Confirmation that the source of the Ignatieff allegation was legitimate
Thanks to the sleuthing work of Jason Cherniak, we know for certain that the allegation that Michael Ignatieff loyalists are actively trying to undermine the Liberal efforts to win in the Outremont by-election, and so sink the leadership of Stephane Dion, came from a real Liberal source.
I'm not being sarcastic.
Jason Cherniak deserves our gratitude.
When the story first broke, Stephen Maher of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald stunned Canada's political junkies with this amazing revelation concerning Liberal Party infighting so severe that the Outremont by-election might become a casualty in the battle:
Michael Ignatieff supporters are sabotaging Liberal efforts in the Outremont byelection in hopes of weakening Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, Dion loyalists say.
Dion loyalists suspect Liberal organizers who support Mr. Ignatieff have been undermining the campaign, hoping that a loss would force Mr. Dion out of the leadership once Liberals realized that he couldn't deliver seats in Quebec.
"I only know what I see, and I see some suspicious stuff," said one Liberal worker on the ground.
The Dion people say organizers in the riding have made a series of bizarre, counterproductive moves.
"There's one of two options," said one source close to Mr. Dion. "There's some folks there who are either grossly incompetent or intentionally malicious."
Dion loyalists are leaning toward the second option.
One source close to Mr. Dion.
Who? How close? Everyone has a theory, but Jason Cherniak was gutsy enough to challenge the legitimacy of the source altogether:
Meanwhile, from now on I will trust no anonymous source unless the reporter specifically states that he or she spoke to the source in person or over the phone. Clearly, it is too easy to plant fake stories with fake email accounts. Since they are anonymous, there is no way for the person who supposedly informed the reporter to ever deny it, because he or she would never know that he or she is the supposed source!
I don't even know that I believe the initial Halifax Chronicle report that supposedly had a person "close to Dion" blaming "Ignatieff supporters" for throwing the election. Again, it could have easily been the same fake emailer.
Burning the midnight oil (and possible egged on by Stephen Taylor), Jason has confirmed it for us:
UPDATE AT 1:02AM MONDAY
I have confirmation that the source for the initial Chronicle article was not the fake email account.
We owe Jason a debt of gratitude. Until he took it on to challenge the legitimacy of the source, there was always a nagging doubt in our minds that someone might have been playing games with Stephen Maher. Certainly those doubts were strongest in Liberals themselves, who might have been able to take some solace in the belief that the article was wrong, that Stephane Dion's people weren't bad-mouthing Michael Ignatieff's people, and that these same people close to Stephane Dion were not foolish enough to go public with these sorts of allegations, to air this dirty laundry only days before the by-election itself.
A belief that no one who worked for Stephane Dion would have thought this somehow helped Stephane Dion instead of pushing his leadership closer to an ignominious conclusion, a belief buoyed by a suspicion that the anonymous source in the article was really not a Liberal close to Stephane Dion.
I could have argued that the story made sense, and that I believed it to be true. But as a Tory supporter, no Liberal would be swayed.
Only Jason Cherniak, a respected Liberal blogger and a key supporter of Stephane Dion, could deliver the news that the article was based on solid information, and be believed by Liberals, Conservatives, NDP supporters, and everyone else.
Now that the suspicion that the article was fundamentally untrue has been utterly dispelled, we can go back to considering just what a senior Stephane Dion confidante was thinking when he spoke to the press to make such serious accusations against fellow Liberals, and what Stephane Dion is going to do about it.
I suppose a lot depends on whether Outremont goes to the Jocelyn Coulon of the Liberals or to Thomas Mulcair of the NDP, and if it goes to the NDP, on what Michael Ignatieff and other senior Liberals say to the press when the inevitable question of Stephane Dion's leadership comes up.
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Comments
I love it when the Liberals and their lackeys aim the six shooter at their Nikes and pull the trigger. Makes my day a little brighter.
Posted by: Yukon Gold at September 17, 2007 08:15 AM
This is pretty exciting stuff, these by-elections. I read an article saying that, if Mulclair won the seat, it'd be the second Quebec Dipper seat in history. The same article said that if the Liberals lost the seat, it'd be the second loss of Outremont since WW2 O_O
2 Strikes and Stephane is out?
(excuse my horrible spelling / grammar, it's early)
Posted by: Lore_Weaver at September 17, 2007 09:46 AM
Funny how he slipped his two line disclosure between his outrage over the fake email and the fake email itself. I guess he won't be telling us who his source is. No matter what happens in the byelections, I don't think we can expect to see Dion go quietly. This should be fun.
Posted by: muttsrus at September 17, 2007 09:54 AM
I agree with Mutts, Dion won't go down quietly, or take one for the team. This could get ugly and will be fun to watch. This smells like part two of the Martin Chretien war.
Posted by: rations at September 17, 2007 10:30 AM
No, he says it was not from that specific source. That doesn't mean the real source was legit.
I'm not sure why you would be surprised that I would report honestly, though. I don't mangle facts for partisan reasons.
Posted by: Jason Cherniak at September 17, 2007 10:33 AM
Looks like a Dion supporter intends to take down Ignatieff if Liberals lose Outremont .. together with Dion's demise.
Dion won't make it to the end of the week .....
Posted by: Observer at September 17, 2007 10:49 AM
Jason, I don't believe you would tell anything but the truth. Honest. Having suspicions about the source works in favour for Liberal morale. Eliminating those suspicions is the right thing to do. Of course, we still don't know who gabbed to Stephen Maher, and it may yet be another faker, I suppose, but the likelihood of that is low. First, Maher and company must know their business. Second, the obvious suspect, the person who emailed you, has been eliminated as a suspect thanks to you. The best attempt to discredit the story has fallen flat, and we're left with the simplest explanation possible. That a senior Liberal in Stephane Dion's circle is using the Outremont issue to attack Michael Ignatieff, possibly to prepare for a loss in the by-election. And that this source close to Stephane Dion thought this was a good idea.
Posted by: Steve Janke at September 17, 2007 11:21 AM
If Jason Cherniak reported that Canada was between Alaska and the Lower 48, I'd check an atlas...
Posted by: Bo Green at September 17, 2007 11:39 AM
I am just loving this new, invigorated Liberal party! Even their bloggers are knifing each other. Great hilarity all around!
The new Liberal Party of Canada...the worlds most entertaining slow motion train wreck!
Keep up the good work lefties!
Posted by: Jim at September 17, 2007 12:27 PM
I am just loving this new, invigorated Liberal party! Even their bloggers are knifing each other! Great hilarity all around!
The new Liberal Party of Canada...the worlds most entertaining slow motion train wreck!
Keep up the great work lefties!
Posted by: Jim at September 17, 2007 12:33 PM
Dion is going nowhere, and has the full support of Ignatieff and other Liberal MPs.
It's hilarious to see Conservatives get so worked up by a single by-election! Two weeks from now the by-election will be old news; Dion will be preparing for the next Federal Election; and Ignatieff, Rae and others will be gearing up to win their own ridings.
Now about that in and out election financing stunt the Tories tried to pull .......
Posted by: P. Fokes at September 17, 2007 12:35 PM
I do not think this by-election will be the end of Dion's leadership, regardless of the outcome. Unless the Liberals pull out a solid win in Outremont, however, Dion will be weakened - one more chip out of his armour.
Nevertheless, this by-election is certainly more exciting than most !
Posted by: Concerned Torontonian at September 17, 2007 02:22 PM
For a party that so admired Puffins for hiding their own excrement they are sure showing a lot of it in public.
I wonder when Jason will learn that his attacks on other Liberals demean Dion and are helping to hasten his own demise.
Posted by: Davide at September 18, 2007 12:51 AM
Well, we know for sure Dion has the support of his wife and daughter and Martha Hall-Findlay, she's ga-ga over him, sings his praises everywhere.
He's probably a fine person but can't cut it with the people of Canada and not even in his home province.
Interesting too is the Conservatives got the most votes in the combined riding tallies.
Posted by: Libby at September 18, 2007 11:36 AM
maybe we will have another real liberal leadership??? Omiting Rae?
Posted by: lorraine gooch at September 18, 2007 06:17 PM
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