tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6257578024925559189.post8758218464138049147..comments2023-08-03T03:59:01.255-04:00Comments on Democratic Voting Canada: The Sun and The StarRon Wallerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08120060083437508997noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6257578024925559189.post-79710333034933767122014-06-07T07:17:40.218-04:002014-06-07T07:17:40.218-04:00I have seen wraps before. I waste far too much tim...I have seen wraps before. I waste far too much time reading online news not to have noticed them. Of course, papers take careful consideration of what kind of advertiser they willing to plaster their website with. <br /><br />With political advertising a news organization has to consider the effect it will have on public perception of journalistic objectivity. Having a wrap that turns a news website into a political party website violates the ethic of non-partisanship.<br /><br />BTW, the Sun has right-wing op-eds, just like the Star has Ontario Liberal party op-eds (this election,) but the paper is popular among workers. They don't buy it for the political ranting. More likely for the sports section and the Sun Shine Girl. Workers are not right-wing. They ARE the NDP base.Ron Wallerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08120060083437508997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6257578024925559189.post-5128126615238511832014-06-07T04:03:00.722-04:002014-06-07T04:03:00.722-04:00Perhaps you haven't seen them before, so calle...Perhaps you haven't seen them before, so called wraps or money-bombs are becoming increasingly common both in advertizing in general and politics in specific. The idea is to basically take over all the extra space whether that is all the borders of a website, wrapping a newspaper cover to cover, covering every avaliable space in a subway station etc. Much like the NDP wraps, the Liberals are the ones paying for it. Only real difference is that the NDP wraps were rather bad strategy being taken out in right wing papers far from their base while the Libs were going for more of an energize the base in a friendly venue. baziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11554808178484135529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6257578024925559189.post-91734804642178657092014-06-07T02:11:05.953-04:002014-06-07T02:11:05.953-04:00I use crypto-fascist to describe the neo-conservat...I use crypto-fascist to describe the neo-conservative movement. Fascism is associated with plutocracy and coporatocracy. <br /><br />Although the Liberals foolishly abandoned John Keynes for Milton Friedman 25 years ago, they enact a moderate neo-liberal agenda, not hard-core.<br /><br />But they still do enable the neo-con "starve the beast" agenda. The neo-cons come to power. Bring in big tax cuts that primarily benefit the rich. Then the "Liberal" party cements them in place: McGuinty, Chretien and now Trudeau.<br /><br />There's obviously a big difference between buying an ad in a newspaper and that ridiculous display above. The Toronto Star turned their website into a Liberal ad machine for God sake! Not to mention the 30+ op-eds praising Wynne and attacking Horwath with Goebbels-like propaganda. <br /><br />Anyone who believes Andrea Horwath is a "right-wing Margaret Thatcher" is either ignorant or willfully blind. Anyone news organization that indulges in that kind of rhetoric — with the obvious intention of influencing the results of a democratic election — is no longer a news organization. They are another tabloid like the Toronto Sun.<br /><br />I'm not the one being influenced by cognitive dissonance here. I was always opposed to excessive corporate tax cuts, long before Horwath decided to reverse them. I always thought Sun News was a joke, long before The Star began campaigning for a Wynne majority. I'm not the one changing my views on these particular issues because of my political party...<br /><br />Technically I'm still a member of the federal Liberal party. Became a Justin Trudeau supporter, then signed up. Then gave up all hope the Liberals would ever return to the center after hearing his appalling position on the issues. <br /><br />Who knows? Cognitive dissonance may carry both Wynne and Trudeau to majorities while pretend progressives rationalize all the neo-liberal policies put in place afterwards. Ron Wallerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08120060083437508997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6257578024925559189.post-11974781626972756332014-06-06T19:54:17.390-04:002014-06-06T19:54:17.390-04:00Kinda funny, I read this from fellow progressive b...Kinda funny, I read this from fellow progressive blogger yesterday: http://sudburysteve.blogspot.ca/2014/06/on-ethics-thats-wrap-ad-buy-confirms.html<br /><br />Campaigns buy wraps of newspapers. They all do it. It makes sense. If I was in the war rooms of any of them I would recommend it. I'm not sure I am going to start throwing out "crypto-fascist" at them though...and certainly not selectively at all parties except the one I'm aggressively supporting. baziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11554808178484135529noreply@blogger.com