Friday, June 20, 2008

Hey, the media loves Dion -- again

Remember how when Stephane Dion was first elected Liberal leader the national media was fawning all over him?

He was the bespectacled, intellectual with the dog named Kyoto who would surely lead the Liberals back to power.

Then about one week later, after Dion revealed himself to be a political Edsel, the same national media began running stories along the lines of "How in the heck did this clown ever win the leadership"?

Well, now we have gone full circle: the media has once again fallen head over heels in love with Dion.

Susan Riley of the Ottawa Citizen, for instance has a column today about Dion's proposed carbon tax which is simply dripping with adulation for the man.

Here's some samples:

*"He (Dion) looked, at last, like a winner with a winning idea."

* "Dion is a different Liberal: more decisive than Paul Martin, greener than Jean Chrétien ever was."

* "The details of his plan matter, but Dion's ambition, tone and conviction are irreproachable -- and may prove more attractive than his rivals predict."

From reading this you would figure Dion is one part Al Gore, one part Martin Luther King and one part Jesus Christ.

Of course, aside from the fact that Riley is clearly angling for a job with the Liberal communications department, this sort of coverage reveals how the media loves the idea of a horse race.

With an election in the offing, it's in their interest to build up the Liberal brand name as this will make for a more interesting campaign.

This new carbon tax is the perfect excuse to get that operation in motion.

The fact, of course, is that Dion's plan is neither all that brave or all that innovative.

After declaring himself Mr. Green for the past two years Dion really had no choice but to implement some sort of eco-scheme.

In short, the Stephane Dion of today is the same Stephane Dion of a week ago: a weak, ineffectual, boring leader.

14 comments:

Peter L said...

The Carbon Tax will result in a renewed enthusiasm for the creation of the Republic of Western Canada. Ontario will get Dion in and he will stick it to the west a la NEP. No doubt about it.

John M Reynolds said...

Last night on CTV news, Robert Fife went so far as to say that if this plan fails, then Dion's career may be dead. That is the harshest thing I ever remember Fife saying about a Liberal.

Brian said...

Ah yes ... that would be the Susan Riley who on the now gone TVO Studio 2 hosted by Paula Todd, labeled any generic conservative as "Knuckle Draggers".

Riley has always been an apologist for the Liberals.

Anonymous said...

Riley is like Susan Murray, just with a really big facial mole.

CBC radio's "chief political correspondent" Susan jumped to the Scott Brison delusional leadership machine and well, we know how well that one turned out.

Uncle Buck put it best when he said: "Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face! Good day to you, madam."

Anonymous said...

Will there be a brave MSM reporter to tell Dion that he is crazy to implement an idea knowing the devastation it will have on the economy and ALBERTA Or are they CHICHEN SH*T to do so.
I don't think that Dion would like to be interviewed by Dave Rutherford.

Anonymous said...

It would be nice Gerry, if one of us stood in the midst to ask Dion questions; questions that no MSM would ask.
Dion says he is worried about the poor. well then, give back the millions which your party since chretien stole from the nation and there will be no need to devastate the economy. how about that dion?

Anonymous said...

What media, Gerry? I thought that we are the media and the best to boot. What news we gather we deliver in full.
If we don't like what the PM is doing we let him know and he knows that.
These non-entities who claim to be MSM are nothing but THE LIBERALS WATCH DOGS.

Anonymous said...

Anyone happen to see Mike Duffy tonight and Tonya and Jane saying the Dion plan must be looked at. Tonya even went so far as to say, the Tories are upset about this.... they are so liberal minded and liberal pushers, anyone that watches them needs their heads examined. They both said - dion has come up with a real plan, something the Tories have not done and the Tories are nervous about it.... (tonya should of told what liberals have been leaking all her information from committee meetings, so she could write her articles each day!!!!, but she didn't go into that!!! Well, I can tell you one Tory that isn't nervous.... If dion thinks he is taking my money, I am retired, have no kids, travel a lot - and take money and give it to his poor liberal supporters because he is inventing a plan that is going to break us all - well he has a fight on his hands. I have worked all my life to do what I want to do in the last few years I have - and I do not plan to stay home, wrapped up in a blanket and give dion my money to give to his liberals hacks so they can run around the country on my money. Revenue neutral - what way could I get my money back... the money raised will be for the millions of dollars for the programs he has announced or given to his liberal hacks the same way the last liberal government did!. Forget it!....

Anonymous said...

"Dion is a different Liberal: more decisive than Paul Martin, greener than Jean Chrétien ever was."

Pretty much every Liberal would fall into this category. Chretien did nothing for the environment and Martin couldn't make a decision even if he only had one choice.

Still, it's kind of funny given that this is got to be like the fifth plan Dion has come out with as the Tories have gradually moved along on the file. It would have almost been funny if Harper had said he would implement it so we could have watched Dion condemn it and draft up yet another plan.

wilson said...

Don't worry about the media....give Dion lots of coverage.
May Dion's unscripted performances all be as hilarious.

check out this video from CPAC
go to minute 7:42

http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&pagetype=vod&lang=e&clipID=1706

someone PLEASE put this on youtube

Anonymous said...

The Nutty Professor had better enjoy his moment of glory since it will be short lived. After spending the summer convincing no one but the already brain washed idiots that his carbon tax plan is good for everyone, he will return to a parliament that will last one day. Harper will prorogue parliament until around mid November. By the time the new session gets settled in and the Tories present a speech from the throne, it will be into December. By that time people will have had a good look at their heating bills (I expect mine to go up at least 30%) and they will be in no mood for an additional tax. If the Liberals still have the jam to bring down the government, the election will be held in the dead of winter when home heating will be a real burden on household budgets and I firmly believe the Nutty Professor and a goodly portion of his social engineers will be looking for new jobs.
Susan Riley will really have a reason to cry then.

Anonymous said...

Have you ever thought for one moment why the MSM are sucking up to the liberals. they think and hope that they will be exempted from Dion's 'high cost of living' and exempted from the cost of burning oil so they can continue promoting the liberal party.

Most liberals don't buy Dion's plan, they, like the rest of the counrry, have families to support.

ONLY THE MSM CBC CTV ETC think Dion's crazed plan is the greatest thing since slice bread.

Iain G. Foulds said...

... Two points... any politician who promises to raise my taxes is finished.
... However, I have only disgust for Mr. Harper's cheap smear of Mr. Dion's proposals as "crazy", and "out to screw the whole country".

Anonymous said...

Mr. Foulds --
You can get upset about language used, but I think that Harper's comments (re: Mr. Dion's proposals as "crazy", and "out to screw the whole country") reflect a gut reaction, and are in line with the the reaction of many people in the country who see the folly of this inflationary tax. It does appear that many people will be "screwed" by this -- the West, Newfoundland, middle and upper class (for whom this tax is NOT neutral), and also the poor. The poor will suffer because despite Dion's promise of an increased child credit, prices will go up considerably. Dion's $350 child credit will be needed by families who will see themselves spending much more on rents as heating costs go up. Another issue that has not got a lot of attention is the degree to which costs for public sector operations will go up -- hospitals, schools, etc.Then there is the cost to implement and maintain the tax -- more public sector costs. Deliberately increasing costs (pretty much across the board once companies decide to recoup their costs), will screw us all and there will be little to show regarding improvements to the environment. Certainly any impact on global CO2 levels will be miniscule. Harper's comments -- like them or not and I guess you did not -- are bang on.

LS