Are the Conservatives pandering to the anti American vote?

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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Ummm...

this is the same Liberal Party which claims to be strapped of funds (I guess Chretain and Martin were busy plundering the accounts?) and have instead responded to Harper's ads with T-Shirts.

The Iceman: Liberal "NOT" T-Shirts

Damn they're stupid. The Conservatives hand the Liberals the perfect ad to tear to shreds (i.e. the one in the OP), place it right under their noses, an the Liberals don't even see the opportunity layin right before their eyes an turn to some cheap attack ad of their own instead.

Goddam kindergarteners the lot of them.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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That's one of the best descriptions of Liberals I've seen in years.

I was not liming that description to the Liberals, though they were certainly included.

Again, not saying I would not vote for a Liberal candidate in my riding, but he sure a hell better prove himself to have a tad more intellect than those coming up with these cheap attack ads.

Have attack-ad touting Greens gone ‘cynical’? - The Globe and Mail

Even the Green Party is now lowering its standards. I knew it was a matter of time which is why I could never have joined the Green Party either. Now it's official, they're all wrestling in the mud.
 

Trotz

Electoral Member
May 20, 2010
893
1
18
Alberta
The Liberal Party is pretty much a carcass at the moment. Both the Liberal and NDP are living in a fantasy world; in that, they believe they can ignore their traditional voter base and instead win elections purely on the "immigrant vote" - the irony being, immigrants don't view themselves as a single cohesive bloc... the "proof being in the pudding" is the example in Richmond; British Columbia, where the Federal Conservative Alice Wong holds the parliamentary seat.


The Liberal and NDP would gain my vote if the parties were relaunched and instead focused on real social greviances affecting all Canadians; i.e., the lack of affordable housing. Until then, it's ex-Reform Harper who will at least slow down the immigration train which in the long run will lead to a deflation on the housing market.
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
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London, Ontario
I was not liming that description to the Liberals, though they were certainly included.

Again, not saying I would not vote for a Liberal candidate in my riding, but he sure a hell better prove himself to have a tad more intellect than those coming up with these cheap attack ads.

Have attack-ad touting Greens gone ‘cynical’? - The Globe and Mail

Even the Green Party is now lowering its standards. I knew it was a matter of time which is why I could never have joined the Green Party either. Now it's official, they're all wrestling in the mud.
"all wrestling in the mud"...Now I have the song "Piggies" going through my head!

I know, he wrote the song about the police but if you think about it, the lyrics fit quite nicely!
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
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"all wrestling in the mud"...Now I have the song "Piggies" going through my head!

I know, he wrote the song about the police but if you think about it, the lyrics fit quite nicely!

Now you just have to brand them each with different party logos, hose down the dirt and let them go at 'er.
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
5
36
London, Ontario
Now you just have to brand them each with different party logos, hose down the dirt and let them go at 'er.
It would definitely be more interesting than the typical Canadian election!

We may even get more than 50% out to vote!
 

Trotz

Electoral Member
May 20, 2010
893
1
18
Alberta
When people believe they can make a difference they will come out and vote. We had a comfortable peak when Reform was launched in 87 and turn out had increased during 2006-2008 elections; when people had believed Harper had a chance.

Though it's another to convince young people to vote... most young people want direct democracy, cannabis legalization; et al, which are things no mainstream party has even bothered attempting to tackle.

There are opportunities for Liberal and NDP to re-invent themselves but the old dogs in both parties would never be up for it.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
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When people believe they can make a difference they will come out and vote. We had a comfortable peak when Reform was launched in 87 and turn out had increased during 2006-2008 elections; when people had believed Harper had a chance.

Though it's another to convince young people to vote... most young people want direct democracy, cannabis legalization; et al, which are things no mainstream party has even bothered attempting to tackle yet.

I'm somewhat divided on the legalization of cannabis. Aware of its health and social harms, obviously I'm morally opposed to it. Then the question becomes, can we best curb the use of cannabis by criminalizing it or legalizing it. There can be various points of view on that, though my main concern would be that the intent continue to remain to curb its use either way.

That aside, I think one of Reform's errors, perhaps its biggest error, was in fact to become a political party. Once an organized political party is established, dimwitted party hacks are bound to eventually steal the show. Instead, it would likely have been better for the Reform party to never run candidates but rather to merely support local candidates across the country whether they are running as independents or as members of other parties but who are independent thinkers none-the-less. By adopting a policy of never running a candidates of their own, the Reform Party could have served a unique purpose not so much in becoming a corrupt party itself or collapsing, but rather to simply keep other parties honest.
 

Trotz

Electoral Member
May 20, 2010
893
1
18
Alberta
I'm somewhat divided on the legalization of cannabis. Aware of its health and social harms, obviously I'm morally opposed to it. Then the question becomes, can we best curb the use of cannabis by criminalizing it or legalizing it. There can be various points of view on that, though my main concern would be that the intent continue to remain to curb its use either way.

That aside, I think one of Reform's errors, perhaps its biggest error, was in fact to become a political party. Once an organized political party is established, dimwitted party hacks are bound to eventually steal the show. Instead, it would likely have been better for the Reform party to never run candidates but rather to merely support local candidates across the country whether they are running as independents or as members of other parties but who are independent thinkers none-the-less. By adopting a policy of never running a candidates of their own, the Reform Party could have served a unique purpose not so much in becoming a corrupt party itself or collapsing, but rather to simply keep other parties honest.

Well a lot of people were upset with the merges with the other conservative parties. Regionalism is a strong thing out here in the west and we are no longer certain what Harper stands for; in time, he may end up being another Mulroney / Diefenbaker (Diefenbaker's screwing up led to Pearson ****ing with Canada)
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
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Well a lot of people were upset with the merges with the other conservative parties. Regionalism is a strong thing out here in the west and we are no longer certain what Harper stands for; in time, he may end up being another Mulroney / Diefenbaker (Diefenbaker's screwing up led to Pearson ****ing with Canada)

So do you repeat history and create another Reform Party? We all know what happens to parties. The advantage with an organization merely supporting individual candidates is its flexibility. Since it would not be a political party, or even if it does become a political party, since as a matter of policy it would never actually run candidates of its own, it would always remain grassroots and more difficult to corrupt via the political process. It would be weaker, true, but what's the point of corruptible power anyway, right?
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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It's sad to say though that for all the potentially legitimate reasons not to vote for Ignatieff, many will vote against him for all the wrong reasons, such as that he'd lived abroad and loved the people of the USA. Though I probably wouldn't vote for him either if I were in his riding, I'd feel pretty angry and concerned about the intelligence of the average Canadian if in fact I should hear someone telling me not to vote for him for those reasons.
 

lone wolf

Grossly Underrated
Nov 25, 2006
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Iggy and Harper are running on "I'm not the other guy". Big deal. Thirty-five million Canadians already know that. That's not even a good enough platform for a duck blind....
 

Trotz

Electoral Member
May 20, 2010
893
1
18
Alberta
Because the establishment does not like a platform based democracy. The only person in my province with a platform; Dana Larsen who called for direct democracy, free transit fare and ending the prohibition on drugs, was kicked out of the BCNDP.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
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48
Ottawa, ON
Because the establishment does not like a platform based democracy. The only person in my province with a platform; Dana Larsen who called for direct democracy, free transit fare and ending the prohibition on drugs, was kicked out of the BCNDP.

Should you add a write-in option on ballots, then her local constituents could vote for her even if she could not campaign.

Bock onto the topic of silly reasons to vote or not vote for someone, I know one person who doesn't like Iggy... just wait for it...

... because she doesn't like his last name. Sounds too foreign.
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
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Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
....The Ads are dead-on.

that's why they have been very, very effective.

If they were that very very effective, the Cons would have gotten their majority a long time ago.

The fact remains that most Canadians who still bother to vote, don't trust either the Liberals or Cons and that's why there is still a Minority government. If either party is given a majority, either would be able to screw things up even more then they already are.
 

Skatchie

Time Out
Sep 24, 2010
312
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Assiniboia
Okay, whether you consider yourself to be of Liberal persuation or not, the truth is, Michael Ignatieff is an elitist putz that is being portrayed accurately by the Conservatives in their ads. What's worse, Ignatieff being an elitist, that hates Canada and is only here to rule over us or the Conservatives rightly pointing it out?

this isn't pandering to Anti American people it is pandering to patriotic people. There is a big a$$ difference between the two. I will not be voting conservative either. I am actually voting with a protest vote for the Marijuana party but that's besides the point. If the Liberal party has a problem with having their idiot leader being seen on TV making stupid comments that can't be misconstrued as anything but what they are, then don't freakin' make said idiot your leader
 

Colpy

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Nov 5, 2005
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If they were that very very effective, the Cons would have gotten their majority a long time ago.

The fact remains that most Canadians who still bother to vote, don't trust either the Liberals or Cons and that's why there is still a Minority government. If either party is given a majority, either would be able to screw things up even more then they already are.

Well, that is easily debunked.

In the 2008 election, 37.6 percent voted Conservative, and 26.2 percent voted Liberal, for a total ConLib vote of 63.8 percent.

Which is why I have long held that the most sensible ruling coalition would be a Conservative/Liberal coalition.

Unfortunately, that idea is fading as a solution, as the Liberals actually move to the left of the NDP.

I do understand what you are trying to say, but I don't believe voters are quite that strategic. They go to the polls and vote for the party they want to WIN.......fully. At least those that vote for the major parties do.......