How to deal with Conservatives - bots and idiots

While Harper obsessed over promoting oil, Canada has lost 440,000 manufacturing jobs since the Harper government took office.

Through Facebook Memories, this old bit popped up.  Since it’s highly likely Scheer’s policies aren’t any different, and since people have really short memories, it felt appropriate to share it again…  At the very least it’s a reminder that despite their claims Justin Trudeau is the source of all ill in the world, Conservatives aren’t better and their mistakes are generally more sinister.

Shortly after a friend shared it on their feed and because they have non-urban Ontario friends who are drinking Andy Scheer’s cool-aid a couple immediately piped up with the standard Conservative talking points = attacks on Trudeau, he’s not any better, he’s corrupt too, only Justin has rich friends.  The stuff is so predictable and repetitive that I’ve loaded my quill with counter point arrows ready to shoot to each, and since this exchange brought most of them out I thought I’d share it with you, because if nothing else, you should have a one stop internet shop for countering Neo-Con Talking Points.

They always start with the false equivalency (my guy is no worse than your guy).  The danger here is that Conservative voters will always vote, so all they need to do to win is to discourage Liberals from going to the polls.

PERSON X: And Justin's Liberals have done nothing but apologize to all or any group he feels can help him get re elected. He has however not apologized for any of his own mistakes. (or as some would say any of his corrupt doings).

MY RESPONSE:  Cons have made things so partisan that even the hint of apologizing for any of his own mistakes becomes and endlessly stupid parade of hole filled attack ads. Meanwhile, Harper governed for 9 years had more than 27 scandals (many that required them to shut down government), destroyed people's lives with their "cut to help the rich" economic plans, sat on their hands for 9 weeks during the Great Recession awaiting orders from America, and turned the greatest pay down of our debt into the biggest deficit ever! If anyone really believes they're worse off now than they were 4 years ago then vote someone else, but it'll be criminal if Andy Scheer becomes the next Prime Minister because it means lies work when you repeat them often enough.

[I start off by calling out the Gaslighting tactic that Conservatives use.  If you get attacked every time you say sorry and the other side always attacks you for every slight no matter how small or unproven then apologizing becomes an invitation for a partisan attack.  The Liberals have apologized many times for mistakes, but since the election they’ve more often doubled down on the commitment to ‘get it right’, which acknowledges the failing without giving their opposition the sound bite to use against them.]

PERSON X:  I get a kick out of people saying about Harper putting his rich friends ahead of the rest of Canadians. He is a Saint when compared to Trudeau and His rich friends. Harper wasn't the best PM but he was a lot better than what we have now. I am not feeling good about Scheer either.

[The fall back for a Conservative is attacking someone for success.  These are the same people who brag about their own successes.  The last bit was interesting, but since every one of Harper’s elections proved attacking Liberals only helps Conservatives I can’t let that sit unchallenged either.]

MY RESPONSE:  I've done the research on both, hell I literally wrote the book on Harper's tactics so you need to go recheck your facts before spouting Canada Proud internet lies anywhere I can see them because I can tear apart that crap without even batting an eye . The wealthiest 5% in Canada saw their taxes go down by an accumulated 15% under Harper while Federal services for the 25% neediest Canadians (including veterans) were slashed to the bone or cancelled outright.Harper's government wasted BILLIONS on municipal beautification projects in marginal constituencies to buy votes instead of delivering even a fraction of that to desperately needed infrastructure projects - almost all of which Trudeau HAS delivered on.
I also don't mind pointing out that the Conservative Party of Canada is the ONLY party ever found guilty of Election Fraud, which they then tried to cover up by slashing the budget for Elections Canada and when that didn't work they slipped a rider through an Omnibus bill that actually made it illegal for Elections Canada to educate youth on how to vote!
I don't know you but I would hope you have the ability to stop, investigate, think and then realize you're just perpetuating misinformation. I can not only stand by what I've said here, I can back it up with thousands of pages of research from decades of study.

[I call them out for regurgitating Conservative talking points from platforms like Canada Proud because an “informed electorate” doesn’t need to, while a “MisInformed Electorate” has nothing else to use.  If you’re going to repeat something that was twisted by someone else to mean something subversive and you clearly don’t understand what your using because it’s not yours then I’m going to call you on it.  I do again later too.]

MY RESPONSE (follow up):  Here's a perfect example of the misinformation campaign. Andy Scheer and his lot keep attacking Trudeau for wasteful spending, however parliamentary record clearly shows the most wasteful party leader is SCHEER, who last year alone went nearly $100,000over budget, half of which was for flying his family around with him - AND WE'RE PAYING FOR THAT!If he's this wasteful when he's just a party leader (and keep in mind that as Speaker then Opposition leader Scheer has lived in a Government paid mansion for almost a decade with a driver, car, chef and staff even though he isn't actually in charge of anything!) imagine the cost of him as Prime Minister! We can't afford him.

[Under Trudeau many government records are back to being openly available.  “Transparent” Stephen Harper’s government denied release of information if a staffer thought it could be used against the Conservatives.]

PERSON X: Gary In my opinion we just cannot afford anymore of Justin Trudeau's antics.

[Then a new one joined in. Their surprise at the facts I posted was amusingly cute.]

PERSON Z: Are you saying that Scheer did more traveling with family members' on our tax dollars than Justin Trudeau did? I find that hard to believe.

MY RESPONSE:  It's on record. They have to file this. Justin pays commercial rates back to the government for transporting for his family. Scheer has always billed the taxpayers.

And the antics referred to are almost exclusively Conservative inventions, claims and exaggerations.

Unlike Harper's 27 scandals not one of the current claims has proven legit following any independent scrutiny. 

Even the SNC one has been refuted by every former Justice Minister as JWR not being able to reconcile the political demands of her position with her interpretations of the ethical demands (and I'm sorry but I want a Prime Minister who advocates for less damaging alternative punishments like fines and admissions than simply vindictive criminal charges on major employers). The only proven mistake Trudeau made with JWR was putting someone with too limited experience in that position and every government has made that mistake with at least one portfolio.
But at least JWR wasn't a lobbyist from the industry her portfolio oversaw (17 of Harper's last ministers had been lobbyists for their portfolios prior to government and MORE THAN HALF of Scheer's current shadow cabinet have been lobbyists).
Again, the test of good or bad government is measured by whether you personally are better it worse off now than you were 5 years ago. The rest is political games.
I for one congratulate Trudeau on Senate reforms that didn't require another Meech Lake debacle and look forward to retiring at 65 instead of 67 which Harper made it.If you still don't like JT that's fine, but this election is too important to allow partisan created falsehoods to spread unchallenged.

PERSON Z: Yes only the evil cons are guilty. Justin’s Liberals have never lied and are perfect angels. Give me a break.

MY RESPONSE:  Don't be obtuse. The first post Trudeau made after the election is that they weren't perfect and would make mistakes but they also took the gags civil servants and scientists - unlike the Cons who rewrote election laws to retroactively permit their abuses, gagged civil servants and scientists, and even classified gazebo expense overruns in order to silence their critics. 

No government could possibly operate to some people's impossible standards but there's a big difference between flawed and criminal.

PERSON Z: Exactly. No one is perfect as you put it. All the things you accuse the cons of the libs are just as guilty in a slightly different way. To make it like the world will end with either leader is incredibly ridiculous.
People need to come to the middle and hold all govs accountable.
But looks like your willing to look the other way as long as your party gets in, am i right?

["slightly different"?  Like the difference between "flawed" and "criminal". The frustration in dealing with the misinformed comes when their arguments are so predictable you counter them before they make them.  It starts to feel like you're interacting with a bot.]

MY RESPONSE:  Believe what you want. The Liberals have not been gerrymandering elections, were not found guilty by Elections Canada of fraud, have nothing on par with Harper's In & Out scandal, haven't censured scientists, and have done a much better job with the economy (no recession despite trade attacks by Trump). And if you retire at 65 you won't be penalized, whereas Harper had that pushed up to 67 – two more years you’d have to work just to get benefits from a plan you’ve paid in to.

Facts

You're untitled to your own opinion but not your own facts.

PERSON Z: Hahahahaa ok bud. Keep the partisanship up. You are part of the problem.  Cheers

[The accusation of partisanship is the last resort of person who’s lost an argument.  At no point has anyone actually provided facts to counter my claims or support theirs.  Just the vague rumours and accusations bleated repeatedly in Conservative talking points.  It was starting to feel like I was carrying on a conversation with SIRI.]

MY RESPONSE:  I feel like I'm dealing with a bot. I keep reading responses regurgitated almost directly off the Canada Proud playbook. But sure, details and facts are the problem. Right

[I’ve studied and understand Canadian Federal Elections.  It doesn’t mean I’m not often surprised, but failing to spot a pattern as it’s happening is different from not knowing the patterns that happen.  I’m not a member of the Liberal Party, never have been.  I’m a centrist.  I’m the Progressive/Red Tory in the room.  The one who says to the group, “Yeah, we can make the rich richer, but if we made the poor better off then they’d need less help and might actually pay taxes!”

Depending on my mood I’ve got two final responses for these exchanges, the most often used one is “I’m bored of this but momma always said, ‘let the asshole have the last word’ so it’s you call whether that’s you or me”.  The other option is this:]

SUMMARY:  I'd like to throw a little shade on the partisan claim above that was levied at me. Until 2004 I was a lifelong member of the Progressive Conservative Party, working with it on policy and election strategy. After it's betrayal by Peter MacKay and the reverse take over of the PC Party by the Canadian Alliance/Reform Party I went with my fellow Progressives into the splinter True Tory/Conservative “Progressive Canadian” Party (PC PARTY). 

After gross malfeasance became rampant (wiki the In & Out Scandal for starters) I was one of many who provided Elections Canada with the evidence they used to charge, fine and deliver a verdict of guilt against Harper's Conservatives (I believe this is the first and only time that's ever happened in Canadian history). All evidence shows that the NDP is 100% in collusion with the Conservatives on these schemer tactics because both parties know they only gain when the Liberals lose.  In fact, numerous past and present members of the NDP have confirmed to me privately that despite their public optimism, the NDP knows it will never form Government.  I believe they're entire approach to elections will keep that from happening.

Since leaving the Conservative Movement I've literally written the book on their tactics, again with help from insiders. I know from what I speak, both at the 'sausage making level' and beyond.

I've given lectures on gerrymandering techniques and I've shown many exactly how to break down a postal code for effective electioneering.I guarantee you no one is voting FOR Andy Scheer but anyone who doesn't vote because they won't vote Liberal will be just as guilty of electing him as those who put their X beside the name of their local Conservative candidate. 

So yes, I'm partisan, a partisan Conservative who votes for whichever party is closest to the center, which sadly right now is the Liberal Party.  I believe we have to support the center and whoever is closest to it, because the option is that the fringe groups get control of this country and that would be a disaster.  We don't have the economic engine America has to weather that sort of incompetence.
As Macleans pointed out in their article “What is wrong with the Right?”, Andy Scheer and the Conservative Party of Canada have given air to conspiracies, and that's a Pandora's box once opened, cannot be closed again. 
They’ve courted and engaged with openly racists groups like Canada Proud, Rebel Media and hideous people like Faith Goldy and Michelle Rempel. 

Despite Scheer’s statement he had zero tolerance for racists in his caucus, he has yet to stand up to Michael Cooper, the MP who quoted into Parliamentary Record the manifesto of the New Zealand shooter and has on multiple occasions made clearly racists slurs to people of colour testifying at Commons Committees.  Cooper will be on the ballot in October, clearly with Scheer's endorsement.

I will call out Harpercrits to my last breath,   until they abandon the extremes and return to the center, until they return to being a party that builds instead of tears down Canada, until they actually Stand Up For Canada and show leadership instead of just whine about the Liberals.  I will never give up, never surrender, never cede the high ground to them. 

And that is my full disclosure. 

Cheers to an informed electorate!