14 Comments
author

Yes, I know I wrote Ontario, it’s already corrected, I’m a moron

(/when I edit I edit for spelling and grammar and not content. My bad lol)

Expand full comment

It's alright. Doug Ford is an anagram for Blaine Higgs, easy mistake.

(or something, I only edit for spelling and grammar too)

Expand full comment

Evan, I hate to say it, but I think you are completely wrong. Most Trump voters know exactly who Trump is. And they like it. Actually they want to see more of it. They want Trump to be as racist, bigoted, anti trans as possible, not because they necessarily are endorsing those exact views, no, because they know that those views are hurtful to the people that they think need to be taken down a few pegs. There is nothing that Harris can do sway these voters. No policy or warning about Trump’s fitness for office will change their minds.

These Trump voters are not motivated by improving lives for themselves or anybody for that matter, they are motivated by making life miserable for people they believe don’t deserve to be happy or safe. I encourage you to read Tom Nichols’ article in the Atlantic of yesterday. I believe he is spot on.

Poilievre, Rustadt, Higgs, Moe and Smith also are trying to tap into this resentment. I would like to think that we in Canada are less resentful than in the US, and so far the results in BC and NB have given me hope.

Expand full comment

Trans rights didn't sink the Tories. Most people are pretty much agnostic on the issue. Much bigger fish to fry.

The "data my ass" and similar comments coupled with the republican tone which the Premier Higgs had adopted turned off a LOT of people (including me). The directive that deputy ministers were to report directly to the premiers office instead of the department minister was probably the straw that precipitated the cabinet revolt. Pushing in a fundamentalist christian into a solid tory riding against the local boards wishes was a bad move also. Importing a right wing adviser from Alberta was a questionable tactic, given the direction that is being taken out there.

Mr Higgs did a pretty good job during Covid and with a minority government. He had to co operate in that situation, so consensus was the word of the day. His government handling of the Covid situation got him his majority. Then it was "my way or the highway". We don't like that down here, so... out you go.

Expand full comment

I'm enjoying the people Evan calls "my intelligent readers" having meltdowns because they are transphobes.

Expand full comment

Hillary won the popular vote and only lost because she lost the Electoral College vote.

Expand full comment

Your use of the word 'transphobia' is a give-away of your bias. It is perfectly reasonable for parents and normies in general to oppose authoritarian gender ideology policies. The stats you even quote conform that the vast majority support the views and policies of Higgs et al. This will not change.

Expand full comment

Good article, but for God's sake, re-read before you send.

Expand full comment

Whatever Trump 24 is seeing from those ads has to be positive if they keep running them. IF they are working it's because the ad isn't really about transphobia but rather the stickiest example of Kamala's leftist past which she is desperate to run away from. It's going to be fascinating final few weeks.

Expand full comment

Also, I'm not sure a laser focused closing message on housing and abortion involves a detour into "my opponent is literally Adolf Hilter."

Expand full comment
author

The problem with this argument is twofold: 1) Kamala’s paid media is still mostly on message, and 2) if she let the John Kelly line go without reinforcement and she loses the narrative will be “she didn’t play up Trump’s threat enough” ESPECIALLY since 2022 showed a fairly big penalty for election denial

Expand full comment

One substack fellow I read, a journalist who wrote for The Village Voice for years has observations about Trump and fascism. Worth a read. https://edroso.substack.com/p/the-league-of-premature-anti-trump

Expand full comment

New Brunswick not Ontario. Good article

Expand full comment

In ‘Ontario’?

You need an editor.

Expand full comment