Finally the social extremists like Garry Rohr, are "coming out" and overtly engaging in the political process to influence the PC leadership campaign outcome - and Ted Morton is their man. My sentiments are summed up by Adlai Stevenson (I think) who said, "I disagree with everything you are saying but will defended with my life your right to say it." Just Google Garry Rohr to get a sense of who he is and how he operates. In the Richard Nixon style of "I am not a crook" Rohr is quoted as saying, "We've been painted in the media as extremists, but we're really not that extreme." "...not that extreme...." Boy is that comforting!
These are the folks that made Stephen Harper "scary" in 2004 and my guess (hope of hopes) is they do the same for Ted Morton. Drs. Morton and Oberg are on the same page here. Morton is reported as being committed as Premier to reintroduce his anti-gay legislation to discriminate and deny certain people the fairness and the freedom to marry. Even Victor Doerksen isn't going there and notes it is a federal issue according to the same Edmonton Journal report.
The tactics are the same old "set up" survey questionnaire of the "gotcha" playbook of political tricks. These groups used them in the last two provincial elections. I wonder which of his profusion of advocacy fronts and factions he will use this time. Will it be the Canada Family Action Coalition, or his Family Life Coalition, or Families for Day (yes that's Stockwell Day we're talking about here). These are just a few of his political action "vehicles."
These organizations are large groups of people, not like the phoney grassroots cabal that took on Deb Gray a few years back. They proved to be loud and media savvy but in the end, they had a membership about as big as a half empty phone booth. Rohr has a huge membership base and claims an e-mail list of 50,000 names. That is more than enough to make a difference in the PC leadership. In fact it could determine the end result if everyone else sits on the cynical sidelines.
I have posted before on Dr. Morton (August 22, 27) and Victor Doerksen (Aug 16) if you want more context on them and their issues. For serious citizens participation in this PC leadership is not an option.
The world is run by those who show up and Garry Rohr and his people are determined to show up. Good on them. That is what democracy is all about. What about the rest of us? Will we show up or simply sit back and settle for an outcome determined by others?
I think it was Voltaire that came up with the quote you attribute to the unfortunate Adlai Stevenson.
ReplyDeleteYou may be right as to the source of the quote. I am not sure and I can't seem to find it on line at all. Which makes me wonder if it was ever uttered. And that led me to find a great Voltaire quote appropriate in the circumstances:
ReplyDelete"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd."
Ken,
ReplyDeleteWhat you say - "The world is run by those who show up" - is very true. Which is somewhat worrisome as it relates to the current campaign. I live in Calgary and I believe there is a certain degree of apathy toward the PC leadership race - at least I get this sense from informal conversations with co-workers, people on the bus, etc.
But people with a "cause" will make it out there on voting day.