It is the unwise politician who adds to the silences of their eulogy. The silences are caused by those things you said or were said on your behalf for which apologies were demanded, delivered or denied. The smart politician knows where the line is drawn and keeps away from it.
Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown and federal MP and Conservative leadership hopeful MP Kellie Leitch think they can dance on that line.
It is a practice becoming known as the Trump Syndrome. It pushes the line hard on decency and fair play in politics. You say it to one audience and deny to the next. It confirms the low opinion many people hold for politicians.
In Kellie Leitch’s defence, she can claim a lack of political smarts. The second-term Conservative MP for Simcoe—Grey is not ready to play in the high-stakes race for her party’s leadership. Her and another new Harper cabinet member Chris Alexander were the dupes who announced the RCMP tip line for “barbaric cultural practices.” This Conservative ploy was used to fan the flames of anti-immigrant sentiment in the 2015 federal election.
But it worked in Kellie Leitch’s electoral district and next door in Patrick Brown’s new provincial riding of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte where he plans to run in 2018. Both Conservatives are social conservatives with no compunction but to take hard lines against abortion and other social issues.
The only difference is that Leitch might have principles that will keep her out of main stream politics in Canada. She will try to defend her position. Brown knows that he has to find more middle ground for his provincial party and that is why he is currently confusing his supporters. Marching in the Pride Parade in Toronto hardly wins him votes among the rural Ontario Landowners and Right to Life members but he has to make inroads in Toronto to help him win the province.
Brown’s flip-flops over sex education are the typical vacillations of a person without principles. He knew exactly what the risks were when co-campaign manager Doug Ford sent out that English and Chinese letter to households in Scarborough—Rouge River. So he was caught? So what—he only had to apologize in English-language media..
Brown knew that the letter would not change anyone’s mind. What it did was get a few more Conservative voters to the polls and discouraged a few Liberal voters. That is all that needs to happen when less than a third of the eligible voters go to the polls.
Obviously Mr. Brown knows far more than Ms. Leitch about the Trump Syndrome. Brown’s challenge is to win for the Conservatives in Ontario in 2018. There will be no quarter if he loses. He loses and he is gone.
Kellie Leitch should stick to her rural electoral district. Lots of those right-wing voters will tolerate bigots, prudes and racists. She is just wasting time and money on the Conservative leadership.
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Copyright 2016 © Peter Lowry
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