PMO server hacked - offers of low-rate mortgages for the press corp

Hat tip to the Paper Boy who reported that Spammers had hacked into the PMO listerv with the following result...

Salon's sexiest man alive - Colbert the blogging tory?

I am so impressed.

A friend just called to tell me the dude from the Colbert Report has been selected as Salon Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.

Indeed, the folks at Salon said "Tired of that array of pretty boys, we came up with a list of guys who really rattle our chains."

Given the inherent discrimination agains pretty boys, I now accept that I could never have won.

Congratulations to Mr. Colbert.

When progressives split the vote: O'Brien wins Ottawa Mayoral election

Ottawa falls to long-time conservative and early supporter of Reform Party and Canadian Alliance, Larry O'Brien.

Early in the race, Terry Kilrea, fellow right-wing nutbar, abandoned his mayoral bid, and ran for council in Bay Ward, against lefty nutbar, Alex Cullen.

Kilrea was clear to state that pressure from the O'Brien campaign had nothing to do with his decision. Kilrea also stated that he was unsure why most Canadians did not believe in the Easter Bunny.

With the road clear of competitors for the right-wing vote, O'Brien moved steadily past progressive canadidates, Bob Chiarelli and Alex Munter, who were unable to convince the other not to run, and subsequently split the vote ensuring neither of them became the mayor.

In the end, results were client clear. Another minority win for the Ottawa Conservative machine.

Except in Bay Ward, where Alex Cullen with no other lefty nutbar draining votes, soundly trounced Terry Kilrea.

Bob Rae: The speech I'd like to hear...

Winnipeg Grit has a nasty little run at Bob Rae and his economic record today, a preview of what my Tory friends suggest their attack ads will look like.

It's fair comment. I lived through the Rae years in Ontario, and it was not a picnic. But let's remember it wasn't a picnic anywhere. It was a freaking mess.

But I am not sure it was all Bob's fault.

So here is the speech I'd like to hear from Bob Rae, if or when that fateful day comes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My fellow Canadians, there has been a lot said about my years as the Premier of Ontario. And I admit, they were difficult economic times.

They were difficult across the country, and frankly, around the globe.

Under my administration, Ontario's deficit grew.

It grew, just like it grew under the previous administrations - Conservative and Liberal - as we struggled to deal with the reprecussions of a global recession and ridiculous high-interest rate policy driven by the current Prime Minister's Conservative predecessor, Brian Mulroney.

You may say, 'that's ancient history' - and that may be true. But if I am to be accountable for my actions in the my first term almost 20 years ago, then let every be held to the same standard.

It was the worst recession since the Great Depression, and I will admit that mistakes were made.

At the time, I did what every other Premier did, I tried to stimulate growth by increasing spending.

I did not, however, do with with same resolve as my Federal Conservative colleagues who managed to drive the deficit to nearly $40 billion.

Even my government wasn't able to pull that off.

And I did not turn a $5 billion surplus - during one of the biggest economic booms in Ontario's history - into a $2 billion deficit.

If I'd done that, I wouldn't be running for Prime Minister, I would be Stephen Harper's Finance Minister - Jim Flaherty.

I did not cut provincial income taxes for Ontario residents and then demand Ottawa not adjust transfer payments - essentially arguing that those same Ontario taxpayers should hand over the cash as federal income taxes.

When I Ontario did get extra money for Healthcare, I did not spend the money on lawn mowers.

If I had, I'd be Stephen Harper's Health Minister, Tony Clement.

And at no time have I ever advocated that Ontario build a 'firewall' to cut off the province from the rest of Canada.

If I'd done that, I'd be the leader of the Conservative Party, Stephen Harper.

If we want to debate our collective record since the mid-80's bring it on, I say.

But it might be wiser to simply accept that we have all - as Mr. Harper likes to say - evolved, and try to debate our vision for the future.

Ralph off the wagon, again...

Instead wandering through another homeless shelter three-sheets-to-the-wind, I see the soon-to-be former Premier of my homeland managed to fire-0ff yet another bonehead comment on his painfully long way out the door.

At a "roast" last night, Little Lord Ralph opened his yap to slag Belinda. Not about any specific policy issue, political stance, or substantive disagreement, but about the fact that she jilted both the Conservative party and her then boyfriend, Foreign Minister, Peter McKay.

This is the same Ralph who was so upset about untoward comments directed at his wife, earlier this year.

Get over it.

Over the years, I dumped girlfriends and got dumped.

We all did.

It really doesn't keep me up at night.

Move on and grow up....

....Your kids are watching this.

The $20 billion Tory lie

Let's be clear here.

Changing the rules on Income Trusts out of the blue was not what Harper promised.

Quite the opposite.

Indeed, over at HarperBizzaro, you can read word for word what Tories had to say about this in opposition.

Today, Flaherty is arguing that it needed to be done, that too many trusts would threaten the balance between the proportion of taxes corporations pay (about 30% of national revenue) and the proportion individuals pay (about 60%, with the GST covering the remaining 10%).

That may be true.

But what didn't need to be done, was lying about it.

The policy may or may not have been the right decision.

Whatever the fiscal ins and outs of this, millions of Canadians invested their retirement funds, their savings for the their first home, and the money the scraped up to put aside for their children's education, into the stock market and mutual funds.

When they made those investments, they knew the stock market involves risk.

But Tories had been clear on not raising taxes, or messing with the status of income trusts - lying Tories was not part of the risk.

But they did lie.

And when Boards of Directors and CEO's lie to their investors, they get sued, fired, booted off the board and go to jail. Ask Kenneth Lay. Ask Jeffrey Skilling.

Changes in the income trust rules didn't cost anything, lying about them did.

The Tory lie cost Canadians about $20 billion.

What's the betting no one goes to jail?