Awww, poor John. His candidates and MPPs are turning against him, the public is turning against him, and his tanking in the polls. So, what to do? Blame you, the voters of Ontario, for his troubles. Heh…this guy just doesn’t get it:
“PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY ILL-INFORMED”
…or so says Conservative leader John Tory
TORONTO – In a campaign that has been characterized by gaffes and missteps – and no shortage of poor judgment – it’s difficult to get surprised, anymore, when Conservative leader John Tory says something ill-considered. It’s been happening so often, after all.
Since the campaign began, officially and otherwise, John Tory and his maladroit Conservatives have made plenty of mistakes:
- Said it was okay for creationism to be taught in schools
- Took 82 days to cost his platform – and still won’t say where he’ll make $1.5 billion in cuts
- Demanded “one law for all” – except for his own star recruit Randy Hiller, that is, who has illegally blockaded highways
- Started to oppose a proposed holiday in February, until he saw how popular it was
- Said they wouldn’t make a lot of promises – then made at least 244
- Called a respected Canadian university “U of Zero”
- Said that Ontario teachers “rig” test results
- Called for fees to visit hospital emergency wards
- Called one of his own MPPs a “jack-in-the-box”
- …and watched as more than a dozen Conservative MPPs and candidates publicly opposed the funding of private religious schools
But in this morning’s Globe and Mail, John Tory surprised many of us. He admitted that many of his policies – in particular his wildly-unpopular scheme to fund private religious schools – are not “vote winners.” True enough, say Ontarians, in increasing numbers.
So where does the blame for all of this lie? In a meeting with the Globe and Mail’s editorial board, the Conservative leader said the blame lies with, well, you.
You, Ontario.
Instead of admitting that his education plan is unpopular because Ontarians have considered it and rejected it – instead of listening to his own MPPs and candidates, even – John Tory chooses to blame voters. Because the rest of us are, and we quote, “generally ill-informed.”
If that sounds a lot like Kim Campbell’s admonition that an election isn’t a time to discuss policy, it does to us, too – and, after all, John Tory chaired that disastrous campaign. And if you think it’s an inappropriate thing for a leader to say, how about this gem, also taken from Tory’s visit to the Globe: the Conservative leader arguably likens the future of our children’s education to a breakfast cereal. After all, Tory said, “French on cornflakes boxes was a huge issue at one time.”
More bad judgment from John Tory. (And, remember, he says you are to blame. Not him.)
- 30 -
…
