Thread by @Mitchell_AB

Making sense of "Conservative" confusion: a snarky thread. #cdnpoli
financialpost.com/opinion/joe-ol…

"Two unrelated phenomena are hard to justify for a conservative and value investor: the prime minister’s continued lead in the polls and the disconnect between the stock market rally and a weak economy."
Everyone, Joe, left and right, is scratching their heads at the latter.

The former, however, is due to the fact that in the face of a global pandemic, the PM understood, somehow, that people needed to eat and make mortgage payments without a government salary or multi-million dollar Canadian tax-payer funded pension. Weird, I know.

"COVID-19 is a global tragedy but it made way for Trudeau’s resurgent popularity. For months, he has doled out hundreds of billions of dollars to grateful Canadians." Case in point. Canadians, even conservatives, like eating and keeping a roof over their heads.

"He has dominated the media with daily briefings, emoted empathy (a thespian skill that may be wearing thin) and shuttered Parliament so as to mute criticism." I don't actually know which is more offensive: the idea that one "emote(s) empathy" because they're a "thespian"...

... or that those who struggle to "emote empathy" do so because they are not good enough actors. That's just royally f**ked up. It's supposed to be a human quality, my man, not a thespian one. Jeevus.
PS: parliament doesn't need to sit to allow criticism - read a newspaper.

"He has also benefited from better pandemic numbers than the United States — even though Canada did much worse than many countries that reacted more quickly, such as Australia, Taiwan and Vietnam." Every country but 5 did better than the U.S. - it's not a secret.

"Fortunately for the Liberals, the Conservatives do not yet have a permanent leader..."
I can't disagree because the only person who could be worse than Scheer is Derek Sloan and after he gets dropped in the first round, his votes are going to Leslyn Lewis 🙅‍♀️

"On the downside for the prime minister are myriad menacing negatives, starting with the rapidly worsening imbroglio concerning the increasingly troubled WE Charity."
Very few people blame Trudeau for WE's scandals because Trudeau doesn't run WE charity. Spurious correlation*

*Spurious correlation: In statistics, a spurious correlation, or spuriousness, refers to a connection between two variables that appears causal but is not. This spurious correlation is often caused by a third factor that is not apparent at the time of examination...

I get that you think it's unfair that conservatives can be brought down by their affiliation with noxious media organizations or their former affiliates, but you might need to look harder to figure out why it sticks when "they" do it, but not when "you" do it.

"Like a kleptomaniac who cannot help himself, even though he knows the security cameras are on and house detectives are watching, Trudeau wants what he wants when he wants it."
Every "lefty" remotely familiar with social media had this image in their heads...

"Perhaps you have run across decent people who are alert to others’ conflicts of interest but blind to their own."
This refers to most people. It's why conflict of interest sections exist in almost every employee handbook I've ever read and - hello - ethics commissioners.

"Apologizing for not recusing himself from 'discussions' shows he either does not get it or is pretending not to." Refer to last tweet but with the caveat that asking forgiveness rather than permission is how most people make decisions.

"Would WE have paid Trudeau’s brother and mother for numerous speaking gigs had they not been related to the prime minister?"
As if none of them had any name recognition before Justin became PM. Margaret was married to this guy and bore three sons... never mind.

"Trudeau refused to ban flights from Wuhan, the pandemic’s epicentre, for months after the Chinese government prohibited domestic travel from Hubei province."
Asked and answered.
nationalpost.com/news/politics/…

"We were also late in: testing, tracing, mandating masks, securing personal protective equipment (even as we exported 16 tonnes of it to China!) and protecting our most vulnerable seniors."
1: Most countries donated supplies to keep COVID contained.
snopes.com/fact-check/us-…

2: Outcomes in care homes were dismal - no matter the provincial government (who is responsible for health) who was in charge. Proactive locations that placed restrictions on movement had the best outcomes. ctvnews.ca/health/coronav…

"We still don’t have an economic recovery plan; numerous give-away policies are showing their deficiencies; the deficit is out of control, with zero sign of restraint; debt will soon reach a mind-boggling $1.2 trillion;"
Free markets, people need food, govts need pandemic funds

"...rating agencies are circling; provinces are hurting; municipalities are facing a cash crunch and thousands more retail stores and restaurants may be closing."
S&P maintained Canada's AAA rating; munis have revenue streams; Covid or hot wings? Once more for the people in back:

"The government will need great discipline — something it does not seem to possess — to restrain unnecessary spending and avoid job-killing taxes."
The real disconnect? Conservatives love money for businesses but not citizens. Also, when someone bails you out, pay them back.

"Stocks are trading at 23 times next year’s expected earnings... with both supply and demand constraints and the continuing risk of a second pandemic wave. But so far fear has not overcome greed and the market rally shows no signs of stalling."
Human suffering... pays...?

"I started by saying the market and the prime minister’s popularity were unrelated. But a new Canadian government, with strong pro-growth policies and a modicum of fiscal prudence would be bullish for both the economy and stock market. Voters would notice."

THAT'S NOT HOW ARGUMENTS WORK.