If the rumours aren't worth following then the truth is sometimes much stranger than fiction.
1. Loyola Sullivan is now reportedly out of the country and not taking Harper's phone calls. The only thing funnier than rumours are Connie candidate travails are the ones about the Dipper hunts.
2. Former newspaper editor (his last horse died under him twice) Ryan Cleary is looking for the NDP nod in St. John's South Mount Pearl. This could make the South interesting if for no other reason than Cleary would likely quickly start whining as reporters started giving him a dose of the stuff he's dished out. The guy's shown himself to have a thin skin.
3. A close reading of the Danny Williams e-mail from earlier the week would make you think that all the Provincial Conservatives had to do was state their support for the government ABC campaign without any obligation to campaign for anybody but Conservatives. That pretty much clinches it: there is such dissension within caucus that even the Premier couldn't force his colleagues to join the fratricidal policy without risking his own political neck.
4. Even if we aren't going to see natural resources spokesperson Kathy Dudnerdale - a great typo from voice of the cabinet minister last week - knocking doors for Walter Noel, savvy federal Liberal fundraisers have it covered.
Some were reportedly thinking of sending donation requests to the 44 Provincial Conservatives in the House of Assembly with a promise to send a copy of the tax receipt to the Premier as proof they've acted on their commitment to ABC.
If the Tories would send over their membership list, the Liberals will probably ensure everyone one of the Provincial Conservatives is on side.
5. Liberal Siobhan Coady will be taking full advantage of the ABC this time out, turning for the third time running to a connected advertising firm to look after her campaign needs. Idea Factory has been the source of provincial Tory campaign advertising for a while now and recently added former Mike Harris and Danny Williams government staffer Carolyn Chaplin to its stable of considerable talent.
6. Some Ottawa political staffers got a chuckle out of Danny Williams' reference to the Blue Shaft, given that it's also the nick-name of a fairly popular sexual device. They got a bigger chuckle out of the Harper "Daddy" ads but for a different reason. Some are watching to see if bears pop up next in the Connie ad campaign.
7. From the "Separated at Birth" file, both Danny Williams and Stephen Harper said this week they expect to be on the receiving end of vicious personal attacks during the upcoming campaign. Okay, those of you keeping track of how much these two are alike just ran out of paper. Switch to a computer where the pixels are free and the space for storing data is almost endless.
8. Speaking of vicious personal attacks, surely Provincial Conservative cabinet minister John Hickey - a man who's campaigned for the federal Conservatives at least once - is thinking of suing outgoing fish minister Loyola Hearn for defamation. In a recent interview, Hearn called Hickey an "idiot".
Hickey has a lawsuit against former Premier Roger Grimes for things Danny Williams said Grimes said but apparently didn't. Confused? So was Hickey. But if you sued over something someone didn't say, surely you'd be fast off the litigious mark for a pretty obvious insult hurled straight at you, for the whole world to read.
And where is that lawsuit? Likely right next to the contract with federal government to pave the Trans Labrador Highway.
9. Provincial Conservative Cynthia Downey ran for the federal Conservatives in the last election, once the Provincial Conservatives decided to wholeheartedly endorse their federal brethren. For her troubles, Downey found her campaign wrapped up in the Old In-Out In-Out scheme (scam?).
Fast forward to 2008 and with her provincial leader on the Family Feud warpath, Downey is dutifully joining in, savaging the federal Conservatives for doing things like booting people out of the country after their refugee applications have been rejected.
Check the party platform Downey back last time on deportations.
Right there in black and white: "rapid execution" of deportation orders.
And on a related matter, help and old e-scribbler out here: who used to call the Great Oracle of the Valley's talk shows about the Portnoys?
10. And they have it on tape, most likely. How many more quotes like this are out there?
"I think Atlantic Canadians are going to be very pleasantly surprised and pleased with the performance of Mr. Harper," said Williams.
The provincial aspect of the last federal election campaign was rather curious, especially considering that the version offered in the CBC summary linked here isn't quite in keeping with events as they unfolded.
Williams may have kept a relatively low profile for example, but his cabinet and caucus were out there flogging CAA: Connie Above All. And Jack Layton? Santa Jack promised everything the Premier desired; Santa Steve promised to talk about it.
Steve got the Provincial Conservative support.
Yeah, and this whole ABC thing isn't a Family Feud.
-srbp-