I was going to write a blog post on Premier Stelmach’s entry into the federal election and his taking on Prime Minister Harper’s intervention into Alberta’s business. This is very unusual, especially for two fiscal conservatives to be engaging this way but I applaud Premier Stelmach for in engagement. I then read Paula Simons Edmonton Journal column today and she says it so much better than I can as a Progressive Conservative partisan.
I was thinking of the irony of Harper’s isolationist attitude about Alberta’s future as he signed the famous Firewall letter and now he imposes himself into Alberta’s business. I think it may be better for us if he continued to ignore Alberta instead of interfering in our business.
I see Stelmach’s style is so different from Harper. Harper build firewalls and imposes barriers.
Stelmach, on the other hand is in Toronto and Montreal to explain how Alberta is a partner in the national economy and ecology. Harper is oblivious to the devastation the global market meltdown will have on Canadians. Stelmach is calling on his fellow Premiers to have an emergency meeting to deal with the impacts on citizens across the country. You would think the man who wants to stay Prime Minister would be taking this lead.
Stelmach has enough on his plate fighting ENGOS on oil sands issues and now he has to fend off the Prime Minister - a fellow Conservative but no friend of Alberta of her jurisdiction. With friends like these…!
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Harper Admits to Being "Upfront" on War Costs.
It has to be a sad day when it is MSM news that our government is noted as being "upfront" about what something is consting us taxpayers.
When that something is the Afghan war where were are getting honesty from our governmetbn it is even more depressing.
Have you have enough of this government yet?
When that something is the Afghan war where were are getting honesty from our governmetbn it is even more depressing.
Have you have enough of this government yet?
230 Canadian Economists Say Harper is Wrong on Climate Change
When you are a one-man show, believe you are the smartest guy in the room and think politics and power trump good governance you don’t see or choose to ignore wise and sage advice from experts who can help you.
Harper is so isolated in his own intellectualism that he has become blind to sound advice from other smart people, especially those he considers to be outsiders or his intellectual inferiors.
He has chosen to ignore the Open Letter published October 6th from more than 230 of his fellow-economists on a “… economically coherent action on climate change.”
The economists note the fact that there is remarkable agreement amongst them on “…this key point – the best climate change policy is to put a price on carbon.” Harper is still a climate change denier in his heart.
No way can he accept this reality because he would have to admit Dion is right.
Given Harper's approach to rigid command and control governing - what are the chances of that ever happening?
Harper is so isolated in his own intellectualism that he has become blind to sound advice from other smart people, especially those he considers to be outsiders or his intellectual inferiors.
He has chosen to ignore the Open Letter published October 6th from more than 230 of his fellow-economists on a “… economically coherent action on climate change.”
The economists note the fact that there is remarkable agreement amongst them on “…this key point – the best climate change policy is to put a price on carbon.” Harper is still a climate change denier in his heart.
No way can he accept this reality because he would have to admit Dion is right.
Given Harper's approach to rigid command and control governing - what are the chances of that ever happening?
Liberal Ads Top YouTube
CBC’s Ormiston Online notes the Liberal Attack Ads on Harper have taken over YouTube as the Top 5 Videos. This is modern campaigning at its best and an effective counter attack on Harper's political tactics on Dion for more than two years.
Harper spent millions of tax subsidized dollars for expensive television ads attack ads on Dion in an old-school approach to Bush-league politics. He bullied and manipulated the public perception of Dion but in ways that were not authentic. Harper misaligned the messages with the reality that Canadians have come to know about Dion the person. It is backfiring on Harper now in spades.
You can buy a short term change of perception with multi-millions of dollars on attack ads but you can’t change long term values and beliefs with such political tactics.
Harper is only holding on to his core Conservative voting base now because he has offended our core values and dismissed the concerns of Canadians have. Harper has been especially indifferent about the personal impacts of the global financial crisis.
Now he is using more money on even more expensive televised attack ads. This time it is an attempt to frighten Canadians, highlighting women, by telling his typical misleading half truths about Dion.
The country knows now that Dion is going to reduce taxes for Canadians on their hard earned incomes, investments and enterprises. By making polluters pay we are all encouraged to become part of the solution. We can avoid the personal and corporate costs of pollution by changing our behaviours and helping to solve the climate change crisis as well as the economic crisis. Harper ignores all these truths in this desperate last ditch advertising effort to save his campaign from disaster.
Harper is the one who is fear mongering and inducing panic with this kind of inaccurate and cynical attack ad. Harper IS the Risk to our democracy and is offensive to our values as Canadians, particularly when he persists in this kind of Bush/Cheney Republican politics.
Stop Harper! Vote Liberal!
Harper spent millions of tax subsidized dollars for expensive television ads attack ads on Dion in an old-school approach to Bush-league politics. He bullied and manipulated the public perception of Dion but in ways that were not authentic. Harper misaligned the messages with the reality that Canadians have come to know about Dion the person. It is backfiring on Harper now in spades.
You can buy a short term change of perception with multi-millions of dollars on attack ads but you can’t change long term values and beliefs with such political tactics.
Harper is only holding on to his core Conservative voting base now because he has offended our core values and dismissed the concerns of Canadians have. Harper has been especially indifferent about the personal impacts of the global financial crisis.
Now he is using more money on even more expensive televised attack ads. This time it is an attempt to frighten Canadians, highlighting women, by telling his typical misleading half truths about Dion.
The country knows now that Dion is going to reduce taxes for Canadians on their hard earned incomes, investments and enterprises. By making polluters pay we are all encouraged to become part of the solution. We can avoid the personal and corporate costs of pollution by changing our behaviours and helping to solve the climate change crisis as well as the economic crisis. Harper ignores all these truths in this desperate last ditch advertising effort to save his campaign from disaster.
Harper is the one who is fear mongering and inducing panic with this kind of inaccurate and cynical attack ad. Harper IS the Risk to our democracy and is offensive to our values as Canadians, particularly when he persists in this kind of Bush/Cheney Republican politics.
Stop Harper! Vote Liberal!
The Election Trends Are Changing in the Home Stretch
Harris Decima and EKOS rolling polling results up to yesterday showed some interesting and shifting trends. The Cons have been humbled and Harper has been accurately framed by his own words and deeds as cold callous and uncaring about the anguish of ordinary Canadians.
That said the Conservatives slide has seemed to stabilize. If that sustains, Harper is likely to form government again unless Harper blows it even more in the next 5 days. Campaigns matter and anything can happen.
The demographic shifts and regional volatility is where the interesting changes are occurring. The sample sizes in the regions and provinces are very small and very unreliable in each poll. If you can believe the polls, which is not a given, the Cons look like they have regained their solid in B.C. and stealing soft NDP support.
In Quebec the Cons have dropped 10 points and flirting for 4th place with the NDP. Here the Cons failure is most dramatic. After promising Quebec per capita spending of about $94o, pandering language about fiscal imbalance and “Quebec nation” has been rejected. Quebec has seen Harper for who he is. His “dissing” of artists and demeaning culture and putting children jail for life has shown Harper does not share the same values as Quebecers. The released costs of the Afghan war twice as high as Harper said it would be will be another big blow to Harper’s support in Quebec.
Ontario and Atlantic Canada is a sprint to what will be a photo-finish because the support is all so
close.
If Harper was in majority territory strategic voting would be important. It will still be a factor in close and key ridings and I will post on that later. The polls note the Liberals will be the largest beneficiaries of strategic vote switchers – if that happens. The Greens are the most likely to switch Liberal for strategic purposes. About 60% of Undecided voters are still up for grabs as strategic voters but only a third of them are saying they would vote mostly to stop a Con majority.
Harris Decima shows the NDP national support is showing slippage but they are still healthy except in Quebec…no surprise! In Ontario they are growing but the Liberals are ahead of the Cons and that is the real story.
The big shift that may make al the difference is the female voter. They are leaving the NDP and moving to the Liberals. The Liberals have more female support than Harper for the first time since the election call. When it comes to urban female support the Liberals have really taking off moving up 10 points in a week taking it away from Harper and Layton.
I’m thinking there will be some serious strategic voting with soft Greens going Liberal and NDP soft female support doing the same thing on a constituency basis, not nationally. Quebec voters are the only ones who had a larger advanced poll than in 2004 and they are going to bury Harper on Tuesday. Ontario and Atlantic Canada may shift to a larger Liberal vote if they realize that Danny Williams and Bill Casey is right and they have been screwed around on the Atlantic Accord by Harper.
Right now Harper’s death-mo decline in popularity has stopped but who knows where it goes. Dion has gotten into the game and the advent of Martin joining his team can only serve him well in gaining the confidence of Canadians in these turbulent times.
That said the Conservatives slide has seemed to stabilize. If that sustains, Harper is likely to form government again unless Harper blows it even more in the next 5 days. Campaigns matter and anything can happen.
The demographic shifts and regional volatility is where the interesting changes are occurring. The sample sizes in the regions and provinces are very small and very unreliable in each poll. If you can believe the polls, which is not a given, the Cons look like they have regained their solid in B.C. and stealing soft NDP support.
In Quebec the Cons have dropped 10 points and flirting for 4th place with the NDP. Here the Cons failure is most dramatic. After promising Quebec per capita spending of about $94o, pandering language about fiscal imbalance and “Quebec nation” has been rejected. Quebec has seen Harper for who he is. His “dissing” of artists and demeaning culture and putting children jail for life has shown Harper does not share the same values as Quebecers. The released costs of the Afghan war twice as high as Harper said it would be will be another big blow to Harper’s support in Quebec.
Ontario and Atlantic Canada is a sprint to what will be a photo-finish because the support is all so
close.
If Harper was in majority territory strategic voting would be important. It will still be a factor in close and key ridings and I will post on that later. The polls note the Liberals will be the largest beneficiaries of strategic vote switchers – if that happens. The Greens are the most likely to switch Liberal for strategic purposes. About 60% of Undecided voters are still up for grabs as strategic voters but only a third of them are saying they would vote mostly to stop a Con majority.
Harris Decima shows the NDP national support is showing slippage but they are still healthy except in Quebec…no surprise! In Ontario they are growing but the Liberals are ahead of the Cons and that is the real story.
The big shift that may make al the difference is the female voter. They are leaving the NDP and moving to the Liberals. The Liberals have more female support than Harper for the first time since the election call. When it comes to urban female support the Liberals have really taking off moving up 10 points in a week taking it away from Harper and Layton.
I’m thinking there will be some serious strategic voting with soft Greens going Liberal and NDP soft female support doing the same thing on a constituency basis, not nationally. Quebec voters are the only ones who had a larger advanced poll than in 2004 and they are going to bury Harper on Tuesday. Ontario and Atlantic Canada may shift to a larger Liberal vote if they realize that Danny Williams and Bill Casey is right and they have been screwed around on the Atlantic Accord by Harper.
Right now Harper’s death-mo decline in popularity has stopped but who knows where it goes. Dion has gotten into the game and the advent of Martin joining his team can only serve him well in gaining the confidence of Canadians in these turbulent times.
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