Evan VanDyk

Political Judo. Yes, Mark Carney is highly educated, experienced, and fluent in economics. Do not attack that. Validate it. Say it clearly. Repeat it. Then pivot. Political judo is not about denying your opponent’s strength. It is about using that strength against them. Core Principle: Flip the Credential The mistake is to argue: "Carney is badly educated and is not knowledgeable." The correct argument is: "Carney knows exactly what he's doing. That's what makes the results inexcusable." This single reframe does three things simultaneously: — It sounds fair-minded and serious not petty or desperate — It neutralizes the "you're just attacking a smarter man" counter-narrative — It dramatically raises the stakes: ignorance is forgivable; expertise with failure is disqualifying Turn credentials into expectations. And then patiently wait. If he delivers, Canada wins. If he fails. If someone has that level of expertise, then the bar is not average performance. The bar is exceptional results. You raise the standard. You say, if you are the most qualified economic mind in the room, then Canadians should be seeing the strongest growth, the most affordable housing, the most competitive economy. Anything short of that becomes the story. You say, no one questions your experience. Canadians are expect results. That is the pivot. Always. Turn strength into overreach. Never insult his intelligence. Never call him uneducated. That line backfires immediately. Instead, you box him into his own strength. If he is the expert, then he owns the outcome. If he owns the outcome, then every frustration Canadians feel is his to explain. Every speech, every scrum, every debate answer should be able to return to this spine:   "We are not questioning what Mr. Carney knows. We are questioning what Canadians have to show for it."   This is unassailable. It is fair. It is devastating. It gives the persuadable voter permission to move. That is political judo. Diaries of a has-been. And I’m off to bed. Good night folks.

There's no good civic argument for the electoral college. It was arguably necessary to ensure the ratification of the Constitution, but it's an anti-democratic device that gives some American citizens far more voting power than others, based purely on where they live.

Absolutely need to do this. More judges and courthouses (plus support staff) too. Backlogs and overcrowding is bad for literally everyone involved.

Big news for Toronto's streetcars ! 🚋💨 Tomorrow, the TTC Board is reviewing a major report on streetcar and LRT reliability. It's really incredible to see that the TTC's official recommendations align so closely with FastTrackTO's 10-point plan. 🧵👇

Pierre Poilievre: It's clear that he's learned all the wrong lessons-- Mark Carney: Oh dear, oh dear. Mr. Speaker, I feel like I'm in the presence of students. I don't think you would pass the exam with those answers.