Another example of why NDP bloggers are struggling to be taken seriously
Recall how I said that NDP bloggers are not enjoying any serious support from the party because their leader, Robert McClelland, is reflexively insulting to just about everyone.
Well, the problem goes beyond McClelland. And that does not bode well for the Blogging Dippers. In this case, it is Eugene Plawiuk glibly accusing Foreign Minister Peter MacKay of being a pedophile.
Kady O'Malley's piece in Macleans created quite a stir in Canada's left-of-centre blogosphere:
It started over the weekend with a single post from "Northern BC Dipper," a self-described "proud New Democrat" in northern British Columbia.
"Most of the time I don't like to blame party staff for party setbacks, but I've gotten to the conclusion that Brad Lavigne, Director of Communications for the NDP, should be fired," he began. The blogger then proceeded to blame Lavigne for what he saw as a series of media misjudgements on everything from the party's position on Afghanistan to its treatment of newly elected Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.
Over at Le Revue Gauche, blogger Eugene Plawiuk claimed that he has done a better job of getting out the party's position on Afghanistan than Lavigne. "Lavigne has missed defining the mission in debates with his Conservative and Liberal counterparts," Plawiuk wrote. "And the NDP really blew it with ther messaging on Dion on Afghanistan. Instead they engaged in cheap shots one expects from the Western Standard."
Does Plawiuk come off as a bit arrogant, or a lot arrogant? This is how he describes himself:
A freelance writer, investigative researcher,heresiologist, labour/social/masonic historian, activist, unabashed left-winger and heathen ("but not an unenlightened one").
What about, well, um, blogger?
He complains about cheaps shots from the Western Standard without giving examples. I prefer examples. Here's a few, but not from the Western Standard. They come from Plawiuk's blog. Like calling Foreign Minister Peter MacKay a pedophile?
So Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay has made another of the governments surprise visits to Afghanistan.
Being a single guy I wonder if he was looking for a child bride.
Really? Was that what you were wondering? I didn't think that at all. But my skills as an "investigative researcher" aren't as honed as Plawiuk's.
Plawiuk was using this cheap shot as a way of directing readers to this story about Afghan girls being sold as young brides. It is a terrible situation, but to call Peter MacKay a pedophile does nothing to move the story forward.
If someone from the NDP benches had said that in the House of Commons, the uproar would have brought down the roof. So why would the same politicians allow their message to be carried by the likes of McClelland and Plawiuk?
It's too bad. This is an important story. But arrogant hypocrites like Plawiuk cannot be trusted to deliver a story like that without tainting it with their own puerile attempts at humour. Certainly the NDP doesn't seem to trust them.
Like I suggested earlier, this isn't an isolated incident. Plawiuk used pictures of Chretien's face, afflicted by Bell's Palsy, to illustrate a story about the first face transplant, or this one in which he aims a cheap shot at Warren Kinsella, and then admits it was a cheap shot in the comments.
No serious political party or individual politician would dare use Plawiuk as a means of delivering their message.
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Comments
He gets 750 unique visitors per day. Only 48 of them are returning visitors. That tells you something.
I love your expose on the uselessness of Blogging Dippers Steve. Keep exposing the self-absorbed idiots for what they are!!!
Posted by: ferrethouse at January 8, 2007 01:08 AM
Good points, Steve.
To be fair, there are bloggers who have firmly aligned themselves with a particular camp who resort to knee-jerk reactions, snide insinuations and an obstinate refusal to consider ideas that don't perfectly conform to their own. They are not all lefties.
It's just that the Dippers seem to have a disproportionate number of those.
As for the McKay comment by Plawiuk, perhaps he posted it because he can't imagine someone having honourable goals. He is likely one of those who sees 'dirty pictures' when undertaking a Rorshach test.
The Dips would do well to distance themselves from the bottom feeders although, in view of their illogical fantasies about how the world works, that would likely make their constituency even smaller than it is now.
Posted by: Selma at January 8, 2007 10:15 AM
It's pretty dificult to find any intelligent discussions or points of view over at the blogging dippers.The quality of bloggers can't even compare to liblogs or blogging torys.I'd like to say they are represenative of the loonie left,but to be honest to the left a lot of the dipper bloggers are just plain loons.Reading some of them is as much fun as peeing down a well,always good for a laugh but dangerous.
Posted by: tedf at January 8, 2007 11:19 AM
He doesn't appear to be a person too many people would want to talk to or talk about.
The McKay comment is one that should be hauled into Court, that's just not funny.
Posted by: Liz J at January 8, 2007 11:34 AM
As for Brad Lavigne, the guy is too good for that pack of outhouse rats. Hope he wises up and get's off that ship of fools.
He's a good communicator and very smart. Any Party would be lucky to have him.
Posted by: Liz J at January 8, 2007 11:53 AM
Yes, I've always found Brad Lavigne to be quite likeable, UNLIKE many dippers I've come across...
Posted by: Soccermom at January 8, 2007 12:05 PM
Don't forget McClelland's little brother... "Canadian Cynic", who deals the same sort of sleaze in the name of critical thinking.
"His enthusiasm for the to-and-fro certainly exceeds his powers of deductive reasoning here... and all the silly name-calling, traditionally the sport of eight-year-old boys, does nothing to advance any sort of rational discourse."
Posted by: neo at January 8, 2007 12:05 PM
The joke about all of this is simply that the Conservatives want to be tougher on pedophiles, whereas the New Democrats want to give them special treatment.
Posted by: William E. Demers at January 8, 2007 12:18 PM
Get a grip, Steve.
The Harper government continues to prop up a misogynist anti-women regime that allows child brides. But the silence of the Harper government over the lack of womens rights in Afghanistan is deafening. But then they don't believe women's equality is important in Canada so why should it be important in Afghanistan.
Eugene was just too subtle for you, I guess. And he's not even an NDPer, near as I can tell. You're doing the exact-same thing as Cherniak, trying to smear the NDP by connecting them to some commentators at non-partisan feminist boards.
It'll work on the ditto-heads. But no one undecided about the NDP will be swayed by this kind of thing.
Posted by: at January 8, 2007 12:30 PM
Sorry, that was me. Happy New Year, by the way.
Posted by: Dr.Dawg at January 8, 2007 12:31 PM
Propagating the myth the Conservatives don't believe in women's equality in Canada or anywhere else is without foundation and as close to pure Bullshit as you'll ever get.
Anyone spouting that crap had better do some research.
This Eugene dude knows full well the Canadian Forces have set up schools for Afghan girls and their lives are greatly improved and getting better in the ongoing process.
If Eugene is desperate for attention he better try another tack.
Posted by: Liz J at January 8, 2007 12:59 PM
Why give Peter McKay a hard time when it's ok to advertise for young boys in Canada.
Complaining about where you see the adds can get you fined though.
Man seeking relationship with boy
http://www.westernstandard.ca/website/index.cfm?page=article&article_id=2203&pagenumber=1
Whatcott's exploits caught up with him when he handed out flyers, revealing that Saskatchewan's leading gay magazine, Perceptions, had published an advertisement for a man seeking a relationship with a boy.
So he gets fined $17,000 when the sleaze bags running the magazine should be in jail???
Maybe it's just marrying girls at a young age that's bad and if it was boy's no lefty would complain.
Posted by: DrWright at January 8, 2007 01:01 PM
Let's look at the womens rights reality:
Conservatives
- supported the war in Afghanistan from the beginning
- believe they should stick it out no matter what
results from those actions: women in Afghanistan can attend school and work for the first time in decades, not to mention vote
translation: actively supports women's rights regardless of personal cost
NDP
- support for the war in Afghanistan was and is virtually non-existent amongst both members and party leaders
- believe that Canadian forces should not be engaged in ensuring the women-hating Taliban do not regain a foothold in Afghanistan, but should rather be focusing on reconstruction only, whether or not the Taliban just keeps on destroying what gets rebuilt or killing Canadians in the process of them retaking Afghanistan
results if the NDP were making policy: women in Afghanistan would never have gained before, and would thus lose now, their rights to attend school, work and vote and would once again be targets for public stoning
translation: pay lip service to women's rights, but would take no active engagement to secure those rights
The NDP likes to say that they support womens rights, but they have done nothing to support action that actually gives rights to women internationally. Hell, even George Bush has done more to extend women's rights than the NDP, which would really stick in their craw if they were honest enough to realize it.
Of course, nobody is expecting them to be honest with themselves.
Posted by: Surecure at January 8, 2007 01:17 PM
Maybe it's just marrying girls at a young age that's bad and if it was boy's no lefty would complain.
Gosh, who'd 'a thunk it. The same kind of thing that Steve was complaining about over at Eugene's site. But I'm confident that Steve's even-handedness will prevail.
Posted by: Dr.Dawg at January 8, 2007 01:21 PM
There's pawliuk's trash, then there's the loathsome bottom feeders who rush to support and enable him.
Posted by: numinous rune at January 8, 2007 01:35 PM
It goes beyond the Blogging Dippers. The entire "Progressive" blogosphere is infected with this type of illogical reasoning and knee-jerk personal attacks. I read on at least four different blogs last week that anyone who opposes the Ontario NDP's proposal for a $10 minimum wage is sexist. Did you here that? You're sexist if you oppose a $10 minimum wage -- supposedly because low wages hurt single moms and women in general more than men, blah blah etc...
Anyone who can turn an issue like the minimum wage into a gender issue must be completely consumed by the cult victimology, to the point where their mental stability needs to be questioned. I don't worry about it too much. It's exactly that mentality that keeps them on the radical fringes where they belong. These people have never been any sort of political threat.
Posted by: Raging Ranter at January 8, 2007 01:47 PM
I find Plawiuk a little creepy personally. I find it interesting he labeled MacKay a Pedophile... the first time I went to his site I thought the same thing about him...
Posted by: Sierra at January 8, 2007 01:51 PM
Funny how dippers never mention the women school teachers and politicians getting murdered by the Taliban,just the tired line we should be out of Afghanistan,a Nato mission by the way.
Posted by: paulsstuff at January 8, 2007 02:23 PM
*
Put this up this morning...
"Hey Jack... negotiate this."
Yessir... those brave and always noble Taliban freedom-fighters are back in action...
"KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 7 — The Taliban appeared to be resuming their campaign of violence after a week of quiet over the Islamic festival of Id al-Adha."
"Two newborn babies, their mother and a grandmother were killed in a roadside bombing in eastern Afghanistan as they were returning home from the hospital on Sunday..."
The post immediately attracted the usual snide leftbot rhetoric.
*
Posted by: neo at January 8, 2007 03:07 PM
I do not know why anybody is surprised by this crap. Dippers have been doing this for decades. I was one of the original members of Reform in Ontario. Even though I was an atheist, pro choice, union member, I was labelled a facist neo-con. Just like kids in the sandbox, the dippers have to lash out....it is all they have.
Posted by: kingstonlad at January 8, 2007 04:50 PM
Good job, Steve. I thought Eugene's article was out of bounds and I'm glad one of the higher profile bloggers called him out on it.
Posted by: OttCon at January 8, 2007 05:42 PM
If they have sick idiots like Plawiuk running the show at Blogging Dippers, it is no wonder that hardly anyone takes them seriously.
I think that he is going to find that he's bitten off more than he can chew with this idiotic comment about Mr. McKay. And once he discovers that for himself, we are going to watch him undoubtedly spin like a top and backpeddle; all the while trying to sound convincing while saying "I was only joking".
I can just imagine the uproar if Mr. McKay had said something like this about anyone Opposite to him politcally. The would be storming the castle like bloodthirsty savages hunting for his head.
Disagreeing with Mr. McKay because of his Party's policies is one thing. Making a crass comment that he is there looking for his own child bride, as if he were some sort of pedophile, is something else entirely. Its sick.
Does he honestly believe that Mr. McKay is never going to see this, that it will remain hidden forever? He would be well within reason to demand a public retraction and apology from Plawiuk. And if that isn't forthcoming, to sue his sorry ass into insolvency.
Posted by: Ontario Lad at January 8, 2007 07:08 PM
>Being a single guy I wonder if he was looking for a child bride.
Heh. Parse the sentence. A pronoun refers to its closest referent, yes?
One wonders where Plawiuk's proclivities lie if he, being a single guy, thinks that way.
Posted by: lrC at January 8, 2007 07:42 PM
A stupid comment to be sure.
As if the Foreign Affairs minister is going to be blindly accused of 'foreign affairs'. No doubt brought on by all the salacious commentary during the 'Belinda era'.
I don't think 'human trafficking' is seriously on the Foreign Affairs Minister's resume. This may have been true of the former 'exotic dancer' category under the Immigration Dept. during the Sgro/Volpe tenure; but in this case, is surely stretching the biting commentary to the outer reaches.
Posted by: Hans Rupprecht at January 8, 2007 08:34 PM
Peter is not looking for a bride. He is still too hurt by Belinda's betrayal!
Posted by: Red Vein at January 8, 2007 10:05 PM
The Socialist mindset seems to bring out the worst in the left wingnuter's kalaedascopic mental outlook.
The "how dare you' and now 'I'm p**sed off' hair trigger attitude leaves a little to be desired as regards rational thinking but then Socialism goes hand in hand with control so maybe we're expecting too much of this personality type.
I do know I grow weary of the four letter explicatives that seem to haunt so many of these people's ideas of expression.
Posted by: Simon at January 9, 2007 09:17 PM
While the left tries to paint Conservatives as uncompassionate, racist and homophobic, I note that the Conservative MP for Winnipeg is quadriplegic, Mr. Kahn emigrated from Pakistan and Lorne Mayencourt, the B.C. Liberal MLA and a gay man, is considering running for the Conservatives against Hedy Fry.
Truth is meaningless to the left, apparently.
Posted by: Randy at January 10, 2007 03:23 AM
Good point, Randy.
The makeup of the CPC caucus is actually as diverse as--if not more diverse than--the LPC caucus. Just a small detail that other political parties and the MSM conveniently "forget" when they're slagging the Conservatives.
If you look at the CPC on the benches in the House of Commons, you actually see far more young faces than in any other party, yet the CPC are continually portrayed by the MSM as outdated, male-dominated, old boys.
Old habits die hard. "Outdated, male-dominated, old boys" is how the MSM PREFER to characterize the CPC, when there is little basis in fact for this stereotype.
You've really got to be observant and an independent thinker in Canada these days to be able to discern what's REALLY going on. And, oh yeah, a blog reader.
Otherwise you're just drowning in the swamp created by the scumbags writing/presenting for the major media outlets.
Posted by: 'been around the block at January 10, 2007 09:51 AM
" ... and Lorne Mayencourt, the B.C. Liberal MLA and a gay man, is considering running for the Conservatives against Hedy Fry.
Randy, remember to do the Tory Party a big favour. Don't post this information at Kate McMillan's SmallDeadAnimals site. Most of the self-declared Conservatives there take a very dim view of gay rights and of anyone who is gay.
As to this issue, ... Steve Janke, ... welcome to the world of slow news days. You've got yourself a real piece of filler here.
Posted by: Budd Campbell at January 10, 2007 02:36 PM
Don't be so of your bigoted self Budd! Personally I don't care about sexual orientation. Just don't rub it in my face. Or did it ever occur to you, that the old axiom that "What happens in the bedroom, STAYS in the bedroom" applies to EVERYONE!
Posted by: the bear at January 11, 2007 01:03 PM
Don't be so sure of your bigoted self Budd! Personally I don't care about sexual orientation. Just don't rub it in my face. Or did it ever occur to you, that the old axiom that "What happens in the bedroom, STAYS in the bedroom" applies to EVERYONE!
Posted by: the bear at January 11, 2007 01:03 PM
SDA, of course, is welcoming and protective of gay commenters, even though they are invariably foul and offensive.
Posted by: ebt at January 11, 2007 05:22 PM
Going back to the beginning - the 750 unique visitors per day is because he has the knack for a headline, and he's monitored by http://www.newsnow.co.uk/newsfeed/?name=Canada - that drags you in a couple of times - then NEVER AGAIN!
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