More from Rocco Rossi

Today's story in the Star is a very short summary of what the Liberals' national director, Rocco Rossi, told me and a smattering of other journalists yesterday.  Rossi, called "Ottawa Bob" in today's National Post editorial for trying to spin in the tradition of "Baghdad Bob,"  was obviously trying to send one message with yesterday's calls --- things are looking up.  About $1.8-million was raised in the first three months of this year; another $3-million through April to June.

Here's a bit more of what Rossi had to say:

On why the fundraising is going better post-Dion:

"The new leader is enormous, not just because of traction at events and people wanting to support, but also is the seriousness with which he’s taken the mechanics of the party to heart.

You have a guy who understands that in the 21st century, with relatively low political limits, we need to build out a robust membership, that’s involved on an ongoing basis, not just to volunteer and to provide input and to provide sign locations, but also to assist in fundraising. And so you saw him take a personal position on the one-member one vote at the convention, despite the fact it had been turned down in Montreal just two years before because he feels we need that energized membership base and you’re going to convince people that membership counts if you count every member. And so that was one piece of it.

The other thing is he makes himself available tirelessly to go from coast to coast to coast for events around membership, around fundraising and that energy has translated well and we’ve also got a renewed, refreshed team around fundraising and membership and we’ve added some technology tools that have assisted as well. You take that as a package and it’s been going well, but again, we still have to work to do."

Q: Did the Conservatives' negative ads have an effect?

 "What I can say is that it’s clearly a big motivator in the kind of uptick that we got in the second quarter versus the first quarter."

Q: What else is being done about a possible election in September?

 

 

"We’re rolling out online training for the 308 ridings ...As the candidates are nominated, their teams will be trained to be sure that they have the absolute best tools we can provide them with."

 

"There’s clearly a goal as stated by Senator (David) Smith, to have all nomination meetings, or the bulk of nomination meetings, at least called if not completed by the time the House returns in September. So there’s a very very large push on all fronts."

 

 

Comments

[Gabby in QC]

I wonder if NDPer Charlie Angus knows about this:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/04/30/the-liberal-conventions-undeclared-star-attraction/
“Another name keeps coming up in the corridors [during the Liberal convention]: Mark Sullivan.

Never heard of him? Well, the Liberals would just as soon you never did, at least not much. He’s the co-founder of Voter Activation Network, known to the cognoscenti as VAN—the Sommerville, Mass.-based company that designed the key voter database system used (sic) U.S. Democratic party. The Liberals have bought the system, and brought Sullivan to Vancouver. ...

And the key to gaining ground on the Tories on those closely related fronts is the system Sullivan is here to explain. Except not to the media. ...

And his sessions explaining how to use the new system, along with a lot of other training being offered here to Liberal delegates on how to make it work, is the only significant part of the convention that’s entirely closed to reporters.

Not that that’s at all surprising. The system and the strategy it’s meant to support are party secrets, or sort of, and anything they can do to keep the Conservatives in the dark about it is just sensible. Sullivan is an American consultant, not a Canadian politician, so it would be a mistake to make him a star attraction. ...”

Funny, eh? Nobody complained about this American import. But pins made in China - as if everything else has not been made there too for a number of years - THAT becomes a national story of national concern.

Oh, and how was the VAN paid for?
Well, unelected Liberal senators wanted to buy the same software too … http://www.taxpayerblog.com/2009/06/investigation-required-over-liberal.html
Hmmm, I wonder why the Liberal senators need the program.

[woods]

The National Post trying to connect Rocco Rossi to Saddam's spinmeister is a bit sick, isn't it?

[Gabby in QC]

"The National Post trying to connect Rocco Rossi to Saddam's spinmeister is a bit sick, isn't it?"

I agree with you ... just as sick as this one:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080828/harper_hitler_080828/20080828?hub=Entertainment
“Angry Quebec artist compares Harper to Hitler
Updated Thu. Aug. 28 2008 9:58 AM ET
… then composer Walter Boudreau delivered a blisteringly sarcastic speech from the stage about the intentions of the federal government and concluded it by shouting, "Heil Hitler."
A couple of people in the crowd also hoisted signs marked with the Second World War-era swastika which branded the Nazis. … ”

Or this one:
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2007/04/30/john-turley-ewart-elizabeth-may-an-embarassment-to-the-greens-and-the-liberals.aspx
“ ,,, Ms. May also described Stephen Harper’s plan to deal with global warming as “worse than Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of the Nazis. ...”

And the latest:
http://thestar.blogs.com/politics/2009/06/who-are-you-calling-cosmopolitan.html
“I'm sure it's just accidental that the Conservatives have taken a Stalinist term and updated it to apply to their Liberal rivals. …” 

I'm with you on this, Woods. Such intemperate allusions or comparisons are indeed deplorable, no matter the source.

[woods]

Isn't your latest just pointing out factual information?

Stalin is credited with using cosmopolitan as a slur meant to convey lack of patriotism. The Conservatives used the word in an attack ad questioning patriotism. Most people consider the term "cosmopolitan" a positive or at least neutral, like "well-travelled", for example. So it is interesting to learn that Harper and company were not the first who thought it was negative. I certainly found that informative and interesting.