Scott and JimBobby think it's time we had one of those election thingies. Remember those?
In fact one of Scott's commenters said something about the animosity Scott feels for Stephen Harper and he said it like it was a bad thing. I beg to differ. Given the recent record of this government I think a certain amount of animosity is a healthy reaction from anyone who opposes the corruption of democracy. As Digby is fond of pointing out regarding Republicans, you can't expect good government from those who think government is the problem. And it seems increasingly obvious that the Harperettes intend to weaken the Canadian government as much as possible. I think there's more and more of that animosity going around and we may be approaching one of those "lead, follow or get the hell out of the way" moments.
In honour of Scott and JimBobby, (who, incidentally, support political parties I wouldn't be likely to vote for this time around), remember Thunderclap Newman?
You're a senior, yes? ;-)
Down, boys, down. An uprising in the Canadian blogosphere does not an election call make.
I think we should let things get worse. Quite a bit worse. Like, really bad. And from what I've seen recently, that is going to happen; the Cons will do it to themselves. Let's not be precipitate.
You're harshing my buzz, man.
Whooee! Thankee fer the linkup, PoggeMan.
Things are gettin' worse -- fast. By the time Parliament gets back and we get a chance for a non-confidence vote, it'll be March. Then the election would be in May or June.
Since I plan on knockin' on doors for the gal I adore and for my local Green candidate, May or June are good walkin' around months.
I ain't sure how much longer we can stand the degradation and disgrace of the Harper government. WADR, Skdaddler, it's bad enough now.
JB
But seriously, folks. I don't think we bloggers have the power. But I do believe the media, even the outlets that endorsed this crew, are becoming more aggressive in their reporting and their rhetoric. And I don't think it requires a majority of the electorate to push the Liberals into a vote of non-confidence. It requires enough "animosity" from the people Dion would rely on to work on his/their behalf and they, like bloggers, pay closer attention to matters political. If we're getting restless I'd imagine they are too.
And see JB above about timing.
One maxim about politics.
Governments are seldom defeated, they fall from power.
So kudos to skdadl and pogge. March would be about the time of the budget, unless Harper feels that he wants to go to the polls on the Afghanistan mission.
Well I hate to rain on your parade, piss in your cornflakes or whatever but, according to a poll reported in the Star on Thursday:
OTTAWA – A new poll suggests only about one in five Canadians wants a federal election this year.
The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey of just over 1,000 Canadians found 58 per cent wanted the election in 2009, while only 22 per cent wanted one this year.
"The public sees no big issue that today's Parliament stands in the way of solving, and no big idea that would require a reconstituted Parliament to put into place," said Harris-Decima president Bruce Anderson.
"Moreover, most people seem to lack passion for or against both of the parties that might form a government after an election. Absent those conditions, it's natural for people to wonder why an election in the near term would serve their interests."
Voters have a way of punishing politicians. Agree with the majority or not, give the public an election they don't want and the result may be the opposite of what you hoped.
Personally I don't see what the reluctance is all about but, then, none of us qualifies as Joe or Jill Sixpack either. I saw everything I needed to see to convince me the Harpies were idiot-savants (without the "savant" part) years before the last election. And so did most other folks in our situation.
Skdadl is probably right about having to let things get considerably worse and letting the Harpies do the damage themselves. As Steve Gilliard put it "never stop a man from stepping on his dick."
But skdadl, it is too damned hard to watch this happen to my country!!! I can't take much more!!! (And yes, it's all about me! *blush*)
Berlynn, if I were in charge ... But I'm not. These guys scare me, srsly, but what scares me more is that so few Canadians have grasped the problem so far. I feel as though I'm watching the whole American mess all over again in slow motion, so I am scared, but I can't figure out why so many other people are not paying attention. You wouldn't believe how anaesthetized some of my best friends are, and they are not stupid people. That is what worries me most.
And it worries me, obviously, because I'm afeard that anaesthetized people could do what the Merkins did, and elect a Harper majority. At which point I think I might seek asylum somewhere ... else.
Heh. Mushroom thinks that pogge and I agree about things. Heh. Mushroom, sweetheart, if only you knew. ;-)
Very kind of you, Pogge.
By the way, that would be Raphael over at my site who questioned my animosity - tho he claimed later that was only sorta half-pulling my leg on it; apparently he feels the need to become designated Con tweaker of me since Aaron (ALW) isn't around right now to do said tweaking.
"Well I hate to rain on your parade, piss in your cornflakes or whatever but, according to a poll reported in the Star on Thursday:
OTTAWA – A new poll suggests only about one in five Canadians wants a federal election this year."
I think it was Duffy asked Scott Reid about this and Reid said only 5% would want a root canal this year, too.
40% don't vote and of the 60% who do, a lot of 'em find elections an annoying intrusion into "real" life -- hockey, shoppin', church, TV addiction, etc.
Voting is not simply a privilege. It is a duty. Some shirk their duty. Some do it grudgingly. Some embrace it.
Duties are like chores. Elections require some work (thinking) on the part of voters. There's plenty o' lazyasses who'd rather not wear out their old brains tryin' to keep track of who's sayin' what and who's the worst numbnuts in the race.
Once there's an election, the party who can be blamed for triggering it will pay a price. They may be able to overcome that with campaign issues. The election call can and will be framed so that the "other guys" are who made this unwanted election happen.
JB
Come what may, I think I'll be a good Scout and "be prepared":
VANCOUVER CENTRE NEW DEMOCRATS
'Building a Winning Campaign in Vancouver Centre'
Saturday, February 2, 2008 10am to 3pm
Bidwell Room - West End Community Centre - 870 Denman St.
Guest Speaker: Peter Julian, MP (Burnaby-New Westminster)
A Federal election is expected this Spring and our candidate Randall Garrison would like to hear from you...
come and share your ideas on the important issues facing our riding..
Look out Hedy, here we come (again)!
JimBobby,
Well, your lady Lizzie May is a firm supporter of voting through the internet and/or mail-in ballots. Vote democratically, fairly, and vote often.
MacDavy,
Don't forget Hedy and Adrienne Carr. Randall Garrison will be my third choice. Sorry ;(
"Well, your lady Lizzie May is a firm supporter of voting through the internet and/or mail-in ballots. Vote democratically, fairly, and vote often."
I'm not sure what you're getting at. We already allow mail-in ballots from CF personnel and other Canadians abroad. I can't remember any cases of fraudulent voting by mail-in ballot. Perhaps I'm just uninformed.
WRT internet voting, it will come to pass and it need not be so sloppy as to mean voters could vote often.
Millions of people around the world use credit cards online and there's an army of hackers trying to steal money without any significant success. I'm not too worried about an army of political geeks trying to cast multiple votes.
Email, blogs, forums, massive transfers of billion$ by way of online banking are already realities that have changed the way we live. Governments are already using the internet to interact with and provide services to citizens. Parties have already been experimenting with online nomination votes and virtual conventions. The writing is on the wall and Elizabeth May isn't the only one with the crayon.
JB
Vancouver Center! Is that where Randall Garrison is running? Damn it you stole our candidate! He came so close to beating Keith Martin in 06.
I'm sure Jennifer will do fine, but I was really disappointed when Randall chose not to run in Esquimalt again.