Today's News: Fighting the good fight

This is true for us lefty Canadians too:

In fact, I'm so crazy I wrote an article about it!https://t.co/DQtpnHeMeq

— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) August 5, 2022

Being timid, defensive, and afraid is a losing strategy according to Anat Shenkar-Osario, president of ASO Communications, who runs weekly focus groups where she tests messaging strategies with potential voters. According to her, Democrats must rise up and fight if they want to win over surge and swing voters and energize their base. “Democrats need to go on offense, because people are hungry for a demonstration of leadership,” she told me, citing swing voters who are “attracted to decisiveness for its own sake, irrespective of the content of that decision.” 

She said this explains why they find Republicans appealing even as they consistently describe them to her team as “evil,” “snakes,” and a party that “doesn’t care about anybody but themselves.” Republicans appear to use their power to just get shit done and carry out their agenda, regardless if it’s popular.

 ....Shenkar-Osario’s message for Democrats is simple: “Stake your turf, go on offense, and say what you’re for always—that performs better in the field, and performs better with the masses. If your words don’t spread, it doesn’t work.” It’s time for Democrats to speak up and say the words.

Because if we don't speak out, we see the kind of MAGA trashing of Trudeau and that PEI restaurant will just get ignored or even accepted by Conservative politicians and their media:

PEI, where Conservatives harassed, threatened, snd tried to ruin a business, simply because the Prime Minister stopped in for lunch. That PEI?

— john d beggs (@dbeggs13) August 5, 2022

You should see how much conservatives freaked out when the Prime Minister bought doughnuts at an independent baker. Sorry...I meant to say he bought "elitist" doughnuts.

Then there's the socks and his hair. DO NOT get them started on his socks and hair. Really works them up.

— Jason Pugh 🏳️‍🌈 (@TheJasonPugh) August 6, 2022

As a columnist, I'm used to the odd bit of hate mail. But the stuff I've been receiving over this column is next level: https://t.co/NLG5YJcG1A

— Gary Mason🇺🇦 (@garymasonglobe) August 5, 2022

In other news - wow, this is big:

Today Metis are one step closer to self governance. This is truly a historic moment in the long struggle towards Metis self governance. #MetisConstitution https://t.co/sJDQrtpiA5 pic.twitter.com/ZRuisGZTRU

— Jaro Giesbrecht 🇨🇦🇸🇰 (@JaroGiesbrecht) August 6, 2022

Moving to the Ukraine Russia War, I thought this was a useful observation:

At this point I think we can say that easily one of the worst takes about the war, which was very widespread, was that US or NATO support for Ukraine would soon wither as the public lost interest or has prices went up. Indeed, aid seems to be accelerating instead. https://t.co/zCMnMVjn6j

— Phillips P. OBrien (@PhillipsPOBrien) August 5, 2022

Today I saw a tweet about Russians displaying the head of a Ukrainian soldier on a stick, in the Donbas. I can't post this picture, its too horrible. But I wonder if Russia actually thinks they can come back from this type of barbaric behaviour and just be accepted again as leaders in the world community of civilized nations?

The head on a stick also happened just as the Amnesty International report criticizing Ukraine was released - and what an incredibly bad call for Amnesty to make. 

Here's a tweet thread and a comment that I thought was worthwhile:'

@amnesty doesn't (want to?) understand that the alternative to defending urban areas is retreating from such areas. As a Ukrainian civilian, I prefer tough fights in my city to occupation with rapes, tortures, murders. Yes, bombs and shells are bad, but inhuman occupants worse

— Artem Komisarenko (@artemkomisarenk) August 6, 2022

In an analysis of the AI report, journalist Thomas Engström calls the report "Travesty International" and says:

Only about day old, it is guaranteed to go down in history as a triumph – a triumph, that is, of Russian-sponsored whataboutism, Kremlin-fueled nihilism, and legal minds letting go of all moral responsibility. 

UN War Crimes Investigator Mark Garlasco tweets his personal opinion of the AI report:

helping civilians relocate. The info environment is complex but when I train Ukrainian #WarCrimes teams I always tell them they must investigate alleged violations of ALL parties to the conflict. 3/

— Marc Garlasco (@marcgarlasco) August 5, 2022

their targeting of civilian areas at worst. At best they can claim a defense. Amnesty was wrong on the law. They were wrong on the timing. Ukraine needs to avoid endangering civilians but this report was off target. /END/

— Marc Garlasco (@marcgarlasco) August 5, 2022

Finally tonight, a palate cleanser:

It wasn’t a star, it was a meatier https://t.co/kZpOYjxHlW

— Justin Chang (@JustinCChang) August 6, 2022