You have GOT to be kidding me.
We have only five days to go before the Canadian election -- and not much of a news cycle over the Thanksgiving weekend to boot -- and THIS is where we're at???
Click here to view the video of CTV's Mike Duffy covering the interview and basically showing his partisan colours.
First, a quick summary: Liberal Leader Stephane Dion did a taped interview with CTV's Steve Murphy. He got confused on the first question and had to have it clarified twice before answering it -- specifically asking to start over. The Liberals asked CTV not to air this part of the interview. CTV refused, Mike Duffy aired it and made a big stink about it, PM Steven Harper, down in the polls with Dion closing, followed suit, and today Dion is once again having to defend himself instead of attacking Harper's record/
I am outraged on several levels right now and I am just going to go through them point by point.
ONE: So, let's get this straight: Dion gets asked a question in English, his second language. He has a hearing disability. The interviewer mixes his tenses up. You know what? That's perfectly forgiveable. What it's NOT is an indication that:
"Mr. Dion and the Liberal Party really don't know what they would do on the economy."
Oh, I see. It's about the answer he gave. Which explains why you scrambled all over yourself to make a huge freaking deal over this, right, Steve?
On Dion stating he requested to start-over:
"When you're running a trillion-and-a-half-dollar economy you don't get a chance to have do-overs, over and over again."
Right. Do-overs. There it is, my fellow (Canadian) Kossacks. It was never about the quality of Dion's answer -- it was about how this poor moment of Dion's feeds into the line of attack they've had success with on him -- that he is inept basically because he's dorky and his ability to communicate in English isn't great. Way to go, Steve. This is a new low for you. Actually, it's not. After all, you are the same guy who ran the puffin pooping ad, aren't you? But it does reek of desperation, and the worst part is, it just might work. There are too many people out there willing to buy the crap you peddle, and at the end of the day, you'd MUCH rather be the schoolyard bully, belittling your rivals than talk about your non-existant plans for Canada's future.
TWO: But wait! You weren't alone in this, and this is what really raises my ire. My boyfriend and I have long debated over the bias CTV shows the Conservatives and this incident really proves that I am right. It is FIVE FREAKING DAYS before the election. Never mind that Dion requested to start the interview again, which happens all the time when doing taped interviews and never, ever becomes an issue:
The Liberals asked the network not to air the portion in which Mr. Dion appears confused, but CTV felt it was their responsibility to show it. That segment is already posted on YouTube.
Oh, it was their "responsibility"? Why in the world would a minor incident that occurs often and is usually given a free pass be something CTV felt they were "responsible" to air?? Wait, don't answer that! I think I've got it. Because this particular incident just happened to dovetail perfectly with Harper's only working line of attack against Dion -- just as Dion was closing in on him. And don't pretend that's not the truth. This wasn't "newsworthy" or uncommon. It was deliberate interference in something CTV and Mike Duffy has NO BUSINESS interfering in.
So you know what, CTV? SCREW YOU. I mean that. As John McCain's campaign would say, you are "in the tank" for Harper and you just proved it. For shame.
THREE: Aren't we Canadian progressives tired yet of having our elections interfered with? This time around, it was CTV. Last time around, it was the RCMP and the baseless, unfounded income trust investigation. We need stronger Liberal media in Canada, we need stronger pushback by the left, we need the Canadian people to CARE more about our democracy and to be more politically aware and engaged or we will never get the Canada we love back. Stephen Harper is dismantling the progressive framework of our country in quiet, irreversible ways and I am sick of it.
So is this really what Canadians have to hear about on the news heading into the long weekend? Dion defending himself against something he shouldn't have to defend himself again? Is it really all that better than Kim Campbell making fun of Jean Chretien's facial paralysis? It is despicable and embarrassing and so frustrating I want to scream.
Here is what I've done in response. I strongly urge all Kossacks, who read this, particularly the Canadian ones, to do the same:
- Write a letter or email to CTV, objecting to how they've just hijacked the Canadian election.
- Donate to the Liberal Party of Canada. It may not help with the election at this late date, but it will help going forward. I just gave $100.
- As unpopular as this may be to some of you, please DO NOT SPLIT THE LEFT. Vote for the candidate in your riding that has the best chance of defeating the Conservative candidate unless that candidate has no chance. A vote for the Greens or the NDP in ridings where they have no shot at winning is a wasted vote and a vote for Harper.
I wonder if Elizabeth May or Gilles Duceppe will have something to say about this. May might; Duceppe, it depends. I doubt Jack Layton will say nothing, though if he did, it would go a very long way to restoring him in my eyes and otherCanadians who feel he has all too often shoved his principles aside for his political gain. Here's hoping. If there is one lesson we can all take away from Obama, it's not how to talk about families or create headers for your website or how to inspire. It's how to put political differences aside when the time calls for it.
A final note: My instincts tell me this shouldn't play well in Canada because it looks like a real 'below the belt' kind of attack on Dion, and in particular it shouldn't play well in Quebec given how rightly sensitive Quebeckers are over perceived slights against the French language, but I am not expecting a miracle. Harper will probably win on Tuesday and whether it's a minority or a majority is about the only thing left to learn. But there is one upside: Dion and Chretien are appearing together in Brampton today, and I really hope they go for the jugular.
So how do you feel about it?
UPDATE #1: I just found this beautiful nugget:
Speaking to reporters Friday, Harper avoided repeating his analysis. When pressed on why he was unprepared to give Dion the same break that people gave him when he was learning French, Harper changed the topic.
"That is not the issue," he said. "I think the interview speaks for itself."
Of course it's not the issue. Except that it is, because you're using his English to question his ability to lead.
UPDATE #2: Maclean's, must to my surprise, are calling this "CTV's jaw-dropping hatchet job". They are not even remotely "in the tank" for Dion either. Here's the link.