A Harper supporter’s rant says a lot about Conservatives
EDITORIAL by Stephen Whitworth
It’s pretty damn fitting I’m writing this on the same day a raging Conservative supporter got filmed chewing out reporters. I’d been meaning to write an editorial about Conservative media hatred and Presto! The perfect hook.
For those who missed it, On Aug. 18 an angry old douche unleashed an expletive-filled tirade on media at a Conservative campaign event in Toronto after reporters asked Harper a question about the ongoing Mike Duffy trial during a campaign event (the audacity!).
Let’s get real: Duffy questions are fair game just like the Sponsorship scandal questions once directed at Paul Martin were fair game. Duffy’s ongoing trial has a lot to do with decisions made by people in the Prime Minister’s Office. Asking Harper questions about what he knew is reasonable, whether angry old Conservatives can handle it or not.
Really, the old fool’s rant was a beaut. Here’s a partial transcript to savour:
“You’ll lie about anything,” he said to reporters. “What’s the matter with you? You guys and your fantasy scandals amount to zero. You’re the one who didn’t ever cheat on her tax return? Duffy made a few… a bit of cheating on his tax return and you’re turning it into an issue. Harper doesn’t read income tax forms, you idiot. It’s done by the people in the tax department. I believe that you cheat on your taxes more than Duffy ever did. Because you’re a lying piece of shit [turns to another reporter] and you too! You’re making an issue out of Duffy and he’s nothing! Harper has produced good government! It’s nothing! It’s nothing! It’s zero! It’s nothing!
And as he turned and left: “I think you’re a piece of lying shit, and your media with you. Go stuff yourself.”
I left out reporters’ interjections and questions but you can watch the video online if you want more. Suffice it to say, none of them swore back at the deranged conservative goon.
This isn’t the only example of Conservative media-bashing I’ve seen in the last 24 hours. Hopefully you don’t follow Kate “Not showing up to riot is a failed conservative policy” McMillan, operator of the conservative website Small Dead Animals on Twitter. I don’t, but thanks to retweets by people I do follow (such as Brad Wall, John Gormley and my glutton-for-punishment friend Emmet Matheson), she exists in my social media periphery much like farts hang in a tea-room after too many people ate the stale crumpets.
Kate is a reliable basher of media who often name-calls news outlets1, perhaps to escape the hard work of putting together coherent arguments for her execrable political and social views. Yesterday she called journalists “sheep” and “morally bankrupt”2.
The point is, it’s been obvious for years that Stephen Harper’s Conservative government hates the media’s guts to a degree not before seen in this country. And it’s equally obvious that Conservative supporters, like conservative ex-Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s supporters, really do believe media is full of liars.
Of course, they don’t have proof but who cares? Conservatives don’t need evidence to support their beliefs. Belief in Dear Leader is good enough.
It’s past time Saskatchewan voters took a hard look at themselves and their fellow travellers, and ask if they really ought to keep supporting the political party that hates questions and rejects facts.
I’d like to think citizens in this province are better than the gullible, angry goofs who get mad whenever someone asks a question they don’t like.
1. Yes, yes, we all know Prairie Dog’s editor is also a huge fan of name-calling and bad language. Prairie Dog’s editor redeems himself by also writing things (mostly on the blog) that are both 100 per cent name-calling free and contain not just multiple sentences but multiple paragraphs.
2. Perhaps ironic since Kate constantly bleats meretricious conservative bunkum, but whatevs.