Reasonable men

There was an article the other day that, roughly summed up, posited that attacking the freedom convoy is “good politics” for Trudeau.

I don’t see how.

It isn’t about people protesting Trudeau. It’s about the kind of people protesting Trudeau. These aren’t college kids angry about tuition costs and they aren't political enthusiasts wearing political slogans. Nor are they protesting something that is considered politically controversial, ie., something that has an opposing viewpoint large enough that it doesn’t matter what a politician says, roughly half the people will support him (think the pro-choice vs. pro-life debate).

No. The people going out to these protests do NOT protest. They are working class people wearing work clothes. The kind of people who are usually too busy to go out and protest because they are working long, hard hours ensuring our country continues to function.

The people protesting are the rugged backbone of Canadian society.

Sure, government workers in government jobs on government pensions may have their predispositions about them. Trudeau's inner circle and the media class secretly cheer on his demeaning attitude. However, when people see a broad brush painted on people that look like them, talk like them, act like them being called racist and every other -phobic or -ism under the sun, they naturally understand that the insults are not directed at individuals but at the types of individuals being insulted.

Even worse for Trudeau, when people see something completely out of the ordinary, like reasonable men doing unreasonable things, it leaves a lasting impression. They start to second guess themselves. Maybe they’ll continue to think the vaccine works, though once they are infected themselves or see their family infected even that fleeting position should fade. Maybe. But, at the very least, the impression changes the cost benefit formula in many eyes. If only by centimeters at a time.

Populism doesn’t really have a home in Canada — and a lot of people stay home or protest vote because of that fact. Well, Trudeau has ignited a populist movement completely separate from Trump populism, say. This isn’t about protectionism, immigration, climate change or any other entrenched issue. It’s about freedom. Try finding lasting opposition to that in a Western country when nearly every other Western country is opening up.

Even the safety argument is on the outs as public health officials are quietly, and sometimes openly, admitting that the vaccine does not stop transmission. The only safety issue that can be argued is about personal safety (for those believe the counterfactual argument of the vaccine preventing severe disease), and that is an argument easily extinguished when someone understands that the risks of driving on the highway are higher than the risks from this virus for anyone without comorbidites.

All that is left on display at this point is the Liberals’ hypocrisy. They attack the hanging of a Canadian flag, upside down or not, on the Terry Fox statue as an attack on democracy. But noone who did not already come to the table with an immutable position believes that poorly framed argument. We all recall the incredulity with which the left wing establishment class has for the value of statues and the flag for that matter. Trudeau just kept the flag lowered at half mast for almost two full seasons in a tasteless attempt to politicize 100 year-old burial sites.

Even worse for Trudeau is his Hail Mary argument — that the protesters are violent — has fallen apart. The only violence in nearly two weeks has been a terrorist attack by a 42-year old left-wing, failed musician, who was more well known for being a rapist and a pervert than anything else. It is also quite possible that he was a member of Antifa and more likely that he was radicalized by Justin Trudeau’s own rhetoric. For his part, Trudeau, to my knowledge (please correct me if I am wrong), did not say a single word about the attack. He did not express regret, compassion, or empathy for the victims. Not a good look.

Instead, the protests in Ottawa, aside from some noise, have been peaceful. The Ottawa mayor compared the protests to a “fun carnival” with bouncy castles, hot tubs, and saunas even as he claimed personal disgust. But, to be honest, I have never been to a carnival as clean as the freedom convoy has left downtown Ottawa.

There have been no appearance of Nazi flags since the one taken in what appear to be staged photos on the first day. There are ample examples of the truckers feeding the homeless after an uncorroborated story about them stealing from the homeless; and, possibly, the only theft captured on video has been of the police stealing fuel on a cold winter night.

This, may in fact, have been one of the most peaceful protests in history up until this point. And that is probably because, as mentioned before, we have on display the men and women that do not normally protest: people who work in jobs that at their very essence require hardened discipline.

So I will counter that attacking this protest is not good politics for Trudeau. Even the Liberals in the House of Commons could not muster more than a few claps as leader of the House argued the Trudeau position today. They don’t want to be on the record as being anti-freedom. That little title will be Trudeau’s burden to bear and he is no roughneck to carry any sort of burden for long.