Manning

[Trouble]

This thread is for articles and op-eds about Manning's newest book "Think Big" as well as his long history of his PM4PM bid for power.

[Thistle, Shamrock, Rose E]

This is wonderful! I hope that, now, threads devoted to other topics will not become hijacked by constant "DoRC" bashing. Critricism of Manning, "DoRCs" et al needs a place of its own and I'm glad it has finally been created.

[hiti]

Mr. Manning, call off your dogs.

George Bears, Calgary Herald

5 July 2001

I joined the Reform party, and then the Canadian Alliance, because of Preston Manning.

I joined because of the principles he helped articulate, especially criminal justice reform. I say that as a former National Director of Victims of Violence.

I believe deeply in the grassroots nature of the party as well. I say that as the past co-chairman of Art Hanger's successful nomination campaign last year, the largest nomination in the party's history.

The reason I list my long record of volunteer work for Mr. Manning and Mr. Hanger (Mr. Manning's supporter in last year's leadership race) is because I have a request for Mr. Manning and I want to show that I am not a johnny-come-lately to the cause of the party, nor someone who has opposed him in the past.

My request is this: Mr. Manning, call off your dogs.

95% of the organizers, lobbyists and paid staff working on the Dump Stockwell Day movement are Mr. Manning's organizers, lobbyists and paid staff. A quick look at the organizational chart for the Dump Day committee shows a virtual replica of the "PM4PM" campaign that ran Mr. Manning's leadership bid last summer.

Rick Anderson was Mr. Manning's chief strategist last year. He is the chief Dump Day strategist now. Cliff Fryers and Steve Greene were Mr. Manning's former Chiefs of Staff. Now they are both on the Dump Day committee - the same Mr. Fryers who called Mr. Day an "abomination" on national TV.

Gordon Shaw was Mr. Manning's fundraiser last year. He is the Dump Day fundraiser now. Larry O'Brien was Mr. Manning's top Ottawa bag-man last year. Last week he pledged more than $10,000 to the Dump Day committee.

Ellen Todd was Mr. Manning's event organizer last year. She is the Dump Day event organizer now. Kim Sterlin was Mr. Manning's youth worker last year. She's the Dump Day youth worker now.

Carolyn Stewart-Olsen was Mr. Manning's press aide last year. She is now the press aide working for the dissident Dump Day MPs, and the Dump Day committee.

Sean McAdam was Mr. Manning's parliamentary assistant last year. He is the Dump Day parliamentary assistant now. Phil von Finckenstein and Jim Armour were also Mr. Manning's press aides last year. Now they both work as Ottawa lobbyists, helping to organize the Dump Day movement in the capital city.

Chuck Strahl, Deborah Grey, Monte Solberg and almost everyone of the mutineer MPs officially backed Mr. Manning in last year's leadership race. (To be fair, other MPs, notably Gary Lunn from Victoria, actually backed four different leadership candidates last year, so their affinity to Mr. Manning cannot accurately be called "loyalty".)

In other words, Preston Manning's leadership campaign team has not stopped campaigning.

I know that Mr. Day has personally asked Mr. Manning to call off the civil war. Mr. Manning refused. When Mr. Manning was asked by reporters to stand up for Mr. Day, he refused - claiming that would be "interfering". No it wouldn't - it would be showing loyalty to one's party leader, the kind of loyalty that Mr. Manning used to demand from MPs when he was the leader.

I do not believe that Mr. Manning is secretly directing the attacks on Mr. Day and the Canadian Alliance. But I believe that these attacks would stop immediately if Mr. Manning asked for them to stop.

I can understand that Mr. Manning and some of his supporters are still upset about losing last year's leadership race. That is fair. But it is not fair to destroy the party, just because they didn't win.

John Reynolds and Grant Hill were two MPs who supported Mr. Manning to be leader. They are putting the party first, though, and are working with the new leader to promote our principles and policies. That is the right thing to do - and it is a lot more constructive than "getting even."

Mr. Manning worked for more than a decade to build the Reform party into something great. And then he had the vision to build something even greater: the Canadian Alliance.

I simply cannot stand to watch Mr. Manning's crowd destroy the work that he spent so long to build up. Frankly, I can't understand how he can watch it either.

Last summer when Mr. Day won the leadership, Mr. Manning delivered a magnanimous concession speech, pledging to support the party. Watching Mr. Manning's hand-picked leadership team destroy our party undoes the generosity and dignity of those words.

Let me end as I began. As an admirer and supporter of yours, Mr. Manning, for the good of the party, and indeed for the good of the entire country, I ask you to publicly tell your personal associates and past employees to stop their destructive campaign.

GEORGE BEARS,
NATIONAL CHAIR GRASSROOTS FOR DAY
===========================================

Didn't Hapless hire Jim Armour on his staff, plus more of those Dump Day DoRCs?

[hiti]

Political fantasia at Mont-Tremblant

Tom Flanagan
National Post >> Jan 07 >> 2001
The sorcerer is trying to save his apprentices, but it's too late for his word magic to work.

Two days ago, Preston Manning published in this newspaper a column titled, "My blueprint for uniting the right." It contained a number of seemingly sensible suggestions for how Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative MPs can work together in Parliament, perhaps leading in time to a more comprehensive "strategic alliance" for contesting elections and governing the country.

The column was low-key in tone. To a casual reader, Mr. Manning must have seemed like a knowledgeable pundit giving helpful hints to politicians. But to well-informed observers, what is most striking about the column is its remoteness from the real-world situation.

What is actually happening at Mont-Tremblant? A meeting will take place co-chaired by Brock Easton, president of the Progressive Conservative party and Cliff Fryers, former chief of staff to Preston Manning. Under this aegis, key Tories, including the party's leader, Joe Clark, will talk to suspended members of the Canadian Alliance caucus. The latter now call themselves the Democratic Representative Caucus and claim that Chuck Strahl is their leader, even though they all retain membership in the Canadian Alliance. Alliance leader Stockwell Day was not invited, the Alliance caucus voted to condemn the meeting and no caucus members are attending.

In plain language, this is a breakaway faction of one party -- the Alliance -- undermining their own party by holding highly publicized talks with the leader of another party -- the Progressive Conservatives -- about future cooperation. But none of this context appears in Mr. Manning's column. Here he is, the former leader of the Alliance, saying he "commends" the Mont-Tremblant meeting as a step towards uniting the right, when it is really a further step towards splitting his own party!

By stepping forward now to support the dissident faction, Mr. Manning confirms that he has all along been a silent partner in an audacious campaign to force Stockwell Day out of office, install a pliant interim leader and make a quick deal with the Tories to create another new party, thus setting the stage for Mr. Manning to capture the leadership, perhaps in a final campaign against his old nemesis Joe Clark.

The leading figures in the campaign are Cliff Fryers, chairman of the Reform Party and Mr. Manning's chief of staff; Rick Anderson, Mr. Manning's chief adviser, strategist and campaign manager; Deborah Grey, his deputy leader; Chuck Strahl, his most recent House Leader; and Ken Kalopsis, Canadian Alliance co-chairman, installed by Mr. Manning's people to replace Gee Tsang when the latter became too independent.

None of these people would have undertaken the campaign against Mr. Day if they thought Mr. Manning did not want them to. He could have stopped it any point with a simple public statement: "The members of the party chose Mr. Day as leader. I support him and I want all of you to support him. A leader most needs help when he has made mistakes, so it's time to rally round."

But in spite of being implored by Mr. Day and others to step forward, Mr. Manning would not make such a statement. Instead he chose at critical moments to adopt a posture of conspicuous neutrality, which worked to devastate Mr. Day and his supporters while encouraging the dissidents.

Mr. Manning apparently did not direct the campaign against Mr. Day. If he had, it would have been conducted more elegantly. But he did roll out a strategic plan for the dissidents. In a column published in this newspaper on March 8, he called for a "strategic alliance" to be negotiated quickly with the Tories, without all the grassroots approval mechanisms -- national conventions and referendums -- that had accompanied the United Alternative. Do it quickly and present the members with a fait accompli was the subliminal message.

Wednesday's column, however, contains a muted admission that the plan has failed in its goal of staging a quick putsch. "Now is not the time for 'grand schemes,' " writes Mr. Manning, "as much as I love grand schemes." His column of March 8 did indeed sketch out a grand scheme for a quick amalgamation of parties, but that is obviously not going to happen now. Mr. Day proved to be a more tenacious fighter than the plotters had counted on.

Mr. Manning's latest ploy is also doomed to failure. The dissidents are on "a downbound train," in Bruce Springsteen's graphic phrase. They will not get recognition as a party in the House of Commons because most other parties are opposed and it is not in the Liberals' interest to encourage breakaway movements lest one arise in their own ranks. Their numbers will probably soon fall below the critical threshold of 12 as one or more of them returns to the Alliance to support Stephen Harper's leadership bid.

The dissidents have no collective future. As individuals, they can try to return to the Alliance, join the Tories and hope to get re-elected under that label, or retire from politics when their terms expire.

The Alliance, meanwhile, may be revitalized, now that Mr. Day has saved it from being hijacked. Stephen Harper, an experienced and qualified candidate, seems ready to enter the leadership race; let's hope others also step forward. If Mr. Harper enters the race, his purpose will be to preserve the Alliance as a forthrightly conservative party -- not extreme, but consistent in its philosophy, ready to co-operate with other parties but not to abandon its own identity.

Defeatist talk about the necessity of merging with the Tories will give way to proud affirmation of a simple fact: The Reform/Alliance movement was the most influential force in Canadian politics of the past decade. It successfully drove the federal agenda towards fiscal responsibility, tax cuts and resistance to separatism; and it still has lots of work to do.

Politics abounds in ironies. Preston Manning conjured the Canadian Alliance into existence but then quickly encouraged his apprentices to euthanize the party. Maybe Stephen Harper, whose past disagreements with Mr. Manning are legendary, will be the one to keep Mr. Manning's creation alive.

Tom Flanagan is professor of political science at the University; of Calgary and author of Waiting for the Wave: The Reform Party and Preston Manning.
=============================================

Tom got his reward for this article. He is now Hapless' Chief of Staff. AND the DoRCs are welcomed to Waldo's bosom and put up ahead of Day loyalists who also pledged to support Hapless, like Jason Kenny, etc.

[hiti]

Pres Ton defends this crud in his book!!!

Row erupts between Grey backer, Day lobbyist
James Cudmore
National Post >> Sept 06, 2001 >>

EDMONTON - The wife of a director of Deborah Grey's constituency association has accused a prominent member of the Grassroots for Day movement of destroying the Canadian Alliance and demanded to know "just who your father and his family were back in Nazi Germany."

In a copy of a private e-mail, Michele Gagnon accuses Peter Schalin of being a "careless prick" who, along with Stockwell Day, the Alliance leader, is responsible for "huge damage" to the party.

"You guys directly affected the financial security of this party with your high-profile fanaticism and zealot bullying, and any study will show that Canadians are terrified of the fanatical right-wing religious nuts who want to control everything and everyone their way," she wrote.

Mr. Schalin has launched a $450,000 defamation action against Ms. Grey, a dissident Alliance MP.

Ms. Gagnon also attacked Mr. Schalin's father, Gary Schalin, who served 13 days as a young German soldier during the Second World War and was captured by the U.S. Army during the final stages of the Nazi defence of Fortress Europe.

"So, what did your father do in Germany and who were his affiliations?" she said. "Where does this ugly, ugly fight and hate come from in you people? I'd be interested to know just who your father and his family were back in Nazi Germany. There are some scary ideologies emerging from your camp. Things I think we should all be standing up and taking notice of in a serious way."
===========================================

This despicable piece of crud has the nerve to envoke the Nazi label againt Mr. Schalin's father, Gary Schalin who at age 16 had a gun put to his head and was FORCED to join the German army. Luckly he was captured by the US Army just days after being forced to join.

The Ole Grey Mere should hang her head in shame that she would allow such disgusting people to defend her against a 73 year old man!!!!

[Trouble]

In a copy of a private e-mail, Michele Gagnon accuses Peter Schalin of being a "careless prick" who, along with Stockwell Day, the Alliance leader, is responsible for "huge damage" to the party.

"You guys directly affected the financial security of this party with your high-profile fanaticism and zealot bullying, and any study will show that Canadians are terrified of the fanatical right-wing religious nuts who want to control everything and everyone their way," she wrote.

This email was well distributed last year, as I too received it, I remember being shocked at what this Michele Gagnon was foolish enough to commit to paper.

I wonder if Michele Gagnon is still on the constituency board of that riding and if so, will her attitude affect the viability of new candidates running for that nomination in the future?

This is a riding that the Alliance National Council needs to keep an eye on to make sure that proper nomination procedures are followed.

[Trouble]

hiti's quote

IF Mulroney would have relied upon social conservatives instead of Daltonism, he'd still be in power and daMoron would never have achieved his 40 years of damaging Canada.

In the past, Stephen Harper has talked about Canada needing a Reagenesque party of the right. I agree, that is exactly what we need.

The coalition that Reagan pulled together was conservative lunchpailers as well as the "religious right". The "religious right" are often the best organizers and distributors of the conservative message.

That is why PRESTON Manning (no doubt listening to Anderson's council) was wrong in avoiding recruitment of Church people etc. EARNEST Manning was not so picky, riding on the coat tails of Aberhart, distributing Alberta's Social Credit message through Aberhart's Bible hour,

This was they key to EARNEST Manning's long-term success in Alberta.

Likewise, the religious-right's Report magazine has been preaching the gospel of Reform and Alliance from its very inception and once agian the success of broad distribution through the religious right has been successful...in Alberta.

That is why Manning's somewhat adversarial relationship with the "religious-right" needs to be moved away from ASAP.

Stockwell Day was correct in recruiting new people "from the church" to work in the party. This Reagenesque coalition with the "religious-right" cannot be underestimated. It has kept the American Republicans in power, or within grasping reach of power, whereas our conservative movement is comparatively in the gutter.

If Reagenesque, right-wing conservatism is ever to be given room enough to flourish in Canada, Stockwell Day's recruitment of new "church members" must continue with Stephen Harper's blessing.

[Jason Kauppinen]

Excellent post Trouble.

[Greg McNeely]

Stockwell Day was correct in recruiting new people "from the church" to work in the party. This Reagenesque coalition with the "religious-right" cannot be underestimated. It has kept the American Republicans in power, or within grasping reach of power, whereas our conservative movement is comparatively in the gutter.

If Reagenesque, right-wing conservatism is ever to be given room enough to flourish in Canada, Stockwell Day's recruitment of new "church members" must continue with Stephen Harper's blessing.

It's been said that Mr. Harper was opposed only tothe selling of membership "in churches", however this was never the way it was expressed during the leadership race. It seems now though ,that it is not about selling memberships for his opposition that it has beome alright to sell to church members again.

[Trouble]

Two people that need to be sold Alliance memberships:

David Manns in Ontario - head of 100 Huntley Street.

The Toewes in Manitoba - have their own Christian broadcast station.

David Manns was very friendly with Ted Byfield who was on his show a month or two ago, promoting the Byfield's new history of the Christian church. He seemed to admire Byfield's outspokeness on social issues.

Once 100 Huntley Street becomes focussed on an issue they give it 100%. Their influence regarding Talisman's involvement in the Sudan has been immeasurable. Last I heard, Talisman was pulling out of the Sudan (which they should).

Let the Chinese have the financial support of an Islamic dictatorship practising genocide against Black Christians on their hands.

100 Huntley Street and others are a very powerful lobby regarding some key social issues that the Alliance is trying to raise opposition to. i.e. bills regarding protection of children, Alliance MPs need to make regular appearances on both the Manitoba Toewes and the Ontario Manns' 100 Huntley Streets shows.

The Report in print does not have a wide enough distribution to make the breakthrough the Alliance needs. The Post helps out when they can but they have to swing with the conservative pendulum, and the Aspers aren't exactly raking in the cash with the Post either.

Manning (the fool) has been on their show several times stressing the "seperation between church and state". Dissing Day etc.

But Manning must never have been told that seperation of Church and state was encouraged so the state would stay out of the Church not to discourage Church people from taking an active role in the state.

Worked for Reagen.

[Trouble]

http://www.freedominion.ca/phpBB2/viewt ... 7914#57914

[Thistle, Shamrock, Rose E]

When Preston Manning brought Tom Long onside and distanced himself from social conservatism, one thought went through my mind:

If Earnest Manning were alive today, he'd take that boy of his to the woodshed and teach him some.

[Greg McNeely]

When Preston Manning brought Tom Long onside and distanced himself from social conservatism, one thought went through my mind:

If Earnest Manning were alive today, he'd take that boy of his to the woodshed and teach him some.

That did seem to be a turning point when Preston destroyed his political heritage and legacy. I had been swayed to Day prior to that, but was still just leaning off the fence between them. WHen Manning did this, I jumped away from the fence to the Day side since Mr. Day was the only principled conservative in the race. Prior to that I was in awe over the way Day and Manning had run such clean and respectful campaigns.

Another defining moment was when poor pathetic Preston tried to imply the smear about anti-semitism against Mr. Day. Stockwell made his short answer to the following question because of the debate order and then returned to the previous comment. He stepped around the podium to facxe Manning and challenged him to make it clear that Manning took Day at his word that he did not make the anti-semitic statement that the audience plant tried to claim. Manning seemed shaken and visibly shaking as he answered his agreement with Mr. Day hastily in his weak little voice.

That showed the clear contrast between the two.

[hiti]

Pres-ton is hell bend on revenge for that one!

[Greg McNeely]

Oh my goodness, He can't be "hell" bent Hiti. Preston always claims to be a good Christian, why he even used the name of Jesus, the one he claims to be his Saviour, to attack Stockwell Day. Doesn't that make the miserable, hypocritical piece of shit a good Christian? That's what he claims whenever he seems to think he'll gain something.