Election Follies and Funnies #15: Flip Flop Man

Editing note: I had to delete a couple of the earlier Follies and Funnies posts because something in them was messing up my blog formatting and I am not sufficiently expert in html to figure out what went wrong. Hopefully that won't happen again, but it looks like I can't use photos or cartoons unless they are in tweets, I don't know why. 

Anyway, getting to today's events, there's several things going on.

First, O'Toole is flip-flopping on his idea of overturning Trudeau's assault weapons ban -- O'Toole really a terrible politician, isn't he, he can't seem to get out of his own way when he is trying to deal with an actual controversial issue. 

So yesterday he said one thing about guns and today the other. 

There's 2 things I don't trust about Erin O'Toole - his face.

— Elmer Fudd O'Toole (@pete_chopper) September 5, 2021

This is O’Toole’s third different position on gun control in less than a year. People aren’t stupid. They know it’s only happening because he’s afraid of losing votes. It’s a weak look and will hurt his credibility. https://t.co/1HHLzh9MBL

— Gerald Butts (@gmbutts) September 5, 2021

We know, of course, that he actually WOULD overturn Trudeau's ban regardless of what he says now. He promised his base many times that he would, and guns are a core Conservative value. But when the Canadian media reacted negatively to his fumbling on Saturday, his first impulse seems to be to lie to Canada about what his real intentions are.  And not to worry, the gun lobby saw O'Toole's flip flop for the nudge-nudge-wink-wink it really is, and they agreed not to panic and embarrass him

Either way, it looks like his campaign realized his evasive responses on the 2020 OiC banning AR-15, Ruger Mini 14, etc. didn't play, so... new position today.

— Glen McGregor (@glen_mcgregor) September 5, 2021

There is no good reason for anyone in this country to own a military-style assault rifle. Not one. That’s why we banned them.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 5, 2021

#Elxn44 #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/e4DsCvxaUv

— Lisa Kirbie (@lisakirbie) September 5, 2021

Canada's NRA openly shilling for @erinotoole and the @CPC_HQ Do they honestly think a majority of Canadians want the hellscape of gun violence to our South???#elxn44 #cdnpoli #guncontrol pic.twitter.com/jeLXecRDzf

— Bruce Robertson 🇨🇦🇨🇷🇨🇦 (@brobertson93) September 5, 2021

The hardest decision Erin O'Toole has to make each day is the two positions he will take on each issue - his first position, or the flip-flop? He will repeal the restriction on assault rifles until he won't, until he will again repeal it. Unless he doesn't. #cdnpoli #Elxn44 https://t.co/XqblgNUPqH

— Neil Before Zod™ (@WaytowichNeil) September 5, 2021

pic.twitter.com/biXA25p2jq

— N.C. in the Bay 💉💉 (@Prettyspazz) September 6, 2021

So basically, everything will be OK because O'Toole is lying to the Canadian people, so the Gun-loving Conservative Faithful can trust in him.

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) September 6, 2021

😅 pic.twitter.com/Fs5fuPL6bV

— John Mark Taylor (@jmt_18325) September 5, 2021

Second, the NDP and the Conservatives are now both finally on board with increasing vaccination rates - though they seem to think that all we have to do is ask REALLY REALLY nicely because mandates are so divisive.  But the Trudeau government is already ahead of them:

2. Vaccine Procurement - Canada ordered the largest portfolio of Vaccines for Canadians - https://t.co/3N55kEtzZC

/2

— 🇨🇦🍁Cheryl X2 Vaccinated🍁🇨🇦CANADA🍁🇨🇦 (@mini_bubbly) September 5, 2021

Reminder that the current government already signed contracts for future doses if they are needed. The Conservatives are literally pledging to take credit for Anita Anand’s work. pic.twitter.com/pSNbzgNEQh

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) September 4, 2021

And third tonight, it seems that PPC and Conservative protestors are more focused now on trying to derail Trudeau's campaign than on supporting their own candidates. 

I don't think Canadians are going to be very happy if we see much more of the screaming and swearing and catcalling that went on in Newmarket Ontario today:

Protesters at Trudeau’s event in Newmarket, outnumbered by supporters. There’s a PPC sign, another that says VAX = DEATH. One woman screamed at us from the moment we got off the bus, following us to event. She’s still screaming. Among other things she’s upset about masks outside. pic.twitter.com/Y4tCEG7D8x

— Abigail Bimman (@AbigailBimman) September 5, 2021

What I saw in Newmarket today was beyond disgusting. Trudeau’s bus surrounded by yobs screaming “Fuck Trudeau”. He couldn’t even get off the bus for 20 mins. This is Canada? Heartbreaking. #Elxn44 #IStandWithTrudeau pic.twitter.com/wqzAeJRztI

— Gwynnie Loves Canada (@gwynnieloves) September 6, 2021

That’s an absolute lie. 250 actual residents of Newmarket turned out. 50 professional protestors who follow Trudeau’s bus DO NOT represent us. How do I know? I heard them talking about what they did in Cambridge and where they are going next.

— Gwynnie Loves Canada (@gwynnieloves) September 6, 2021