Media question: The race in Winnipeg North, there’s been some speculation that the Tories are running Julie Javier... because might siphon off Kevin Lamoureux’s strong Filipino vote allowing the NDP to win, what do you think of that speculation?
Michael Ignatieff: Let’s not insult the voters of Winnipeg North, let’s give them a real choice – the right choice is Kevin Lamoureux. Let’s have a straight-up fight. Let’s not have any political games here. Let’s give the voters of Winnipeg North a clear choice. Kevin Lamoureux has 20 years of public experience... Kevin Lamoureux is the kind of guy who goes down to McDonald’s and holds clinics to help citizens with their problems and he’s doing it for 20 years. He’s the kind of guy Winnipeg North needs in the House of Commons and everything else is a bunch of games and we’re not here to play games, we’re here to win.He wasn't actually accusing the Tories of "playing dirty" as the editorial suggests, but defending the voters of the riding, saying that they are too smart for political games. I don't blame the Blogging Tories here, but I do blame the newspaper. And I will also say that the all-too-common assertion by the Blogging Tories that most of the media in Canada is left-wing is untrue. In this editorial's case, there are two possibilities: either somebody was asleep at the switch or this was a ploy to demean the Liberal candidate for the riding of Winnepeg-North. I think I'll go for the latter. I also urge all those who blogged about this editorial to have the decency to put an update out there for everybody to read.
While I agree with your sentiment, let's also be clear here.
ReplyDeleteIgnatieff still needs to stop being such a professor. He could have said all of that he said, with a big, clear, obvious statement at the start.
"The conservatives have chosen their candidate, and I think that kind of speculation is absurd."
As it is, he gives a long response with no clear statement for a journalist or opinion writer to either a) pick up or b) look foolish for ignoring. Thus, enough fodder to spin six ways to Sunday.
These are the kind of statements that can really harm him during a national election. Imagine how this plays out during a 40 day campaign . . . Day 17 wasted pushing back on false racial comments in Winnipeg.
"This is unfair"
ReplyDelete