Thread: Ten reasons not to vote for Scheer/Conservatives
1/80
But before we get underway? It seems appropriate that the unofficial campaign began with the near-nothing SNC story. Yes, there is a discussion to be had about corporate corruption. But what got lost in the mix?
1/80
But before we get underway? It seems appropriate that the unofficial campaign began with the near-nothing SNC story. Yes, there is a discussion to be had about corporate corruption. But what got lost in the mix?
2/80 SNC’s practises were rampant under…the Harper Conservative rule. Consider that the CPC's very own Arthur Porter was arrested for taking $22 million in kickbacks from SNC Lavalin.
3/80
Bookending this inauspicious informal start, the campaign ended with the eleventh-hour revelation that, as many suspected, Warren Kinsella had been hired by the Conservatives to run a dirty MSM – and social media – campaign.
Bookending this inauspicious informal start, the campaign ended with the eleventh-hour revelation that, as many suspected, Warren Kinsella had been hired by the Conservatives to run a dirty MSM – and social media – campaign.
4/80
Kinsella's company, the Daisy Group, was hired to attack the PPC, to “seek and destroy”. What makes this galling is it's been completely obvious to even the most casual observer that the Conservatives had a dirty, corrupt, and quite possibly illegal media campaign going.
Kinsella's company, the Daisy Group, was hired to attack the PPC, to “seek and destroy”. What makes this galling is it's been completely obvious to even the most casual observer that the Conservatives had a dirty, corrupt, and quite possibly illegal media campaign going.
5/80 For example, on twitter, any Scheer/Con party tweet had an army of clearly fake accounts with clearly troll-army comments. Similarly, any Trudeau/Liberal tweet was met by a bevy of far-right ignorance. My unscientific survey showed that, at times, the fake accounts ....
6/80 ...were responsible for anywhere from 50 to 80% - or more – of the pro-Scheer/Con comments. This was apparent to everyone (Except MSM, sadly.)
And that leads me, in a somewhat shambling fashion, back to the focus of this thread: Ten Reasons To Not Vote Scheer/Conservatives.
And that leads me, in a somewhat shambling fashion, back to the focus of this thread: Ten Reasons To Not Vote Scheer/Conservatives.
7/80 (While it may seem like an easy task? It’s anything but. For eg., that Scheer/Cons have lied steadily throughout the campaign to Canadians is of course a big reason. But which of their many lies deserve a Reason of their own?) So please bear with your poor correspondent…
8/80 Reason #1:
They are dirty, rotten, lying scoundrels
Scheer/Conservatives ran a dirty social media campaign, full of the lies, amplifying trolls, and bots. It’s not ‘just’ the recent revelation of Kinsella’s PR company, Daisy Group, being hired to use dirty –
They are dirty, rotten, lying scoundrels
Scheer/Conservatives ran a dirty social media campaign, full of the lies, amplifying trolls, and bots. It’s not ‘just’ the recent revelation of Kinsella’s PR company, Daisy Group, being hired to use dirty –
9/80 ...and quite possibly illegal – tricks against the dreadful People’s Party of Canada. There was an army of fake accounts working for Scheer/Conservatives. It’s simply implausible there are that many misguided, ignorant Canadians taking to twitter on their own initiative.
10/80 Reason #2:
At the very least? Scheer/Cons knew about this.
At the worst (and most likely)? They were responsible for the fake social media dirty tricks campaign. Including paying for it, and directing it.
Scheer essentially confirmed the Cons’ involvement with Kinsella:
At the very least? Scheer/Cons knew about this.
At the worst (and most likely)? They were responsible for the fake social media dirty tricks campaign. Including paying for it, and directing it.
Scheer essentially confirmed the Cons’ involvement with Kinsella:
11/80 Scheer stated "As a rule, we never make comments on vendors that we may or may not have engaged with."
First? He wouldn't denied involvement if that had been the case.
Second? There's no reason not to ID “vendors”, the word itself distancing themselves from…themselves.
First? He wouldn't denied involvement if that had been the case.
Second? There's no reason not to ID “vendors”, the word itself distancing themselves from…themselves.
12/80 Third? The language in the purported contract shows the Cons knew the rules, and that Kinsella would skirt them. And a cut-out would be used so that the Cons could deny involvement. Daisy stated it would create an arm's-length organization that couldn't be linked to them.
13/80 As CBC reported, “The emails outlining the plan for Project Cactus say "Daisy will work to ensure this campaign is not named as a third party." Later, in the Whatsapp chat provided to CBC... a Daisy Group employee asks when the date for third-party spending rules kick in.”
14/80 In short, Scheer/Cons hired a PR firm to run a dirty, fake-account-driven campaign of lies. And they knew it was dirty. They knew what they were doing was wrong, and planned ahead to help Scheer/Cons lie to Canadians.
15/80 (And Andrew Scheer recently stated, on camera, that they would never allow such dirty tactics to be used on their behalf.) Now, this specific revelation was only about the Cons attack on the PPC. Which at best might have carved off a few percent of Con voters.
16/80 So, given the number of anti-Liberal lies the Con party actively pushed and promoted, and the army of trolls and bots that amplified them? What are the chances this wasn’t also the result of a proactive, agreed-to campaign? Slim to none, of course.
17/80 Reason #3:
Scheer/Cons campaign hired Hamish Marshall, a former director of the execrable Rebel Media as their 2019 campaign chair. (Rebel publishes garbage such as the piece entitled “Ten Things I Haste About Jews”). Hamish Marshall worked in Harper’s PMO.
Scheer/Cons campaign hired Hamish Marshall, a former director of the execrable Rebel Media as their 2019 campaign chair. (Rebel publishes garbage such as the piece entitled “Ten Things I Haste About Jews”). Hamish Marshall worked in Harper’s PMO.
18/80 And while working for Scheer during the leadership campaign, Marshall worked out of The Rebel offices. Asked about this, Scheer’s response, as the Globe reported, was to say “’I didn't ask Hamish about every client he had," before ending the media availability session.”
19/80 It’s simply implausible that Scheer did not know of Marshall’s central role at Rebel Media. Nor his long history of being drawn to – and working to further – Canada’s far-right
This is from a Maclean’s profile in August by John Geddes.:
This is from a Maclean’s profile in August by John Geddes.:
20/80 “Harris’s small-government ethos drew Marshall to a campus provincial Conservative club..."
Geddes also noted that Marshall’s wife, Kathryn, “…rose to prominence in Conservative circles...as the public face of the populist, pro-Alberta oil-sands lobby group Ethical Oil.”
Geddes also noted that Marshall’s wife, Kathryn, “…rose to prominence in Conservative circles...as the public face of the populist, pro-Alberta oil-sands lobby group Ethical Oil.”
21/80 That group was founded partly by right-wing provocateur Ezra Levant, notes Geddes. Marshall served as a board member of Levant’s Rebel Media.
Things got ‘complicated’ in 2017, when Rebel media provided sympathetic coverage of the neo-Nazi protests in Charlottesville, NC.
Things got ‘complicated’ in 2017, when Rebel media provided sympathetic coverage of the neo-Nazi protests in Charlottesville, NC.
22/80 Here’s Geddes: “At the time, Marshall told Maclean’s he had already decided to sever ties with Rebel several months earlier, after Scheer won the Tory leadership....
23/80 Geddes Cont'd: "...In any case, he [Marshall] said his role with Rebel was limited to providing technical services. “I have never had any involvement in any editorial or content decisions,” he said.
Okaaaay……so Marshall was far-right, and worked for Harper.
Okaaaay……so Marshall was far-right, and worked for Harper.
24/80 Marshall's wife promoted a false-flag “eco-friendly” group pushing the tar sands, and he’s a director of a far-right media company. But Marshall is all about the tech, and doesn’t have a thing to do with what the company published, despite his far-right views? Sure.
25/80 Reason #4:
Scheer/Cons lied about Scheer’s work history and training. The most recent revelation was that Scheer had stated numerous times that he had worked as an insurance broker.
Only he was never an insurance broker,which requires that pass four training modules.
Scheer/Cons lied about Scheer’s work history and training. The most recent revelation was that Scheer had stated numerous times that he had worked as an insurance broker.
Only he was never an insurance broker,which requires that pass four training modules.
26/80 Scheer told the CBC last month that he completed only one of four courses, or “modules,” that are required before calling oneself a broker.
But perhaps this was just one silly and recent error? Nope. Scheer fully intended to repeat his lie, which he had long been making.
But perhaps this was just one silly and recent error? Nope. Scheer fully intended to repeat his lie, which he had long been making.
27/80 Steven Zhou of Vice news reported that Scheer has been misrepresenting his experience in the insurance industry since before he even got into Parliament 15 years ago.
28/80 “On andrew2004.com, what appears to be Andrew Scheer's campaign site during his first parliamentary run for the 2004 federal election, his bio says he “passed the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker program” before working at Shenher Insurance in Regina, Sask...
29/80 "...An IP address showing a Regina location is linked to the website for about a year from April 2004 onward.”
Reason #5:
Scheer claimed to be middle-class. Yet his parent’s income when he was young put them squarely in the upper class.
Reason #5:
Scheer claimed to be middle-class. Yet his parent’s income when he was young put them squarely in the upper class.
30/80 Why does this matter? Only the most empathetic and pro-actively imaginative can truly know what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. No one would argue any of those qualities leap to mind when considering Andrew Scheer.
31/80 Reason #6:
Scheer/Cons are against same-sex marriage. And seemingly male-female marriages that don’t produce children. Scheer's stated marriage between members of same sex lacks the “inherent feature” of the union, which he says is “the natural procreation of children.”
Scheer/Cons are against same-sex marriage. And seemingly male-female marriages that don’t produce children. Scheer's stated marriage between members of same sex lacks the “inherent feature” of the union, which he says is “the natural procreation of children.”
32/80 But that’s in the past, right? Well, no. Scheer has been asked numerous times to retract or apologize for his comments. And he has refused to do so.
And they weren’t off the cuff, nor leaked from confidential discussions. Nope. Scheer proudly stood up in the House
And they weren’t off the cuff, nor leaked from confidential discussions. Nope. Scheer proudly stood up in the House
33/80 ...of Commons to state them. Here's part of Scheer’s speech:
“How many legs would a dog have if you counted the tail as a leg? The answer is just four,” Scheer continued. “Just because a tail is called a leg does not make it a leg. If [the Civil Marriage Act] passes,..
“How many legs would a dog have if you counted the tail as a leg? The answer is just four,” Scheer continued. “Just because a tail is called a leg does not make it a leg. If [the Civil Marriage Act] passes,..
34/80 "...governments and individual Canadians will be forced to call a tail a leg, nothing more, but that is not inconsequential, for its effect on marriage, such an integral building block of our society, would have far-reaching effects.”
35/80 Reason #7:
Scheer/Conservatives will almost certainly attack a woman’s right to choose. True, Scheer;s stated he'd abide by party policy and not change abortion laws. But the problem? Scheer is a liar. So that takes care of any assurance anybody should mistakenly feel.
Scheer/Conservatives will almost certainly attack a woman’s right to choose. True, Scheer;s stated he'd abide by party policy and not change abortion laws. But the problem? Scheer is a liar. So that takes care of any assurance anybody should mistakenly feel.
36/80 Further, he has regularly shown up at events alongside so of the most anti-choice, anti-abortion Con Candidates. And he was more than happy to have his picture taken with an anti-abortion group, right on Parliament Hill.
He’s also against physician-assisted suicide.
He’s also against physician-assisted suicide.
37/80 One reason for this may be that he is a religious extremist. As Paul Adams wrote in iPolitics, “Scheer is a Catholic — and not just a Sunday Catholic, but one who lives his religion and is proud of it....
38/80 "...Unlike most Catholics in Canada, according to surveys, he adheres to the church’s official teaching on matters of sexuality, abortion and homosexuality, and has voted those views as an MP.”
39/80 And in November 2017, as the CBC reported,
Andrew Scheer criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “…for praising Gov. Gen. Julie Payette in the wake of Payette’s suggestion that ‘divine intervention’ did not play a role in the creation of life on Earth."
Andrew Scheer criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “…for praising Gov. Gen. Julie Payette in the wake of Payette’s suggestion that ‘divine intervention’ did not play a role in the creation of life on Earth."
40/80 That’s loony-tunes. Because here’s the thing: Scheer can be as religiously as whacky as he wants. But it’s clear he wants to force his beliefs on other Canadians.
41/80 Reason #8:
Scheer and the Conservatives could care less about the climate crisis.
Their “climate” plan was a big non-starter. In fact, in the spring of 2019, the Cons decided to make the federal Carbon Tax their “big issue”.
Scheer and the Conservatives could care less about the climate crisis.
Their “climate” plan was a big non-starter. In fact, in the spring of 2019, the Cons decided to make the federal Carbon Tax their “big issue”.
42/80 But, given that the non-partisan PBO had stated that 80% of Canadians would actually come out ahead, thanks to rebates, it would seem to be a losing proposition.
Only if you have a problem with lying to Canadians, that is.
Only if you have a problem with lying to Canadians, that is.
43/80 Reason #9:
The Conservatives cheat at elections.
Just a few descriptions for key Cons from a long list by Bill Rice, @2muchfun4me on twitter.
“…the CPC's ETHICS ADVISER AND PMSH's parliamentary secretary Dean Del Mastro being taken away to prison. It's the first time..
The Conservatives cheat at elections.
Just a few descriptions for key Cons from a long list by Bill Rice, @2muchfun4me on twitter.
“…the CPC's ETHICS ADVISER AND PMSH's parliamentary secretary Dean Del Mastro being taken away to prison. It's the first time..
44/80 ".... in 60 years someone so close to the Prime Minister went to PRISON…This CPC operative Micheal Sona went to prison for Robocalls, during sentencing the judge noted that this couldn't have been done without the help of senior Conservative officials…."
45/80 "...CPC Senators Irving Gerstein and Doug Finley arrested and charged with election cheating. Judges issues largest fine possible $25,000 each.”
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1143893…
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1143893…
46/80 And a fun item from a list by Rohana Rezel on Thinkpol.ca:
“The then Speaker Andrew Scheer told a Liberal MP targeted by fake robocalls that he had no power to deal with the matter. It later turned out Scheer had hired the firm behind the robocalls[1].
“The then Speaker Andrew Scheer told a Liberal MP targeted by fake robocalls that he had no power to deal with the matter. It later turned out Scheer had hired the firm behind the robocalls[1].
48/80 Reason #10:
Who’s really behind the wheel?
Beyond the federal Cons, there have been suspicious events within the provincial Cons. In Ontario, Patrick Brown was suddenly broadsided by a rumour campaign. Doug Ford them became the party head in a contested election.
Who’s really behind the wheel?
Beyond the federal Cons, there have been suspicious events within the provincial Cons. In Ontario, Patrick Brown was suddenly broadsided by a rumour campaign. Doug Ford them became the party head in a contested election.
49/80 But calls for an investigation were, how shall we put it, silenced. And, not surprisingly, the electronic ballots (note that hand-written paper ballots are the only secure choice, assuming you want to have a legal, audit-able election) were quickly deleted.
50/80 In Alberta, Jason Kennedy’s leadership campaign and eventual win was also suspect.
As the CBC's Drew Anderson reported in early Oct., “One insider alleged to CBC News that he phoned members to obtain personal identification numbers (PINs) needed to vote online or by phone,
As the CBC's Drew Anderson reported in early Oct., “One insider alleged to CBC News that he phoned members to obtain personal identification numbers (PINs) needed to vote online or by phone,
51/80 "...then passed them to Tim Uppal, a former Conservative MP and current federal candidate who played a key role on Kenney's leadership campaign. "
52/80 Drew Anderson, CBC cont'd: "The volunteer says Uppal shared the PINs with other volunteers, who used them to cast votes for Kenney — a violation of party rules for the three-day vote.”
53/80 With so much conniving taking place on so many different fronts, it’s hard to imagine it isn’t coordinated. Certainly, the presence of Stephen Harper behind the scenes makes this even more likely to be the case.
54/80 Harper has moved on from silencing scientists, censoring mention of climate change, and selling the valuable Canadian Wheat Pool for a pittance. Now, he runs the obnoxiously named IDU, short for International Democrat Union. Which is about anything but democracy.
55/80 Indeed, there has been a suspicious appearance of Republican tactics. From Harper visiting Trump’s White House, to Scheer echoing Trump, and lying about US gangs infiltrating Canada, to Cons – or paid actors thereof – chanting “Lock him up” at a recent Scheer appearance...
56/80 ...the fingerprints of far-right corrupt Americans are all over Scheer and the Conservatives.
And once again, it’s clear it’s something Scheer/Cons at minimum have no problem with. If Scheer was committed to Canada, for instance, his quick reaction to the “Lock him up’...
And once again, it’s clear it’s something Scheer/Cons at minimum have no problem with. If Scheer was committed to Canada, for instance, his quick reaction to the “Lock him up’...
57/80 ...nonsense would have been fast and no-nonsense. In short, he should have said something along the lines of, “Stop. We are Canadians. We are not far-right Americans chanting the chants of those supporting a corrupt far-right party.”
58/80 (End. Only needed 58 :-)
Only, of course, he didn’t.
Scheer just smiled.
Only, of course, he didn’t.
Scheer just smiled.
