On Wednesday, an opposition group that is now actively campaigning against freshman Congressman Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina released a video that showed the Republican lawmaker naked in bed and thrusting his groin at another person’s head. The video was first published by American Muckrakers PAC, a political group that is reported to run the “Fire Madison Cawthorn” website, in advance of the state’s May 17 primary.
The video, which had been passed to the group by a “former supporter” of Cawthorn, has since trended across social media with the hashtag “madisoncawthornvideo.”
The video appears to show the 26-year-old freshman congressman screaming and chanting as he thrust his pelvis against an unidentified man. Another individual, who is believed to have filmed the encounter on a smartphone, could be heard laughing in the background and telling Cawthorn to “stick it in his face.”
Rep. Cawthorn responded to the video on Wednesday evening via a tweet from his verified social media account (@CawthornforNC), “A new hit against me just dropped. Years ago, in this video, I was being crass with a friend, trying to be funny. We were acting foolish, and joking. That’s it. I’m NOT backing down. I told you there would be a drip drip campaign. Blackmail won’t win. We will.”
This is just the latest controversy for the congressman, who is facing an unusually crowded GOP primary for an incumbent Congressman. Last month, several photos emerged on social media that showed Cawthorn dressed in women’s lingerie.
Career Ruining Moments?
It was the late Democrat Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards who famously boasted during a successful election campaign in 1983, “The only way I can lose this election is if I’m caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy.”
That was of course long before the days of smartphones and social media, where past “deeds” or “actions” could come back and haunt anyone.
“Today social media and the Internet can amplify a message like this,” explained Dr. Chris Haynes, associate professor of international affairs and political science at the University of New Haven.
“Anything that can be really embarrassing could be career-ending, and not just for politicians,” warned Haynes. “Anyone with an iPhone can quickly record something controversial or embarrassing and send it around the world.”
While Cawthorn has certainly become a lightning rod for controversy, he is far from the only lawmaker to come under scrutiny for questionable acts and statements that quickly make the rounds on social media.
“This goes to a deeper question, what do we expect from our politicians,” pondered Haynes. “We want them to be perfect, we want them to be a step up from the rest of us, yet authentic, and that is a very unrealistic standard.”
Social Media Is Weaponizing The Past
It remains unclear when the apparent encounter between Cawthorn and the other individual took place, or even how American Muckrakers PAC obtained the video, but this also isn’t the first time that actions from someone’s past have resurfaced and been shared on the social platforms.
“In this way, social media has revolutionized politics, for good and bad,” said Haynes. “We have seen a new breed of politicians who gained popularity by exploiting social media. They live and die by the social media sword.”
It is certainly harder than ever to keep the “skeletons in the closet,” yet we should question whether we want our politics to become about simply dredging up more dirt on the other side, especially in an era where misinformation is so common. Additionally, technology is making it easier than ever to manipulate video. Cawthorn didn’t dispute the authenticity of this video, but we’ve already seen that Deepfakes and edited images have made the rounds on social media.
“We should be concerned that anyone can so easily manipulate the message,” warned Haynes. “Once a story is out there, it is impossible to contain. We also have to worry about how nefarious actors, including those from other countries, are already trying to wage an information war. Social media is so instantaneous that it can make it challenging for us to maintain our freedom when disinformation can spread so quickly.”
Scorched Earth
The other worrisome trend – whether it is a video of Cawthorn or tweets about Hunter Biden’s laptop – is that both sides have increasingly engaged in a scorched earth policy to use social media to destroy the other side. Instead of focusing on the issues that a candidate may stand for, it is increasingly about finding the worst thing he or she has done and sharing that to the masses.
“It is unfortunate that we are so polarized that people don’t even think before they would go public with the dirt they have on their political enemies,” said Haynes. “It is more about the tribe than our society and country. Yet, this is the age we live in, and I don’t know if there is an answer to curb this.”
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
