Re: RE: I am amazed by the le
Semperfi_dani said:
I suspect though that your decision was already made before you joined the board
With that said, as a moderate, i can see some valid points to your argument..but on the same instance, i can see just as much the extreme on the other side of the spectrum.
Because there is so much extreme on the left and right, your post sounds more like an attack on people's whose opinions differ from yours than any valid argument. Since when is it wrong to be passionate about what you belive in? Or is this passion a conservative exclusive?
As far as I'm concerned..yes..some make Harper out to be the Anti-Christ..that the sky will fall if a Cons take gov't...but i guess thats only in response to the last 12 or so years of the conservatives going off the deep end saying that the moral fiber of this country is going to hell and the Liberals are to blame for all of it.
Tit for tat i guess.
Right off the bat, I did
not have my voting decision made before coming to this board. I came to this board to get a feel for how Canadians were seeing this election, and also to get a feeling for what sort of people are supporting the NDP, what sort of people are supporting the Liberals, and what sort of people are supporting the Conservatives, on a national level (outside of my Newfoundland province).
I was seriously considering voting NDP. I think that Jack Layton is a very solid political leader, and a man of integrity. Watching Jack campaign in the recent weeks, it's clear that the man has matured - it's clear that he's come to realize that the Conservatives aren't the destroyers of Canada that the Liberals paint them to be. This is shown by his mocking of Paul Martin's implict "If you don't vote for Liberals to stop the Conservatives, the sun will not rise!" arguments. Sadly, I don't think that many of his supporters have politically matured in the same fashion as he is, which is part of the reason I've decided to vote Conservative.
Harper himself made very valid points just this morning in Quebec - even if, per chance, he's a fraud; even if, per chance, he was to pursue a very culturally conservative agenda; he would be stopped in his tracks by a largely Liberal appointed Senate, and a largely Liberal appointed SCOC. And he's absolutely right. This notion on the part of some on the left that he would successfully push through a culturally conservative agenda is simply out of the realm of the probable.
I don't fault passion. But there's passion, and then's there delusion. When I look at Harper, and the people he has won over in this campaign, I don't see delusional people. I see people who rightly recognize that a GST tax cut is much better for poor Canadians than an income tax cut... since you actually have to be making a considerable income to even have to pay income taxes. I see people who rightly realize that we need longer, stiffer sentencing for serious repeat offenders. I see people who rightly realize that we should have an elected Senate, since that would raise the importance, and accountability, of that part of our government. I see all of the above has positive changes that would likely come from having a Conservative government instead of a Liberal government.
When I look at some members of the left, I see nothing short of delusional demonization. Then I look at Harper. Then I look back at the demonization of Harper. Then I look back at Harper. And I'm amazed. I'm frankly amazed. Harper is a largely soft-spoken policy wonk. Watching the reserved Harper walk into unbelievably boisterous Conservative crowds in PEI, and Quebec, is quite the story in contrast. I'm actually amused at the contrast between the easy-going reserved Harper, and his adoring fans.
This guy isn't some sort of far right nutcase. This guy is profoundly realistic, shrewd, and savvy. I was actually taken aback by his casual matter-of-fact discussion on how the Senate/courts would keep his own party in check. This guy is almost too frank and transparent for politics, if anything. The problem with Harper is that he's too frank.
He's right... there is a culture of defeatism in Atlantic Canada. I'm an Atlantic Canadian, and I have to admit that it's true. There's not enough of an entrprenuerial, 'get-up-and-go', 'make-the-best-of-it' mentality out here. There's too much of an unspoken acceptance of negative realities, and not enough of a push to end them.
Jack Layton and Stephen Harper both present hopeful, largely appealling, visions of Canada, whereas Paul Martin simply slalms those who think differently than he does. That's part of the reason why I ruled out Martin a long time ago. I wanted to see which of the two remaining national leaders - Layton, and Harper - have optimistic, yet realistic,
supporters. This board, frankly, is showing me that Harper does. And that's part of the reason why he now has my vote - a leader has to answer to his supporters, and if his supporters are unrealistic, and overly negative, then that's going to negatively impact the leader.
I look at the rallies in PEI, and Quebec, and there's actually a beauty to them. There's a very genuine euphoric joy on these people faces. These Quebec Conservatives aren't scray right-wingers - they're federalists who nonetheless want a decentralized government. This is why Dumont is supporting Harper. It's not because of some agenda against same-sex marriage, it's because of serious political issues like relations between the federal government and the provinces.
