Tell me if this sounds familiar.

A story breaks about something Pierre Poilievre has done that sounds like a career-breaker. And then, nothing happens whatsoever.

Yesterday, the Toronto Star published a story that proves Poilievre and his leadership team were the ones responsible for ousting the perma-embattled Patrick Brown from their party’s leadership race. This story was one of those stories where, if you happened to be in the know, you knew at the time that it was a black op from the Poilievre camp.

Debbie Jodoin, the supposed whistleblower in the Patrick Brown Coup 2.0, just received a contract by the @CPC_HQ to be a ballot scrutineer.

I just asked her about it. This is what she said.

The fix is in….again. #KlondikePapers #cpcldr #canpoli #cdnpoli #cdnmedia pic.twitter.com/hgg5Io9vro

— James DiFiore (@jamesdifiore) July 8, 2022

All that was missing was the actual smoking gun.

But let’s be clear – every single CPC politician and executive knew that Brown, for the second time in his political career, was taken out by the very party he was trying to lead. And the reason why he is so reviled by conservatives is just as much an open secret, yet the public has no idea. Moreover, the base of Poilievre’s supporters wouldn’t give a shit if Poilievre himself was caught on camera executing a black op against a political rival who doesn’t cater to their political slants. Hell, the footage would probably just make him more popular.

Over and over throughout his career, first as the go-to Stephen Harper pitbull, and now as party leader, Poilievre has broken so many rules that it is remarkable he is still in politics. Or is it? An interesting side effect of living in a polarized society is how much deference is given to an ends-justify-the-means mentality. So what if Poilievre broke various electoral laws? As long as the movement grows that’s all that matters, right?

What a 🇨🇦 CPC government could look like:

PART 1/4

PM Pierre Poilievre:

•Caught cheating by Elections Canada
•Imbedded misogynistic #MGTOW hashtag in videos for YEARS
•Called First Nations "lazy"
•Encouraged blockades that cost billions
•Calls Jordan Peterson a genius👇 pic.twitter.com/S86VrUZSqx

— Patrick Moss (@VoyceReason) April 11, 2023

Who cares if Poilievre helped execute the in-and-out scandal where conservatives kept moving money between ridings to illegally exceed campaign spending limits, as long as more conservatives get elected?

Who cares if Poilievre helped foment and monetize the convoy movement in Canada, as long as the CPC somehow benefits?

Who cares if we one day discover that the Pierre Poutine from the Robocalls scandal was a pseudonym for Poilievre, who many believe was one of the architects of the scandal, as long as liberal voters were thwarted from voting?

When Pierre Poilievre says he wasnt involved with illegally tampering with our democracy during the infamous 2011 Pierre Poutine robo call scandal #PierrePoilievreIsLyingToYou

— kris meloche (@krismeloche) April 17, 2022

One of the worst ancillary impacts of a divided nation is when voters turn a blind eye to things they would crucify their political opposites for doing. Sometimes voters are just like that without even realizing. For ideologues, hypocrisy is often subconscious. They can’t see their own biases and just react like a loyalist, rather than someone who is principled.

And the worst is when a politician weaponizes this brand of toxic partisanship. Poilievre has become the Pied Piper of these tribalists, so says the trail of blank cheques they have left behind. He treats his supporters like trained seals, confident that no matter what underhanded, unethical, even illegal act he commits, all will be forgiven.

Call it the MAGA effect, or whatever you want to call it, but unless politicians self-regulate their impulse to manipulate their own supporters, our future will be determined by puppeteers, instead of actual patriotism.