The Draft A Leader People have put together a new video of John Tory’s appearance on the highly regarded TVO show, The Agenda. Please watch it and tell me what strikes you about the footage. For me, it wasn’t so much that Tory’s people aren’t agreeing any longer on how to attack opponents (or if to attack opponents) as much as it’s revelation that John Tory STILL isn’t aware of what *his* campaign is doing. Afterall, if I had a campaign solely based on my credentials and which is putting stuff out in my name, wouldn’t I want to be aware of what they’re saying. Either John Tory was lying when he said that he wasn’t aware of the popular press release about Grassroots (it’s been quoted and commented on all over the Blogging Toriesphere) or he’s simply that unaware of all that is going on around his campaign.
Here’s the point to anyone still on the fence about John Tory, the leader: what if this happened during an election? Think about it: Tory’s going around Ontario preaching his good news and then he sits down with a local TV station for an interview where the reporter pops open a question about a controversial press release the campaign has released (think mutant kitten eaters). John Tory’s answer on TVO isn’t satisfactory for the party, how much more would the Liberals and the media rip into him after this? It could be the pivotal issue of a campaign wherein a Liberal win would become guaranteed. Can we really risk our party and our province on someone who isn’t capable of keeping up to speed on these matters?
Mé wrote:
Come on. Give John Tory another chance. Like other leaders who have lost elections on their first try, he will improve. Just ask Ontario NDP leader, Howard Hampton. I think Hampton wants to lead his party for a fourth election. Tory deserves the same.
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 5:07 am | Permalink
Joanne (TB) wrote:
I totally agree with your analysis. I watched the show, and that was the first thing that struck me. He still doesn’t have control of his messengers and that’s a big problem.
Tory is toast!!!
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 6:37 am | Permalink
Charles Anthony wrote:
I do not like that video and I do not trust the people who made it.
In that video, inflammatory and divisive remarks are attributed to John Tory which he disputes having said. Either John Tory is lying or the anti-John-Tory crowd is lying. Why should I believe either one???????
The onus is on the anti-John-Tory crowd to prove that John Tory made those remarks. I challenge them to prove it with more than a cheap amateur photoplay.
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Strategically, I believe the anti-John-Tory crowd is doing their political cause more harm than good.
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 7:11 am | Permalink
Ken wrote:
Charles Anthony, it isn’t that anyone can prove Tory made those remarks (no one is claiming that they can), but it is either him that made the remarks or somone on his “no” campaign team. It is on the Together With Tory website. The issue is that he doesn’t know what is going on with this campaign. Matthew poses an interesting question about what if this type of stuff happened during an election.
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 8:48 am | Permalink
Charles Anthony wrote:
Forgive me but I just can not find those statements on his website. Please provide a link.
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 9:57 am | Permalink
Ken wrote:
Actually I cannot find it on the website anymore, but it was there under the title of “Reality Check” in the Latest News section of the page on the top right. I can’t find any of the past items from that category. Not sure if they meant to do it that way, or if it is poor site design.
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 10:05 am | Permalink
Matthew wrote:
Charles Anthony, I found it under a Google serach:
http://www.draftaleader.com/opposition-watch.html
The Together With Tory crowd probably took it down from their site when this was brought up on TVO — if you still don’t believe though, I actually encourage you to help John Tory and his people SUE Draft A Leader and TVO and Steve Paikin. If you still don’t believe and don’t want to put such energies into this though, just check out the Internet Archives site (the date, title and website have all been provided to you within that link/earlier comments).
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 10:17 am | Permalink
Ken wrote:
Here’s a blog post with a copy of the release that was put out by the Tory side:
http://victory2011.blogspot.co.....nifes.html
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 10:18 am | Permalink
Charles Anthony wrote:
I found all of that stuff through internet searches too but none of that is proof.
Do not get me wrong. I believe John Tory is a buffoon but I see no reason to trust the anti-John-Tory crowd. This could very well be mischievous sabotage.
All of this in-fighting is highly reminiscent of Liberal infighting, by the way.
I challenge Conservative supporters to make an effort to look at themselves from outside of their narrow box.
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 12:03 pm | Permalink
Paul Synnott wrote:
You can find the “Reality Check” on the Together with Tory Media page - dated January 17. It’s at the very bottom of the page.
http://www.togetherwithtory.ca/media.htm
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 12:24 pm | Permalink
Charles Anthony wrote:
InternetArchive.org search “www.togetherwithtory.ca”
What was that??
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 12:27 pm | Permalink
Charles Anthony wrote:
Alright, alright, alright. I found the blimey link: January 17th, 2008
There. I have proof that John Tory does not know what is going on in his campaign. I am convinced.
Now, on to all of the Conservative supporters in Ontario.
Why make such a big deal out in the open? Why not just vote him out?
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 12:54 pm | Permalink
Charles Anthony wrote:
Enough beating around the bush. I just took a candid shot at the truth. I picked up the telephone and called John Ratchford, whose name is at the bottom of that Reality Check press release. I did not record the conversation and I did not take notes while we were talking. I asked him point blank whether John Tory authorized that press release on the Together With Tory website.
He said that he can not be certain that John Tory is aware of everything that goes on that website. Therefore, I guess we can say that John Tory does not have absolute control over his campaign.
John Ratchford sounded sincere and did not seem like he wanted to deceive nor hide anything. He made it very clear that he posted his telephone number so that people may call him. I trust him to have genuinely wanted to support John Tory’s leadership.
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I want to say one thing about that same Reality Check press release: I see no reason to believe John Ratchford is mistaken. Just because Nick Kouvalis says: “This is really a battle between the grassroots and the party establishment.†that does not make it true.
Posted on 14-Feb-08 at 3:16 pm | Permalink