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Theres a litany of potential explanations for the disastrous drop the Trudeau Liberals have seen in their polling numbers over the last 12 months, from rising interest rates and growing cost-of-living concerns to Pierre Poilievres image makeover. But the one that stands out from the rest is the one that might be the hardest for them to fix: Team Trudeau is really, really bad at doing politics.

This wasnt always a problem for Justin Trudeaus Liberals, of course. If anything, theyve survived the last two elections because theyve been better at doing politics than their Conservative opponents. But whether its pandemic fatigue or just a government thats long in the tooth and short on talent, they keep stepping on their own feet when they try to walk.

Case in point: Steven Guilbeaults declaration on Monday that our government has made the decision to stop investing in new road infrastructure. It came as part of his keynote speech at a fundraising luncheon for a public transit advocacy group called Trajectoire Qubec and probably wasnt intended to serve as fodder for Opposition attacks on his government. Its not clear whether he didnt think his comments would reach the broader public or he didnt care, but the net result is the same: they represented an act of political self-harm at a time when his government is already bleeding out.

Yes, yes, Guilbeault says his remarks are being misinterpreted, but its literally his job to reduce the risk of that happening. And sure, what he said is grounded in research about the climate impacts of so-called induced demand that comes from building new roads and highways. Its true the federal government has been clear for a while now that it would shift its funding towards infrastructure projects like LRT and other public transit. No matter. The job Guilbeault signed up for is called politics, not policy, and his comments were supremely unhelpful in that respect.

There will be no more envelopes from the federal government to enlarge the road network, he said. The analysis we have done is that the network is perfectly adequate to respond to the needs we have. This will come as a surprise to people in places like the GTA and Greater Vancouver, where traffic remains an enduring frustration thats only growing thanks to the federal governments ambitious immigration targets. Yes, roads and infrastructure are a provincial jurisdiction, but Guilbeaults comments and their dismissive tone are going to make it exceptionally easy for the politicians there to shift the blame on him.

Oh, but he wasnt done shooting himself in the foot. We must stop thinking that electric cars will solve all our problems, Guilbeault said. This is a very weird message coming from the environment minister of a government that keeps leaning conspicuously on electric cars as a solution, whether its the 2035 mandate for 100 per cent zero-emission vehicle sales or the tens of billions of dollars in subsidies and tax credits it keeps throwing at EV battery manufacturers. Again, theres a kernel of truth in what hes saying, but its going to get lost in the language hes using to communicate it.

Conservatives in Canada right now might be terrible at climate policy, but theyre no slouches when it comes to politics, and Poilievre, Scott Moe and Danielle Smith didnt miss their free shots. At some point, Guilbeault and the rest of his cabinet and caucus might want to decide to stop handing them out like free candy on Halloween.

This isnt a completely new problem for the Liberals, either. The handling of the carbon tax rebate, which was rebranded this week, has been a years-long example of political malpractice. Its allowed conservative politicians and pundits to confuse Canadians about the impact of the broader carbon tax the Liberal government's signature climate policy and pretend that its driving the cost-of-living crisis everyone is facing right now.

At first, the Liberals included the rebates as an income tax deduction, which was described as the Climate Action Incentive Payment.'' When it became apparent people werent noticing it or that their tax preparers werent drawing sufficient attention to the rebate, they shifted to a direct deposit system. But even then, they couldnt get the banks to label it consistently and still insisted on using opaque bureaucratic branding rather than simple language.

Theyve fixed most of that now, it seems, but Band-Aids dont tend to stop this amount of bleeding. If they have any hope of cutting into Poilievres lead in the polls, much less taking one of their own, they need to start doing the work of politics as well as policy. Housing Minister Sean Fraser seems to get that. So does Immigration Minister Marc Miller and Labour Minister Seamus ORegan. But until the entire cabinet and the prime minister himself start appealing again to the hearts of Canadians instead of just their heads, theyre going to keep getting their butts kicked by Poilievre and his growing legion of supporters.

The political beatings will continue, in other words, until the politics improve.

Read more:
The Trudeau Liberals need to be better at doing politics - Canada's National Observer

Remember when late-night comedy shows were funny instead of being populated by left-wing lecturers?

Case in point in our weekly Liberal Media Scream is Late Show host Stephen Colbert. Along with many people last week, he watched the televised testimony of Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis and her explanation of her affair with an attorney she put in charge of the election case against former President Donald Trump.

How good was this sex? Good enough to risk democracy over? he asked in his monologue.

Colbert then added, You know what feels really good? Donald Trump going to prison. That that, my friends is what they call a real happy ending.

From Thursdays Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS:

STEPHEN COLBERT: Now, I dont know whos telling the truth here yet, but I will say exchanging business cards isnt exactly a meet cute. The movies not called When Harry Networked with Sally. Now, at one point, Willis had had enough and really laid into opposing counsel.

FANI WILLIS: Youre confused; you think Im on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. Im not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.

SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS

COLBERT: Damn straight. Yeah. Thats right. Thats right. Heres the thing. Yes, its true Donald Trump and his associates are on trial in this, one of the most important cases in the history of our republic. So, and, Ive just got one follow-up question here: Given that if you are removed from the prosecution, it could delay this trial until after the election: How good was the sex? Good enough to risk democracy over? Because Ive never had sex that good. You know what feels really good? Donald Trump going to prison. That that, my friends is what they call the real happy ending.

Brent Baker, vice president of research and publications for the Media Research Center, explains our weekly pick: Liberals love to complain that Donald Trump has broken many norms, but prominent entertainment media figures like Colbert have destroyed late-night TV. It was a comedy refuge from hard-edged politics, but Colbert is using his show to advance left-wing talking points and push his hate of Trump and conservatives in the guise of comedy. Its not funny, and a legend like Johnny Carson, whose political jokes were light-hearted and chided both sides, is rolling over in his grave.

Rating: FIVE out of FIVE SCREAMS.

Read this article:
Liberal Media Scream: Colbert says Trump going to prison better than sex - Washington Examiner

Tasmania's Liberal premier has defended the gender balance of his election team as he turns to former senator and conservative Eric Abetz to boost his hopes.

The island state will vote on March 23 after the nation's only Liberal government, which had been in minority for nine months, called an early poll.

Mr Abetz, who served in the senate from 1994 to 2022, was pre-selected in January with political opponents labelling it as a move backwards and to the right.

He was officially unveiled as a candidate as the Liberal launch on Tuesday in Launceston but didn't speak at a press conference.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff, considered a left-leaning Liberal, has previously deflected criticism about Mr Abetz's candidacy.

"I'm excited about the breadth of experience in our team," Mr Rockliff said.

"We have a very strong and capable team."

Mr Abetz's federal career came to a close after he was demoted to a virtually unwinnable position on the Liberal senate ticket.

In 2017, he voted against a bill to legalise same-sex marriage.

The 66-year-old is running in the southern electorate of Franklin alongside former state minister Jacquie Petrusma, who is also aiming for a return after quitting politics in 2022.

Mr Rockliff said his team was representative of Tasmania, even though women made up just 13 of the 35 candidates.

Former attorney-general Elise Archer and Liberal-turned-independent Lara Alexander have lashed the party in recent months for having a culture problem.

"We've got over a third of the team made up of very capable females and women which is fantastic," Mr Rockliff said.

"I'm very excited about the team we have. We have capable people right across our state.

"Every single candidate (has) life experience and (is) really passionate and committed to represent the Tasmania people."

Tasmania's lower house is increasing from 25 to 35 members at the election, with seven MPs to be elected in each of the five electorates.

Story continues

The Liberals are chasing a fourth successive term but recent opinion polls have indicated it will be difficult for either major party to form majority government.

"What I'm concerned about is getting out there every single day as we have been, delivering thoughtful, costed policy," Mr Rockliff said.

Labor, which accused the Liberals of recycling candidates, campaigned in the state's south, pledging to scrap charges for power connection and disconnection when people move house.

Labor leader Rebecca White said Tasmanians moving to a new house had to pay about $100 to connect the electricity and $64 for a final meter read.

"Labor's top priority is urgent action on the cost of living," she said in a statement.

The Liberals have 11 incumbent MPs, while Labor has eight, the Greens two and four independents.

Mr Rockliff called the poll after being unable to resolve a stand-off with Ms Alexander and another crossbench independent.

See original here:
Premier defends number of women in team, unveils Abetz - Yahoo News Australia

A controversial essay written by former New York Times editorial page editor James Bennet in The Economist is generating lots of buzz and criticism due to his contention that a culture of illiberalism has infected The Times.

If you care about the future of journalism and liberal democracy, ignore Bennets message at your peril.

In case youve forgotten, Bennet was pushed out of his job in 2020, after greenlighting an op-ed written by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), which argued that the U.S. military should be called in to quell violence if local law enforcement needed support. This, in turn, led The Times union to decry publication of the piece as a clear threat to the health and safety of the journalists we represent.

The case for publication was simple: Cotton was a U.S. Senator who had then-President Donald Trumps ear. He was also talking about a timely and relevant topic, and (for better or worse) his position was popular with many Americans. This is to say that Cottons take was relevant and, daresay, newsworthy. And, again, this was an opinion piece.

Bennets goal, though, is not merely to relitigate the past, butmore importantlyto warn his colleagues about a new brand of journalists who believe their (social justice) ends justify their (coercive) means.

These illiberal journalists, Bennet explains, are more concerned with group rights than individual rights, which they regard as a bulwark for the privileges of white men. Additionally, they have seen the principle of free speech used to protect right-wing outfits, and do not believe readers can be trusted with potentially dangerous ideas or facts. Bennet also notes that The term objectivity to them is code for ignoring the poor and weak and cosying up to power, as journalists often have done.

Predictably, this rankled some progressive opinion leaders.

Critics of Bennet can attack him on the grounds of identity politics, or say he is merely settling old scores. Likewise, they can point to conservative columnists and positions taken at the outlet as an attempt to undermine his premise. But none of that refutes what Bennet is describing. Bennet does not allege that The Times never publishes conservative viewpoints, but that it heavily skews progressive, and that the biases of young progressives in the newsroom too often bleed into the opinion section.

One neednt agree with every point Bennet makes, butthree-and-a-half-years after his resignationits hard to argue that he is some sort of right-wing culture warrior, or that he has tried to monetize his cancellation. Instead, Bennet is, to borrow a phrase, credibly accusing The Times of attempting to limit discourse on opinion pages, and effectively censoring it, via bullying tactics.

Those of us who care about the future of journalism should avoid the temptation to reflexively dismiss his criticism. Instead, we should admit that he has a point, and admit that we are losing (by we, I mean small l liberals who care about things like norms and institutions).

As populist forces on the right have sought to discredit outlets like The Times, labeling mainstream media outlets as fake news, too many of these institutions have behaved in ways that reinforce the charge. Old-school liberalism espoused open mindedness, diversity, and tolerance, but nowadays, it would be hard to keep track of the number of contrarian or unorthodox ideas that were wrongly dismissed (and, in some cases, censored) as conspiracy theories by todays progressive media elites.

As Bennet notes, The Times was slow to break it to its readers that there was less to Trumps ties to Russia than they were hoping, and more to Hunter Bidens laptop, that Trump might be right that covid came from a Chinese lab, that masks were not always effective against the virus, that shutting down schools for many months was a bad idea.

This is pretty clear evidence that reporters and editors at the newspaper of record are allowing political bias to render them unable to spot uncomfortable truths that run counter to their politics. No wonder so many Americans tune them out.

The people who think limiting the discourse and shielding people are going to work are wrong. Not only is it going to fail, it already has. What is more, Bennets warnings, rightly understood, transcend not just The Times, but the media.

Bennet recalls meetings with fellow leaders at the paper, where they would sit around and lament the proliferation of illiberal journalists. Inevitably, he writes, these bitch sessions would end with someone saying a version of: Well, at some point we have to tell them this is what we believe in as a newspaper, and if they dont like it they should work somewhere else.

That moment never came. Instead, the illiberal journalists swamped the most important mainstream media outlet in Americajust like the illiberal MAGA forces overcame the Republican Party establishment without much of a fight.

This is clearly a trend. And if you think the Democratic Party is immune, we are seeing this right now in the White House, where interns are rebuking President Joe Bidens handling of the Gaza war.

Meanwhile, the bubble Bennet describes at The Times looks eerily similar to what we are seeing at our most prestigious universities. And just as middle America has increasingly tuned out the mainstream media, they are likewise losing faith in a college education.

Whether its on the left or the right, too many of the adults in the establishment are too timid or impotent to tell young staffers, subscribers, or interns (or Ivy League students) no. Instead, they are appeased, which, as the saying goes, is sort of like feeding a crocodile and hoping he eats you last.

James Bennets essay is a clarion call. Anyone who wants to preserve our liberal institutions had better start fighting backand fast.

Go here to read the rest:
Liberals Should Be Disturbed By James Bennet's New York Times Revelations - The Daily Beast

The latest Abacus Data poll shows a nine-point swing between the Liberals and the Conservatives over the last few weeks, closing the gap to (a still wide) 10 points. Is it a mirage or a Christmas miracle for Justin Trudeau and crew?

We also discuss some provincial polling out of the Prairies, an upcoming byelection in Toronto and answer listener questions.

To join the Discord page for The Numbers and to get early access to episodes every Thursday, you can become a member of our Patreon site here. Every second episode of The Numbers (the episodes that are not in this The Writ Podcast feed) is for Patreon members only.

As always, in addition to listening to the episode in your inbox, at TheWrit.ca or on podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, you can also watch this episode on YouTube.

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Go here to read the rest:
The Numbers: Wait, maybe the Liberals aren't doomed after all? - The Writ