The townie Tories are all a-twitter over federal Dipper leader Thomas Mulcair’s endorsement of Sheilagh O’Leary for mayor of Sin Jawns in the next municipal election.
On Monday, reporters asked Premier Kathy Dunderdale about Mulcair’s comments. Here’s a bit of what she said, via CBC:
"I don't know how somebody who doesn't live here, is not on the ground, doesn't appreciate the demographics to start with and the particular issues, could be offering advice on who is best suited," said Dunderdale outside the House of Assembly Monday. [capitalization corrected]
“So the frig what?” would seem like a better, i.e. appropriately dismissive, response. Instead Kath used a comment that begs for the retort that she does it all time: talks about stuff when she doesn’t “appreciate the demographics” or understand what is going on.
The reason everyone is so interested in what Mulcair said is pretty simple. Kathy Dunderdale may have led her party to victory in last fall’s general election but the story she wants to forget was her huge loss in St. John’s. The capital city is, after all, the traditional Tory stronghold. The Tories have never had a majority government without owning all the seats (save one) in the capital city.
Until now. Kathy lost four of the city’s seven seats to the NDP. The Dippers chopped off the head of Kathy’s personal choice for natural resources ministers. They took the bedrock Tory seat of St. John’s East and they bitch-slapped Tory powerhouse Tom Ridgley in St. John’s North.
To tell you how big a deal this is, just look at how much time the Tories have spent since the House of Assembly opened attacking the New Democrats. They are on the Dippers’ case all the time. Last week it was an enormous pile of foolishness over the fact one NDP member of the legislature tweeted that some on the Tory side had lied during comments in the House.
No one other than the Tories took it seriously. How ineffective was the Tory Twitter-gate crisis? David Cochrane openly ridiculed them on Twitter:
To recap: implying MHAs too stupid to understand complex issues or accusations of treason are fine in HofA. Liar tweets a heinous offence
If Cochrane can’t hold his nose any longer, you know you have a laid a major-league stinker.
What makes the past week’s NDP news is that it is happening in the middle of polling period. Normally, you wouldn’t be able to get a word in edge-wise as every Tory in the province talked up the glorious achievements of the glorious leader and the glorious party. Apparently this month, the Tories are so worried about the New Democrats that they decided to attack them instead.
Thomas Mulcair just returned the favour while he was in town for a fund-raiser and captured more coverage for his team in the process.
And what hasn’t been about the New Democrats during polling month has been the gigantic hole Kathy Dunderdale is digging for herself over the tragedy in Makkovik.
You really do have to stand in awe of such political genius as the Tories have displayed so far in May 2012.
-srbp-