Election Funnies and Follies #7

Latest polling:

Federal Polling:

LPC: 36% (+3)
CPC: 33% (-1)
NDP: 17% (+1)
BQ: 6% (-2)
GPC: 5% (-2)
PPC: 4% (+2)

Nanos Research / August 24, 2021 / n=1200 / MOE 2.8% / Telephone

(% Change With 2019 Federal Election)

Check out all Federal polling on @338Canada at: https://t.co/7yXX9RtvEx pic.twitter.com/5bm0m6GgRY

— Polling Canada (@CanadianPolling) August 25, 2021

Tonight Frank Graves was also tweeting some hints about new polling coming out tomorrow, showing Conservative gains - at least, I SAW some of his tweets about this, I know I did. 

But I didn't save them and now I can't find them. 

So I don't know, maybe the polling has changed even in the last few minutes. 

But anyway, Graves has also been tweeting today about Singh's slip to the effect that the NDP might support a Conservative minority government -- a ridiculous statement that will not do him any favours with the faithful:

Principles? We have lots of principles ; and if you don't like those , we have some others . https://t.co/mZ1NxSISBg

— Frank Graves (@VoiceOfFranky) August 26, 2021

Shows a massive misunderstanding of values and interests of NDP voters. Although not on the precipice of power , this is about as hysterically tone-deaf as the Tom Mulcair pledge for a balanced budget in 2015, which effectively scuttled the only really chance of an NDP government https://t.co/BacGZUxxtA

— Frank Graves (@VoiceOfFranky) August 26, 2021

The NDP were already basically flat lined in our polling . This piece of strategic genius just scuttled their prospects of even a modest break through . Sad actually https://t.co/vBvooSlYUP

— Frank Graves (@VoiceOfFranky) August 26, 2021

*it (twitter typos are the worst)... but this is a misstep because enough NDP voters would switch to libs if they felt tories would take power. The fact that Singh is open to working with the tories would alienate or scare enough of its base to switch..

— Jordan Johnstone (@JohnstoneJordan) August 26, 2021

Other campaign stuff:

People who under-estimate ⁦@JustinTrudeau⁩’s chances of electoral success have not watched him work a crowd. pic.twitter.com/PxJe93PcvZ

— John Ivison (@IvisonJ) August 23, 2021

Did you hear those people screaming and heckling in the background?

That's why O'Toole hides away in his make-shit TV studio.#Trudeau doesn't hide.#elxn44 #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/FdbKxiu9mG

— Jason Pugh 🏳️‍🌈 (@TheJasonPugh) August 25, 2021

A worthwhile discussion from Ivey Business School prof Mike Moffatt about the Liberal and Conservative housing platforms - click on the tweet to open the thread:

Here's some general thoughts on the housing policies that have been released. Thread!

— Dr. Mike P. Moffatt 🇨🇦🏅🏅 (@MikePMoffatt) August 24, 2021

“The Liberals are offering a much bolder plan than those of their rivals.” https://t.co/qDRrOxUEmx

— Braeden Caley 🇨🇦 (@braedencaley) August 24, 2021

The problem is, the Conservatives can SAY whatever they want, but will Canadians actually believe the leopard will change its spots so quickly? 

One theory I read today was that the Conservatives can tack left in this campaign without losing their base, who have such a visceral and irrational hate for Trudeau that they will vote Conservative regardless of what O'Toole says during the campaign. And how little respect would O'Toole and the Conservative brain trust actually have for any left-wing voters who might get taken in by his spot-changing lies?

Of all the ridiculous things @erinotoole and @CPC_HQ want us to believe they NOW support, organized labour is epic. O'T's father was a union buster at GM, and then as a Harris MPP. CPC spent ten years trying to bust unions, and Erin was part of it. Gaslighter-in-chief.

— Adrian Wilson (@AdrianW123) August 24, 2021

Labour movement skeptical of Conservative pitch to workers.

So is Professor David Doorey (not that anyone asked). https://t.co/qlKyHnIsVi

— David J. Doorey (@TheLawofWork) August 24, 2021

In 2020 Erin O’Toole told the National Firearms Association that he was an “ardent supporter of firearm rights.” #cdnpoli #Elxn44 See: https://t.co/0Y3xE02mva pic.twitter.com/FB7VmxMiHg

— Blake Brown (@RBlakeBrown) August 23, 2021

“O’Toole has not explained how his support for allowing private, for-profit medical services squares with his assertion that he fully supports universal, public health care. Public health-care advocates say he can’t have it both ways.”https://t.co/MUJUXADgO0

— Katie Telford (@telfordk) August 24, 2021

Rich people choosing a private clinic does not "open up space" in the public system. It takes doctors and nurses out of the public system and reduces capacity. There is a finite number of health care professionals to go around, especially specialists.

— Dr Norlaine Thomas (@Norlaine) August 24, 2021

Seriously. Who the fuck is looking at the US right now and saying we need American style health care in Canada. We need a Prime Minister who will stand up for the Canada Health Act and for Canadians. Not for lobbyists, not for corporate health interests. That isn't Erin O'Toole.

— Neil Before Zod™ (@WaytowichNeil) August 24, 2021

The Conservatives tried an Afghanistan smear about refugee visas but it didn't work very well:

Me thinks Erin has some explaining to do. It's almost like he trying to blame JT for what they did.
To be fair, they were busy covering up the torture of Afghan detainees at the time.@erinotoole @CPC_HQ https://t.co/fWM3GxwnVE

— Tsiehta ⚛️ (@Tsiehta) August 25, 2021

And I hope their attempt to start a Fox News-style feeding frenzy on Maryam Monsef for her using the term "brothers" to refer to the Taliban will not get any traction either:

How predictable, Erin O'Toole.

Attacking the first Afghan Canadian in Parliament and the first Muslim woman cabinet minister in Canada for communicating in a culturally appropriate way to the Taliban to request peace and safety for people seeking refuge with Canada.

Racist AF.

— Mike Gibbs🏳️‍🌈 (@Mikeggibbs) August 25, 2021

We are in a desperate hour-by-hour life and death struggle, including for women & children.

If calling someone a brother saves one baby, for mercy’s sake, do it!

— Sandy Garossino (@Garossino) August 25, 2021