The Talking Points, They Are A Changin'
Dion
July 23, 2008: Canadians Ready for a Fall Election, Dion Says
August 24, 2008: Dion Says Harper Could Reconsider Election Call
Layton
August 8, 2008: Told that Canadians are wondering when the next election will be, Layton's response was, "Me too, the sooner the better."
August 21, 2008: NDP Leader Against Early Election Call
Harper
"What we have achieved over the fall and particularly over the spring, I think it's a remarkable record of achievement."
July 23, 2008: Canadians Ready for a Fall Election, Dion Says
August 24, 2008: Dion Says Harper Could Reconsider Election Call
Layton
August 8, 2008: Told that Canadians are wondering when the next election will be, Layton's response was, "Me too, the sooner the better."
August 21, 2008: NDP Leader Against Early Election Call
Harper
"What we have achieved over the fall and particularly over the spring, I think it's a remarkable record of achievement."
-Stephen Harper, June 2008
“Quite frankly, I'm going to have to make a judgment in the next little while as to whether or not this Parliament can function productively.”
-Stephen Harper, August 2008
Labels: great moments in spin
posted by calgarygrit at
9:30 p.m.
17 Comments:
Change is good right?
By
Tim, at 9:44 p.m.
What's remarkable is that Dion, the leader of the opposition, the "party in the waiting", the entity who's primary function is to hold the government to account by waiting in the wings ready to take over government at the first opportunity,
is running from the chance to take power faster than a rookie Jamaican going for gold.
By
Anonymous, at 10:36 p.m.
Cutting through the nonsense...It looks like the Opposition parties foresee Harper taking a beating over the next month or so.
And Harper does not want to take the beating.
Or maybe Harper really is concerned about parliamentary committees.
By
Aaron, at 11:24 p.m.
Proof that this is a dysfunctional government:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080825/dion_election_080825/20080825?hub=Politics
Dion is sooooo busy that he can't find 30 minutes, in the next 11 days, to have a conversation with the Prime Minister of Canada?
Perhaps he could stay up late one night and give the PM a call.
By
wilson, at 12:08 a.m.
Or maybe Harper could come up with one reason why he can't wait 11 days for a face to face meeting.
Is he aware of an alien invasion or something?
Harper is such a clown.
By
Anonymous, at 12:38 a.m.
After abstaining or supporting the government over the past years worth of confidence votes,
then pathetically proclaiming over the summer that "he'll pick a time of his choosing to call an election",
Dion's grand strategic move to deal with Harper calling an election Dion is terrified of facing, is to
1)publicly plead for Harper not to call one, and then
2) grovel for a few more days.
Harper's likely response: call one even sooner.
My call: September 2nd.
Do the Liberals have enough $$ to rent a bus or two?
Ahh, not to worry my Liberal friends, he won't need campaign money with a platform based on INCREASING the already staggeringly high fuel prices.
That's sure to be a winner at the polls. After all voters love to pay more for fuel.....and everything else that requires fuel for delivery or productions, which means...well....everything.
By
Anonymous, at 4:07 a.m.
I've read that the Liberals have no candidate in 60 Quebec ridings and half the BC ridings. Does Dion need a little more time, or are they ready now?
By
nuna d. above, at 11:28 a.m.
Back when the whole "list" fiasco was going on, I think the Liberals had 40 or 50 candidates in Quebec.
By
calgarygrit, at 12:42 p.m.
Dion's been caught in a bluff here, pure and simple.
For more than a year, Dion begged off of having an election. It was a poor strategy that made him look horribly weak, but at least it was low risk.
Harper waited in the weeds for Dion to show the slightest bit of mettle, and now he's pounced. Dion suggesting in July that he's ready for a fall election was just what Harper wanted to hear. Now he's going to pull the plug and give Dion what he's professed to want.
Only we all know that isn't the case. Dion is afraid of the polls, as he should be.
By
sir john a., at 12:43 p.m.
Dion & Layton will be getting what they have been wishing for and they won't like it.
Simple confidence motion in the House should do it, easy-peasy.
Dion either defeats the government or continues to look like an incompetent, wimpy, spineless "leader"
Bring it on Steffi.
By
Anonymous, at 2:16 p.m.
Well we all know Steve has balls, just ask Ben how hard he grips his hand when they shake on it before school.....watch out Dion!!!!
By
Anonymous, at 2:27 p.m.
After reading all these comments from know it all cons a victory for the Liberals in the next election will be sweet.
By
Anonymous, at 3:14 p.m.
Do any of you folks predicting a con win have any evidence that the soft support which gave the conservatives the smallest minority government in the history of the house has firmed up?
Do you really think in-and-out, Cadman, Fortier, Emerson, softwood, sinking economic outlook, and now a reversal on their own fixed election date law has made any of those people who said, "Well.. let's try the conservatives, gotta be better than the Liberals" go, "Boy, was that a good decision!"?
By
Anonymous, at 9:20 p.m.
Anon:
internal funds transfers of a political party, the he said she said of a dead guy last election, and "Emerson??? being a star cabmin??,
don't affect everyday Canadians one iota. Political hacks, who go on blogs like this think they're a big deal, not normal folk.
Normal folk care about the fact that the price of fuel is threatening the foundation of their standard of living. If, I'm in my living room telling my kids we can't take that road trip to Banff this year, the thought of "in and out" don't even enter my mind as my kids wail in disappointment.
The trucker who tells his wife she's gotta get a second job because his fuel costs have taken any profit, doesn't give a crap about some politico deal four years ago.
But when an out of touch intellectual tells them that higher fuel prices will be better for us, despite our huge pain,
they care about that.
It won't be close.
Harper landslide.
By
Anonymous, at 12:52 a.m.
Since 1993, Canada's right of centre parties have always gained support during election campaigns. I suspect this is because they have a lot of support among low-information voters that tends to be missed in between-election polls. This has even happened in elections that went poorly (like 2000).
1997
Ekos poll in April
Reform: 11
PC: 12
Liberal: 42
Undecided: 21
Election results
Reform: 19
PC: 19
Liberal: 39
Net right of centre gain: 15
2000
Polls in late September/early October
Alliance: 19-22 (earlier polls had them at 17)
PC Party: 8-11 (and the dropped
LPC: 50
Results
Alliance: 26
LPC: 41
PC: 12
Net right of centre gain: 5-11 points
2004
Polls in early May (note AFTER Gomery scandal)
CPC: 24
LPC: 40
Results
CPC: 30
LPC: 36
Net CPC gain: 6 points
2006
Polls in November
CPC: 26
LPC: 34
Results
CPC: 36.3
LPC: 34
Net CPC gain: 10 points
The latest poll has 2006-esque numbers, but with clear organizational advantages for the Tories - who are only 9 points behind the Bloc in Quebec and 2 points behind the Liberals in Ontario. By contrast, if Harper waits, he may get blamed for a worsening economy, may have to run a small deficit, etc.
http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=4040
By
french wedding cat, at 4:11 a.m.
they care about that.
It won't be close.
Harper landslide.
Burma Shave.
(Wait, no, that's not right.)
I think, CG, that you might need to close off access to the anonymous; at this point you're just getting copy/pastes of whatever crap they think is going to stick this week.
That one read like a terrible movie trailer transcript. Who knows what the next will be like?
(Well, ok, "unconvincing and ridiculous." But other than that.)
By
Demosthenes, at 11:38 a.m.
As for Dion, Harper et al, Dion almost certainly smells blood in the committees, and Harper's trying to bury them. Jack doesn't want the election because he faces the serious possibility that Harper might lose under all this dishonest crap, and if the Liberals take power again, the left wing of his party will destroy him for enabling Harper for no good reason. His dream of a future NDP Blair will have evaporated.
(And then the merger talks begin, if only so that the bleed-out to the Greens might stop.)
By
Demosthenes, at 11:40 a.m.
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