Oh Ralphy boy...The truth hurts...
SJ-24 @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 8:16 am
Well, Ralph is known for calling them as he sees them. She is a slut and if she wants to change that perhaps she should stop splitting up marriages and running away like a school girl from a relationship like the one she had with Peter MacKay...When she left the Conservative Party she didn't have to leave Peter...But she's a stupid spoiled slut that figured a clean slate was the only way....
November 9, 2006
Klein in hot water over Stronach joke
By DARCY HENTON, LEGISLATURE BUREAU
Premier Ralph Klein is on the hotseat again for roasting another federal Liberal - this time Belinda Stronach.
Klein, who last month called Liberal leadership candidate Bob Rae a "dumb politician" in a Sun interview, skewered Stronach with an off-colour joke at a charity roast in Calgary Tuesday night.
The outgoing premier sparked the controversy when he fired back at years of previous roasters, saying Stronach had failed to inflict much damage when she roasted him two years ago.
"It was nothing," he told the crowd. "There weren't any former NHL tough guys in her life yet to give her any tips in how to deliver any hard shots."
Klein pointed out that Stronach, who had been dating Leafs tough guy Tie Domi, had been a Conservative when she roasted him, but is now a Liberal MP.
"I wasn't surprised she crossed over," he said, setting up the punchline. "I don't think she ever did have a Conservative bone in her body - well, maybe one."
Klein paused, waiting for the laughter to fade, then said: "Speaking of Peter MacKay..."
While the last comment was clearly audible in a televised recording of the speech, Klein's spokesman Marisa Etmanski said he skipped over the reference to Stronach's former boyfriend, the Conservative foreign affairs minister - although it was included in his prepared written remarks.
Etmanski said the bawdy line had the crowd roaring and prompted one person sitting near her to spew a drink.
But it touched off a storm on Parliament Hill yesterday.
Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla called Klein's remarks ignorant and insensitive.
"I think it's reflective of the Conservative attitude toward women," Dhalla said last night.
NDP MP Dawn Black said Klein's comments were "totally unacceptable" and proof that sexism thrives in politics.
"It's demeaning and it's totally unacceptable in public life, even on your way out, to make these kinds of comments about women."
But Etmanski said she didn't see the remark as demeaning to women.
"I am a woman and as the female director for Premier Klein have final approval of his speeches. I looked at that line in his speech and just about fell off my chair laughing."
Etmanski said by definition roasts are humorous attacks on celebrities - in both good and bad taste - to raise money for charity.
"There's an unspoken rule that you don't write about them. Roasts are meant to be bad humour."
There were no reporters present when Klein made the remark, but a reporter who had been present earlier had been given a copy of the speech, she said.
ziggy @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 8:23 am
This was allready posted. Im still laughing. 
stratos @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 8:38 am
I still think its funny the way this is all going. Sounds more like a soap opera then polotics to me.
ziggy @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 8:46 am
stratos stratos:
I still think its funny the way this is all going. Sounds more like a soap opera then polotics to me.
They picked the wrong guy though because Ralph doesnt give a shit what anyone says about him.
Wally_Sconce @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 9:20 am
good grief!
now you have to be careful that you aren't ignorant or insensitive at a ROAST???
stratos @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 10:00 am
Hey welcome to the newer kinder Lib's your great and all that and they are very PC and tolerant of all till you disagree with them or say they are wrong. Then your labbled as a bigot intolerant and rude.
SJ-24 @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 11:57 am
stratos stratos:
Hey welcome to the newer kinder Lib's your great and all that and they are very PC and tolerant of all till you disagree with them or say they are wrong. Then your labbled as a bigot intolerant and rude.
All that and they'll still rip you off blind after they get back into the big chair! Like I said, not until all of the "Mean Jean" team is dead and gone will I ever trust the Liberals again. I'd take Ralph Klien over any Liberal. Oh hail King Ralph!
ziggy @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:05 pm
$1:
The only bone we should be worried about is the funny bone. It seems to have gone missing.
The huddle of hundreds in Calgary Tuesday night was a roast. A silly, let-your-hair-down, rib-tickling roast, a raucous roast of Ralph, who has been silly, let his hair down, tickled a few ribs in his day and been more than a little raucous in his long and colourful career.
At the roast, a venue where vulgarity is very much in the air and where almost everything is fair game, Ralph pitched a punchline. And what a punchline.
The premier's PR poobah almost fell off her chair when she first read it. One guy in the roast audience spit all the wine out of his mouth when he heard it. The house came down when Ralph delivered it.
The premier joshed about Belinda Stronach and uttered the following: "Belinda roasted me as a Conservative, but of course she's a Liberal now. I wasn't surprised she crossed over. I didn't think she ever did have a Conservative bone in her body. Well, maybe one ...."
Insert prolonged applause and gut-splitting guffawing here.
Following the comedic climax, Ralph continued.
"Speaking of Peter Mac-Kay, I hope you are as tired as I was to hear them go at it day after day in the House of Commons these past few weeks," Ralph said, of MacKay's alleged canine comments directed at his ex and his stonewalling on any sorry.
Prior to the punchline, Ralph rattled off a lengthy list of luminaries who've roasted him, including Ms. Stronach, who attended this same event two years ago.
Ralph said Belinda wasn't tough on him at the '04 roast since it "seems there wasn't any former NHL tough guys around in Belinda's life yet, like you know, what's his name, Tie Domi, to give her any tips on how to deliver any hard shots."
But hard shots were coming now. The morning after, certain media types started asking questions. Ralph's loyalists feared their man would once again be painted a buffoon.
Marisa Etmanski, the numero uno in the spin room of Ralph's world, says several wisecrackers had a hand in the speech and she had final approval of the text. Marisa went over it with her boss who read the line and "kind of laughed."
She convinced Ralph to just go for the gusto since the line was "so hysterical."
At the time, Marisa thought of Belinda's possible response: "As a woman, I hope she can take a joke. After all, people don't go to a roast to be politely amused."
Marisa says at a Ralph roast a couple years ago, Belinda got into the spirit of the thing when she admitted she "still giggles when I say the word caucus."
But outrage was upon the land and outrage is the currency of the current day. A potpourri of putdowns was up for the scrutiny of the sourpusses. Oh, if only there was such scrutiny of government policy. But no, an easy hit is an easy hit. Belinda, Peter, Ralph, sex. Only Britney was missing. Why have Question Period when you can have Entertainment Tonight?
The puritan wing of Calgary media wondered aloud of Ralph's so-called dirty joke, the tasteless titter and dug up some egghead to claim Ralph was well over the top and discouraging women in politics. Oh my.
Just for the record, the Homeless Foundation roast raised more than $100,000 and at the well-lubricated laughfest speakers made fun of Ralph's drinking, his weight, he and Colleen in bed. More details are not forthcoming.
Belinda is reported to not be commenting and Marisa maintains no one in Ralph's World is in the mood to repent.
"It was funny. The whole thing right now is plain silly because Ralph went up on a stage and was in front of a crowd for a good cause. They teased him, they called him names for a good cause. To take this and make something bad and bigger than it is ... Well, it's just plain stupid."
Yesterday, behind closed doors, the premier's people, feeling bad for their man, did apologize to him for getting him into any trouble. Ralph's reaction to the ruckus? No surprise.
He just laughed
The huddle of hundreds in Calgary Tuesday night was a roast. A silly, let-your-hair-down, rib-tickling roast, a raucous roast of Ralph, who has been silly, let his hair down, tickled a few ribs in his day and been more than a little raucous in his long and colourful career.
At the roast, a venue where vulgarity is very much in the air and where almost everything is fair game, Ralph pitched a punchline. And what a punchline.
The premier's PR poobah almost fell off her chair when she first read it. One guy in the roast audience spit all the wine out of his mouth when he heard it. The house came down when Ralph delivered it.
The premier joshed about Belinda Stronach and uttered the following: "Belinda roasted me as a Conservative, but of course she's a Liberal now. I wasn't surprised she crossed over. I didn't think she ever did have a Conservative bone in her body. Well, maybe one ...."
Insert prolonged applause and gut-splitting guffawing here.
Following the comedic climax, Ralph continued.
"Speaking of Peter Mac-Kay, I hope you are as tired as I was to hear them go at it day after day in the House of Commons these past few weeks," Ralph said, of MacKay's alleged canine comments directed at his ex and his stonewalling on any sorry.
Prior to the punchline, Ralph rattled off a lengthy list of luminaries who've roasted him, including Ms. Stronach, who attended this same event two years ago.
Ralph said Belinda wasn't tough on him at the '04 roast since it "seems there wasn't any former NHL tough guys around in Belinda's life yet, like you know, what's his name, Tie Domi, to give her any tips on how to deliver any hard shots."
But hard shots were coming now. The morning after, certain media types started asking questions. Ralph's loyalists feared their man would once again be painted a buffoon.
Marisa Etmanski, the numero uno in the spin room of Ralph's world, says several wisecrackers had a hand in the speech and she had final approval of the text. Marisa went over it with her boss who read the line and "kind of laughed."
She convinced Ralph to just go for the gusto since the line was "so hysterical."
At the time, Marisa thought of Belinda's possible response: "As a woman, I hope she can take a joke. After all, people don't go to a roast to be politely amused."
Marisa says at a Ralph roast a couple years ago, Belinda got into the spirit of the thing when she admitted she "still giggles when I say the word caucus."
But outrage was upon the land and outrage is the currency of the current day. A potpourri of putdowns was up for the scrutiny of the sourpusses. Oh, if only there was such scrutiny of government policy. But no, an easy hit is an easy hit. Belinda, Peter, Ralph, sex. Only Britney was missing. Why have Question Period when you can have Entertainment Tonight?
The puritan wing of Calgary media wondered aloud of Ralph's so-called dirty joke, the tasteless titter and dug up some egghead to claim Ralph was well over the top and discouraging women in politics. Oh my.
Just for the record, the Homeless Foundation roast raised more than $100,000 and at the well-lubricated laughfest speakers made fun of Ralph's drinking, his weight, he and Colleen in bed. More details are not forthcoming.
Belinda is reported to not be commenting and Marisa maintains no one in Ralph's World is in the mood to repent.
"It was funny. The whole thing right now is plain silly because Ralph went up on a stage and was in front of a crowd for a good cause. They teased him, they called him names for a good cause. To take this and make something bad and bigger than it is ... Well, it's just plain stupid."
Yesterday, behind closed doors, the premier's people, feeling bad for their man, did apologize to him for getting him into any trouble. Ralph's reaction to the ruckus? No surprise.
He just laughed
Delwin @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:13 pm
stratos stratos:
Hey welcome to the newer kinder Lib's your great and all that and they are very PC and tolerant of all till you disagree with them or say they are wrong. Then your labbled as a bigot intolerant and rude.
He didn't need any help with the intolerant and rude part, his drunken trip to the homeless shelter already branded him that way. However, the misogynist part comes as no real suprise either. Hey remember the time he threw that book, at that poor innocent page? This is the last guy that should be throwing stones or books at anyone.
Patrick_Ross @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:17 pm
When you look at Belinda Stronach's history, sleeping her way to the top becomes an unfortunate -- but very much accurate -- modus operandi.
Delwin @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:24 pm
Sure Belinda is an easy target, a little too easy(no pun) for my liking. It is just like Ralph to kick her when she is down instead of taking on a challanger that is a little more politically stable. Clearly he believes he has met his match. Bottomfeeder.
ziggy @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:26 pm
Delwin Delwin:
Sure Belinda is an easy target, a little too easy(no pun) for my liking. It is just like Ralph to kick her when she is down instead of taking on a challanger that is a little more politically stable. Clearly he believes he has met his match. Bottomfeeder.
It was a roast,she did the same to him a few years back.
Go Ralph go!
Delwin @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:29 pm
She roasted him when they were both conservative, i.e. non-partisan, big difference. Also, I doubt she brought his love life into it.(Mainly because I don't believe he is capable of that emotion)
Alta_redneck @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:34 pm
Up until now, one of my all time favorite Ralphisms was when he was running against the now deceased Liberal leader Laurence Decor. Decor was campaigning and mentioned that because Alberta has so many cattle that Alberta should develop an alternative fuel using cow flatulence. A few days later Ralph made a campaign stop at a farm to check out a modern day dairy operation. With all invited guest and the media in tow, they head for the barn. Once inside Ralph speaks up and said, “ well we got all the cows in one place, now if we could only make them fart “
Alta_redneck @ Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:41 pm
$1:
Just for the record, the Homeless Foundation roast raised more than $100,000 and at the well-lubricated laughfest speakers made fun of Ralph's drinking, his weight, he and Colleen in bed.