Women and Ontarioins are twits, says Sun columnist?

While blaming everyone else for your shortcomings and refusing to look inward is certainly not a problem unique to conservatives by any means, they do it so well, and with such disdain and hatred, that they really do deserve special recognition.

The phenomenon is typified by a recent Sun Media column by Greg Weston. It’s on the recent SES poll results, and our dear Greg is just plum confused.

As you may recall, on the best PM side it was very bad news for the Liberals. Harper is well out in front at 37 per cent, Layton 17 per cent, Dion 13 per cent. I may explore that embarrassing result at length later, when I have ready access to hard liquor. But also telling were the horserace numbers which show a virtual tie, at Cons 35 per cent, Libs 34 per cent, NDP 17 per cent.

An interesting dichotomy there, obviously, between those two sets of numbers. You can see why Gregory may be confused. What does Greg do when he’s confused? He lashes out wildly and incoherently. Take the headline of his column: True Grits or twits? Ontario loyal to federal Liberals, despite qualms about Dion.

From there Weston expands on his thesis, at best stretching the numbers to explain how everybody dislikes Dion. Really Greg, these numbers are bad enough without you fiddling with them. Then he goes on to dismiss the horserace numbers saying “as always” they’re not the real story (because they’re not positive for the Conservatives, that is). Anything that doesn’t fit the narrative gets ignore. These guys also ignored the Mulroney story until the very last minute.

Anyway, Weston does ask the right question, or at least raise the right issue. After dissecting the leadership numbers, he writes:

Yet, if an election were held today, the same poll of the same voters shows the Liberals led by Dion would be in a virtual dead heat with Harper's Tories.

Indeed, and that has to be maddening for the Conservatives. You’d think a seasoned political columnist and pundit might draw from their breadth of experience to examine that seeming disconnect. Why aren’t Harper’s popularity numbers translating into ballot support? Why, despite misgivings about Dion, are Liberals not shifting their support to the Cons, NDP or Greens? What do the Conservatives need to do to break though here?

That would be interesting political commentary, and, from a Conservative point of view, useful introspection.

Instead, Weston decides to lash-out. First target? Women, who are more likely to vote Liberal:

If it were up to Canadian women, the Liberals would form a minority government and Dion would be the next prime minister.

Go figure.

Yeah Greg, women, tell me about it. But did you ever consider, perhaps the problem isn’t with women, but that the Conservatives haven’t been speaking to issues of importance to women? Nah, that can’t be it. It’s the women’s fault.

The real hatred though, as it so often was with the old Reform crowd, is reserved for the women (and men) of Ontario:

But it is in Ontario that we find what we unscientifically call the fence-post syndrome -- as in the Liberals could be led by one and still get elected.

It doesn't seem to matter that only 18 out of the 1004 voters surveyed by SES thought Dion was a "good leader."

The SES-Sun Media survey shows that in a race to the ballot box, the Liberals would command 43% of the vote, a full 11 points ahead of Harper and the Conservatives.

Since Ontario has more than a third of all the seats in Parliament, the current level of Liberal support in the province would make it virtually impossible for Harper to come anywhere close to winning a majority.

Probably explains this decision, no? But anyway, back to Greg:

No wonder Western voters look east and throw up their hands in despair.

Yeah, you suck Ontario! Oh, wait, I live here now too. Actually, doesn’t Weston too? Maybe he’s a self-hating Ontarioin.

Now, if I was to make any kind of comment questioning why Albertans persist in electing anyone with a pulse as long as they’re conservative I’d be accused of some kind of racial bias. I mean, imagine, for a second, that, let’s say, the Toronto Star ran a headline implying Albertans are twits, Mein gott, the wacko outrage would make that silly Harper tells cities drop dead nonsense look like a tea party. But Ontario bashing, it seems, is perfectly acceptable.

And it’s wholly counterproductive to their cause. It’s like a toddler that didn’t get what it wants banging its fists and having a tantrum.

Again, Weston has identified the problem. Ontarians don’t like the Conservatives. Rather than having a tantrum though and blaming Ontario, wouldn’t it make more sense to consider why? It’s not because we’re evil. Could it, perhaps, be that we have serious issues with the Conservatives? Could it, perhaps, be Harper’s failure to address these issues that explains his poor showing here?

To be frank though, I’m perfectly happy for the Cons to keep blaming everyone but themselves for their inability to break into majority territory, to not have the support of women, and to be losing ground in Ontario. Because if they stopped lashing-out, they might actually solve the problem.

So carry on my conservative friends, forget I mentioned it...

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers