Read on Twitter
Many years ago there was a new sports reporter who wondered how he could be the go-to-guy on local TV. He knew he had to compete with the other MSM TV stations and the national talking heads. So, how to stand out? In an interview, a few years after he left the profession,
1/
1/
he told a story about meeting a long time sports anchor who told him to find a team the majority in his area hate, or want to hate. Don't worry about the rest, he was told. You're a reporter so the report sports news but, make sure everyone knows you hate the team they hate.
2/
2/
So, after looking at the local stats, he chose the Leafs as the team he would hate. He said, in his interview, that he had nothing against the Leafs (he was a Habs fan) but he was following the old timers advice. It worked. He constantly railed on the evil empire known as
3/
3/
the Toronto Maple Leafs and was cheered on by all except, obviously, Leaf fans. They still tuned in to see what new outrageous thing he would say about their team though. A win for him.
Now, take that tactic and apply it to Canadian national politics.
4/
Now, take that tactic and apply it to Canadian national politics.
4/
Erin O'Toole is using this same tired old tactic. He's checked which way the wind is blowing & found that constantly talking about Trudeau was not only tiring but counterproductive so he needed to pick a new boogeyman everyone could hate in unison. Conservatives love to hate.
5/
5/
The obvious one for many is China. Here is a guy who for years told us that trade deals w/ China were good, that FIPA was 'leveling' the playing field & Canada had made some great deals -China was sort of okay to do business with. Distasteful ideology but good for some cash.
6/
6/
Now, according to Erin, they are evil incarnate! He has been trying to distance himself from his own past sitting at the cabinet table with Harper and being the good soldier lauding and cheering on China trade deals. Now, like the sports reporter he is leading a hate chorus,
7/
7/
the one he thinks will gain him a handful of votes. He's not putting forward solutions in dealings with China, he's just hating the same people his base hates. This China bashing will get very tiring, as tiring as Scheer's Trudeau bashing got.
8/
8/
