Layton Trying To Throw One To The Tories?

What's with the Jack Layton NDP signs in Durham? Isaac Ransom drives along Highway 2 in the riding east of Toronto and counts 30 or more election signs touting Layton and his Toronto team. That's only one stretch of a main road, and Ransom argues there are more signs in the riding. He thinks they'll bring out voters on Tuesday for the New Democrats. Ransom's problem is the NDP candidate in Durham, Andrew McKeever, was forced to resign over a week ago over anti-Semitic comments posted at his Facebook site. In the uproar that followed, other ugly comnents came to light (which don't deserve an airing). Ransom, manager for his father Brian's run for the LIberals in Durham, says the campaign filed a complaint with Elections Canada, but hasn't heard back yet.

This could be a close riding. Last time, Conservative Bev Oda, international cooperation minister, won over the Liberals by 10,000 votes. The NDP pulled down close to 10,000. Without the NDP this time, Ransom argues it's a horserace between Oda and his father. Because McKeever resigned after the withdrawal deadline, his name still appears on the ballot and the Liberal party's understanding is that votes cast for him will still count in calculating the party's federal stipend after the election. Most important for the Liberal campaign, it could bleed votes away from Ransom in a part of battleground southern Ontario where every vote counts.

NDP still campaigning for a disgraced and withdrawn candidate...and doing it, in part at least for money, possibly in violation of Election Canada regulations? I guess they are ready to govern.

Just a note: McKeever's comments were not anti-Semitic, just jerk-like, threatening, and sexist.

HT Ms. Kraus.

Andrew McKeever Resigns

The Durham NDP candidate who called an anti-war activist a "fascist bitch" and other derogatory names has called it quits.

Late last night, the NDP issued a statement from Andrew McKeever pulling the plug on his candidacy.

"Because of the repetition of comments I made before becoming a candidate, comments that I have already apologized for and profoundly regret, I can no longer continue as a candidate," McKeever wrote. "This ceaseless repetition is damaging to everyone concerned including those I have hurt ... I cannot allow my candidacy to detract from the important decisions Canadians must make."

Whatever the genesis of this decision (whether initiated by the candidate or the party) it is the right thing to do. Now the last man standing among candidates who bared their hearts on little too thoroughly on-line is Ryan Warawa, Tory hopeful in Vancouver East, with his possible libel and pornographic ramblings. He too should go.

Steve V from the comments:

See, they are ready to govern. The NDP has already mastered the late Friday bad news dump. Very clever Jack.

Krystalline Kraus Won't Take NDP Shit No More!

Krystalline was willing to issue a joint statement with Andrew McKeever basically forgiving his boorish online behavior for the sake of the NDP campaign and the greater good. And it was this joint statment that Jack Layton quoted in defending his decision to let McKeever keep his position as NDP candidate for Durham. Now Ms. Kraus is having second thoughts:

I'm tired of being expected to take bullets for the NDP and stay quiet when I'm screaming inside to speak. I don't like being silenced or manipulated by anyone in my life. This McKeever -- NDP Durham candidate -- is not my fault and I won't be treated like this is my fault. I had asked for Mr. McKeever to resign and/or be removed by Layton but it was made clear to me that that would just not happen.

I cannot force the NDP to do anything.

Regardless of Mr. Layton's decision regarding Mr. McKeever, I still think he should finally stand up and speak about this issue by condemning Mr. McKeever's comment -- to speak against misogynist comments and violence.

Make that statment. Other candidates got the condemnation and correction of their party's leaders for what they said. Other parties -- whether they kept their candidates or not in the end -- made public statement to show they do not condone offensive, vulgar or insulting comments.

I can't do this with them anymore. I have given them nothing but kindness and generosity in this situation and they have ignored me and betrayed me in return.

I’m a good journalist and a strong, smart person. I can speak for myself.

krystalline kraus

Jack Layton, you want your party to be taken seriously as a governing party/official opposition. Fielding yahoos and dopers won't help you in this quest. You still have a chance to do the right thing and at least take Ms. Kraus advice. In fact, I would suggest you go further and remove Mr. McKeever.

Note: I haven't figured out how to link to individual rabble.ca posts, but this is towards the end of a very long thread. Scroll towards the bottom (post Oct 2, 2: 07 pm, by statica) to see original.

Crackheads? Fascists? Nazis?

I'm surprised that Andrew McKeever, NDP candidate for Durham, didn't leave comments on MY blog. He'd fit right in.

Apparently, She Is No Longer A C**T

Others have written about Durham NDP candidate Andrew McKeever and his Facebook flareup in which he, among other things, called NDP (presumably) blogger Krystalline Kraus some rather nasty names and threatened another with physical violence.

Well, guess what! Krystalline (whose parents must have been hippies) and Andrew have kissed and made-up. In fact, they've done more than that; they've issued a joint statement in which McKeever renounces all the views he held so passionately just two months ago and gets in line with the NDP re U.S. army deserters and the war in Afghanistan.

One must ask: was Mr. McKeever on drugs when he denounced Ms. Kraus? And did the two share a big fatty before they wrote their "joint" statement?

Get it? "Joint" statement? Get it? I kill me sometimes.

And somewhere Jack Layton is reading about this and thinking "I could sure the fuck use a toke about now! Where the fuck did I stash my rollies?"