Monday, January 07, 2008

Liberal strategy 101

When cornered, attack the messenger.

(That is, of course, if throwing money at the problem doesn't work.)



A footnote to yesterday's candid discussion of the abysmal state of health care in Ontario today - Today's Star quotes Health Minister George Smitherman dismissing the Ontario Health Coalition as 'irrelevant'.

And what shall we call George?

The first word that springs to mind for me is arrogant. Of course he can afford to be, with a comfortable majority. No worries.

Thanks, Lemmingland.


BTW, this statement has got to be the most ironic I've ever heard:

"They have a lot of rhetoric. ... At a certain point of time people have to start to question their motives."

Maybe you should look in the mirror, George.

The OHC may not have all the answers, but we need to tackle our health care problem with an open mind, and be willing to consider various points of view - especially the taxpayer's and the end-user's.


OHC media event at 10 this morning.


* * * *
Update: Still waiting to hear the results of that news conference, but this is an eye-opener - The P3 Puzzle: How it came apart. (Star)

More background here and here.

* * * *

Star - Business principles for health care.

Star - Hospital privatization a disturbing picture. Actually, I think I'll trust The Realist on this one.


17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, Liberals known for their low-life, attack politics. For sure.

Anonymous said...

what's amazing to me is that if instead of Smitherman saying these things it was any minister of the Harris/Eves gov't....they would be crucified royally by opposition and media alike.

We have John Tory in the Toronto Sun today, again, doing his routine about taking the blame for losing the election.....OLD NEWS JOHN!!!

Where's the comebacks from our party to this issue????

Also, conveniently silent, the issue of Family Day and the teacher unions....I wonder why Dalton and/or Wynne never held a press conference when they ok'd the number of teaching days in the school year calendar??? Because that's what they've done to accommodate the teacher unions.

See Moira MacDonald's column today.

Ironically when Harris did this the usual suspects complained bitterly.

Arrogant, and entitled to the very end, and proving ever more that Lemmingland is fast becoming the trademark characteristic of Ontario .

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Yeah, I saw that MacDonald column today. I had updated a previous post with that information.

Funny how Ontario seems to like the minority situation on the Federal level but bends over for the Provincial Liberals.

In any case, arrogance isn't the way to solve problems. McGuinty complained about that himself when Peter Van Loan called him the 'Small Man of Confederation'.

Name-calling solves nothing.

-Except when blogging. ;)

Anonymous said...

I gather I am just too naive....in November an unknown MOHLTC spokesman states in the Toronto Star "anyone who felt hard done by could file a formal complaint". Then in the New Year we have the actual Minister of Health stating advocacy groups are a waste of time and he's not going to waste too much time listening to them because they've demonstrated very little relevance. I'm missing something in this picture. Is this for real or some kind of absurd joke?

Why aren't they being crusified for these comments?

Joanne (True Blue) said...

we have the actual Minister of Health stating advocacy groups are a waste of time and he's not going to waste too much time listening to them because they've demonstrated very little relevance.

I'm not sure what the answer to our health-care dilemma is, but it sure isn't stifling discussion. That is what you typically see in Communist governments.

Mmm...

Anonymous said...

Don't I live in CANADA???

I thought I did.

When did it turn communist?

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Welcome to Canukistan!

Unknown said...

It is ironic that Smitty is shooting his mouth off at a group that is basically asking them to run things the way they said they would before they were elected. You know, P3's are bad, profit is bad, Cuba is good. (Not that I think those are good ideas)

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Greg, yeah. You would think these guys would be on the same side.

Very strange.

Anonymous said...

An immediate concern re our health care system is that possibly an act of euthanasia is about to occur re an 84 year old whose family wants him sustained on life support, yet "the system" is promoting "pulling the plug." He was unconscious, but has now revived, is interacting and communicating yet apparently the hospital hasn't informed the court presiding over the decision, that his status has changed (Jerusalem Post report). THAT HE IS INDEED ALIVE.

We do have a euthanasia bill, but as far as I know it hasn't received formal approval, so what gives with decisions like this one being taken out of the hands of the families involved by order of the court.

Hope the gentleman involved gets to remain alive and vocally expressed such to hospital admin. But the incident has gone international and Canada's policy on euthanasia as it's obviously being worked out, has garnered some attention because of this individual case.

I put up the JP link at JN, under Jan 6/08 international category.

Thought you might be interested Joanne.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Thanks, Anna. I'll check it out.

Another reason to make sure you have a Living Will, I guess.

OMMAG said...

You need to update your Liberal / English dictionary Joanne.
When a lib says irrelevant it means no votes coming from that quarter.

This means that Smitherman has no more use for the good folks who helped get him elected.

Joanne (True Blue) said...


This means that Smitherman has no more use for the good folks who helped get him elected.


That could very well be the case.

It's interesting though, that the doctor who weighed in on a previous post, thinks that Smitherman may be right this time.

A very complex issue with lots of players having their own special interest, it seems.

Möbius said...

Thanks to John Tory, the Ont Libs have a mandate to do whatever the hell they please.

Stop complaining!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

I do blame John Tory to a certain extent. Also Warren Kinsella, Ben Chin and the Ontario voters.

Möbius said...

I do blame John Tory to a certain extent. Also Warren Kinsella, Ben Chin and the Ontario voters.

JT is the main reason we have 5 more years of McGuinty. The most dramatic "political tin-ear" I've seen in years.

WK only goes where the political advantage is, and doesn't allow comments on his so-called blog, so I don't read it anymore. It's just propaganda, if you don't allow comments.

John Tory must resign and allow a free leadership campaign. His judgement simply cannot be trusted again.

I'm sickened to listen to Smitherman's dismissal of the OHC's points, and realize that JT made it all possible.

As long as he remains leader, I'll find someone else to vote for.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

I'm sickened to listen to Smitherman's dismissal of the OHC's points, and realize that JT made it all possible.

Yeah, well. On that point, The Realist helped me to see that Smitherman may have had a point there.

See? I can be objective.