You are judged by the company you keep

I first discovered Progressive Bloggers during visits to Daily Kos during George W Bush's first term.  I noticed these interesting comments with a tag line referencing Prog Blogs as a progressive Canadian viewpoint. 

So I went there.  It was invigorating.  Impolitical and The Galloping Beaver were early favourites.  I started a blog, joined ProgBlogs and started typing.  It was a very cathartic way to survive the Harper years. 

My posting schedule became more erratic with time.  A divorce, job demands in an industry spiraling downwards and other priorities took precedence.  But I always clicked on the PB link to see what was up because I remained implacably opposed to the right wing insanity that was arising across the globe and the Canadian Contagion in particular.

I earlier expressed how having The Underminer on the blog roll was a contradiction to the stated goals of the website.  It is Scott Tribe's website and it is his right to allow the Underminer to continue to use his platform as a vehicle to elect a Conservative government.  But I choose to not be associated with a website that has a blog that advertises for Doug Ford, gushes over Andrew Scheer and continues to try and inflate the false scandal.

I have asked to be removed from the blog roll effective April 30.  I will continue to blog but will not be available through Prog Blogs.  There might be fewer visits but this has never been about clicks for me.

I would like to thank Scott for setting Prog Blogs up and allowing me to join the roster.  And any visitors to the website that paid me the courtesy of reading my posts.  It was fun while it lasted.Recommend this Post

Reality 1, Jason's Amazing Monocolour Dream Sweater 0

During the recent campaign our Premier-Elect made all sorts of ridiculous promises to the gullible.  He is the one who will get the pipelines built.  He will bring back jobs that are gone forever.  He will eliminate the deficit (by increasing it first).  All of these are impossible for a mere mortal.  But not Jason.

If he is so omnipotent, why couldn't he insure the Flames could protect a 2 goal lead with < 4 minutes left.  All Jason had to do was put on his magic sweater and make it so.

But the reality is that the Flames aren't as good as the regular season led us to believe (and I had no idea MacKinnon was so good).  There is nothing Jason and his Amazing Monocolour Dream Seweater (JahAMCDS) could have done about it.  But it happened on his watch so he has to wear it (no the sewater, the loss).

Just like there is not much he will be able to do, no matter how much he blusters, about the problems facing Alberta.Recommend this Post

Take a moment to pity the future of Jason Kenney

So the people of Alberta have exorcised their anger by electing a government led by a homophobic, white nationalist, probably corrupt BS artist who has spent years stoking their anger.  I feel for their anger.  Not all of it is misplaced.  A lot of this was beyond the control of anyone person.  But everyone comes to regret decisions made in anger.

And thus was the election campaign.  Albertans, many of whom have been unemployed for years, reached out to a false populist.  JK (Why do so many disingenuous people disrupting our politics have the initials that start with J?  JK, JWR, JP).  There was so much anger JK could get away with a kamikaze campaign, he could promote racist candidates.  He could say the most inane garbage and people would still support him because he soaked in their resentment.

But when he is unable to turn around the realities of the current oil industry.   When he takes the deficit higher.  When the lunacy of his promise to cut off oil to BC comes home to roost.  When the idiocy of his "If you want a new regulation, you have to tell me which regulations you want to cut" plan comes into effect.  When the cuts to pay pay for tax breaks to the wealthy start to really bite, the back lash will be hard.  The anger will be looking for a target.  And he will be the one with his head over the trench parapet.

And it will look good on him.  Alberta is a place of immense beauty.  But not tonight.


Recommend this Post

For Diversity of Opinion. Against Undermining

I read in the comments on Willy's post and mine from yesterday that others besides the Underminer should be delisted from Progressive Bloggers because what are seen as opinions that are over the top.  Particularly if they are critical of the government.

I want to be clear.  While I often disagree with others on ProgBlogs, I read their blogs to try to keep an open mind.  Case in point, I am unapologetic about having worked as a geologist in the oil industry for my entire career.  So I am often a mix of amused and frustrated in what to me is the expression of uninformed opinion regarding the energy sector and my home town.  Long may they be welcome to express away.  I revel in their right to be wrong (at least they are wrong imho).

The Underminer is an entirely different case.  His blog website is blatantly part of a campaign to unseat an imperfect but progressively intentioned government and replace it with a regressive one.  The blog website is an extension of his business.  That mission of blog website should make its presence on Progressive Bloggers anathema.Recommend this Post

Just Another Good Willy Loman Point

Willy asks: Why is The Underminer still on Progressive Bloggers.  (I have decided to post on this blog to add additional points.  Please read his post as well.).  Scott Tribe replies that ProgBlogs is not a Liberal aggregator and has full intentions of sticking to its eponymous mission.  All very respectful and Canadian.  But this isn't a question of whether or not all readers of Progressive Bloggers are Liberals.

There is ample evidence that the blog website in question has progressive viewpoints only so far as they contribute to his bank account.  As several commenters on Willy's post point out, the political operative in question is almost certainly working for non-progressive clients.  The Underminer is likely using his status as a contributor to  Progressive Bloggers as a platform to discourage progressives from voting.

Back before the redesign of his blog website it was a lot easier to search the back catalogue of  blog website posts.  If that was still possible one could track his change from "I'm going to run as a Liberal in the next election" after the Harper majority to the Scheer maniac we see today.    Other posts record his anger at not being employed by the new regime in their war room.   And when they won?  KaBoom.

For all of the Trudeau Liberal's faults, they are demonstrably more progressive than the Conservatives.  Allowing an agent provocateur a platform to actively discourage Liberals from voting should be antithetical to the concept of Progressive Bloggers.

"Scheer looked Prime Ministerial"?  How was his URL not deleted at that point?Recommend this Post

Wilson-Raybould rejects criticisms she may have helped Conservatives win the next election

So quoth the current headline on National Newswatch.

She rejects criticism because St. Jody is above criticism.  She is perfect and everything is someone else's fault.  Narcissist much?

Meanwhile on Progressive Bloggers, the Conservative Party's mole (how about we call this person the Underminer?) has a post up gushing over how Opie looked very Prime Ministerial this afternoon.  Was this more or less Prime Ministerial when he stood with Faith Goldy.  Or when he stood with the Yellow Vest mob?  Or when he wouldn't acknowledge that the victims in Christ church were Muslim until he was forced to. 

Don't know how much the Underminer is getting paid by the Cons but it can't possibly be enough.


(I never said I wouldn't do screen grabs. 😀)Recommend this Post

The Fake Scandal as a B Movie Monster

Many a mediocre Sci-Fi plot involves a monster that feeds off negative emotions.  If only the poor humans could resist the temptation to look in go down those stairs.  To open that book they were warned not to read.  To look in that closet (scarier yet, you might find Harper in there).

Lots of blood and guts are spilled.  But if you don't look, the monster recedes.  Not totally.  The spectre is still there to be re-awoken in the sequel.  Cue the credits.

This current fake scandal is much the same.  The media will only keep this farce going if it generates clicks.  If you want the nightmare to end don't feed the monster.  Deny it the oxygen.  Don't click on articles about the fake heroines.  If a "Progressive" Blogger (my bad, it isn't a blog.  It is a website) has a scurrilous heading on his blog website post promising explosive details, just scroll on past.  Let him and the other hagiographers at Maclean's, the National Post and the other publications with a political agenda wither on the vine.  Don't boost their revenue by clicking on that story.

Let the story fade into a bad memory.

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What would you do if you were the Conservatives?

You are faced with a real problem.  You have elected a dorky overly-religious leader prone to associating with white supremacists.  A disaffected leadership candidate has formed a splinter party.  The governing party has a popular leader that most people like to be associated with.  And their policies are generally popular.  The popularity polling indicates you do have is notoriously inefficient.  And the government's performance is even worse for you.  A strong economy.  Success standing up to Putin's President.  Worst of all, they are on track to get a pipeline built in the heart of your support.

You need a plan.  An election is looming and you are going to lose.  What do you do?  Your favourite trick is to suppress the vote.  Create outrage over a fake scandal and discourage Liberal voters from turning out.  It worked for a similarly creepy and unpopular Leader a decade ago.  But what scandal?

And then out of nowhere, you find out that an ambitious pair of senior Cabinet ministers are out to inflict petty revenge on the Prime Minister for a bruised ego.  Is the scandal risible? (h/t Montreal Simon)?  No matter.

Quick.  Round up the Conservative minded pundits!  Roll out the coordinated attack!  What is that you say?  We can even have a political strategist who hasn't worked for the Liberal party in nigh on a decade or more help led the attack from within Progressive Bloggers?  Why, this might just work!

Prepare the tax cuts!  Find which minorities to target next.  Hurry!  It is hard to stop these bozos from erupting!

Sounds like a plan is coming together.  But, the Leader is still a dweeb.  The government is still doing a good job.  And the Terrible Twins will start to fade into their well deserved obscurity.  Campaigns matter.  A week is a long time in politics.  and there are still 20 plus weeks to go.Recommend this Post