Family Feud: George Orwell meets Walt Kelly

Steve Kent was quick off the mark on Thursday to pledge his unswerving, unstinting and constant loyalty to the ABC cause.

Yes, the Family Feud is on.

CBC's David Cochrane reported this evening that the Premier was so unsettled by a recent blog post at Meeker on Media that he fired off an e-mail demanding government caucus members declare their support for the Feud and indicate which candidate they would be supporting.

The post, based on comments by Loyola Hearn's communications director, suggested there were leaks inside the Tory caucus heading to Hearn and that not all Provincial Conservatives were comfortable going to war against their kith and kin.  The post also indicated that the Premier and his team were organizing a trademark astroturf campaign.

Hearing Kent of the Williams Conservatives commit to defeat the "Harper Conservatives" in the context of the Premier's e-mail only serves to confirm the background to the Meeker post and other commentaries.

First, the e-mail is a clear signal that not only are there Provincial Conservatives who are not happy with the Family Feud, the premier himself is so conscious of it - and worried about it -  that he is looking for declarations of loyalty.

Second, Kent's use of the talking point "Harper Conservatives" invites the obvious conclusion that the Family Feud merely pits the Harper Conservatives against the Williams Conservatives, a phrase that only slightly morphs the "Williams Government" phrase so popular in official government news releases.

Third, having Kent pledging to campaign throughout his district against the federal Conservatives is only fitting for what is - essentially - an internal spat among people on the same end of the political spectrum. Only a decade ago, Kent was being courted by and apparently considered running for the old Reform/Alliance Party.

One could almost hear Kent's talking points as a bizarre mix of 1984 and Pogo: 

Mount Pearl has always been at war with Eastasia. 

We have found the enemy and they is us.

-srbp-

ROFLMAO @ ABC

Over at Geoff Meeker's blog, his post on a supposed leak from inside the Provincial Conservative caucus has brought out a self-described chauvinist doing as any imitator of Nicholas Chauvin might do.

It can be pretty funny stuff if you just read what's on the page. 

Here's a summary of the discussion thus far:

According to PW, before the PM goes to see the GG, ODP needs to define ABC PDQ so things aren't FUBAR because the people of NL will not know how to X their ballot in the GE in OCT unless they hear HMV, likely on CBC, NTV, VOCM or for VIPs via TXT or PIN on RIM.

The ABC, you may recall, is supposed to KO SH and the CPC everywhere in CDA from NL to BC because they were NSF on the BP to ODP's L2S in the 06 GE. There's been no DND in HVGB or new HMP in HG, represented in the HOA by the AG.

Before now, ODP DW and SH were BFF.

ABC would also KO LH, the CPC MDFO in the GOC, who represents SJSMP in the HOC, and keep him out of the PCO in NCR but right now he is MIA.

But it's not just an ABC, according to PW who plugs his blog, PAP, in his comments on GM's MOM. 

It's ABC...D.

And worse than that PC MHAs will be PO'ed at voting for WN, SC, SA and other LPC ESP JF, who was a CM for BT and RG when they were ODP before DW.

But JH of the NDP in SJE is OK with ODP DW.

The only letter missing thus far in PW's alphabet folly "Z ", but undoubtedly someone is working on that rogue letter and will send it along ASAP.

At this point, everyone is likely LOL and well they should be WRT the whole ABC/FF thing.

MW of ON can rest easy, though.

You don't need a BA, MA or PHD from MUN to spot the BS of PW and the FF.

Now YHE-S must go to the ER and see a GP because this whole thing is causing MEGO.

K?

-srbp-

Backuppable Tom to run for federal Connies?

The Family Feud could get infinitely more entertaining if local political rumours hold true.

Former Provincial Conservative Premier Tom Rideout is looking at running for the federal Conservatives according to CBC's David Cochrane.  When Rideout quit Danny Williams' cabinet a couple of months ago, Bond Papers had Rideout looking at a run against incumbent Liberal member of parliament Scott Simms in central Newfoundland.

The specific riding isn't as important as the idea of the guy who ran through the 1989 provincial general election like the love child of Speverend Rooner and Mrs. Malaprop running for the federal Conservatives in the fall federal election.

Rideout's departure from provincial politics was never just about a million dollars of roadwork, despite what some people would have you believe. There's quite obviously some considerable animosity between Rideout and Williams, likely dating back to Rideout's leadership win in 1989.

Rideout - who served in key roles in the Williams administration - is in a position to know where more than a few bodies are buried in the Provincial Conservative backyard.  He'd also likely attract a fair bit of support from long-time Provincial Conservative voters and backroom workers who are dissatisfied with the internal party strife resulting from the ongoing Anything But Conservative campaign, as the Family Feud is officially known.

The scrappy veteran campaigner would also be inclined to smack back at any attacks from his former Provincial Conservative caucus and cabinet mates.

Even if Rideout worked behind the scenes or as a spokesperson for the federal Conservatives in the province, the Family Feud could turn out to be the surprise hit of the fall political season. The Family Feud likely won't shift too many votes, but it would be political theatre of the kind the province hasn't seen in years.

-srbp-

Provincial Conservatives plan ABC astroturf

Bond Papers readers are no doubt shocked at the very thought, but it seems to be true.

They may even be struck speechless at the very idea.

The Provincial Conservatives are organizing astroturf as part of the Family Feud. That's according to some information Geoff Meeker obtained courtesy of Loyola Hearn's office, whose spokesman conveyed it this way:

“We were contacted late last week by a member of the provincial PC caucus, who told us that they were contacted by someone in the premier’s office, asking all ministers and MHAs to find at least four people in their ridings who they can call upon to put their names to letters to the editor, or to put calls in to Open Line shows, to give the appearance that the ABC campaign is away more ‘grass roots’ than perhaps what it is. These calls are happening during business hours from someone in the premier’s office, though I won’t get into who.”

The piece contains another claim destined to leave people truly dumbfounded:  the astroturf campaign is already underway.

Not like people haven't been writing blog posts and calling open line shows expressing their sedimental solidarity with the New Democrats, talking up the positive features of the Family Feud and condemning Stephen Harper at every opportunity.

-srbp-

Connie bitch-slapping intensifies

The Family Feud continues unabated.

There must be a federal election coming.

The latest volley is a statement released by federal fish minister Loyola Hearn this afternoon:

It's interesting to hear the Premier say today that he was simply "stepping up to the plate" to fund arts initiatives within the province, and to highlight his own commitment to the arts.

Residents of Mount Pearl may find this message a little bit confusing.  The original proposal for Mount Pearl's Lifestyle Centre included a local theatre.  With federal and municipal money on the table, the Williams government responded that they would not fund the project if the federal government was involved. 

In the end, the Lifestyle Centre became a victim of the ABC campaign, and will proceed without a theatre.

Hearn's a scrappy old silverback politician.  You don't have to agree with his politics to appreciate that he's unlikely to take the sort of pokes Danny Williams has been making without hitting back.  And it's not like Hearn has been afraid to go right up Danny's nose if need be to make a point.

But at this early stage of the campaign, it won't be too long before the Universal Rule is broken and someone's mother gets dragged dragged into the whole fracas.

Oh dear.

Fights in the family are always the ugliest.

How ugly?

Well, there's always this video of a very young, but no less irk-filled Danny Williams telling CBC's Deanne Fleet what a great premier Loyola Hearn would make.

 

-srbp-

Family Feud

The federal Conservatives and the provincial Conservatives are still hacking away at each other.

This time it's iambic pentameter at 10 paces with cuts to arts funding.

The other day it was provincial Conservative dauphin Jerome Kennedy and funding for a new prison in the province, likely to be built in his own district if the feds cough up the cash.

The only thing missing is Richard Dawson.

All highly entertaining but beyond that, it's nothing more than a sign a federal election is around the corner.

-srbp-