This entry is a direct reply to Toronto Mike Is Happy, an entry written this evening by Fred Patterson on his blog, torontomike.com.
While I remove the gloves, here's a little background. Freddie P and I are good pals. We chatted on the phone as recently as Monday morning. We chatted about The Wolf website, Flickr, Toronto radio and, of course, our beloved Leafs. I sincerely like Freddie P and enjoy spending time with him, but this entry had to be written.
Freddie P is a grumpy old man and I doubt he'll ever be happy. He believes all sane people should share his political beliefs and values and that those who think differently are leading this country toward demise. Fred, I still haven't forgotten your Why Toronto Has No Chance entry in which you claimed I'm emblematic of what's wrong with Toronto. Today's entry, however, contains so many incorrect assumptions and errant inferences, I feel I should address it syllable by syllable.
Speaking of Toronto Mike, I love the guy. I really do. But I'm not big on his politics.
I love you too, Freddie. I really do. But I'm not big on your politics, either.
On his site today, Mike received the results of last night's election in a very peculiar way.
I wouldn't say my Why Harper Failed entry is peculiar, but from the far right I suppose everything short of canonizing King Stephen is a little peculiar.
So thrilled that Stephen Harper didn't win a majority, he displayed pleasure that the Bloc didn't fall in Quebec. How bizarre is that? The Bloc, a party whose sole purpose is to force the break-up of Canada, a party who puts Canada second, a party made up of unpatriotic, treasonous bastards.
This is the paragraph that struck a nerve with me. Firstly, I wouldn't say I was "thrilled" that Harper didn't win a majority, but I was relieved. As for me being pleased that the Bloc didn't fall in Quebec, that's simply not true. I simply relayed the fact that Harper lost a seat in Quebec and remarked that reports of the Bloc's demise were greatly exaggerated. I am not a Bloc fan in any regard. What's bizarre is that you interpreted my statement in such a skewed manner.
It's just another example of the anti-Conservative paranoia that reigns supreme in the GTA. The moniker "Toronto" Mike fits well.
Guilty as charged. Toronto is anti-Conservative, but it's not paranoia if they're really after you, is it? But more on that later....
To be honest, I've never really understood why Mike is so anti-Conservative. He's a smart young fella, but I've never really read any concrete reason why he hates Stephen Harper so much.
I've actually written in specifics on several occasions what it is about the Conservative Party of Canada that I don't like. Here's something I wrote back in January 2006.
"Stephen Harper's Conservative Party cannot win in Toronto because of how close to our hearts we cherish our socially liberal values. The mere suggestion of repealing our abortion laws or revisiting the same-sex marriage debate upsets the average 416er. Toronto, like Montreal and Vancouver, is a progressive, open-minded, accepting and sensible city that will not sacrifice these values at any cost. So long as the Conservatives can't make a dent in Canada's big cities they will never win a majority".
In a nutshell, that's my biggest issue with the Conservative Party. It's the social values they promote. That cannot be sacrificed in my Canada, at any cost.
On his blog today, Mike goes on about new leadership for the Liberals, and even mentions Justin Trudeau as some kind of hope for the future. Based on what, I don't know. It can't be connected to the record of his old man, because Pierre damaged the country a lot more than he helped it.
I never mentioned Justin Trudeau as any kind of hope, merely as a probable future leader of the Liberal Party. I sense Trudeau is merely a few years experience away from such a post and I believe the Liberals just need a bridge to Trudeau, someone like Michael Ignatieff. My primary point here is that Stephane Dion has to go. I think we can all agree on that one.
But to Toronto Mike, it doesn't matter. As long as it's not Conservative it's OK. As long as it's not Stephen Harper, everything is just grand.
Freddie my man, you're treating politics the way we treat hockey. When the Leafers are out, we both love to root for ABO: Anybody But Ottawa. With regards to our country, I don't root for anybody but Harper. I just don't root for Harper, plain and simple. That doesn't mean I want the Radical Marijuana Party running Canada.
At the end of his piece, Mike refers to Harper as a loser. But just for record, let it be known that Toronto Mike voted NDP yesterday. How did Jack do?
Freddie, how many entries have you written bashing the Toronto Star for taking things out of context to promote their agenda? After all, the gotcha media has a liberal bias. Despite your pleas for fair and balanced journalism, here you are stating that I called Harper a loser. In reality, which also has a liberal bias, I said Harper lost. Surely there's an obvious difference between saying someone lost and calling them a loser.
And yes, I did vote for my local NDP candidate. I wasn't voting for Jack Layton, I was voting for Peggy Nash. I vote for who I think would make the best MP for my riding. This time, that person happened to have orange signs. Next time, that person may have red signs or green signs.
Fred, I read your blog daily. Heck, I built your blog. I love your blog. But Fred, there's a fine line between a sceptic and a cynic. Your outlook is scornfully and often habitually negative. I fear you will never be happy.
