I liked the tie!
You know full well that this is a mild slap at the liberal party rather than a conservative party victory.
Anyway, enjoy your pretending.
A mild slap at the Liberals would have been last election, when the Libs squeaked out aminority government. This is at least as revolutionary as when the Republicans took Congress in 1994, if not more so.
I like the tie from the debate (in the pic I used) a lot better. Not saying it was bad, really, just not me.
So when the Canadian left draws over 52 percent of the vote (not even including the Bloc Q, which is leftist) - that is a "stealth revolution".
I get it. It is sooooo stealthy only you can see it. You are so pure of heart you can see things that normal people can't. You probably also see the lovely clothes President Bush is wearing, while he looks nude to most of us.
Happy pretending!
I agree with Jason. This election was not a referendum for pro-conservative values and ideals. It was an election to kick out the corrupt liberals. Citizens hate corruption, whether it's committed by liberals or conservatives.
Canadians, by and large, will still remain hostile toward the US's policy of premptive war and they will still want their universal health care when the day comes to a close. They're not going to shift conservative anytime soon. They just wanted the libs out of power. I would have, as well.
It's kind of like how a majority of Americans, when polled, would have kicked George Bush out of office had the election been held this past November. People are sick of him. Even conservatives. Those conservatives wouldn't be voting against him because they're liberal...they'd be voting against him because they're tired of his incompetent ass.
Libs are just pissed that they can't threaten to move to Canada any more.
I'd be willing to bet that if they came out with a red vs. blue electoral map it would show most of the country in red, and clusters of blue around Montreal, Toronto, and Quebec. That might be deceiving though, since most of the population lives within 100 miles of the border. The point is that the rest of Canada is tired of being slaves to Quebec.
Yes. The map would look very similar to the Bush-Kerry county map. The whole countryside would be blue (the Conservatives color).
What is revolutionary about this is that the Liberals had power for so long. You forget, perhaps, that this is a local election with national effects. Winning each riding (like a Congressional District) determines the outcome. People weren't just voting for Harper, Martin, Layton or Duceppe, they were voting local.
I would also argue that the BQ is seperatist, but a little more right than left overalll. Anti-federalism and such.
Rightist, leftists, whatever. Probably some of both. Anyway, with the slim victory, the conservatives will have to heavily rely upon the Bloc in order to maintain a government.
The Bloc will decide when it is time for new elections.
"The Bloc will decide..."
Very melodramatic, almost like, "the Shadow knows."
Jason, you know about as much about Canadian politics as I know about being a butcher. And do you just hate conservatives out of habit, or do you actually ever consider any of their viewpoints?
First, Canadians will not want to go back to the polls for some time. For that reason alone, I give the Tories a minimum of two years, but I would say more like three. They've had two elections in 19 months. Even the Bloc wouldn't push that.
Second, the Liberals are expected to declare bankruptcy in the spring. They may not even be able to afford a leadership race. A party with no money and no leader is not a party that is in a position to campaign, let alone govern. So, YOU have fun pretending!
Third, about the Bloc. Harper and the CPC drastically undermined their power in the House and in Quebec. He took four of their seats (and six of the Libs, I might add) and kept them to 41% of the total vote, well under 50%. Gilles Duceppe (somehow, I suspect you don't actually know who he is) was counting on 50% or more of the vote in order to trigger a referendum on secession. The Conservatives have thwarted that, and for that, they have already won a huge battle. The Bloc has nothing with which to threaten to get what it wants. They are destabilized, and I think it is more in THEIR interests to cooperate with the Harper government than for Harper to have to kowtow to them. They lost their mandate in Quebec. That is a fact of history as of last night.
Finally, the NDP has said they will work with Harper on some initiatives, such as health care wait times reduction, democratic reform, and the Accountability Act. The latter will likely have the support of not just the CPC and NDP but also the BQ, as I suspect the other two will see support from all the parties (even if just a handful of Liberals). I think we're going to see this on many issues, depending on how Harper plays it. He's proven himself able to form coalitions in the past, most recently bringing about the fall of the House in November.
You're severely underestimating Harper if you think this is all about Liberal scandal, although that is part of the equation. Harper has ideas that, for Canada at least, are revolutionary, and I think his government will stand about three years, and if he accomplishes his five priorities- and I think he will- he will win a majority next time around.
That's the thing about a minority. It can go both ways. You can either prove yourself worthy of more power, as Diefenbaker and his Conservatives in 1957, or you can, like Martin and his Liberals, first blow a majority and then lose it all. You just assume people in Canada can't think enough to vote anyway but Liberal by default, but I trust them to know who they want to lead them, Liberal, Conservative, or NDP.
"He took four of their seats (and six of the Libs, I might add) and kept them to 41% of the total vote, well under 50%."
Just a note of clarification...I am pretty she sure she is talking about the vote in Quebec. The BQ only exists there.
One last thing, Jason, it's the seats that count more than the % of the vote.
And don't make the mistake of lumping the NDP in with the Liberals, For one thing, that pisses them off. For another, Martin counted on that to keep him in power, and look how well it worked out for him.
Yes, I was referring to the Quebec vote, not the national vote.
Thanks for clarifying.
"Canadians, by and large, will still remain hostile toward the US's policy of premptive war and they will still want their universal health care when the day comes to a close."
Mike M.- And Harper's position is to keep Canadian Forces out of Iraq, and to maintain the Canadian Medicare system but reform it so that wait times are reduced, and that there is an option to seek private care when the public system fails in meeting the wait time standards, but still covered by the public system. Oh, and "universal" implies a free-for-all, but it's a managed care system, and it works like most insurance programs. One does not have the option of just waltzing into the doctor's office everyday and billing it to the government.
Thank you for proving you ignored everything Harper has stated in the campaign.
Oh, and I have info. about a poll on health care in Canada, and an overwhelming majority of Canadians support some sort of private care option.
Well yeah. Public health care, most often doesn't work. Just like everyting else the government does. Except NASA, pre-1980.
And roads - I like them - and no child labor - haha, ok, I'll try NOT being an ass for once and leave it alone.
This is not a conservative revolution in that they cannot just run away with things like they have been able to do here in the US. Ultimatly, the MUST work with someone, be it the Bloc or even the Liberals on certain issues. It should be interesting to see how it works out - hopefully the mixed party situation can bring about less corruption than the previous government. That won't be a very difficult feat, however.
Harper is fully comitted to transparency. It is something he has campaigned on since he founded the Reform Party of Canada.
(And Mike, when was the last time you saw a major highway woithout potholes?)
I think on most issues, the CPC will find broad-based support, with the exception of cutting the GST. That might be a harder sell, given the NDP's resistance to any tax cuts. However, the Conservative platform is practical and passes the test of solvency.
Mike, you're right. Harper himself has stated this government, even if were a majority, would have a lot of checks as most of the Senate and Supreme Court are stocked with Liberals, for the most part. However, I take exception to your comments about US conservatives. Generally speaking, we have more checks in our institutions of government than does the parliamentary system in Canada. Many of Harper's ideas about checks and balances are based on US models.
That said, I say we model a government transparency act on his Accountability Act.
Mike McKain- I'm glad you didn't jump on the "Harper wants child labour" bandwagon, lest I hunt you down personally and give you a wedgie. Harper supports property rights in the Canadian Constitution. For some reason, Liberals do not, and they equate them to child labour. It was a nasty, dirty smear, and I'm glad it didn't work.
First, Canadians will not want to go back to the polls for some time.
They made thier point. When they start to see this guy in action, you are going to see widespread buyers remorse.
I give this government 18 months. Start the clock.
Trust me, I have many contacts there. I know what I'm talking about. Additionally, let's see- wants to reform accountability, have an elected Senate, improve health care wait times, and provide families with money for childcare. Clearly, you paid no attention anything he said or I wrote, and just go on autopilot with regards to conservatives.
Interesting you didn't comment on anything else, such as Liberals' being in debt (officially as of today), or how the CPC victories in Quebec thwarted another Constitutional crisis.
Your ignorance on these matters is astounding.
His ignorance on many things is astounding.
Oh, and Jason, go to CBC's "Canada Votes" page and do some math. Liberals' and NDP's percentages do NOT add up to 52%. They add up to roughly 47%.
Boy, that public education sure is working out for you.
I'm kind of tall, so the wedgie thing would be difficult anyway. lol. Harper seems very much like a common-sense Conservative instead of an idealogues, and I appreciate that. I really don't mind viewpoints that I disagree with as long as they're supported and make sense. That's generally why I argue with you (Jess), Ryan, Hube, and a few others instead of any other host of right-wingers in the blogosphere.
"Generally speaking, we have more checks in our institutions of government than does the parliamentary system in Canada."
That may be true (I not real up to speed on my Canadian civics), but the checks that do exist in the US are pretty well occupied by Republicans at this point; all the Dems really have left is the filibuster and various state governments, when it boils down to it...some circuit courts remain liberal-leaning, but the highest court is Conservative, and will become more so any day now...
Well, given that you're referring to the same court that wrote property rights out of our Constitution with the Kelo decision, I'm not sure that's an entirely bad thing, lol.
Harper is deeply conservative but cannot govern as such, so he has modified his conservatism to fit Canada, which is wise and one of the reasons why I respect him so greatly. Some other conservative leaders I know seem to try to make the country fit their version of conservatism.
"Harper is deeply conservative but cannot govern as such, so he has modified his conservatism to fit Canada, which is wise and one of the reasons why I respect him so greatly. Some other conservative leaders I know seem to try to make the country fit their version of conservatism."
I don't think you are making the correct argument. While I know that Harper is very conservative, I don't think he is adjusting 'his conservatism' so much as lighting up where he and the Canadian people agree. Unlike many ideologues, he is finding compromise on common grounds. I don't think this means that he comprimising his views, as you suggest, but making smart, common sense policy.
No, no, no, I didn't mean to imply that Harper had amended his views, and I don't think what I wrote implied that at all. He has stated that his core beliefs remain the same. He is deeply and fully committed to conservatism. However, he has taylored his conservative agenda to meet the needs of Canada.
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