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Pod Save America is actually one undeniably successful example of Democratic progressive messaging, but itlike most avowedly progressive mediais for self-identified politics junkies. Fox News and Sinclair Broadcasting are for anyone with a TV. For much of their audiences, they are simply the news. In order to give voters the positive messages Democrats want them to receive, liberals would need to create a mass media of their own and stop outsourcing the job to the frequently hostile corporate media. The Democrats messaging problem is really a media problem.

Some political science professors summarized a recent research experiment in Politico Magazine earlier this month. Alexander Coppock, Donald P. Green, and Ethan Porter conducted a series of randomized experiments to test whether parties can win over new loyalists with ads that promoted a party rather than a particular candidate. What they found was that, with repeat exposure, people changed their partisan identification ever so slightly after seeing the ads, and that higher doses of party-promoting ads could influence peoples voting decisions and feelings about Donald Trump. Partisan identity is usually understood as a root cause of political behavior, the political scientists wrote. By moving it, we also appear to have moved real-world political decisions.

In the world of American political communications, ads promoting a party are a novelty. The researchers concluded that both parties could benefit from producing the kinds of ads we tested, and its true that neither party currently does this with conventional TV advertising. But while these political scientists framed their experiments as part of a novel ad strategy, what they were really doing was directly exposing people to particular political messages that had been designed to influence their political affinitiesand even their identities. There is already language to describe what that kind of messaging is. These political scientists independently invented party propaganda, exposed Americans to it, and discovered that it can be effective, especially with constant exposure. Conservatives dont need to learn to do this: Its how their movement sustains itself.

Amusingly, the top-shelf political ad professionals the political scientists hired to make the ads were flummoxed by the request, because no one had ever before asked them to create messaging designed to promote the Democratic Party or to convince people to associate themselves with it. Despite how familiar American liberals are with the power of propaganda when yielded by the right, it has seemingly never occurred to the most powerful of them to do any propagandizing on behalf of their own causes and party!

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Why Liberals Ought to Invest in Propaganda - The New Republic

Philippe J. Fournier: The latest federal election projection shows the Liberals falling short of a majority, with an outcome eerily similar to the results of the 2019 election

If rumours swirling around Parliament Hill in Ottawa are true, then Canadians will be called to vote in the 44th Canadian federal election late this summer or early next fall, just days before this Parliament blows its second candle in October. Crunching the numbers over the weekend, the only question that kept popping in my head is: Why?

Both the Bloc Qubcois and the NDP hold the balance of power in a Liberal-lead Parliament, hence neither party should feel any hurry to rush Canadians to the polls since both parties find themselves at their height of relevance. Time can feel like an eternity as a third or fourth party in a majority parliament.

Therefore, should an election be called, it will most likely entirely be a Liberal initiative. Cynics will say, not necessarily wrongly, that a fall election would be power-grab attempt by the Liberals: The numbers are currently favourable for the Liberal Party, and it would obviouslymuch rather spend the next four years in a majority position, not having to worry about pesky opposition MPs asking questions or making occasional threats to vote against the government in a confidence vote.

Recent precedent would also stand on the side of an election in September or October. John Horgan, Blaine Higgs and Andrew Fureyall premiers leading their respective legislature with minority status one year agochose to bet on their provinces relatively good performance at handling the pandemic, and all three were re-elected with majorities. With a significant fraction of Canadians projected to be fully vaccinated by late August, the national discussion could gradually move away from the pandemic and dive into the handling of the economic recovery, so the Liberals could understandably be tempted to cash in some karma chips before the inevitable What have you done for me lately? feeling sets in. Politicians know that voters memory tends to be short.

However, are current numbers that good for the Trudeau Liberals? Perhaps the partys internal polling is showing different trends than those of polls released for public consumption, because this weeks 338Canada federal update measures the most likely outcome as being eerily similar to the results of the 2019 federal election.

Federal polls published in the past month have shown the Liberals leading the Conservatives by margins between one and 11 points, with a current average of five points. With such numbers, the Liberals would almost assuredly win the most seats if an election were held this week, but the party would most likely end up short of the 170-seat threshold for a majority at the House of Commons. Here are this weeks averages per party:

The Liberals win an average of 163 seats, seven short of majority status, but only six seats above their 2019 results. While the Liberals remain dominant in Atlantic Canada and continue to lead in seat-rich Ontario, their only potential seat gains as currently projected would be found in Quebec, where the LPC averages 38 per cent and 41 seats. Nonetheless, let us remember that the Liberals won 35 Quebec seats in 2019 (and 40 in 2015). Given that the Bloc Qubcois support remains in relatively good shape (just under the 30 per cent mark), it is rather unlikely that the Liberals can find many more seats to gain in the province. As for Atlantic Canada, adding Fredericton from the Greens doesnt hurt (with Jenica Atwin crossing the floor from the Greens to the Liberals this week), but its unlikely to have any effect beyond this electoral districts border.

As for the Conservatives, they appear stuck in a high-floor and low-ceiling scenario that would almost assuredly guarantee them Official opposition status. In the past month, the Conservatives have polled between 27 and 32 per cent nationally, and have shown no significant gain in Central Canada where the party needs it most. If it cannot grow its own support beyond the current numbers, the only scenario in which the party wins a plurality of seats would be if the NDP outperforms its polls and expectations.

To wit: The NDPs current polling average in Ontario stands at 20 per cent, three points higher than its 2019 result in the province. Should the NDPs vote in the next federal actually match its polling results, a net gain of six to 12 seats would be entirely plausibleand most of those seats would come at the expense of the Liberals. In the past week alone, boththe Angus Reid InstituteandLgermeasured NDP support above the 20 per cent mark nationally, and even had the NDP getting the support of one in four Ontario voters (25 per cent from Angus Reid and 24 per cent from Lger). With such numbers, a complete 25-seat sweep of Toronto would be almost impossible for the Liberals (unlike in both 2015 and 2019 federal elections). Without a harvest of Ontario seats similar to those of 2015 and 2019 for the LPC, a majority would simply be mathematically out of reach for Justin Trudeau.

Naturally, the projection confidence intervals do stretch into majority territory for the Liberals. In these scenarios, the Liberals would have to outperform their current standings and hope the NDP fails to effectively get out its vote, especially in Ontario. In the waning days of the 2019 campaign, the polling average showed the NDP at 18 per cent nationally, yet it ended up with 16 per cent. This modest, but measurable two per cent gap probably cost the NDP a dozen seats from coast to coast, most of them in Ontario.We cannot discount the possibility that the NDP would fail to match its improving poll results, especially if the NDP relies on its support from younger voters (who tend to vote in lesser numbers).

Hence, with NDP support still hovering just under 20 per cent and the Bloc Qubcois still riding the CAQs coattails in Quebec, where will the Liberals find enough seats to secure a majority? Perhaps an additional seat in Manitoba? Perhaps one seat in each of Edmonton and Calgary? Maybe retake Vancouver-Granville from independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould? Nunavut? All of these perhaps and maybes add up to a lot of uncertainty, and make for a rather poor risk to reward ratio.

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Details of this projection are available on the 338Canada page. To find your home district, use the list of all 338 electoral districts here, or use the regional links below:

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A summer election would be a risky bet for the Liberals: 338Canada - Maclean's

OTTAWA -- Floor-crosser Jenica Atwin says that the Liberal Party reached out to her about joining their caucus in May, and that she gave Green Party Leader Annamie Paul an ultimatum before she made the decision to switch teams.

In an interview on CTVs Question Period, Atwin said that she was approached by the Liberals in late May and met with nearby New Brunswick MP and senior cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc on May 26. She said there was not a lot of negotiation.

Atwin said the move was not about political opportunism, rather that she wanted to work in a collaborative respectful environment, and that after giving Paul an ultimatum on changes needed in order to stay with the Green Party during a face-to-face Zoom call, she made her decision to leave the caucus.

I really wish Ms. Paul well and I don't want to continue to be a thorn in her side and to be difficult in any way. We have irreconcilable differences at this point, so yes, that had everything to do with it, said Atwin.

Further, Atwin said she probably would still be a Green Party MP if Elizabeth May was still the leader, and that shed still like to see the party elect more MPs despite her now being a Liberal.

In a separate interview, Paul offered a different telling of the events that led up to Atwins departure, saying that she wished she had the chance to persuade her to say.

I still have not heard from her directly about her decision, but, you know she's made it clear that she feels that she has a better home in the Liberal Party of Canada.

The catalyst for her departure from the Greens was an internal feud between MPs and a now-outgoing senior adviser to Paul over social media posts related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Atwin said she stands by her pro-Palestinian position, and was hurt by the accusation made that she was anti-Semitic. She said shes been told there is a difference of opinion among Liberals and believes there will be an opportunity within her new caucus to have a more healthy discussion and debate than was possible with her former team.

I know I'm going to a place where I'm not alone in how I feel about this issue, and that I'll have that collaboration to work through it and come to an understanding, and thats what Im very much looking forward to, she said, without naming names.

The Conservatives have sought to attack the Liberals over the move, framing it as welcoming in another anti-Israeli MP, suggesting she will be in good company.

In welcoming their newest member into the fold, both LeBlanc and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke about how confident they were that Atwin will be a positive contribution to their team.

LeBlanc said during the announcement of her floor crossing that there is enormous room for respectful conversation, for differences of opinion, within the Liberal Party.

On Friday, as The Canadian Press reported, the Liberals announced plans to convene an emergency summit on anti-Semitism, led by former Liberal MP Irwin Cotler, currently Canada's special envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.

Asked what her position was on the 11-day war, Paul cited her experience with international diplomacy and conflict prevention and said that from her perspective Canada should be doing what it can to facilitate peace and to protect civilians.

I am here to try to do the best I can to propose the best policies that I can on behalf of our members, said Paul.

Now faced with the loss of one third of the Green Party caucus, Paul said that while it may be tougher in the short-term to convince people that the party is on good footing, shes confident in the Greens ground game.

My leadership is still relatively new, we're putting in the work and I know we have some repairing to do, but we're ready to do it, and I believe that we're going to be ready for the next election.

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Liberals approached me to cross the floor, issues with Green leader 'irreconcilable': Atwin - CTV News

Do you remember when Western media and their native sepoys flew drones over cremation grounds in India? The images of funeral pyres were then lapped up by Western liberal newspapers, flashed on their front pages for the world to see. On the internet, the pictures were selling for Rs 23,000 per piece. For that kind of money, you could easily feed a poor family for a month. But feeding the addiction for third world misery was more important.

What was their excuse? Western liberals insist they are not enjoying our misery for free. They always leave behind generous tips for the less fortunate. The media coverage creates awareness. And after Western liberals have had their fill, they make (tax deductible) contributions to charity. After subtracting overhead, the non-profits donate the rest. There might be some non-profit intermediaries in the third world as well.

Anyway, where there are rich people, there are generally leftovers. This arrangement is insulting enough, but what do you make of this?

Once upon a time, America freed the whole of Western Europe from Nazism. Some decades later, America freed the whole of Eastern Europe from Communism. Today, America has donated 80 vials of vaccine. Oh America, what a fall!

Read the language in that tweet carefully. It ends by saying, We believe that every vaccine counts. Yes, they not only made it a point to mention the tiny figure of 80 vials, but they also rubbed in how valuable this gift would be for a poor country like Trinidad & Tobago. Every vaccine counts. Yeah, the people of the poor country better cherish this gift.

This is the great humanitarian Big Liberal administration of President Biden. Remember that our Indian media paraded our dead bodies and burning funeral pyres in front of liberals like these.

You want to see some real show of class? You can find it in the officialresponsefrom the Government of Trinidad & Tobago, which read thus:

Trinidad and Tobago received a gift of Pfizer vaccines from the United States on Saturday. .. We have been very fortunate to have received gifts of vaccines from different countries such as St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados, Bermuda, the Republic of India, the Peoples Republic of China and now the United States.

Notice that the Trinidad & Tobago government did not wish to embarrass the United States by mentioning the ridiculously small number of 80 vials. A gift is a gift, no matter how much it is worth.

However, the Big Liberals who run the US Government werent looking to save face. They were looking to rub the third world status of Trinidad & Tobago in the faces of their people. It was the US Government that tweeted mentioning the 80 vials and reminding that every vaccine counts.

Notice how the statement from the Government of Trinidad & Tobago mentions India. Yes, we donated too, not some measly 80 vials like the richest country on earth did. Indiadonated40,000 doses. But then, India is run by the dreaded Hindu nationalists. Our backward pagan minds cannot grasp the nuances of Abrahamic notions of charity, I guess.

The idea of charity is a complicated one. Sometime last year, the WHO created a Covax fund from which poor countries could draw money and vaccines for their people. Canada donated to this fund, and then a few monthslater, took half of it back. So if Americas liberal president made it a point to rudely toss a rupee coin at the face of a homeless person, Canadas liberal Prime Minister put money in the bowl and grabbed half of it back. Incidentally, the other rich country to draw from the Covax pool was New Zealand, another model of Indian liberalism.

After Canada and New Zealand raided the pool, it seems the Covax fund came up with strict new eligibility requirements on which countries can draw from it. Because, apparently, the honor system does not work with Big Liberals.

Speaking of Indian liberals, the other day they were busymakingfun of India for accepting a small gift from Kenya, delivered through the Red Cross. I should mention it was 12 tonnes of food, which is a lot more than the richest country in the world with its 80 vials of vaccine. But Indian liberals who take after their American and Canadian bosses did not see it that way. India has taken food from an African country! They said it was Modis great shame.

Kenya is in Africa and Africans are supposed to be poor. And if you are poor, everyone knows that you cannot have a big heart. And if a friend who happens to be poor gives you a gift, you have fundamentally two options. Either you toss the gift into the trash and humiliate your friend for being poor. Or you accept the gift and live with the shame. That is Big Liberalism today.

When Sudama arrived with a gift of a few handfuls of rice for Shri Krishna, the king of Dwarka welcomed him by washing his feet with milk. Its the Indian way. Its the way our pagan minds work. I guess this is why Indias Hindu nationalists are so misunderstood in the world today. Our paradigm is just different.

By the way, dear Trinidad and Tobago, let me tell you about a small Indian tradition that may be of use to you. In India, when a neighbour sends over food, it is a tradition never to send back an empty bowl. So when you get those 80 vials, fill that box up with some gifts and send it back. Be generous, because you should know that you are donating to the poorest country in the world.

More here:
Big Liberals, small hearts: By donating 80 vials of vaccine, America has proved to be the poorest country in the world - OpIndia

A plea for vaccinations

I am writing this letter to encourage everyone to get the COVID vaccine. I have aprimary immunodeficiency and my body does not produce antibodies to fight off infection from bacteria and viruses. I have been on stay-at-home physician orders since March of 2020, except to attend to my medical needs.

My husband quit his job to decrease the risk of COVIDtransmission between us. I cannot leave my home untilthere is 75% herd immunity in the community and that means 75% of Ohioans must be vaccinated.

If we do not get to 75% herd immunity, my husband and I will never have a life outside of our home. I will never be able to go to holiday gatherings, restaurants, grocery stores, malls, concerts etc. I will always be dependent on others for help. Right now, I can be in a room with fivevaccinated people and that is it. I encouraged family members to get vaccinated, but there is hesitancy. I will never be able to hug or have a life with those family members who are not vaccinated.

So please, get vaccinated for COVID! If not for yourself, do it for others in our community. It is my America, too.

Susan C. Foster, Mansfield

The idea of a citizen commission to oversee public art projects requiring permits for murals on public property or an art work visible from a public road or street appeals to me. I agree promoting Mansfield with art works would enhance our city's landscape. I think guidelines are absolutely necessary and would best be overseen by a citizen commission.

I hear the concern regarding adding more work responsibilities for the Codes and Permits Department, but surely these concerns can be addressed with candor and thoughtfulness by persons who are willing to do the organizational work involved.

As someone born, raised and who has lived in Mansfield my entire life, I sincerely hope a Mansfield Arts Commission is adopted. Art matters! It is a creative component in the Mansfield City Rising tapestry when it comes to reinventing our once industrialized city.

Marian Haring Blahnik, Mansfield

I hear President Joe Biden talk about "infrastructure" and wonder if he can spell it or if he can define it, which is like Bill Clinton, who didn't know how to define "IS."

Another good word is inflation. Sure, let's tax the rich and the companies that make the everyday products we use. Unless you're stupid or a liberal, do you really think they just won't raise the prices to make up for this? Just look at a few things likegas, lumber, milk, andfood to feed your family. Rememberall the companies that left because of high taxes and former President Donald Trump got them to come back, but Biden won't let that happen.He's a man of the peoplejust ask the pipeline workers, which is another thing, even his own people say it's the safest way to move oil.

The liberals think socialism is so greatbecause everyone is the same. Well, take a good lookbecause what the whole thing boils down tois if you have $2, then give me one. In other words, all you liberals reading this, I want half of what you've got.

I think the most disturbing thing is that rightafter Biden got in office some of the Democratsthought that someone else should hold the nuclear button.

Joe Stransky, Mansfield

Another holiday was recently celebrated and another one is coming up in June that's Mother's Day and Father's Day. Remember?

Did you or will you celebrate with your parents and share your love of them? Did you hug them and say, "I love you"?

Just think if your mother had aborted you because she didn't want a baby or your father didn't want to become a daddy.What a beautiful gift you have been given life!

Pray and pray even more that all preborn babies will be given the gift of life as you have been blessed with. What greater gift can an unborn receive than the gift of life.

Barb Riley, Mansfield

In the days since George Floyds murder, protests have turned aspotlight on racial inequality in corporate America. In response,businesses have scrambled to hire leaders focused on diversity, equity,and inclusion initiatives, adding to what was already a growing numberof diversity execs.

In the five years leading up to September 2020, the number of peoplewith the title head of diversity rose 107%, director of diversity75%, and chief diversity officer 68%, according to LinkedIn.

Diversity and inclusion hiring spiked last June following global BlackLives Matter protests. And in the last year, some of the bluest-chipnames in biz have tied executive compensation to diversity targets,including Chipotle, Starbucks, McDonalds, Nike, and Apple.

But hiring a CDO isnt a quick fix. HR experts warn that a successfuldiversity strategy needs to tie into business results, rely on more thanone leader, focus on longer-term changes, and with the tone at the topembedded in the DNA behavior of the entire organization.

Diversity and inclusion is not a simple problem to throw money at, forcepeople to complete some forgettable training, or subject personnel torandom performance metrics to merely demonstrate the appearance ofaction. As a relatively new field, most CDOs lack competence in systems thinking. Working to address a major systemic issue goes far beyondsurface level behaviors like conventional leadership programs. Systemic

issues are not addressed at the individual behavior level, nor is itsimple employment quotas! Instead, it should be at the system level,such as learning systems, promotion systemsand performance managementsystems.

Maximize the results like increased number of innovations, higherefficiency, productivity, and talent retention. The success of your DEIinitiative requires metrics that matter, not the surface level vanity metrics.

Richard Szulewski, Ontario

I am concerned about our nation's firemen, policemen and paramedics being referred to as "first responders" a very bland tag to put on a very important aspect of public safety. A policeman, a fireman and a paramedicare our "heroes" in a crisis, so let's leave well enough alone. Let's scuttle "first responders." The three branches are now, and have been for years, referred to collectively as a city's "safety forces." Why change the wording?

David Spain, Mansfield

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Letters to the Editor: Vaccines, the arts, liberals and more - Mansfield News Journal