Blue Like You

Archive for August 28th, 2008

My, my. Some Liberals seem to be getting a mite testy lately…

Western Grit calls Conservatives "…arrogant, pompous in-breeders…" And that’s just for starters.

Well, if you can’t win by logic, try name-calling. It’s the standard Liberal strategy.

Tom Flanagan paints a grim picture about Liberal finances. You know, if the Liberals are having trouble with their fund-raising, perhaps they should ask themselves why the grassroots are so reluctant to contribute.

Perhaps they are saving up for a hedge against the carbon tax?

The Star reports that the LPC is putting on a brave face, but there are some underlying problems:

But the key to both the NDP and Tory campaigns involves trampling on the Liberal Green Shift, the centrepiece of Dion’s election plan. Liberals describe it as a way to tax polluters and redistribute the money in personal tax cuts to low-income Canadians and those who go green. Critics write it off as a carbon tax that the country doesn’t want and can’t afford.

"We’re getting reports back that it’s just not working," the NDP official said. "The Liberals won’t gain support from it. How much support they’ll lose is undetermined."

This election’s going to be down and dirty.

But finances aside, a fall election call could actually be seen as an act of mercy for the Liberal party. How much longer could they rail against the government while opting out of important votes? Their credibility is already seriously undermined.

This Parliament may or may not be dysfunctional, but the Liberal Party certainly is. We need a strong official oppostion and the Liberal Party isn’t it right now. The NDP is looking far better by comparison.

Time for an election - for the sake of democracy in Canada.

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Update : And who knew Don Martin would assist the CPC in compiling a list of Harper accomplishments? Not as comprehensive as Sandy’s, but we’ll take what we can get.

Heh.

Excellent column by Adam Radwanski - When pundits have too much time on their hands (This is great!):

In an election leadup that somehow manages to be both sudden and interminable, it’s inevitable that every news story will be parsed for its potential impact on the campaign. I recall an Ontario Liberal friend some years back fretting over whether his party’s electoral fortunes might be impacted by the Leafs losing a playoff series. They weren’t - and neither, I suspect, will Liberal or Conservative fortunes be dramatically altered in the way currently being speculated.

For starters - no, Stephane Dion will not get a bump from Obama-mania, if Obama-mania persists throughout the fall. If there is a single voter who watches Barack Obama and thinks to themself "man, I really have to vote for Stephane Dion"? Does anyone seriously believe that’s why the Tories want to get the election over with? (And for the record, I linked to one of Dion’s better moments.)

Links available on Adam’s blog.

This is so sweet - Liberal MPs seek changes to Green Shift plan - Globe (and check out the comments after the article!)