Shorter Allison Hanes (National Post): There can't be anything wrong with politicizing the judiciary because the Liberals did it, too.
Scott Tribe has spent some time this morning arguing that the Conservatives are going further down this road than the Liberals did, and that criticism of Harper's methods and goals here isn't just coming from Liberals. But even if Harper was only doing the Conservative equivalent of what Libs have done in the past, that doesn't make it right. Getting drawn into that debate is a distraction, which is the point of articles like the Hanes piece linked to at the top and the comments to which Scott is responding.
Politicizing the judiciary is wrong, no matter who does it. The debate should be about the best way to choose judges, not which set of partisan hacks commit the worst kind of hackery.
The whole "the Liberals did it too!" schtick is a time-worn staple for the Conservatives and their supporters. If you listen to John Baird (and for that matter, Rona Ambrose) wrt to Kyoto and the environment, their entire response to government inaction has been exactly the same - "the Liberals did it too!".
I think its a side effect of the victimhood label conservatives have cultivated over the years - first, they are convinced that the media is liberal dominated and therefore there is never *ever* any criticism of Liberal government or Liberal policy. Then they run for office with an expressly anti-Liberal platform. Then they win (sort of). When they then proceed to do the exact same things the Liberals did, the are shocked -SHOCKED - when the get criticised for same.
"But, but," they whine, "the Liberals did it too! How come you never criticise THEM?"
Which is exactly the problem the Liberal Party created for themselves, when they wrap themselves in a progressive robe, and in fact, when they do rule, they rule from the right. It's wrong, and always has been wrong. Ditto for the outrage of cuts to Status of Women programs, social programs and so on. Harper's cuts and curtailing of programs so far... are nothing in comparison to what Martin did when he was finance minister. Where was the outrage? That is the problem in a nut shelf, and until the Liberal Party can turn within and look, it's no wonder that the Cons can continually use the liberal method of operation. And if anybody tries to say that the deficit made me do it, well remember, social programs and spending did not cause the deficit/debt.
I'm not sure how a Canadian trying to decide how to vote should interpret Jan's comment.
Yes, Liberal governments engaged in patronage. Liberal governments also slashed the hell out of programs and provincial budgets during the 1990s.
NDP governments in Saskatchewan closed hospitals. Do they forever forfeit the right to speak in defense of health care?
So the Tories are allowed to blame the Liberals for their own bad behaviour in perpetuity?
Pogge is right. They're trying to change the subject. Don't let them.
In real life when kids try this argument, the parental unit states firmly, "I don't care who started it, I'm ending it and better not see it again!"
Where are the adults again?