

IMHO, there is another 18 months-24 months for a ‘JFK’ to emerge. Continuing the American perspective, the Robocall Scandal is galvanizing Canadians who are thinking about this — and it’s not going away, because the web gives us a weapon. You ain’t heard nuthin’, yet.

I am not a lawyer, but,

IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THE “SCAMMED” RIDINGS, you might be able to sue Stevie and the CPC personally for damages, for violating your civil rights under the Canadian Constitution. Remember, if you don’t try, you don’t get.

Jerry Prager said...

37% of Canadians support Harper means the 37% of Canadians sup[port facism, which is a true now as it was under RB Bennett. Liberal, democratic Canada is an intervention by the 63% and always was.

Jerry Prager said...

The prorogue rallies and CAPP itself forced Harper to come back saying Parliament had to make up for lost time, and then Harper further embarrassed himself by setting a'trap' for the liberals who he thought would want to take the March break off and so fall into their brilliant trap so he could say see, the bad liberals didn't want to make up for lost time. When 63% of Canadians know goddamn well who was responsible for the lost time and why: the same Canadian's who were the real object of his contempt when he shat all over the Liberals and NDP and Bloq and green voters, as he has done since 2006. His contempt is for us.
And it's time he started to understand it. It's us who are his enemies.

Jerry Prager said...

Otherwwse known as we.

sharonapple88 said...

It'll take time for the full impact of Robocon 2011 to reach people. I suspect that the inevitable revelations won't be comforting to people.

Saskboy said...

Yep, sue 'em.
It's in this video, near the end, how you can do it.

Anonymous said...

There are the many elderly citizens, who don't have computers. The media are propaganda machines for the government.

Some of the elderly, who lived in more honest times, believe what they read in the papers. The TV media is really bad. These older people don't even realize what the government is doing to them. They are always the first ones targeted. How does Elections Canada reach the aged?

In their day, they would all crowd around the radio, to listen to the war news. In their day, there was such a thing as, good honest journalism. To-day, the media are a disgrace to their professions.

Harper is no Conservative. He is a Reformer, dictator from his true party, the Northern Foundation Party, of 1989. They said, the skinheads assisted Harper to organize his very, shady party.

Since Harper's (so called majority), Canada has regressed into a terrible bad mess. Harper is handing Canada over to China. The Chinese are bringing their own people over, to work their vast tar sands projects, and the BC mines. China owns many company's in Canada. Harper rolled out the red carpet for China. We can kiss Canada good-bye.