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Thursday, November 19, 2009 06:36 PM
Words not the wordsmith
Tim Powers
I have been traveling all day and have not followed all the online debate about my exchange with Rob regarding comments made by Omar Alghabra. However, some people I trust as wise from different parties have offered some thoughts on our exchanges.
I take the reputations of others seriously and do find it frustrating that the impression has been created that I tried to "smear" Mr. Alghabra - as a National Post pundit suggested. That was not my intention. I am sorry if Mr. Alghabra or anyone-else was left with that perspective.
Mr. Alghabra made comments in the Jewish Tribune which were highly questionable. I challenged them. I would do that again.
But to be clear, it was Mr. Alghabra's comments that raised my dander not his character.
Unfortunately, and too often, in recent years members of the Liberal Party have created significant confusion about their positions on Israel. As a supporter of Israel that angers me and I do believe where inconsistencies exist they need to be explained. I will continue to go out of my way to ensure Liberal Party members do that.
As noted last evening, members of the Liberal Party have asked questions of their own. Here is one such example.
However, now is not the time for me to give the exhaustive list of Liberals inconsistencies on Israel. Today is a day to correct false impressions that may have inadvertently been created. I hope I have done that.
With trying and emotional subjects we can all do a better job of focusing on the words and not the wordsmith.
Link to this post
Thursday, November 19, 2009 09:27 AM
Dropping the A-bomb
Robert Silver and Tim Powers
Last night, in reaction to this story about a Tory mail-out sent to ridings with large Jewish communities, the following exchange took place.
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Robert Silver, 7:41 p.m. - Tim owes Omar Alghabra an apology
Earlier this evening on CTV's Power Play, my co-blogger Tim Powers made the following comment:
"I mean we only had [last] October Omar Alghabra, the Liberal MP from Ontario, saying things that apparently are somewhat in line with anti-Semitism so it's important to point this out."
I have known Omar since the 2006 leadership campaign and consider him a close friend. I say with absolute certainty as someone who both knows Omar and happens to be Jewish that he doesn't have an anti-Semitic bone in his body.
I know Tim is ultra-partisan and feels the need to follow the party line at all times, but falsely accusing a good man of being an anti-Semite when there is no basis in fact for the accusation is beneath Tim and he owes Omar an apology.
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Tim Powers, 9:10 p.m. - Buckley and Buchanan redux
Rob's clip of my statement comes from a discussion of what Mr. Alghabra is quoted as saying in the Jewish Tribune.
Omar Alghabra, federal Liberal candidate for Mississauga-Erindale, has gone on record defending Judge Richard Goldstone’s conclusions, which accuse Israel of committing war crimes. According to Alghabra, “the lack of accountability for war crimes and possible war crimes against humanity has reached a crisis point.” (October 6, 2009)
Perhaps Mr. Alghabra could explain what he meant by his comments in the Jewish Tribune. Does he support Goldstone? Because the impression created is not one that is flattering to supporters of Israel.
I equate this to the William F. Buckley examination of Pat Buchanan back in the 90s. National Review devoted entire issue to it.
The conclusion he made was that though he did not believe Buchanan was an anti-Semite, he believed that things Buchanan said were anti-Semitic.
Do I think Omar Alghabra is an anti-Semite? No. But his comments well... you follow the argument.
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Robert Silver, 9:33 p.m. - What Omar actually wrote
Since this blog started 15 months ago, I have avoided writing about Israel and the Middle East by self-imposed rule. I'm not going to change that now.
Here is the blog post by Omar where the Jewish Tribune took their selectively edited quote from that Tim referenced.
If you read the blog post in its entirety and conclude that there is anything about it that is even remotely anti-Semitic (which is very, very different from disagreeing with the conclusions) then I define aniti-Semitism very differently than you do.
I just don't think the "A-bomb" should be thrown around lightly. I have never heard Omar make an anti-Semitic comment in my life and I stand by my argument, Tim, that your partisanship is blinding you here and leading you to say and now write things that are without foundation, are hurtful to a good man and deserving of an apology.
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Tim Powers, 10:43 p.m. - Only Liberals may question Liberals
I challenged Omar's words, Rob, and the impression that they left with the Jewish Tribune.
Certainly, I have been clear that I don't view Omar as an anti-Semite. But his commentary is fair game. What I do find unfortunate is, in defence of your friend, you opt to frame my commentary as that of a blind partisan, therefore rendering any critique invalid before it even begins. A delimiting approach to a serious issue, but not a new one.
Therefore if it is only Liberals - sanctimonious, open-minded, not really partisan or otherwise - who can offer an opinion on Liberals who, to put it politely, make questionable remarks related to Israel, anti-Semitism, etc., then let my designate be my friend Warren Kinsella. He recently questioned the presence of alleged anti-Semitism on the popular Liblogs site. Warren wrote, "I've written to the Liblogs folks and asked them to remove me from their list. Anti-Semitism - which someone manifested there today, and which I know Liblogs condemns - is something I cannot abide."
Questioning questionable comments is something I will not apologize for doing, particularly on a subject as important as this one - even if I am the terrible, rabid partisan Rob has in his sights.
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(Photo: Omar Alghabra in his Mississauga-Erindale riding in July, 2006. Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 06:49 PM
It's all Twitter's fault!
Robert Silver
As Jane Taber reported today, NDP MP Charlie Angus wants MPs banned from using Twitter "to save politicians from looking like idiots."
Ya, it's all the damn medium's fault.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 01:49 PM
Two and a half men in TO
Robert Silver
It's a two man race for mayor of Toronto, declared one Toronto columnist last weekend. John Tory versus George Smitherman - he declared - and everyone else is an also ran as of today.
Powerful, clear narrative, that's what columnists love. Ah if only it was true.
Another Star columnist set-out odds last week on who is likely to win the whole thing. Not surprisingly, Tory was the odds on favourite at 2-1, Smitherman the close runner up at 5-2. If this was a Vegas line, neither of them would get my betting dollars.
I'm not currently supporting any candidate for mayor (and don't expect to get involved in any of the campaigns) but if I was placing a bet based on Hepburn's odds, Adam Giambrone at 25-1 would get my money without blinking.
To be clear, I would never - ever - support Giambrone for mayor. We could not see the world more differently politically and I don't have any reason to think he would be a good, or even competent mayor. At best he is four more years of David Miller (shiver!) and he may be far worse than him (yes, it is possible).
And yet I think the odds of Giambrone winning next year's race are good. Far from a sure thing but his path to victory is pretty clear to me. Here's why:
1. Presuming Giambrone can consolidate David Miller's 2003 organization along with Jack Layton and Olivia Chow's teams then he starts with a likely voting floor of 25-30 per cent. Based on everything I know, Giambrone is very close to consolidating those teams including the critical union support (just because they can't donate money, doesn't mean they can't or at least won't donate workers, which is even more valuable given the absurdly low spending limits in Toronto). A 25 per cent floor is way more than nothing.
2. Giambrone's level of support will be artificially low in public opinion polls for the first six months of the campaign. Two reasons for this:
a) They are all about name recognition in early days and his is much lower than Tory or Smitherman; and b) Winning municipal campaigns is all about knowing where your vote is and pulling it (given the dismally low turnout). Giambrone will know where his vote is and how to get them out.
Being low (but not dismally so) in the polls is a huge advantage for him. The race will focus on the two front-runners while he can grow into being a candidate and quietly go about his business under the radar. Huge advantage.
3. I expect the first six-months will become a slug-fest between Tory and Smitherman. It will make for great TV and will be lots of fun. It also risks alienating lots of voters who actually think the election should be about something more than personality (which is not to suggest that Tory and Smitherman aren't substantive people. They both are very smart people, this is more a prediction on how the campaign narrative may develop).
4. Giambrone has an opportunity in the back half of the campaign to defend Miller's record on some issues (I would imagine transit and environment - positions that while certainly not popular with a majority of Torontonians, are popular with the core lefty base, which is what Giambrone needs to get his 25 per cent base cited above) and differentiate himself on other issues while presenting himself as the young voice of change. If done right, this can easily get him the 5-10 per cent above the base he starts with once people start really paying attention to the election in September that he needs to eke out a narrow victory.
Now of course Giambrone's campaign won't operate in a vacuum, Smitherman in particular will be targeting downtown voters who care about environmental issues that risks cutting into Giambrone's base. None of this should be taken as an absolute prediction - it is way, way too early for that.
My real point is it is also way, way too early for columnists to be declaring it a two-man race when there are lots of very plausible scenatios for other candidates to win this thing.
(Illustration by Anthony Jenkins/The Globe and Mail)
Monday, November 16, 2009 08:48 AM
Give peace a chance
Tim Powers
It was with some delight as, I am finding my own peace in the East being home in St. John's now, that I read Roy MacGregor's article on Canada - Newfoundland relations. MacGregor, as is often the case with his work, is on the right track and most of his analysis is on the mark.
One matter that doesn't get enough attention in Roy's work-up are the efforts of Peter Mackay, Newfoundland's Nova Scotia-born and elected representative in the cabinet. After federal Tories were slaughtered in Newfoundland by Premier Danny Williams's highly effective 2008 Anything But Conservative campaign, Peter was given the unenviable job of redeveloping relations between Ottawa and St. John's. He has done fine work.
Peter - not being from Newfoundland, free of the history of our Balkan like fights, being affable yet strong of character and the central minister for economic development in Atlantic Canada - has possessed all elements necessary to help forge peace. Not being an electoral threat or subject to them in my home province, Peter has had the latitude to act effectively. He also shares a sporting background with Premier Williams that has helped them connect.
You can't cause change until a relationship exists to affect it. Peter, among others, has enabled a more functional relationship with Newfoundland and Labrador. For that many of us are grateful.
Going forward, Newfoundland and Labrador need to come up with strong Conservative candidates to contest the seats here in the next election. That will be much easier if there is not a dedicated campaign against them - anyone with a pulse and a brain knows that. Putting a senator in cabinet to represent us is only a short-term solution. We need to look longer and farther to build back the federal Conservative party in Newfoundland, which arguably has been in transition since John Crosbie's retirement from federal politics.
Newfoundland and Labrador, through the collective work of federal and provincial Tory governments past and present, has the opportunity to be a real economic powerhouse something that will not only benefit us but all of Canada. We need that spirit of co-operation again to keep the Rock rolling.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 12:12 PM
In the aftermath
Tim Powers
Last night life intervened for me with a reminder that the political battles that captivateso many are totally irrelevant when a dear friend wound up fighting for something more precious at an Ottawa hospital.
Some quick comments, though, because my friend would expect no less but would disagree on perspective:
1) A Tory win in Nova Scotia was never a cake-walk but it is good to have that seat back in the family. Scott Armstrong, the new MP, has good potential.
2) The win in Quebec is uplifting if you are a Tory. Whether it speaks to a trend or not only time will tell. But it does challenge those predictions that suggested the Prime Minister's best days in the province were behind him.
3) Rob's comments on the Liberals are bang on.
4) The Bloc continues to show its resiliency, which is many ways is amazing.
5) Jack Layton may have been smart to position himself as the opposition guy who is trying to make Parliament work. It seems to have been a more reasonable and popular approach than Iggy's original man-the-torpedoes stance.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 11:20 AM
A bad night for the Liberals
Robert Silver
I could try to spin last night's by-election results. I could repeat the facts that I put forward yesterday that the Liberals have only won the four ridings that were contested last night one time out of the last 32 opportunities and therefore not winning was to be expected. I could point out that our electoral system doesn't award a gold star for strong second finishes - you either win or you are the first loser - and therefore some of the NDP spin is a bit much.
I could do all of that but I won't.
Last night was a bad night for the Liberal Party. To use the mandatory daily sports analogy, just because we knew the Toronto Maple Leafs would be terrible going into the season, doesn't make it any more acceptable when expectations are realized once the season begins.
If nothing else, the by-elections could have been used to road-test the Liberal campaign team, tactics, messages - anything that would have at least returned something of value and benefit to the party.
There used to be talk in Liberal land about a "308 riding strategy." And by "used to" I mean six months ago. The 308 riding strategy doesn't mean the party instantly becomes competitive in every riding or that you literally split your resources equally as between every riding. It does mean you put time and resources into growing in parts of the country where you are weak and grow in those ridings over time. Another name for it might be playing the long game.
Let's just say that last night reaffirms my hunch that the strategy is still a tiny bit of a work in progress.
Monday, November 9, 2009 01:42 PM
A test nonetheless
Tim Powers
Rob is right in as much as by-elections take on a new level of drama in slow news weeks when Parliament isn't sitting. It also isn't obviously clear they amount to anything close to a crystal ball for what future federal elections may look like. However, the Liberals are under more scrutiny here than they might normally be because they have painted the bullseye on their own head.
Iggy so far has been a colossal failure in the arena of expectations management. He and his team have been beating the drum loudly about the gains they will make in Quebec when an election comes. Well, voters in two Quebec ridings will be casting ballots today and if Liberals don't do well they deserve the criticism they receive because they put down the markers.
In the battles in British Columbia and Nova Scotia, where the Liberals also don't appear to be competitive, they don't just get a mulligan. They won the N.S. seat in 1993 when Canada switched from Tory blue to Liberal red. They have pushed every button imaginable in the last few weeks trying to paint the Harper government as one that needs to go. If they don't get traction in Nova Scotia maybe the question they should be asking is about whether their leader is in fact the one who should be booking a departure.
Lest we not forget British Columbia. The Liberals had a high-profile national convention in Vancouver in the spring to showcase themselves to B.C. voters. They went there to pave the way for growth in the province. They hooted and hollered about this when on the West Coast. So if they don't win tonight they have again no one to blame but their own leadership for inflating peoples hopes.
Iggy, as former professor, should know that when you set up an exam you usually do so in a way that allows the potential for a passing grade not an out and out F.
Monday, November 9, 2009 08:50 AM
A silly test
Robert Silver
The headlines in advance of today's four by-elections couldn't be plainer: they are a test of Michael Ignatieff. His political skills, his leadership, heck, I want to raise the stakes even higher and make them a test of his manhood.
And what a test they are. In the last quarter-century, by my count, we have had eight general elections. That means in these four ridings, carry the six, there have been 32 writ periods. The number of times the Liberals have won any of these ridings in the last 32 chances?
Once. The Nova Scotia seat in 1993. One out of 32.
Sure that qualifies you to be the Blue Jays starting shortstop next season but as a political test of any meaning?
Jean Chrétien won three majority governments (12 shots at these four ridings) and won one out of 12, so when the party has been at its most dominant, these four ridings were tough. Now that the Liberals are at something less, they are even bigger long-shots.
Just a bit of perspective.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 01:04 PM
A vice-regal salute
Tim Powers
The Governor-General ate seal. John Crosbie, Newfoundland and Labrador's Lieutenant-Governor, wore a seal-skin coat to meet Prince Charles and Camilla today. Good to see those who are seen as ceremonial players use their posts to send important symbolic messages to the world.
I am sure some of the nuisance so-called animal-rights activists and some in the European Union will have a run at John. He may be in his late 70s, but he'll still be able to repel the assault. It is wonderful to see he never loses the passion to fight for the things he believes - even when his current job restricts his public commentary. Somehow he always finds a clever way out of his shackles.
Silver-Powers Contributors
Robert Silver
Robert Silver is a Toronto-based energy lawyer, entrepreneur and consultant. He currently advises energy companies looking to build clean electricity projects in Ontario. He has been involved in projects that have brought more 3,000 megawatts of clean and renewable energy to Ontario. Robert has also been involved in a number of innovative conservation and energy efficiency projects. He is a highly sought after speaker on energy, infrastructure and environment issues.
An active federal and provincial Liberal, Robert was Gerard Kennedy's National Policy Director during the 2006 Liberal Leadership Campaign. Prior to returning to the private sector, he worked for Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty as a special policy advisor. He received his law degree from the University of Western Ontario, where he won two North American and two Canadian National Debating Championships.
Tim Powers
Tim Powers is Vice-President of Summa Communications based in Ottawa.
Originally from St. John's, Tim began his career as an assistant and advisor to the Honourable John C. Crosbie, then Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. Thereafter, he acted as advisor to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. He also served as the Director of Policy and Research to the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Generally, he has been involved with federal election campaigns in one way or another since the great Free Trade debate of 1988. From handing out leaflets to knocking on doors to TV talking (thankfully his time as a bouncer helped with that) he has had the good fortune of doing a bit of everything.
Tim has a Master of Sciences degree (Media and Communications) from the London School of Economics and has studied Public Sector Management at Harvard University. Currently, he serves as a lecturer in the Faculty of Communications at the University of Ottawa.