That's from Mia Rabson's blog re: the rampant rumour we put flesh on a while back about Jennifer Jones running for Team Huey. Rabson says this puts the rumour to rest. However, the quote doesn't exactly sound like it's being put to rest to us -- there's more wiggle room there than in a (Bill) Clintonism.
On the other hand, perhaps she has indeed closed the door for this time around. She may well have followed our advice and called Hugh's bluff, thereby blanking the end and dashing McFadyen's hopes of Jones as his button draw.
Ugh, enough with the metaphors.
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We note our best buddy Tom Bunkbeck's latest installment in his one-man-mission to convince all that Manitoba is the worst s***hole on the planet.
He tees off today by refering to the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce 's "Making Manitoba a Have Province" campaign as proof that our economy is in the crapper.
Well, if that's the Chambers' goal, it certainly isn't stated anwhere we could find. In fact they seem to accentuate the positive as often as possible:
It begins with what we are calling a ‘grand discussion’," explains MCC President Graham Starmer, "One that has the courage to ask the tough questions, builds on a common vision and moves to concrete action." Starmer says too often talk amounts to finger pointing, and harping on our differences and what divides us, rather than building on what unites us.Who can argue with that?
All the negative stuff in their campaign that we could find seems to be relegated to this sorta weird "Manitobans have a collective character flaw" language:
The Making Manitoba a ‘Have’ Province pamphlet sets out three basic issues that are holding us back: we lack the courage to ask the tough questions, we lack a commitment to the vision, and we lack a course of action.In any event, does anyone believe the Chambers won't come forward at the end of this campaign and say the results of their consultations show there should be deep tax cuts, especially for business?
No, of course no one belives that. It's their job. It will be expected.
An interesting thing, though, is Brodbeck's selective use of the Manitoba Chambers' campaigns.
On this one, he points to it as proof the province is in terrible shape -- which of course (a) is so far from the truth it's laughable and (b) even his readers don't believe it.
However, we recall that Tom was less moved by the other recent "attitude change" campaign the Chambers are a huge part of -- the Spirited Energy provincial branding project.
Ah well, that wouldn't fit his "s***hole" thesis, would it?