McCain Mitts His Match, and other news
The markets still have McCain in front but no one seems to stay the front runner for long in this race.
In Other News...
-Having already gone with a brutally bad pun in the post headline, I'll resist the urge to use any obvious "nuclear" play-on-words when recapping the Linda Keen firing. Actually, I won't use any words to recap this one because, truth be told, I haven't been following this story very closely. Thoughts?
-Writer's strike got you down? Well, the CBC will be airing another edition of "Test the Nation" this Sunday. I mention this only because I will be part of the blogging team (which will, I suspect, be quite ineffective without our trusted friend "google"). With over 200 people in studio, this should give me a good idea of what it's like to be a backbench MP, if nothing else.
-PTimHB has more on the upcoming Alberta election - looks like a promise to scrap health care premiums could be in Stelmach's platform. Flip-flops aside, it would be a smart political move on his part and it's not like Alberta is short on cash.
Labels: Ed Stelmach, Health Premiums, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani
posted by calgarygrit at
8:46 p.m.
15 Comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.
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Glen, at 10:13 p.m.
While I agree with the policy of scrapping premiums, I wouldn't go so far as to call it a smart political move right away.
If Stelmach does propose to eliminate premiums, it would be interesting to see what the story is. If it's all about eliminating premiums, it's good for Stelmach. But if it's about his change in position, that could play into the idea that the PCs have no real plan or direction for the province.
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Glen, at 10:14 p.m.
I was surprised that Romney won Michigan. I mean, it's pretty much "his" state, but I just had a weird gut feeling that it wasn't in the cards. Obviously it was just the gorgonzola cheese from lunch...
I have mixed feelings about Linda Keen. I hear two very different stories, and both could easily be true. I'm interested in the matter but like you haven't researched too closely.
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Jacques Beau Vert, at 10:30 p.m.
re: Mitt Romney. I didn't have Gorgonzola for lunch, but I have a terrible feeling in my stomach that Romney will win the nomination.
re: Linda Keen. The issue isn't so much of her incompetence, but if the gov't had the authority to fire her.
re: Health Care prems. The libs could take this issue from the PCs quite easily but putting it in their platform. I think people are looking for someone/something new then what we've been getting from the Klein/Stelmach way of governing.
kgp
By
Unknown, at 11:03 a.m.
Kevin; health premiums have been part of the Alberta Liberal platform for years. The Tories are just stealing the idea.
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Glen, at 11:53 a.m.
stealing ideas is a trait free of political party dogma, happens all the time.
Keen had to go, she picked the fight. The unfortunate thing is AECL-CNSC look foolish for not seeing the outcome of an isotope shortage. This is a bureaucratic problem. AECL should have notified Health Canada of delayed isotope delivery due to CNSC with-holding the operating permit.
Is this any different than J Chretien or P Martin dismissing BDC bank prez, Mint prez, Canada Post prez, etc, etc?
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Unknown, at 1:30 p.m.
The first post-Michigan polls do not seem to show a substantial boost for Mitt Romney, and the spin is not exactly in his favour. I have read lots of articles arguing that (echoing the story of the other camps) he won on his local appeal, and specific pseudo-protectionist message to the auto industry.
McCain is ahead in both South Carolina and Florida, with Romney ahead in Nevada. Moreover, McCain leads in many of the big state primaries - including New Jersey, which should be Giuliani country.
The one wild-card, however, is that posed by Fred Thompson. When he drops out, it is unlikely that his conservative supporters will go to McCain. In New Hampshire (the only place they polled on this), of the 4% that supported Thompson, 1% was favourable to McCain, 3% was unfavourable. By contrast they held net favourable views toward Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani. With Thompson at 9% nationally, his departure could make the difference in a number of close Super Tuesday races.
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french wedding cat, at 1:47 p.m.
I don't know much about the actual correspondence between the CNSC and AECL, or the timeline surrounding the government's role.
I am inclined to favour Keen in this because I can't see how it was within her mandate to take isotope production (or anything else relating to AECL's contracts and not directly to nuclear safety) into account.
If someone was to weigh those negative outcomes against one another and risk restarting the reactor, it had to be someone higher in the chain of responsibility than either AECL or CNSC.
This was done (by Parliament), and the story ought to have ended there. Unless I greatly misunderstand the CNSC's mandate, the subsequent attempts to blame Keen for this have been quite wrong.
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saphorr, at 7:48 p.m.
Gary Lunn and the New Government?
Rex Murphy (CBC) severely criticized harper tonite. They must have been grievously wrong, if Rex is willing to take such a clear stand against them. Check out Rex’s position.
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JimTan, at 10:23 p.m.
Hey Grit,
are you guys really planning to invade Pakistan?
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Tarkwell Robotico, at 10:39 p.m.
Good luck on Sunday - I'll be rooting for you, John K and the rest of the blogging crew!
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Prairie Fire, at 3:42 a.m.
As long as a Republican other than McCain or Giuliani wins the nomination I'll be happy. Those two will mean we'll have to listen to 'war on terror' cliches ad nauseum; frankly I'd rather listen to the theocratic bullshit.
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Anonymous, at 12:38 p.m.
"are you guys really planning to invade Pakistan?"
No Way! We're cowardly pacifist. None of this neo-con bullshit.
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JimTan, at 1:12 p.m.
I*m sure Jimtan meant to say, none of this neo-con bullets stuff.
In the spirit of ** Other News**, the pot is boiling over with this Alberta Human Rights cloister thing.
Everything held in secrecy. A secret Kangaroo court, yet not a court. Where the conviction rate has been 100% up to this point. Where publishing cartoons is not illeagal in Canada yet the Western Standard magazine is forced to fold just for covering the Muslim cartoon planned demonstrations.
Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn, both under the hot AB-HRC interrogation lamps for ** hurting Muslim sensibilities **.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XUTFcgE1F7w
Does Dhimmi Canada speak for you? He sure speaks for me. = TG
By
Anonymous, at 9:20 p.m.
Presumably, if Ken is correct on Keen's firing was unjustified, then she will be successful in a wrongful dismissal claim. However, there appears to be quite a bit of evidence that she failed miserably at her job - hopefully, if the Liberals ever get back into power, they will appoint better individuals to these positions rather than pure cronies.
By
Anonymous, at 11:59 p.m.
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