John Tory: “Just not up to the job”?

When John Tory became leader of the Ontario PC Party back in September, 2004 I have to admit that I was not thrilled. It only took a tepid five months for me to see that there was no interest in this man’s heart to provide anything truly conservative to hardworking Ontario residents when, at the 2005 AGM, he announced that the party would renege the five years worth of party reforms started by former Harris cabinet minister and current federal Health Minister Tony Clement among others. John Tory has a major image problem now among his own base, irregardless of how his favoured children in downtown Toronto see him as he will make a conciliatory promise to the 55% of the party which voted against him and against *progressive* conservativism in 2004, and then in the next breath do something so blatantly contrary (and often stupid, by just rational standards) as to convince the blues in the party that this man only has interest in conservatives so far as their votes are concerned.

I have been hammering on the guy over the last couple of weeks with regards to the first problem: John Tory’s disrespect and not-so-disguised hatred for Blue Tories, whether they are hawks, socons, libertarians or anything outside of that safe PC bubble the former Rogers head talks out of. Today though, I wanted to point out a few headlines that are already making their way to the presses on just the first evening of the Ontario PC convention in Toronto, as if Tory himself were purposely trying to prove my other point that he is also oblivious to anything outside of his talking points…

Item #1: Tory is going to try to rip the party apart even further by taking a page out of his mentor (former PC Premier Bill Davis)’s playbook – Give private faith-based schools direct government funding but on the condition that they adhere to *certain* tenants, like letting our public boards dictate certain directives. Nice job John, in your eager attempt to quell a demographic that you have been kicking and pouncing on for the last three years, you just drove them even further into the enemy’s camp. Talk about being oblivious to the idea of religion; that’s our Tory Tory though!

Item #2: Release an ad that attacks three former U.S. Presidents (which might have been his wife’s suggestion since Barbara Hackett is well-known as being very anti-American) alienating both those in your party (secular libertarians) who idolize Clinton and the large group of PC supporters who don’t like the near-racism they see coming from the other guys on a daily basis. This is not to mention that the slogan about “misleaders” just plain sucks. Warren Kinsella will wipe the floor with your $55 haircut John if this is all your fabulous staffers can put together!

We’ll have to see what tomorrow will bring though since John Tory and his team will have a whole 24 hours, instead of the 6 they had today, to botch even more stuff up! As it stands though, I can only be reminded of a certain notorious ad that symbolized just how badly Red Tories were at getting out their message…now who was it that approved that ad again?