Angry in the Great White North

If you weren't already aware, Garth Turner is the most loyal supporter of Stephane Dion in the Liberal caucus.

How do I know?  Well, Garth said so:

Turner, who has a long history of speaking candidly -- going back to his days in the Mulroney caucus -- reveals he's "in a bit of trouble right now" with some of his colleagues.

"I'm seen as a guy who is standing out there for Dion, helping the leader succeed." Those who Turner has targeted for their disloyalty have reacted by drawing their own swords against him.

So we know Garth Turner is one of Stephane Dion's most loyal disciples.  I use the word "disciple" because of Garth Turner's own (mildly offensive) gushing quasi-religious fervor:

It ain’t hard to see the fire this lights under [Stephane Dion]. When he talks about doing the right thing for the planet and energizing the economy at the same time, Dion goes from passionate to messianic.

OK, that's just spooky.  Politicians are inspiring or even visionary.  Cult leaders are messianic.

It's been clear for quite some time that Garth Turner has had a man-crush on Stephane Dion.  Until now is has been vaguely creepy, but this has taken a turn for the seriously weird.

But let's mark Garth Turner's attribution of Christ-like qualities to Stephane Dion as just one more reason Garth Turner ought not to blog.

The Conservatives have launched The Dion Tax Trick campaign to explain to Canadians that the Dion Carbon Tax will do nothing for the environment, and will instead tax Canadians on everything in order to pay for unbudgeted Liberal promises.

The Liberals have said the campaign is silly, not based on facts, and pointless.

Well, no longer pointless.  It seems that within 24 hours of the campaign being launched, uber-Dionista Garth Turner says the Liberals must retreat and quickly:

How will the Libs react? The damn-the-torpedoes response would be to push ahead simply because this is the right thing to do for our wasteful, oil-drunk society and collective future. The political reaction would be to modify and corrupt the plan to address worries of rising energy costs and pissed-off voter groups. Since Stephane Dion is one of the most principled people I have encountered in public life, and yet a national party leader who needs support, I don’t know the outcome.

But I do know this: The comments yesterday’s blog post generated, and the avalanche of emails I received offline, were telling. Either this is not the time for altruism, with $140-a-barrel oil, or proponents of the Green Shift have simply not articulated their vision.

So, I will carry this on with me today as I climb the Hill and meet with my colleagues. I have two conclusions to share: First, this issue, this action, this vision is too important to abandon, and too crucial to bring forth at the wrong moment.

You'd think that a messianic communicator like Stephane Dion would have no problem dealing with the talking oil splotch in the Conservative ad campaign.

And why would Garth Turner be worried about the "avalanche of emails"?  Surely constituents in Halton would be swayed if only Stephane Dion was given a chance to give his own Sermon on the Mount of Green.

Indeed, aren't the voters of Halton ready to give Stephane Dion's tax-on-everything the benefit of the doubt given that Garth Turner is for it?

Perhaps Garth Turner is nervous at just how quickly the Conservative ad campaign has translated into an avalanche of emails.

Is Garth Turner worried that (a) Stephane Dion's messianic qualities will not be up to the task of turning back the avalanche, and (b) that he, Garth Turner, is going to get caught by that avalanche?

Perhaps Garth Turner's loyalty has limits. 

Addendum:  It's one thing to have doubts.  But now that Garth Turner has gone and voiced his doubts publicly, the story of Liberal divisions is leading the news, based mostly on his post.  The best part?  Garth Turner has to justify his doubts, since as a true Dion believer, he personally can't have any doubts.  So he states that he has received an avalanche of emails within 24 hours of the Conservative campaign launching.  And now that's part of the news too.  Seriously, doesn't anyone in the Liberal Party get just how badly Garth Turner messes up the Liberal Party's ability to influence the news cycle?

Addendum Update:  So it's all Robert Fife's fault at CTV (see the comment at 11:24am on Garth Turner's "Fear Factor" post) for using an MP's posting on a blog as quote:

Here’s a scoop for you: The CBC interviewed me this morning. Duffy asked me to appear this afternoon. Robert Fife (whose article you reference), has not bothered to call. Guess he was too busy writing. — Garth

I guess the fact that Robert Fife jumped on Garth Turner's blog to confirm what other information he's been developing for quite some time (and that has been reported widely, that is, the Liberals are divided on the wisdom of a carbon tax) is not Garth Turner's fault.  Garth Turner ought to be allowed to blog as an MP without the statements in his blog being used as quotes by reporters.  Reporters should instead call Garth Turner up to ask him what he really means, in case he has decided that what he wrote is now causing him some grief, and he wants to use the media to undo the damage he has caused.

Hey, if you want someone to call you, don't write them a letter that purports to say what you mean.  Just saying.

Meanwhile how many Liberals are going to have to undo the Liberals-are-divided damage caused by this?  And while they're doing that, the ads keep running.