Tory candidate blames crime on immigrants

[puckhog]

Originally Posted by Slava

^ We've all made comments we regret from time to time, I'll give you that.

It doesn't matter if he has a history or not though. Unfortunately this guy knows what he is doing. Its politics and all of us (who aren't even in that racket) know that you can't say things like that in the middle of an election.

Actually, I'd say his history does matter.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/columnists/story.html?id=98db0b3c-c10d-4c1f-83bb-fcabeebcb6f3


A quote from the article:

The allegations also surprised Henry Mandelbaum, from Colombia, whose family's Canadian citizenship approvals were expedited by Richardson's office.
"He helped us so much when we had long delays in getting our citizenship," Mandelbaum says.
"Anything they say about him like that is not true. I'm shocked to hear anybody say that about him."

And Another:

Ward 8 Ald. John Mar, of Chinese descent, supports Richardson.
"Lee has been representing Chinatown for years as MP," Mar says. "He has a lot of friends in the Chinese community, including my father, Allan Mar. He represents the very best of Calgary in terms of support for multiculturalism.
"He is not a racist or a bigot, and anybody who knows him knows that."

Sure, he said something that wasn't worded properly, and he should speak more carefully during an election. However, as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words, and this guy's history of action in favor of immigrants (including employing an assistant whose main function is to provide aid to immigrants) should bear out that this was an unfortunate mistake.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

And what would you suggest the Liberals and NDP do? There's a VERY solid bloc of Calgary voters who will never vote Liberal (even the un-affiliated provincial Liberal Party) because of the NEP 30 years ago, regardless of what proposals they put forward now. Never mind the fact that anyone involved with instituting that bad policy is long since dead or retired from politics.

No, you are right, there are plenty of people who will never forgive them for the NEP. As you say though, that was 30 years ago. There are a ton of people like me, below the age of 30, who have no direct memories of that. What we do have, however, are direct memories of Chretien not even campaigning in Alberta, stating he never understood "those people". We see the billion dollars spent closing CFB Calgary so that they could buy a couple votes for Landslide Annie. We see Dion's carbon scam that is going to divert a lot of money from "emitters" to others. Basically, from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario into Quebec.

The NEP poisoned our parents' generation. The Chretien and Dion era Liberals are working hard to poison ours.

Also, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall that during past elections you were one of the most vocal critics of citizens in Ontario who always voted for the Liberals*. "Sheep" was the term that was often used (if not by you personally, then certainly by other CPC supporters on this site).

You can't have it both ways. When Ontario voters rejected the Reform and Alliance parties, did you ever consider that the cause might have been that those groups were completely unelectable East of Manitoba, just as you claim the Liberals and NDP are in Calgary now?

And that very same party is now miles ahead of where it was a decade ago in Ontario and Quebec. Enough that it has at times looked to be on the verge of a majority in this campaign.

It's not a case of having it both ways. It's a case of putting in the effort to build a base, even if it takes two decades to accomplish. That is exactly what Reform/CA/CPC has worked on. It took a very long time, but the Conservatives finally established themselves as a viable alternative, where previously the people out there voted in support of Chretien's corruption and Martin's incompetence.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Come on now, you're smarter than that. Don't go for the cheap point -- you know as well as anyone that Winsor wasn't actually comparing Calgarians to white supremacists.

Removing the smilie when you quoted my post kinda changed the context a bit, don't you think?

I know it wasn't a literal comparison, but at the same time, not the best comparable to use, especially given the nature of this current discussion.

[Slava]

I find it amazing that the Chretien and Dion Liberals are poisoning this generation of Albertan voters. Do you mean by balancing the budget and getting the fiscal house in order in terms of Chretien?

Dion has done nothing to Alberta voters to justify the virtual black-balling of the party here in Alberta though. Sure, maybe you don't care for their election platform this time around...so don't vote for them. But you seem to have gotten over the GST that Mulroney brought in, so surely you can get over a policy like the Green Shift.

[HelloHockeyFans]

Originally Posted by Draug

Interesting quote.

But, he doesnt specify what type of criminal he is talking about.

Sure, the mainstream Caucasian is a criminal - they are all speeding down Deerfoot at lightning speeds. Or, maybe they are all ripping MP3's.

But, can his statement be extended to violent crimes? Is it true that the majority of gang members are Caucasian? I would doubt it.

The gang related crimes and most violent crimes are the ones that everyone is truly worried about, right?

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=61510

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Removing the smilie when you quoted my post kinda changed the context a bit, don't you think?

I know it wasn't a literal comparison, but at the same time, not the best comparable to use, especially given the nature of this current discussion.

Sorry, I didn't intend to purposely remove your smiley -- that's just the way the forum software works when you hit the quote button.

As for the recent rise of CPC support in Quebec and Ontario, that pretty much has nothing to do with Harper and his party becoming more popular and everything to do with the Liberals losing support because of the Chretien scandals and the poor choice of leader in Dion*. It's not unlike the Alberta provincial Liberals picking up a few seats in Calgary in the most recent election because of voter dissatisfaction with Stelmach.

*I know many Liberals, myself included, who probably won't vote for the party this time. I think they need to be sent a clear message and choose a much better leader after the election.

[Resolute 14]

Indeed, the Liberals are losing support more than the CPC are gaining, but that doesn't change the fact that the CPC has positioned itself as the best alternative for those voters. Chretien's corruption was well known in the late 90s. People out east still voted for him.

Or hell, look at the last provincial election. People were pissed at Stelmach, and we heard the very same complaints about him as we hear out east about the Liberals. He needed to be sent a message, etc. In the end, however, the Liberals, NDP and AA completely and utterly failed to establish themselves as remotely viable alternatives. Hell, that election might well have been the most spectacular failure the Liberal party has ever managed at any level given the opportunity that existed to make inroads.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Slava

I find it amazing that the Chretien and Dion Liberals are poisoning this generation of Albertan voters. Do you mean by balancing the budget and getting the fiscal house in order in terms of Chretien?

Examples were already given above.

Dion has done nothing to Alberta voters to justify the virtual black-balling of the party here in Alberta though. Sure, maybe you don't care for their election platform this time around...so don't vote for them. But you seem to have gotten over the GST that Mulroney brought in, so surely you can get over a policy like the Green Shift.

On top of being incompetent himself, Dion is suffering for Chretien's legacy, much like Campbell suffered Mulrooney's. As far as getting over the GST, etc. Perhaps you remember the massive schizm that developed as a result of Mulrooney's government?

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

"Can't win, don't try."

Not exactly a winning strategy.

Oh, and I really love the comparison of Calgarians to white supremacists. You're on fire right now, Winsor.

LOL, reading comprehension an issue for you??

First off, I'm not saying they shouldn't or don't try. I'm saying that no matter how much they do, it will be hard to get anywhere, and that's to blame on the voters.

And yes, I do think Calgarians are like white sepremecits, myself included. Good catch on that one!
If you can't argue the point, just twist it until you can. You should be a politician!

[Resolute 14]

Yes, it will be hard. The Liberals have a very ignominious history in this province, and this city especially. But no, I won't blame the voters because the Liberals have an incredibly difficult task ahead of them. It was the Liberal party's own actions that put them in this position. They can dig themselves out of it.

Keep in mind that while the Liberals completely bombed the provincial election, they did increase their seat count in Calgary. There's plenty of evidence that given a reason, people will support a party other than the conservatives. I don't blame the voters when the politicians fail to give that reason.