Haley Needs To Go Back To Foreign Policy School...

Can you believe that Haley was actually an American UN Ambassador? Frightening, to say the least. So, she views China as an enemy now, does she? What an idiot. Of all people, a former diplomatic representative should never speak like that unless they can show cause, which clearly Haley can't. What has China done to deserve such contempt as that which comes with publicly being labelled as an enemy? Certainly not invaded Ukraine. And even more important than that, if Haley gets the nomination and becomes President, what logically flows from that ridiculous statement? I'll tell you what: War. Because when you call China an enemy, you better damned well be ready to go to war with them, more likely sooner rather than later. Her comment is the ultimate provocative statement, and it could quite literally cost the lives of American service personnel, maybe even her own husband's. Foolish in the extreme. One would have thought she actually knew better. Apparently not. At least it gives Ramaswamy a good laugh.

The CPC Convention And Trans Issues.

I strongly oppose the two trans-resolutions adopted at the convention. The first one would “restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth”. This is going at this the wrong way. First off, sure, parents should be advised and consulted where youth under 18 which to proceed with transgender treatment. But parents should NEVER have a veto if the child is 16 or over. The law allows 16-year-olds to drive, without parental consent, and this is no different from that.

Secondly, “[A]nother opposes the inclusion of trans women in women’s spaces such as on sports teams and in bathrooms.” Ask yourself what is the thinking behind this resolution. Quite simply, trans people are automatically presumed to be potential perverts and they went through this life-changing decision so they could sexually abuse others of the same gender. Absolute nonsense that is based on the usual suspect, ignorant people who don’t care or bother to get informed on these issues. Trans people are no more prone to be sexual offenders than either of the two traditional genders.

So, Pierre had better stay far away from these two resolutions. If he doesn’t, the vote subtraction process will begin in earnest and it will be giving the Trudeau Liberals their first lifeline, thanks to the collective ignorance of a plurality of CPC members.

And by the way, why do you think more and more secondary schools are having to convert some bathrooms for trans people? Here’s why: because some fellow students are choosing to beat up trans people when they try to use their gender-affirming bathroom and even when they try to use the bathroom of their birth gender. In short, an increasing number of trans people are being beaten up and ridiculed at school by fellow students. Why do you think some trans people opt for suicide? Wake up people! Get properly informed. Quite literally, lives depend on it.

G20: Where's Xi?

Sometimes, Xi must wish he was back slopping the pigs. I know I wouldn't want his job, what with him having to deal with the late Jiang's security services' repeatedly trying to off him and what not. Something tells me that when Jiang died, perhaps he did not necessarily finally go as voluntarily as people may have been led to believe. If so, interesting payback.

This is an illustration of Scenario 1 where Xi is facing a rear-guard action to remove him. It explains why changes have been made at the top as Xi increasingly stacks the deck with allies. But is it really working? What about all those reports of Xi going missing for extended periods of time? Is that because of more threats to his life? Hard to say.

There certainly is at least grumbling within the party and rumours of plans to remove him. If accurate, no wonder he decided to stay in Beijing. Taking an airliner suddenly may not have been a good idea, or perhaps he might be overthrown while abroad. Again, who knows. Xi has been consolidating his leadership, but is he really secure? Time will tell.

That brings up to Scenario 2 which is a logical extension of the first one. What if there's a leadership litmus test and its name is Taiwan? Will internal politics necessarily force Xi to take an uncompromising stand on the renegade province? To consolidate his leadership, will he have to take some form of military action against Taiwan?

I think it's safe to say that relations with The West and the United States, in particular, are probably at an all-time low, post-Deng. This is exceedingly dangerous and raises the bar of global instability. So, a conflict with the United States could come over or in the Taiwan Straits and more than likely, it would come somewhat accidentally due to some kind of unforeseen provocation by either side. 

It's not exactly peaches and cream time in Beijing, especially with the Chinese economy already taking quite a hit. The masses are, at the very least, discontented and that could also threaten Xi. No wonder Xi either decided not to or was forced not to be a consistent enthusiast of the travelling skies. Definitely glad I'm not in his shoes.

Not A Good Time To Be A Liberal MP.

It ain't heaven to be a part of the good ship HMCS Trudeau these days: morale is said to be very low, with plenty of disillusionment to go around. MPs are frustrated, scared and looking for answers. The big beef seems to be with the PMO: they're seen as giving Poilièvre a pass, just as support for the CPC continues to surge in polling. They want wrecking ball ads in the can against Pierre, but so far, that hasn't happened.

Then there's grumbling about Liberal communications out of the PMO and the ability of the current chief of staff and her boss to right the ship. Some believe Telford is out of her depth, while others even suggest that Trudeau should go for the good of the party and country. 

So, the next caucus retreat is bound to get interesting: MPs are prepared to groan and moan and, to some extent, take on Trudeau, but this Prime Minister seemingly is not known for listening to unsolicited advice, or taking criticism from anyone lightly. MPs report that Trudeau prefers to cut them off rather than hear them out when things get tough.

But in the end, they're likely either to mute their criticisms already made in the press, once they're at the caucus retreat or give up on them entirely. 

Let's face it, there's only one clear ultimatum that can work: MPs would have to give Trudeau at least thirty days to announce his resignation and coming political departure. If not, those same MPs would then have to leave caucus and sit as independents. That's the only way for Liberals to get it done and surprise, surprise, almost no one thinks any of them will actually have the stomach to move it forward when they meet next week in London.

Pierre Is Ready To Lead Canada Now!

I'm about to do something here that I normally never do: divorce myself from the content of one of my posts, so what you read now in this paragraph will be a preface. It will be the only place where I fit myself into the mix. Those of you who I've had the good fortune of having as regular readers will know this all too well -- O'Dowd is neither a natural nor convenient ass-kisser or bootlicker, so what I write in future paragraphs will be both as short as possible and, hopefully, more compelling to the reader than anything else I've ever written.

There was no way that I was going to miss The Speech In Quebec City. Going into it, it was my impression that a non-politician named Anaida had incredibly natural political instincts and gifts on stage. What authenticity, charm and a way to connect strongly with people in three languages.

What I discovered tonight is that Pierre has come a long way, baby! This speech, is the best speech he's ever delivered, bar none. It was chock-full of relatable content for Canadians and reflected their hopes, dreams, and expectations. And the delivery was, quite frankly, magical. It was as good as Charest's speeches and far better than most, if not all, of Harper's. Not a whiff of anger in the entire speech. In short, a masterful performance that proves beyond a doubt that Poilièvre will be ready on Day One to govern both effectively and with common sense.

So, in closing, I'm asking people to allow me to be as short as possible in this post. What I hope you will see is how Pierre resonates with average Canadians and how determined he is to make life better for all those people who are suffering economically. I humbly ask all of you to seriously consider giving the CPC your vote in the next election, no matter when it comes. Pierre will be there, ready to make Canada a far better place for all of us. I hope you decide to join us on our journey. Thank you.

 

Poilièvre: Leader Never Bound By Convention Policy Resolutions.

This made me laugh. No kidding. Pierre can ignore as many policy resolutions as he wants that come out of the CPC convention that starts tomorrow, on Thursday in Quebec City.

This is nothing new. Harper never felt obligated to implement any or all of them so in a sense they are nothing more than backroom noise, which is likely good, electorally speaking.

Of course, the mainstream legacy media will be looking for off your rocker whoppers that can be pretzeled against the Conservatives. 

God knows most of the media already genuflect at the Trudeau Liberal altar so that won't be much of a surprise.

For my part, I remain hopeful that a positive outcome will come out of the convention. Pierre's comments only reinforce my impression. In short, he's already in place as the party gatekeeper against dogmatic nonsense or outright policy insanity. And thank God for that.

Enjoy the convention.

Feinstein And McConnell.

To begin, I want to salute Feinstein and McConnell for their incredible dedication to public service. Both of them have been distinguished senators but not above partisanship, but that goes with the territory. Each of them has really made a difference, and their country is far better off than it otherwise would have been without their service.

I'm not among those who advocate for term limits for public office holders -- elected representatives should come and go only at the whim of the electorate -- as opposed to judges who should be term-limited.

Feinstein has already indicated that she won't be running again, and that's both a medically and personally sound decision. McConnell seemingly wants to stick it out, and that's a mistake. There comes a point where a combination of work stress and wear and tear goes from sending warning signs to something much worse. Clearly, McConnell's symptoms are secondary to his recent fall and a likely concussion, which provokes these seizures. So, Mitch should hang it up in 2024, if not for his own sake, then at least for Elaine's. There should be no double standard here. Use your head, Mitch, like Dianne did, and just go for your own well-being.