Last Canadian Exit...

With all due respect Mr. Prime Minister... which time were you lying?

2011-05-12T12:27:00.000-04:00

Are you lying now? Or were you lying during the election when you promised to eliminate the deficit in 2014-15?

We litigators like to impeach our opponent's witness. That usually happens by injecting doubt into the mind of the fact-finder (judge or jury depending on the trial). Usually doubt is introduced by attacking the credibility of the witness by pointing to a discrepancy between the statement of the witness on the stand and a prior statement (usually a deposition/examination transcript). The simple question is "at which point in time were you lying?"

Prime Minister Harper, Finance Minister Flaherty and every single Conservative Party candidate across Canada campaigned on projections and numbers showing a surplus budget by 2014. This was a year earlier than projected in the dead-on-arrival March budget presented only 2 weeks before the election was called.

Now, the government is suggesting they won't be able to balance the budget until 2015/16.  Not 2 weeks after the election and, it seems, the government is back to their original projection.

So... this leads to the following possible conclusion:

1) Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada lied to Canadians during the campaign when they said they could balance the budget by 2014-16.

OR

2) Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada are lying to Canadians now and really don't know when they will be able to balance the budget.

OR

3) Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada are telling the truth now, but were lying earlier and will in fact balance the budget by 2015-16.

Any way you slice it, when speaking about the country's finances (something that is apparently their strong suit), they were lying at one point or another in the past 2 months.

Credibility index: DOWN.

Carson - the gift that keeps on giving.

2011-04-05T21:38:00.000-04:00

And the Carson story continues to produce boulders in front of the Conservative bus.

The Halifax Chronicle-Herald is reporting that the head of the RCMP, Commissioner William Elliot, was involved in the original security screening of Bruce Carson back in 2006. Commissioner Elliott, at the time, was a conservative party staffer and national security advisor in the Privy Council Office.

Um, while there may be nothing to suggest Commissioner Elliott's prior involvement in this file somehow taints the RCMP influence-peddling investigation into Carson, it is VERY bad optics for the PM and the Conservative Party of Canada.

BREAKING: Strange happenings at CFB Trenton. Interview with "commanding officer 'could affect the outcome' of the federal election"?

2011-04-05T15:54:00.001-04:00

Now that's just odd.

From the article:

Suggesting a phone interview with the air base's commanding officer “could affect the outcome” of the federal election, a public affairs officer at DND's media liaison office in Ottawa said Tuesday the Canadian Forces' communication department will not allow an interview with the colonel.

Some journos need to start asking questions about this one. It just doesn't pass the sniff test.

Is Harper turfing another public servant for disagreeing with the government? Maybe the colonel has pictures with Ignatieff on his facebook profile?

PM Harper not in the House of Commons for QP or Tributes to Speaker Milliken

2011-03-25T12:58:00.000-04:00

The Prime Minister was absent from the House of Commons today for both Question Period and the tributes to the retiring Speaker of the House, Peter Milliken. Mr. Milliken will not be running in the upcoming election and will vacate his post as Speaker with Parliament's dissolution, should the government lose the non-confidence vote today.

Pretty shameful that the Prime Minister was not in the House to provide tribute to the longest serving Speaker of the House of Commons in Canadian history. Shame.

First election wildcard announced!

2011-03-24T15:53:00.000-04:00

Apparently, the first batch of documents related to the Afghan Detainee/Torture issue will be released on April 15. As the Globe & Mail article states, it remains to be seen whether these documents will help or hurt the Conservative and Liberal campaigns.

Circle that date on your calendar. Someone will pay, or maybe nobody will pay. But it is tax day down in the US. So, at least we know our cousins south of the border will be paying.

Liberals have to make In-N-Out and the Carson escort story part of the narrative

2011-03-23T15:38:00.003-04:00

I believe that Liberals (and the other opposition parties really) must make as much hay over the most recent Conservative scandals.

What I think this means is showing up at every major CPC campaign event with some sort of In and Out banner, sign, or visible presence reminding reporters and Canadians about the alleged election fraud perpetrated in the 2006 election. You know they would do it to the Liberals if such a story existed.

I am not suggesting this be something officially sanctioned by the LPC, NDP, Greens or anyone else. Just that some committed individuals form a group (across every Province and territory) to remind voters and the media every day that the Harper Government (TM), came to power through an allegedly tainted election.

Maybe we could get t-shirts made incorporating the logoes of the CPC and the famous California based burger chain "In-N-Out Burger"? Now, of course, anyone doing this should be ever mindful of copyright laws.

I also think there must be some effort to continually remind the electorate of the VERY CLOSE connections between the Harper Government (TM), Bruce Carson and his escort fiancee. That story just oozes juicy scandal and has the kind of red-meat most casual political observers can understand. Sex, money, influence peddling and a (convicted criminal) close aide to the PM.

Lawyers square off over 2008 election call - The Globe and Mail

2009-09-08T17:27:00.000-04:00

Interesting... Lawyers square off over 2008 election call.

Seems some people argue that Prime Minister Harper broke the law with his 2008 snap election call.

A.L.

This just in... Al Qaeda did not come through Canada for 9-11!

2009-05-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

Napolitano clarifies Sept. 11 remarks - The Globe and Mail

Unbelievable really, that an American politician still would think the 9-11 terrorists entered the US through the Canada-US border.

I am particularly disappointed in Mr. Van Loan. He ought to be pressing our cause directly as Mr. Frank McKenna did when he was our US Ambassador.

It seems the Liberals did a better job answering lies with truth (at least south of the border).

A.L.

Ignatieff's Response to Childish PM.

2009-05-20T18:45:00.001-04:00

YouTube - Michael's response to Conservative personal attack ads.

Well done Mr. Ignatieff. This is a very classy response to the childish attacks of a desperate PM.

A.L.

Poll shows a lead for the Liberals

2009-03-21T12:06:00.001-04:00

The latest Nik Nanos poll shows the Liberal party taking a slim lead over the Harper Conservatives. The lead is just inside the margin of error for the poll, but these are welcome numbers nonetheless.

Interesting notes:

NDP voters are trending toward the Liberal column.
Harper ranks third in Quebec behind Ignatieff and Duceppe as best PM.
Liberal support has increased in every region except Atlantic Canada (even Western Canada!?).
Conservative support declined everywhere except Quebec.
Ignatieff is only behind by 6% in the "Best PM category".

If this trending is confirmed by other pollsters get ready for the CPC nuclear option.

A.L.

GO Warren GO!!!!

2009-03-10T22:28:00.001-04:00

globeandmail.com: Kinsella files $1-million lawsuit against Tories, Paradis

Well done Mr. Kinsella, don't let them get away with their gutter-politics.

You know, they wouldn't have lawsuits thrown at them if they had adult supervision.

A.L.

Harper was in NY for more than one day

2009-02-25T20:27:00.003-05:00

News outlets suggest our jet-setting Prime Minister made a quick Obama-esque day-trip to New York to push the Canadian agenda and raise the profile of our nation. The problem is... the facts don't confirm this.

Of course, this is really no big deal, but I have an eye-witness account that he and his daughter were spotted on Broadway Saturday night attending a certain green-skinned ogre's musical.

"A large SUV pulls up to the theater along with a small police escort unit, everyone crowded around the theater is asking 'I wonder who the celebrity is!?' A grey haired man gets out of the SUV as does a young girl (obviously his daughter) they both walk up to the theater doors holding hands.

Our intrepid eye-witness shouts 'Stephen Harper.'

The Prime Minister, looking surprised to be recognized says 'hello.'

'Enjoy the show,' she replies.

'Who's that?' asks a woman in the crowd.

'That's the Prime Minister of Canada,' our eye-witness responds.

'Cool.'"

I was sad to have been walking past about 8 minutes earlier and only heard about the encounter when the rest of our party arrived at our theater. I would have asked for a picture.

A.L.

Go W go! Go W go!

2009-01-20T10:45:00.002-05:00

Get off the stage, get in the limo and Go W go!

It's been a long 8 years, and you've been a real disappointment... way to make the Bush name a four-letter word.

See ya! Thanks for ending the 8 year nightmare America.

A.L.

Hey Harper! Time to get on board... Obama's driving and the train is about the leave the station!

2008-11-19T11:01:00.003-05:00

As TPM media put it, "it is refreshing to have an adult as president."

In this video, President elect Obama makes a short video address to the bi-partisan Governors Global Climate Summit in California. He calls on all nations, specifically naming those nations (including CANADA) that were represented at the gathering to join the United States in a meaningful effort to reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and a further 80% reduction by 2050. He hinted that the US would begin to implement a carbon cap & trade system.

SO now hear this climate change denying Tory fools! You had better get on the bandwagon now, because more than 60% of Canadian voters voted against your climate change denying, intensity target garbage platform and supported real efforts to combat global warming. Mr. Harper won't have a very friendly reception at the White House if he doesn't get on board with the smart kids.

A.L.

Morning in America!

2008-11-05T01:48:00.002-05:00

Yes, I am stealing a line from another great communicator who occupied the Oval Office... and I am not ashamed one bit.

After a very dark time in American politics and international relations... here we are, at the dawning of a new era of America.

This is a new Morning in America!

Thank God. May God Bless America.

A.L.

One Day More.

2008-11-03T14:44:00.002-05:00

Combining two of my interests... politics and musical theatre. I present to you "One Day More" from the Obama team.

This is the work of someone else obviously, but I thought it was very good, and the song comes from my favourite musical of all time.

A.L.

Traveling and Working in a Swing State

2008-11-03T11:10:00.004-05:00

My wife and I went to visit family in Ohio and our route took us along the Ohio Turnpike from Toledo over to Cleveland. We also gave a few hours to the local get out the vote operation by knocking on doors and connecting with voters.

Here are a few observations:

This is by no means a scientific sample, but 4 years ago it seemed to me that I saw many more bumper stickers for Kerry and Bush than I did this time for Obama and McCain. The drive this time was 2 hours shorter, but even proportionately I noticed fewer stickers this cycle.
We did see one car with the regular McCain bumper stickers AND cardboard signs in the back and side windows urging people to "stop socialism and marxism and vote McCain - Palin." That one was my favourite. Of course we drove by and gave the old man and his wife a big thumbs down.
In the part of Cleveland where we were canvassing, there were far more McCain-Palin signs than Obama-Biden. Pretty working class neighbourhoods, but it seemed the McCain-iacs were more outward and forthcoming in their support.
Being the dutiful Democrats that we are, my wife and I were wearing Obama buttons or t-shirts for most of our drive-time including our rest-stops. This allowed us to have a few great conversations with voters. One such conversation occurred in the convenience store of a rest-stop along the turnpike with a lifelong Chicago Republican who was supporting Obama all the way (she really liked my t-shirt). She said she had witnessed him in action in Chicago and was certain he has what it takes to be President.
Early voting is widespread. Of the two dozen or so family members and friends we visited with this weekend, 85% of them had voted early.

What does this tell me?

Perhaps the re-election of/referendum on a sitting president (2004) produces more outward support (signs and bumper stickers)?
Maybe the fact that the stickers and signs were sold this cycle, rather than given away free in 2004 has something to do with the low visibility?
Maybe McCain-iacs are more rabid and angry and feel the need to vocally declare their opposition to the "socialist" black guy with the funny arab sounding name?
People are engaged, they are interested in this election.
We found there were plenty of Obama supporters who answered the door on our canvassing walk, and many of them had voted early.
McCain supporters who answered the door weren't overly rude, only one was really rude.
Obama supporters aren't angry, they seem to be hopeful, but also very motivated to finish strong.
I think Obama will win Ohio by 1 0r 2%.

All in all it was a good weekend. We didn't stick around for the big Obama rally and Springsteen concert, but as we were driving out of Cleveland we did see a gigantic line stretching the blocks leading into the plaza.

Get out the vote! If you haven't already, create a profile on www.barackobama.com and begin calling swing state voters, it is that easy.

A.L.

Serious political party operatives need to read my last post.

2008-10-30T17:10:00.002-04:00

My post from Tuesday, was a link to what I think is an amazing example of new, hip get out the vote tactics being employed south of the border.

Because we are Liberals, and our party is a natural electoral home for the younger, educated and engaged voter, we stand to gain if we employ similar initiatives. I am sure a cost-benefit analysis is in order, but I would venture a guess this is a cost-effective outreach, GOTV tool.

A.L.

FFWD: Obama Loss Traced to Stephen Harper

2008-10-28T21:09:00.000-04:00

Video footage here.

No, it's not a reference to NAFTA gate suddenly becoming the defining issue of the '08 Presidential Election.

Watch and you will see a fantastic video.

A.L.

Liberal 308 - 10 + 3... Party Renewal

2008-10-22T23:20:00.004-04:00

Some folks on the interwebs have begun some interesting efforts at Liberal Party renewal. I am glad to see this happening and will pledge myself to it as much as possible.

Liberal 308 is one of the groups created and its mission is laudable.

I am in.

A.L.

McCain-Palin supporters on the way into a rally

2008-10-18T11:57:00.004-04:00

This is absolutely unbelievable...

The blatant racism (particularly the guy with the monkey doll) and the ill-informed voters who think Obama is a muslim or an Indonesian citizen is absolutely appalling.

I think this is the time when Republicans get to reap what they have sown for the past 8 years of culture-war, values distorting, wedge issue politics.

Update: Watching the video again, it pains me to see children witnessing such hatred and vile conduct.

A.L.

Are the knives out or are we gearing up for a leadership convention?

2008-10-16T09:05:00.000-04:00

The Star says Devastated Dion set to quit and the Globe is hinting at the same story.

It's a shame, but this party should always be bigger than and more important than any one leader or member.

Party renewal is all I care about now.

A.L.

Fox News poll.

2008-10-07T23:27:00.001-04:00

Interesting, Fox News Poll on their website seems to indicate people are not troubled by Barack Obama's relationship to Bill Ayers.

On FoxNews.com no less! Much ado about nothing.

A.L.

Obama vs. McCain Round #2

2008-10-07T21:34:00.011-04:00

9:29 I have been watching and not much is really happening. One thought I have is that McCain's answers seem a little disjointed and rambling. It's also very similar to his stump speech while it seems to me that Sen. Obama's answers have more depth.

9:34 Still not much. McCain seems to want to talk about Planetariums.

9:40 Obama hits back on McCain's distorted description of Obama's tax plan.

9:41 My wife wants McCain to stop saying "My Friends," she's getting annoyed.

9:42 New Canadian federal poll numbers at Nanos.

9:47 My friend just IM'd me to say "Obama is DOMINATING. He seems to have a much better grasp of the issues." (Oops, I just said "My friend.)

9:57 McCain wants to scare people about Obama's policies.

10:06 McCain makes a snide remark about healthcare.

10:11 First Reagan is McCain's biggest hero, now it's Teddy Roosevelt?

10:14 If McCain would stop distorting Obama's words and record, then we could stick to the rules.

10:26 McCain continuing to distort. Obama was too long winded on the yes/no question on whether Russia is an evil empire.

10:28 One of these candidates is wearing a flag pin and the other is not.

10:33 McCain: "What I don't know is the unexpected."

We can change things for-the-better, not just dressing it up in a SWEATER!

2008-10-06T13:27:00.000-04:00

The Campaign 2008 Protest song!

CANADA: YOU HAVE A CHOICE

If you, like me, think Harper's Conservative party is a danger to Canada and the planet, we now have a rallying cry!

Good stuff. Go download it.

A.L.

Palin on the U.S. Supreme Court

2008-10-04T00:39:00.003-04:00

Sarah Palin gets a second crack at the Supreme Court question.

I could and likely should be accused of being nit-picky. Watching Gov. Palin spew out the long diatribe about the Supreme Court cases she disagrees with has a certain fresh, just out of the package feel to them (and that's not a good thing). I think her answer here belies a certain “mile-wide, inch deep” familiarity with the topic.

For instance, she spoke of the Kelo decision and used the term “imminent domain”. It is properly pronouced “eminent domain” and has to do with the 5th Amendment and Due Process of the law and government appropriation of private property for public use. This is the kind of mistake that people familiar with the topic likely would not make.

Had Cameron pressed her on this, I think Josh Marshall at TPM is correct, her Coles Notes house of cards would have crumbled under his featherweight questioning.

A.L.

BushHarper.com

2008-10-01T22:46:00.000-04:00

This is great!

BushHarper

I love the voice over, just fantastic. People cannot forget that if Harper was PM in 2003 we'd be mired in Iraq and Afghanistan right now.

A.L.

Greenpeace and Sierra Club - Decidedly anti-Harper

2008-09-30T13:30:00.000-04:00

Don't vote Tory, say Greenpeace and Sierra Club

I second that!!

If you care about the environment, you must vote for any of the parties that actually recognize the problem and are willing to do something about it before it's too late.

-A.L.

Harper's secret agenda....

2008-09-29T00:02:00.001-04:00

If the general purpose of an incumbent PM in calling an election is to get a fresh mandate, just what is Harper asking for? The Globe & Mail is asking the question and so are regular Canadians.

Where is Harper's platform?

This leads to a good (and familiar) line of attack for the Liberals against Harper... the hidden Harper agenda. His party broke their own law and called an election, shouldn't they have been the 1st or 2nd party releasing a platform? He let's very few people members of his caucus speak for the campaign, and when they do they seem to shoot directly at their feet.

Until he shows his hand, Harper has a hidden agenda.

A.L.

SNL Skewers Them All.

2008-09-28T10:53:00.001-04:00

Saturday Night Live, always an essential part of the U.S. electoral process.

And this one:

Good stuff.

Obama vs. McCain: liveblogging rumble #1

2008-09-26T20:59:00.029-04:00

8:59pm The main event is about ready to begin.

9:02pm Jim Lehrer is introducing... I miss Mr. McNeil.

9:05pm Clear plan for the bail-out from Obama... and an attack at the end. Nicely done.

9:06pm McCain beats Obama to the punch, talking about Ted Kennedy.

9:08pm I could be imagining this, but McCain doesn't sound as strong as Obama.

9:10pm McCain talks about Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower... "I should know, I voted for Ike."

9:15pm McCain makes a funny about bear DNA.... Lost on most people, methinks. Did he forget that Seal DNA was studied in Alaska under Palin's administration?

9:17pm Obama makes the tax case. 95% of Americans get a tax break with me, the top 1% of Americans get a taxbreak under McCain's plan.

9:19pm Obama doesn't let McCain get away with a spinjob. Makes a great connection and defuses the "earmark" argument.

9:20pm My wife thinks McCain doesn't want to respond to Obama, because he doesn't like Obama. I think Obama needs to watch how often he raises his hand to tell Jim Lehrer he wants to talk.

9:23pm McCain needs to stop smirking and looking dismissive in the split-screens.

9:27pm Obama seems to have lost his nuances. That's a good thing.

9:29pm One of these candidates is not wearing a flag lapel pin.

9:32pm Hail mary pass #1 spending freeze on everything other than defense and veterans affairs.

9:36pm When John wants the veterans to pay attention to him, he remembers them (tonight). When he thinks the vets aren't looking he votes against them (most recent GI Bill).

9:38pm Obama just said "orgy of spending"... good or bad?

9:45pm The argument is judgment.

9:52pm Some bloggers are saying it's a draw... one of my friends (rather uninformed) thinks "Obama is getting slaughtered...." I think she's on crack.

9:56pm McCain is hit with the "bomb-bomb Bomb, bomb-bomb Iran..." song. Smoke begins to seep from his ears.... Gasket blowing in 5-4-3....

10:01pm Jim Lehrer "I have a bracelet too...."

10:05pm Little jabs by McCain.

10:09pm Achmenadenajad... or however you say it!

10:11pm Obama clarifies the "without condition" jab, and throws it right back at McCain.

10:13pm Average height?

10:15pm That was a tough one... Sitting down with Iran's leader... "no you won't".

10:19pm I think Obama's answer on Russia was good, but too nuanced. McCain's "I looked into Putin's eyes and I saw 3 letters, a K a G and a B..." not a great joke.

10:21pm McCain feels at ease talking about the cold war be/c he wants the cold war II.

10:24pm Obama talking and weaving national security and energy together makes him look like he understands the broader themes.

10:28pm Suitcase nukes. A good identification of the danger.

10:30pm It's bordering on condescending that McCain keeps saying "Sen. Obama doesn't understand... X, Y or Z."

10:35pm Grampy's gonna give all the vets a hug? Even the 6 out of 10 that give to Obama's campaign?

10:36pm Anybody forgetting about how McCain votes against the vets?

Crescent Canuck and I agree, it's a draw.

Show us your numbers Harper!

2008-09-20T00:32:00.000-04:00

The Globe & Mail suggests the Green Shift will not cause significant economic pain.

Surprise, surprise... the doom and gloom that Harper suggests will come about if Dion's plan comes to fruition is a bunch of hot air.

He [economist Marc Jaccard] says nobody in the worldwide economic community who follows carbon taxes believes there's “any kind of economic impact” from a levy at the level the Liberals propose.
As well, Dr. Jaccard says his preliminary analysis shows that the Liberal plan would outperform the Conservative one when it comes to achieving emissions reductions. He said that's because there's a number of structural flaws that would render the Tory plan ineffective.

Uh oh... in addition to being economically inert, it looks like the Tory plan = ineffective, Liberal plan = effective.

Woops! Looks like Harper is winging it on his analysis of the Green Shift... RIGHT WINGING it.

Dispense with the talking points Mr. Prime Minister and get down to telling the truth about your opponents.

A.L.

The Audacity of Deceit

2008-09-19T00:13:00.001-04:00

The pattern of McCain's attacks since the GOP convention are showing a strategy to attack Obama as political opportunist who puts country second and looks for the next political opportunity to pounce on.

It was alluded to in Palin’s convention speech, it is part of the attack of Lady de Rothschild’s elitism charges and it is part of the “Obama is trying to score political points during a crisis” meme.

It could get traction. But the irony of the whole strategy is that it exactly describes who McCain is – elitist & born of the establishment – and what he has done since the DNC – putting country second by picking Palin over VP nominees more able to step in as President if necessary, offering his 9/11 commission & threatening to fire the SEC chairman in the midst of this crisis.

That "my friends" is the Audacity of Deceit.

A.L.

Doggone it! One of the Ministers got out of the Secret Lair(TM) and near a microphone....

2008-09-17T23:07:00.000-04:00

Looks like the Tory message police will be paying a visit to Minister Ritz for his recent remarks, pre-writ.

I expect they will be admonishing him and also questioning him closely to determine just how he escaped Harper's iron grasp.

It's bad enough one of his Ministers got out of solitary, but to get near a microphone... that's just plain sloppy guardsmanship.

A. (laughing) Liberal

Let's turn the page....

2008-09-15T23:31:00.000-04:00

The most recent Liberal ad, available on YouTube is a good one.

It calls Harper to the mat on his bad economic and environmental policies and finishes on a positive note highlighting the positive Liberal plan for real leadership.

It's an attack ad, sure some might say it is. However, an attack ad does one thing, tells why your opponent is wrong/unfit, etc. Whereas this ad says "here is how Harper and the Liberals differ" AND "join us in real change".

It's good.

A.L.

SHAME!

2008-09-11T16:22:00.000-04:00

Michigan Messenger Lose your house, lose your vote

SHAME!

Republican dirty tricks. This is their strategy to combat the massive voter registration effort taking place in Michigan.

This is happening across the country in each and every battleground state.

Disgusting. We cannot stand for it.

A.L.

Huckabee didn't get the McCain-Palin memo

2008-09-11T00:36:00.001-04:00

The Washington Times has an excerpt from an email sent by former Arkansas Governor and past GOP Presidential candidate telling the media and the McCain campaign to bring the discussion back to the issues.

"Almost twenty four hours into this new controversy and the accusations are continuing to fly from both campaigns. That's too bad. Let's shift back to the issues."

Apparently he didn't get the McCain team's memo that this isn't an election about the issues.

However, even he recognizes that the only people who are really hurting from this stupidity of fake outrage and back and forth are the American public.

Let's get back to the issues... somehow I don't have the same faith in McCain and Palin that Huckabee does.

A.L.

If you think McCain and Palin are telling the truth... watch this.

2008-09-10T17:56:00.003-04:00

The folks over at Talking Points Memo have produced the following youtube commercial. It is good and it lays out a pretty good de-bunk of Sarah Palin's claims of being a reformer against excessive government projects.

Now we just need to show as many people as possible.

A.L.

Factcheck.org is not amused... with McCain-Palin

2008-09-10T15:34:00.001-04:00

FactCheck.org: McCain-Palin Distorts Our Finding

Seems the McCain camp is blatantly using lies in their latest campaign ad. What else is new?

Well, this time they stooped to a new low by distorting the work of Factcheck.org.

Come on! Have you no honor?

Guess not.

A.L.

What is the Liberal message against Jack?

2008-09-09T16:52:00.002-04:00

Received some thoughtful responses to my posting yesterday and I hope to follow-up on some of those points yesterday.

Here's another campaign question: What is the Liberal message against Jack Layton? More specifically, what is a Liberal candidate's local message when challenging an NDP incumbent?

A.L.

What must Dion do to win this election?

2008-09-08T14:19:00.002-04:00

A simple question. But one that likely has a very complex answer.

What must Stephane Dion and the Liberal party do to emerge as the government at the end of the night on October 14th?

I hope this will generate some buzz, please post in the comments. I imagine many side issues/questions will stem from this and will be the subject of later posts.

A.L.

More McCain/Republican Lying

2008-09-07T12:20:00.003-04:00

Rachael Maddow and the MSNBC Countdown crew call McCain and Palin for what they are... liars.

So, how can people be so blind? Republicans and Palin-apologists you occasionally read my blog, surely you must see these comments as lies?

A.L.

Palin's conduct certainly looks CORRUPT.

2008-09-05T18:35:00.001-04:00

Palin came to the Alaska Governorship promising to end corruption and self-dealing and create a transparent government.

All of that "rhetoric" was thrown out as soon as she became McCain's nominee for the Vice-presidency.

The following are excerpts from the opinion page of her hometown paper.

Here are the best points:

The Legislature hasn't given its investigator the power to subpoena, or compel, testimony of witnesses. Subpoenas appeared unnecessary, since it appeared the governor and administration would be cooperating.
That's over. It's time for the subpoenas.

And this,

Instead of trying to delay the whole thing, Palin should take a cue from U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, who asked that his corruption trial be moved up so it would be completed well ahead of the November general election. Voters deserve to know the outcome of Sen. Stevens trial and the investigation into Palin.
When this investigation into Troopergate started, Gov. Palin's response was refreshingly open. Since she became the Republican candidate for vice president, her approach has changed for the worse. America deserves the same openness and ethics from vice-presidential candidate Palin that she promised to Alaska voters in 2006.

She's more of the same... we saw this with George Bush and we don't want to see it again. Absolute BS!

A.L.

An apology to Sarah Palin....

2008-09-04T21:04:00.001-04:00

Pretty darn funny, and worth a read. Lifted wholly from Politico.com

Why the media should apologize
By: Roger Simon
September 4, 2008 05:36 PM EST

ST. PAUL, Minn. — On behalf of the media, I would like to say we are sorry.

On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry.

We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.

We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?

Bad questions. Bad media. Bad.

It is not our job to ask questions. Or it shouldn’t be. To hear from the pols at the Republican National Convention this week, our job is to endorse and support the decisions of the pols.

Sarah Palin hit the nail on the head Wednesday night (and several in the audience wish she had hit some reporters on the head instead) when she said: “I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.”
But where did we go wrong with Sarah Palin? Let me count the ways:

First, we should have stuck to the warm, human interest stuff like how she likes mooseburgers and hit an important free throw at her high school basketball tournament even though she had a stress fracture.

Second, we should have stuck to the press release stuff like how she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere (after she supported it).

Third, we should never have strayed into the other stuff. Like when The Washington Post recently wrote: “Palin is under investigation by a bipartisan state legislative body. … Palin had promised to cooperate with the legislative inquiry, but this week she hired a lawyer to fight to move the case to the jurisdiction of the state personnel board, which Palin appoints.”

Why go there? What trees does that plant?

Fourth, we should stop making with all the questions already. She gave a really good speech. And why go beyond that? As we all know, speeches cannot be written by others and rehearsed for days. They are true windows to the soul.

Unless they are delivered by Barack Obama, that is. In which case, as Palin said Wednesday, speeches are just a “cloud of rhetoric.”

Fifth, we should stop reporting on the families of the candidates. Unless the candidates want us to.

Sarah Palin wanted the media to report on her teenage son, Track, who enlisted in the Army on Sept. 11, 2007, and soon will deploy to Iraq.

Sarah Palin did not want the media to report on her teenage daughter, Bristol, who is pregnant and unmarried.

Sarah Palin thinks that one is good for her campaign and one is not, and that the media should report only on what is good for her campaign. That is our job, and that is our duty. If that is not actually in the Constitution, it should be. (And someday may be.)

The official theme of the convention’s third day was “prosperity,” but the unofficial theme was “the media are really, really awful.”

Even Mike Huckabee, who campaigned for president this year by saying “I am a conservative, but I am not mad at anybody,” discovered Wednesday night that he is mad at somebody.

“I’d like to thank the elite media for doing something,” Huckabee said, “that, quite frankly, I didn’t think could be done: unify the Republican Party and all of America in support of John McCain and Sarah Palin.”

And could that be the real point of the attacks on the media? To unify the Republican Party?

No, that is simply the cynical, media view.

Though as Lily Tomlin says, “No matter how cynical I get, it’s just never enough to keep up.”

I couldn’t resist that. For which I am sorry.

More Republican lying liars....

2008-09-04T00:42:00.000-04:00

Click here for the Annenburg Political Fact Check website.

There likely will be a great post soon on the factual inaccuracies of Governor Palin's speech, but for now we can dig into what Joe Lieberman and Fred Thompson lied about on Tuesday night.

Here's a few plum targets:

Lieberman said Obama hadn't "reached across party lines" to accomplish "anything significant," though Obama has teamed with GOP Sens. Tom Coburn and Richard Lugar to pass laws enhancing government transparency and curtailing the proliferation of nuclear and conventional weapons.
Thompson repeated misleading claims about Obama's tax program, saying it would bring "one of the largest tax increases in American history." But as increases go, Obama's package is hardly a history-maker. It would raise taxes for families with incomes above $250,000. Most people would see a cut.
Lieberman also accused Obama of "voting to cut off funding for our American troops on the battlefield." But Obama's only vote against a war-funding bill came after Bush vetoed a version of the bill Obama had supported – and McCain urged the veto.

Nice lying lies fellas! You'll have to start making factual claims to handle Obama's momentum.

A.L.

McCain's spokesperson torn apart on live TV.

2008-09-01T22:41:00.002-04:00

-Hat tip to Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo.

Tucker Bounds of the McCain-Palin campaign gets destroyed by Campbell Brown on CNN regarding the complete lack of foreign policy in their VP nominee.

It is breathtaking in its simplicity, veracity and viciousness.

A.L.

WOW.... Inspiring.

2008-08-28T23:28:00.000-04:00

Full text of Obama's acceptance speech | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Definitely one for the history books. There will be a bump from this convention....

A.L.

On the Conservative watch... they recklessly cut government and people die....

2008-08-28T20:04:00.001-04:00

Click here for a great editorial calling Tony Clement and the Harper-cons to the mat on their spin-doctoring of the Listeria outbreak.

Federal Health Minister Tony Clement says the recent tainted meat outbreak that killed six people and caused at least 14 more serious illnesses is a shining example of how well Canada's food inspection system works.
Pardon?

My thoughts exactly. The system worked? Um, sorry when the system works people don't die.

Warren Kinsella sums it up nicely and makes the connection with the Walkerton tragedy under the Ontario Conservatives and the inevitable tragic result of neo-con government slashing and burning at every government agency.

Politically, the consequences can also be quite similar.

Everyone knows that conservatives hate government - and, when right-wingers get their hands on government, everyone also know they will cut the Hell out of it. When that happened at Walkerton, lots of people died, and lots more had their lives destroyed.

It's a legitimate point for Dion to make: "On our watch, we used government as an instrument to keep people safe. Under your watch, people died."

If Dion hasn't made this point yet, he needs to. Canadians' lives are at stake.

A.L.

Lying lies by Republican lying liars.... What else is new?

2008-08-27T10:21:00.000-04:00

TPM Election Central | Talking Points Memo | New McCain Ad Badly Distorts Obama's Words About Iran

The lying and cheating McCain camp has come up with a wholly distorted ad suggesting that Obama thinks Iran doesn't pose a serious threat. It's a gigantic pack of lies, designed to fool the uninformed voter, and it will work unless it is countered.

But here's what Obama really said:

"Strong countries and strong Presidents talk to their adversaries. That's what Kennedy did with Khrushchev. That's what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That's what Nixon did with Mao. I mean think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela -- these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying we're going to wipe you off the planet."

Absolutely despicable politics. Gutter smears at their worst. I am sure the Harper-cons are taking notes and are ready to take many of Dion's remarks and slant them just the same.

A.L.

Leaving Ottawa in the dust... er smog!

2008-06-02T21:50:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: Quebec, Ontario sign historic climate pact

I am very pleased about this. It's about time and it couldn't be better that these two Liberal Premiers are leaving our Conservative government in Ottawa behind as they get with the Climate Crisis program.

A.L.

Fit hitting the Sham?

2008-04-25T09:23:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: Police set to turn spotlight on Liberal officials

Well, not quite.

An important piece of the story that will likely be forgotten by anyone with an axe to grind against the Liberal party is the fact that the party is really a victim in all of this.

Having focused on issues of fraud since 2002, the Mounties sent a clear message last week they are now looking at allegations of influence peddling, laying charges against former federal Liberal official Benoît Corbeil.

Sources said the RCMP is hoping to go higher up the Liberal hierarchy than Mr. Corbeil, the former director-general of the Liberal Party's Quebec wing, who is accused of taking a bribe from a businessman and defrauding the party.

Unless someone can show systemic corruption within the party, this should not tarnish the whole party. The whole party will have some explaining to do, but it is a big stretch to say the entire party is corrupt.

Similarly, it is a stretch to say the entire CPC are guilty of election fraud. However, their current leadership is much more closely tied to the problem than the current Liberal leadership is to the 6 year old Sponsorship investigation.

A.L.

And on to our next trick! (Brought to you by the Accountability Party)

2008-04-21T14:12:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: Search warrants claim Tories overspent by $1-million

OOPS!

A.L.

What the media is not reporting about Bush's announcement...

2008-04-11T00:09:00.000-04:00

Today President Bush announced that tours of duty in Iraq will be reduced to 12 months instead of 15. Nearly every media outlet that has reported on this makes it sound like a great and generous announcement on the President's part. It almost sounds like the troops will come home early.

What they have failed to report is a very important part of the deal. Anyone currently in Iraq is NOT coming home early. The 12 month tour of duty only applies to troops deploying after August 1st.

From the White House website: President Bush Discusses Iraq:

"Our work in Iraq will still demand sacrifices from our whole nation, especially our military, for some time to come. To ease the burden on our troops and their families, I've directed the Secretary of Defense to reduce deployment lengths from 15 months to 12 months for all active Army soldiers deploying to the Central Command area of operations. These changes will be effective for those deploying after August 1st."

This means this promise from President Bush is one he won't be around to keep.

The media seems to be giving Bush a free PR day.

A.L.

Bear Stearns Bargain!

2008-03-17T09:26:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: JPMorgan to buy ailing Bear Stearns for $2 a share

What a bargain!

Joking aside, the worldwide economic illness has arrived. Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts, we are about to encounter some turbulence.

A.L.

More Conservative connections to NAFTA-gate

2008-03-12T19:49:00.000-04:00

Click here for the full story.

Looks as though former Mulroney man, Michael Wilson our Ambassador to the United States, has been connected to NAFTA-gate.

For those who don't know Michael Wilson was the Finance Minister in Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative government from 1984-1991. Interestingly, he was a prime mover in the creation of the Canada-US free trade agreement, precursor to NAFTA.

From the article:

Michael Wilson is moving toward the centre of the so-called NAFTA-gate scandal after admitting he spoke with CTV journalist Tom Clark the night before the network broadcast a report alleging an Obama official told Canada the Democratic presidential hopeful's threat to pan the North American Free Trade Agreement was only political rhetoric.

Now the Official Opposition Liberal Party is calling for his resignation or recall at least until it blows over.

It just keeps getting better!

A.L.

Hillary's Campaign also FLIP FLOPPED on NAFTA!

2008-03-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

Looks like the former UWO Prof is the first person the security personnel should be interviewing!

But here's the bit that should not be overlooked in the story:

Since 75 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S., Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton's musings about reopening the North American free-trade pact had caused some concern.

Mr. Brodie downplayed those concerns.

"Quite a few people heard it," said one source in the room.

"He said someone from (Hillary) Clinton's campaign is telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt. . . That someone called us and told us not to worry."

Government officials did not deny the conversation took place.

And this:

But others said the content of Mr. Brodie's remarks was passed on to CTV's Washington bureau and their White House correspondent set out the next day to pursue the story on Ms. Clinton's apparent hypocrisy on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Although CTV correspondent Tom Clark mentioned Ms. Clinton in passing, the focus of his story was on assurances from the Obama camp.

Looks like Mrs. Clinton has been talking out of both sides of her mouth.

A.L.

Live Blogging the AB Election Results

2008-03-03T22:02:00.002-05:00

10pm ET and the polls are closed in AB, here's hoping!

10:29pm CBC projects PC majority.

10:30pm Alberta hopes for an Al Gore Florida moment....

Alberta Votes Prediction

2008-03-03T20:31:00.002-05:00

I will make my prediction now before the polls close.

I predict:

PC 55
Lib 24
NDP 3
WRA 1

Of course I am also praying for a miracle, that the Tories are reduced to a minority government, but who knows what could happen. Nobody saw Bob Rae's NDP government coming in Ontario, so stranger things have happened.

With another Tory majority they will only need 2 more election wins to outlast Castro.

A.L.

P.S. Live blogging the results later.....

Tories use Million Dollar life insurance policies instead of manila envelopes...

2008-02-28T01:24:00.000-05:00

Check this story out.

It seems Harper's Conservatives were all about sleaze and graft back in 2005. Let me remind our readers that 2005 is pre-Accountability act, so the Conservatives may not be in violation of that law....

Here's some juicy pieces from the article:

The widow of former B.C. MP Chuck Cadman says two Conservative Party officials offered her husband a million-dollar life insurance policy in exchange for his vote to bring down the Liberal government in May of 2005.
The offer, which was summarily rejected by the dying man, is outlined in a biography of Mr. Cadman by Vancouver journalist Tom Zytaruk that is to be released on March 14. A copy of the manuscript, including an introduction by former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, has been obtained by The Globe and Mail.

And we know how well that turned out. Chuck Cadman did the honourable thing and could not be swayed by a Million Dollar bribe to bring down the Martin government.

Isn't offering an MP monetary compensation in return for their vote bribery? Isn't bribery against the law?

The men arrived at Mr. Cadman's Ottawa office two days before the vote on the Liberal budget. It was apparent at that time that the House of Commons was evenly split on the money bill and the nod of the then-Independent MP would decide whether Mr. Martin's Liberal government would survive. "The Tories actually walked in with a list of offers written down on a piece of paper. Included in their proposal was a $1-million life insurance policy — no small carrot for a man with advanced cancer," the book states.

If the offer was made at his Ottawa office, that means it was a bribe made in Parliament. Could that aggravate the crime, if it is in fact a crime?

Looks like Harper has some explaining to do. SHAME on the Conservative party.

I hope journalists are going to start asking the tough questions on this file.

A.L.

West Wing Junkies UNITE!!

2008-02-24T17:51:00.000-05:00

From West Wing to the real thing | World news | The Guardian

It seems the final seasons of the West Wing and the candidacy of the fictional Matthew Santos were based upon Barack Obama.

For what those West Wing fans stunned by the similarity between the fictitious Matthew Santos and the real-life Barack Obama have not known is that the resemblance is no coincidence. When the West Wing scriptwriters first devised their fictitious presidential candidate in the late summer of 2004, they modelled him in part on a young Illinois politician - not yet even a US senator - by the name of Barack Obama.
"I drew inspiration from him in drawing this character," West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie told the Guardian. "When I had to write, Obama was just appearing on the national scene. He had done a great speech at the convention [which nominated John Kerry] and people were beginning to talk about him."

I, along with Calgary Grit and IP, spotted it a while ago, but it gets even better.

As more proof of the mirror image of this primary season, West Wing devotees will note that in the final season the Democratic Party's nomination came down to a brokered convention, which may be the end result of this nomination contest. No way the writers of West Wing could have predicted this, but bravo on them for the realism, even if it is 20/20.

Right wing nutbars having a Sh*t-fit about McCain's ascendancy!

2008-02-06T22:15:00.000-05:00

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 02/06/2008 | Can anyone stop John McCain?

It seems the hard-right of the Republican party is having a tough time coming to grips with the fact that the country has had enough of their BS.

Let's dig into this little article...

Despite McCain's strong stand on defense, many conservatives consider him a closet liberal, hostile to tax cuts, supportive of illegal immigrants and too ready to compromise with the likes of Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

Some conservative voices, such as talk show host and Fox News personality Sean Hannity, are rallying to Romney as the best alternative to stop McCain.

Uh oh! He's too moderate.... That's just unacceptable! The next missive comes from a guy who's hard to like. Wrote great books in the 70's and 80's about raising kids, but is an absolute nut-bar when it comes to politics.

James Dobson, the influential social conservative who heads the Colorado-based group Focus on the Family, said Tuesday that he wouldn't vote for McCain — but he stopped short of backing Romney.
"I am convinced Senator McCain is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are," Dobson said. "I cannot, and I will not vote for Senator John McCain, as a matter of conscience."

Looks like the Republicans are going to have base problems....

I hope so!

A.L.

Edwards: "I'm Out"

2008-01-30T09:28:00.000-05:00

Disappointing news today. Our man is dropping out.

The armchair "Josh Lyman" in me says the calculation here is to stop bleeding away the "change" votes from Obama and consolidate the anti-Clinton votes in upcoming primary states.

It certainly throws all the recent Dem polls for a loop.

A.L.

Mike Huckabee: Homosexuality = Bestiality, Homosexuality = Pedophilia.... SICK!

2008-01-17T18:18:00.000-05:00

Interesting, shocking, and just plain scary... one of the men on the Republican side (who still has a lot of momentum, despite the most recent primaries), has equated homosexuality with pedophilia and bestiality.... Nice.

Beliefnet Presents: Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on God's presence, the debates, and Christianity -- Beliefnet.com: "Is it your goal to bring the Constitution into strict conformity with the Bible? Some people would consider that a kind of dangerous undertaking, particularly given the variety of biblical interpretations.

Well, I don’t think that’s a radical view to say we’re going to affirm marriage. I think the radical view is to say that we’re going to change the definition of marriage so that it can mean two men, two women, a man and three women, a man and a child, a man and animal. Again, once we change the definition, the door is open to change it again. I think the radical position is to make a change in what’s been historic."

And by 'nice' I mean disgusting, misguided and terrible pandering.... You suck Mike Huckabee!

A.L.

Congrats Huckabee... Now the fun begins.

2008-01-03T23:40:00.000-05:00

Some fun at Mike Huckabee's expense.... Might this foray into foreign relations come back to haunt him?

A.L.

John Edwards '08...

2007-12-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

Do You Know the Words to the Edwards Fight Song? - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog

Not only do I like his taste in music. I like his politics. I would like to see him as the Democratic nominee for the 2008 Presidential election.

I will likely support any of the other top 3 Democratic candidates, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama, but I prefer Mr. Edwards.

He's a fighter, he won't bow down to special interests and he cares about the shrinking middle class and important social issues like Healthcare and poverty.

He's my choice. Of course I don't have a vote in Iowa, New Hampshire or any state of the Union, oh well!

-A.L.

A Liberal joining in the call for broad-based tax cuts

2007-10-28T18:06:00.000-04:00

I for one am in favour of broad-based moderate tax cuts.

That said, I am decidedly against Bush-style tax cuts which reward the richest taxpayers over those in the lowest brackets.

My prescription for Mr. Flaherty is for CRA to raise the personal exemption up by $2000, which translates into approximately $300 back into nearly every taxpayers' pocketbook. Further, I would propose to raise every bracket by $2000. To change the income levels at which each bracket begins.

We need it, we can afford it and it will help us remain competitive. BUT, it must not be done at the expense of funding healthcare.

A.L.

There's a BIG surprise!

2007-10-27T13:16:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: Few companies keen to provide daycare

Please, hold on while I have a heart attack and die from that great big surprise! (In the words of Iago from Aladdin).

Big shocker. The corporations aren't interested in providing child-care for their employee's children. Why would they be? They should, but why would they?

This needs to be a priority and it seems that government action is the only viable way to get it done quickly. If we want productivity to continue to increase (as a nation we are behind in this measure), we must do something to allow middle-class Canadians to work and raise families. It just has to be done!

You can't create child-care spaces with tax-cuts. It's just not in the business plan.

You have failed here Mr. Harper!

A.L.

What we can and should learn from Conservative Tom Flanagan

2007-09-22T11:45:00.000-04:00

Tom Flanagan, U of C Political Science professor, and former Harper campaign manager has put together a top 10 list of sorts. It is his list of the 10 things the Conservative party must keep in mind and/or focus on in order to supplant the Liberals as Canada's 'natural governing party'. The article can be found here: globeandmail.com: Thou shalt not lean too far to the right

We, as Liberals need to learn from this too. Our biggest failures in my humble opinion are in (Tom's list numbers) #1 Unity, #7 Toughness and #8 Grassroots Organization.

If you don't think Unity is a problem, just check out all the coverage before and after the by-election in Outremont, where everyone and their dog was going after Dion (and Kyoton).

We fail on Toughness because the Conservative party will always out-mean us. By this I mean the evil/dirty trick and good attack ads. We need to be tough and not be afraid to point out the major flaws in Conservative ideology.

We fail miserably and are playing a giant game of catch-up when it comes to Grassroots Poitics. Just as Prof. Flanagan says, the Liberal party also must be "a party that is easy for individuals to join, encourages donation and volunteerism and is committed to winning elections one voter at a time." If we fail in the ground game, we're sunk.

We've got the best brand and the best policies, but that will mean nothing if we have the worst organization and the fewest donations.

We need to do this. Who's in?

A.L.

Strong loonie... Hey STEVE!!

2007-09-19T22:31:00.000-04:00

Consumers not benefiting from strong loonie

This article makes a very important point. Canadian consumers should be benefiting from the strong showing by the loonie, but instead we continue to pay 30% more for cars, magazines, books, and all sorts of consumer goods.

So what's a government to do?

Well, they could take the route of penalizing retailers who fail to pass on savings.... that would be the NDP point of view.

They could do nothing and just let the market reign... that would be the Conservatory approach.

Or the government could make a huge difference with one small stroke of the pen and a quick regulation change (which likely wouldn't even need a vote in the House) and raise the day-trip personal exemption, remove duties on anything under $200 and let Canadians purchase more goods online duty-free from the United States with a monthly maximum exemption.

The problem is lack of competition. This is a pragmatic approach and it balances the market interests with those of the Canadian consumer.

A.L.

Do religious schools really want to become CHARTER school$??

2007-09-14T23:59:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: McGuinty touts public education

Here's my 2 cents on this issue.

If I were the administrator of a religious school (other than a Catholic one) I would not want tax money in support. Because I would be afraid the money would come with a string, a Charter string.

Because as I understand it, when an entity is supported by tax dollars, it becomes subject to the rules imposed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. So, the religious schools would be subject to Charter scrutiny if their teachings, the school environment or the personnel were discriminatory in any way.

So, do these private schools really want to become Charter schools?

I would think not!

John Tory... better luck next time.

A.L.

Hardly a smoking gun!

2007-08-23T16:48:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: Ontario Tories say Liberals violated election law

It seems John Tory's Tories are trying to nail Jello to the wall.

But, in this day and age, just making the accusation has the desired effect. You get your opponents name in the media and place a little bit of doubt in a few voters minds. Never mind that the whole thing is BS.

So what, a politically active, capable professional who used to be the Premier's chief of staff and is now chairing the Working Families Coalition. The WFC is an anti-Tory group, go figure!

Where do we think this guy will want to work? The Canadian Taxpayers Federation?! The Fraser Institute!? They only hire former Tory aides!

This is a non-story, and until there are any more connections this is an absolutely desperate move by the Tories.

Same old John Tory Tory story.

A.L.

2007-08-16T09:03:00.001-04:00

This is unacceptable no matter which side of the aisle you are on....

Now, I will say I think it is acceptable for a person to police entries about themselves, and provide FACTUAL edits to their own wikipedia entry, but editing to include lies, fabrications or stretched truths is not.

The one thing I found odd was this one:

One user, with an IP address that points to a government office in Ottawa, removed Wikipedia's entire entry on homosexuality several times on July 20, 2005, and replaced it with such sentences as: "Homosexuality is evil," "Homosexuality is wrong according to the Bible" and "Homosexuals need our help and counselling." The IP address responsible for that edit continued to deface the entry on homosexuality a total of 24 times between July, 2005, and July, 2006...

Odd, and so very doctrinaire. That's scary!

Alright, back to work, and remember that the veracity of wikipedia is suspect.

A.L.

A good move for Harper...dangerous for Dion

2007-08-11T01:00:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: Canada steps up fight for the Arctic

I think this is a really smart move by Harper. First of all because it is the right thing to do in the interests of Canada, but also because I believe he will solidify and maybe even broaden his political base.

Gay marriage is a dead issue and it doesn't seem like the abortion debate will be re-opened any time soon either (much to the chagrin of the 2000 facebook/CBC Great Canadian Wish List participants who have the lead in an activity nobody cares about), so what's left to energize the base? Afghanistan and some old fashioned Arctic saber rattling.

Again, its the right thing to do in the interests of Canadian sovereignty, and it will help him in the polls. If anyone cares that is....

I am willing to bet Canadians care about this.

A.L.

Cut services or raise taxes...

2007-08-09T09:44:00.000-04:00

I wish more politicians would talk like this.

Bravo to Mayor David Miller for telling it like it really is. For too long in this country and especially in the United States, politicians have massaged the truth, used Orwellian language or just plain lied to the citizenry when selling their tax-cuts.

Time and time again, the governments of the day in every province have extolled the virtues of tax-cuts, campaigned on "no new taxes" and undercut the idea that paying taxes is one of a citizen's duties to society.

What do we have to show for it? Crumbling infrastructure throughout North America and a society that turns on its' most vulnerable when the budget gets tight.

For so long the supply-side Conservatives have told us that taxes must be cut and they told us that this would actually increase government revenue from the resulting prosperity, but what they failed to say was that it would make it necessary to defer infrastructure investment for an additional 20 years, would cause those who most need our help to go without and would actually not lead to increased revenue.

Interesting to note for my Ontario readers, there's an election coming up and the party that initiated this budget crunch is on the ballot:

After years of tapping reserve funds to balance its budget - by law the city cannot run an operating deficit - the city faces a projected $575-million shortfall next year.

At the root of its problems, almost everyone on council agrees, is the pressure of having to fund services formerly covered by the province, but "offloaded" by the Progressive Conservative government of the day in the 1990s. A provincial panel on the offloading problem is due to report back in February.

Same old John Tory story....

A.L.

A freezing East and an Alberta Ghost Town?

2007-08-08T09:35:00.000-04:00

Could this really happen?

Hold on to your hats all you conspiracy theorists... remember when the Conservatives shut down the House of Commons International Trade Committee? Turns out it wasn't just a procedural game. They were stifling testimony that was incongruent with their plan to work for economic integration with the U.S. at the EXPENSE of economic and energy security.

From the article:

At a meeting of the House of Commons' international trade committee earlier this month, Leon Benoit, the Conservative chairman, ordered me to stop my presentation as an invited witness. My remarks, he ruled, were not relevant. When his decision was successfully challenged by other members of the committee, Mr. Benoit adjourned the meeting and left the room.

I was astonished. I had spent several days preparing for my presentation, and two days in transit. Later, I learned that Mr. Benoit's behaviour may have been prompted by a secret guidebook for Conservative chairmen, designed to interrupt witnesses challenging government positions.

Interesting....

I was cut off after noting that the United States has a National Energy Policy (a NEP) that emphasizes self-sufficiency, energy independence and domestic ownership.

And while Canada, as part of our bilateral Security and Prosperity Partnership initiative, supports U.S. efforts to wean itself off Middle Eastern oil, I noted that we do not have a NEP of our own.
Indeed, Canada's official goal is greater continental co-operation, at the expense of our own security of supply.

And more....

For example, in researching how Canada's energy security would be affected by exporting more energy to the United States, I learned that Canada has no plans, or enough pipelines, to get oil to Eastern Canadians in the event of an international supply crisis.
Further, I was surprised that the government was not even studying Canadian energy security.

The National Energy Board wrote me on April 12: "Unfortunately, the NEB has not undertaken any studies on security of supply." Yet the board's mandate is to "promote safety and security ... in the Canadian public interest."

Hmmmm....

So it turns out we don't even care about whether we are helping to secure Canada's future, but rather we are looking out for the Fortune 500 ensuring they get what they want.... Oh, well pardon me, I shouldn't say "we" when I make that statement, its really "they" meaning the Conservative government.

The last lines really are the best though, and as an informed and educated Albertan I am very scared...but not surprised.

It turns out Canada has a NEP, only it stands for No Energy Plan. And this is not helping Albertans and first nations, who are the oil and gas owners. Their governments receive pitifully low resource rents.
Alberta and Norway have similar amounts of oil and gas, yet Alberta's Heritage Fund has $14-billion (U.S.) while Norway's has $290-billion.

Canada must adopt a different national strategy - in partnership with the producing jurisdictions. The infamous 1980 National Energy Program had good goals - energy self-sufficiency, independence, domestic ownership, and security (not unlike the current U.S. program) - but it was imposed unilaterally.

A new federal-provincial plan must raise resource rents so that producing regions can use the funds for their transition to a post-carbon economy.

Otherwise Alberta will become, not the rust belt, but the fossil belt.

Instead of guaranteeing U.S. energy security, how about a Secure Petroleum Plan for Canada?

Was this off-topic?

Your thoughts?

A.L.

Canada: Leading the World With Our Middle Class!

2007-08-04T12:06:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: The secrets of Canada's world-leading middle-class success

Apparently Canada is among the elite nations of the world when it comes to a large and growing middle class. This is something that I would suggest is the product of progressive policies in both Canada and the US, circa 1995 - 2000 or so. The Clinton years were extremely good times economically speaking in the US, and Canada certainly benefited from the strength of the US economy in that time. Add the Chretien-Martin (before PM the PM) years of fiscal restraint and balanced budgets and moderate tax cuts to that equation and we saw a significant uptick in the size of our middle class.

Good stuff. I wonder if the "hate Canada first" crowd has anything to say about this. Our way works, there is no reason we need to be parroting and mimicking the US.

-AL

140 Years: Bonne Fete Canada!

2007-07-01T11:21:00.000-04:00

Happy Canada Day to all! My apologies if my French in the headline is incorrect.

140 years old today. It's good to be Canadian. Take the traditional Canada Day quizzes in the Globe & Mail and the National Post. I am proud to say I scored 100% on the National Post quiz, and 94% on the Globe and Mail's.

National Post:Canada Day Quiz

Globe and Mail/Dominion Institute Canada Day Quiz

I am Canadian!

A.L.

Do Canadians care about NASCAR?

2007-06-18T23:35:00.000-04:00

CANOE -- CNEWS - Weird News: Tories use news, NASCAR in bid for voters

Do Canadians care about NASCAR? Sure they do, so this might be a good idea for the Conservative Party to advertise on a NASCAR. Brilliant idea right? WRONG.

The thing is, truly sponsoring a NASCAR is one thing. It would give you a North American TV audience every Sunday afternoon looking at your car and the big Conservative logo going round and round a racetrack somewhere between 150 and 200 times, and maybe it would be the winning care once in a while. Brilliant because it gets people to think about politics on slow news days. NASCAR has a remarkable following in the United States, and probably a similarly robust following in Canada.

BUT, that's not what the Conservative Party has done. They have sponsored a car in the Canadian NASCAR circuit, not the true NASCAR circuit.

Further, according to the news article the Tories have a two-fold strategy with this scheme, not only are they tapping into the supposed gold-mine of Canadian NASCAR watchers... but they are guaranteeing themselves favourable coverage in the blogosphere:

It turns out the party logo - a big blue "C" - appears on the hood of the car driven by Pierre Bourque, whose popular Internet news aggregator sells torqued headlines to political operatives.

Bourque's website confirmed the connection Monday, linking to a story by Inside Track Motorsport News that noted his Dodge Charger is the sponsored Tory vehicle.

I must admit, this could turn out to be a good gamble, but there are so many unknowns.

1. How many people actually watch NASCAR in Canada? And, will those same people tune in to Canadian NASCAR? A racing series that is only debuting this spring?

2. Is Borque a good driver?

3. How will photos of the Conservative car crashing on the front page, resonate with the rest of Canada who is not watching the TV coverage or attending the races?

4. How many people actually go to races?

5. Do race fans want to think about politics?

It could work, but it could also backfire.

We shall see!

A.L.

A real plan to tackle climate change!

2007-06-18T15:14:00.000-04:00

CTV.ca | Ont. Liberals promise to close coal plants by 2014

It looks as though Premier McGuinty has taken a page out of the Governator's book.

The Ontario Liberals under McGuinty will do more and go further than the federal Conservaties to deal with the climate change crisis, just like Gov. Arnold Schwartzenegger has gone further and done more for the environment than President Bush has in Washington.

This is a very good thing. This can and will build momentum for serious efforts to combat climate change. These are two huge jurisdictions politically and geographically and with a few more states and provinces on board, it won't be long before the federal governments in both countries will be forced into serious action.

A.L.

Liberals ahead by 3% Nationally!

2007-06-12T19:40:00.000-04:00

CTV.ca | Liberals take three-point lead over Tories: poll

Interesting. Now, while it is within the margin of error of the poll, 3% +/-, the regional numbers are more troubling for the Tories.

Because of small regional sample sizes, Decima averages results over three weeks of polling. The latest averages suggest the Liberals were six percentage points ahead of the Tories in Atlantic Canada -- 37-31 -- with the NDP at 20 per cent and the Greens at nine.
The poll also put the Liberals ahead in Ontario, 39-33, and had the Bloc rebounding in Quebec to 38 per cent, followed by the Liberals at 23 and the Conservatives at 16 per cent.

Again, the margin of error regionally is even bigger at 6% but, those are telling margins in Atlantic Canada and Quebec for sure. Ontario still looks like a dead-heat.

Looks like Dion is within striking distance... I say that because the summer BBQ circuit can do wonders for image and connections with the grassroots.

A.L.

AB PC Deathwatch

2007-06-11T10:54:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: Alberta by-elections seen as referendum on new Tory leader

Despite my healdine, I think it is too early to suggest that the Alberta PC Party is in its final throes, but there are some interesting tidbits in this article that seem to point to trouble on the horizon for Ed Stelmach's Tories.

In Canadian politics, it is oft said that opposition parties don't win elections, rather it is the government party that loses....

A couple things in this article suggest that things are not breaking the way Premier Stelmach would like.

“I like the idea of a change of government,” Debbie Kirkby, a resident of Calgary-Elbow, told Mr. Cheffins after he knocked on her door recently. “That is appealing.”

AND

A recent survey by Léger Marketing found a drop in Tory support since Mr. Klein's departure. The Stelmach Tories enjoyed the support of 43 per cent of Albertans in the May 17-28 poll – a drop of 11 points from last September. In Calgary the drop was even more precipitous, from last fall's 57 per cent to 40 per cent. The Liberals had 16-per-cent backing across the province in the recent survey.

So, are these the first signs of a Tory slide? Or, are people getting a little ahead of themselves?

On one hand, it really could be the beginning of the end for the Alberta Tories, Alberta politics seems to run in 30 - 35 year cycles and its about time.

On the other hand, Alberta politics are so deeply divided along the rural-urban line that it is easy for the urban intelligencia to underestimate the strength of the rural support.

Well, you know how I feel about it, or at least what I hope will happen. I am with Debbbie Kirkby... "I like the idea of a change of government."

A.L.

Harper is a Climate Change Pretender!

2007-06-05T10:42:00.000-04:00

Canada gets failing grade on climate report card

I will be the first to say that the Liberals under Chretien and Martin certainly did not show much visible progress on the Climate file other than ratifying Kyoto.

But intensity targets? INTENSITY TARGETS!!!???

Does everyone understand what that means? It means that as long as the pollution per GDP stays below a certain target number we can pat ourselves on the back for doing something to fight Global Warming.

Seems good right? Except that it is a plain lie. Under that scheme if the economy continues to grow the total emissions could increase and then we (Canada) will have actually emitted more greenhouse gases and done NOTHING to help the environment.

Kyoto made it clear, cut total emissions below 1990 levels, period.

The Harper government as climate change good guys is a sad, sad fraud perpetrated on the Canadian people. Don't let it fool you! They want to have their cake and eat it too.

It is likely that the economy must give a little so that we can all continue to live on this planet, and I believe that industry can and will innovate to find profitable ways to reduce total emissions. It can be done, it must be done, and we can do it.

A.L.

What does crumbling sound like?

2007-05-29T23:23:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: Stelmach shrugs off poll

Apparently more and more Albertans think "Steady Eddie" is leading Alberta in the wrong direction.

Hmmm. What do you think?

A.L.

Crumbling of the AB PC Party?

2007-05-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

I sure hope this Maclean's editorial has it right.

Too many people in Alberta go un-represented in the one-party state that is AB politics. The same Conservative voters who decried the sorry state of affairs of 13 years of one-party rule, stay silent when 35 years of one-party rule continues in the AB Legislature.

Here's to renewal!

A.L.

Liberals cleared of wrong-doing in Income Trust "Scandal"... we all lose!

2007-05-16T22:44:00.000-04:00

This is definitely not excusable.

But it seemed at the time, with all the rancor and noise made about the situation (right before the last federal election) that it was a HUGE windfall for someone.

Seems it really was much ado about nothing.

Ideally political parties of any stripe would avoid such grandstanding for political gain, but what fun would that be?

This really should be a wake-up call to short-sighted, pointy heads everywhere, in every party. Lay off the dramatic, vote-getting, fear-mongering. People get hurt in the process, reputations are marred - nay tarred, and cynicism of the public grows like a cancer.

Bad form all around. From the civil servant who made the money, to the Tories who made political hay out of nothing, setting the Liberals up as the straw-men.

But, as I said, its not like the Liberals, the NDP, and the Bloc haven't all done this once or twice. Though, for the good of the country it should stop.

A.L.

TheStar.com - News - Trudeau wins nomination

2007-04-30T10:12:00.000-04:00

A very nice pick-up for our team!

Justin Trudeau will be the federal Liberal candidate in the next election for the riding of Papineau, in Montreal.

I believe he has the intelligence and charisma to be an effective, honest politician.

A.L.

And now for my next act... random emissions, omissions, and commissions.

2007-04-24T23:19:00.000-04:00

BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!

This is funny!

A.L.

Oh it would be great to get this tit out of the House

2007-03-16T15:01:00.000-04:00

globeandmail.com: Judge overturns Tory nomination of MP Rob Anders

Looks like my old riding's CPC association is having trouble with fair play.

Surprise, surprise....

I hope he loses. I always hope he loses, but he always finds a way to win.

A.L.

So where's the hew and cry over the GROSS spending spree?

2007-03-14T09:22:00.000-04:00

CTV.ca | Tory spending points to coming election: analyst:

I golfed with a fairly Republican family friend a few years ago who said he was very upset with how "un-conservative" the Republican party in general and George Bush in particular was behaving at the time (2004-05). His words were "spending like drunken sailors".

"$10 billion in spending in the past three months, according to a tally by The Toronto Star."

So I was struck by the irony here.

When Paul Martin's government made a number of spending announcements right before the last election, the Conservative Party toured the country with the mantra that the Liberals were "buying votes" and "spending with largesse".

So where is the outrage with this spending?

Could it be that really Conservative anger is fake? Or maybe it has to do with ideology? They simply think their spending is better than Liberal spending, bottom line.

Doesn't matter whether its Big Government, last time it was Liberal Big Government so the difference this time is that it is Conservative Big Government.

I guess the fiscal conservatives are fair weather conservatives?

Either all largesse spending is wrong, or its just a matter of disliking how and where the money was spent.

Given that the Conservatives are spending at a very rapid rate, and nobody is raising an issue with it, they must not really be concerned with curbing government spending. They just hate spending on things like childcare, and instead prefer spending on the Alberta Oil Patch.

Hypocrisy!

A.L.

A Christian, lone voice crying out in the wilderness.... Good for him.

2007-03-08T13:21:00.000-05:00

globeandmail.com: Bishop demands 'better theology' of sex

Read the article, its good.

Bravo for a Christian leader to cry out, and call the persecutors on their misguided interpretation of the Bible.

As, first of all a Christian, and second as an Anglican. I am wholeheartedly supportive of Bishop Ingham's stance on this issue.

A.L.

First Al Gore said the Tories were lying... and now the RED CROSS!!!

2007-03-08T08:39:00.000-05:00

See the full article here. Looks like the Tories are getting an "oh no we didn't" from another outside source.

First Al Gore, and now the Red Cross:

From the article:

The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed Wednesday that it has no role in monitoring the Canada-Afghanistan detainee-transfer agreement, in direct contradiction to assurances Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor has made to the House of Commons.

Oops!

Fast and loose with the truth for political expediency... the Tories would never do that!

Of course they wouldn't. Not here, in our cities, in Canada.

A.L.

Dick Cheney's former Chief of Staff: GUILTY

2007-03-06T15:50:00.000-05:00

globeandmail.com: Libby found guilty in CIA leak case

Not exactly the smoking gun that Bush/Cheney "Asses of Evil" detractors were hoping for, but it sure smells suspiciously of gunpowder....

Particularly:

Mr. Libby's defence team said he learned about Ms. Plame from Mr. Cheney, forgot about it, then learned it again a month later from NBC newsman Tim Russert. Anything he told reporters about Ms. Plame, Mr. Libby said, was just chatter and rumours, not official government information.

This....

Mr. Libby told investigators he learned of Ms. Plame's identity from NBC reporter Tim Russert, saying that he'd forgotten at the time he talked to the reporter that he'd been told of it earlier by Mr. Cheney.

Mr. Russert testified he never told Mr. Libby about Mr. Wilson's wife, and underwent a gruelling cross-examination as Mr. Libby's legal team tried to discredit Mr. Russert's testimony.

and this...

Mr. Fitzgerald noted that eight witnesses, including an undersecretary of state, two CIA officials, two top Cheney aides, two reporters and former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said they discussed Mr. Wilson's wife with Mr. Libby in a one-month span before Ms. Plame's CIA employment was publicly revealed.

Interesting to see whether justice will be done....

A.L.

Ann Coulter should never get air-time, anywhere

2007-03-03T20:10:00.000-05:00

Ann Coulter: “I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I — so kind of an impasse, can’t really talk about Edwards.”

Audience members said “ohhh” and then cheered.

You can see it here.

Best part about it, also in attendance at the big conservative meeting where she made these comments, GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney, and VP Dick Cheney.

Wedge politics.

A.L.

Ladies and Gentlemen,,, I give you... THE PRETENDERS!

2007-02-26T15:18:00.000-05:00

CTV.ca | Flaws found in Tory climate-change draft plan

It seems all the talk about how the Tories are really serious about curbing climate change is just alot of hot air!

Best parts from the article:

Matthew Bramley of The Pembina Institute was one of the environmentalists hired by the Globe to look at the plan. He said the documents appear to show positive figures because they significantly underestimate future oilsands development.

The institute has tracked project announcements by oilsands companies and Bramley told the Globe that the plan underestimates the future growth of that sector.

The plan outlines an oilsands emission intensity reduction of 40 per cent by 2020.

Intensity targets are different than emission targets and do not necessarily reduce overall pollutants.

For example, an oil company that met intensity targets would have to reduce emissions coming from each barrel produced but the company could still produce an unlimited amount of oil -- meaning overall emissions would still go up.

And this:

He also said that the documents appear to acknowledge the increase.
"The Conservatives clearly want to show their proposal is better than that of the previous Liberal government," Bramley told the Globe. "But their proposal could actually be weaker."

A better plan?

The draft plan is clearly designed to show an improvement over the 2005 Liberal plan -- of which it shares many similarities.

Under the Conservative plan, the rules for industry would take effect in 2010 -- two years later than the Liberals had intended. However, the Tories have set reduction targets for each industrial sector much deeper.

Nice work folks. When you wanna trash the previous government's efforts on a file, its usually a good idea to ACTUALLY DO THINGS BETTER YOURSELVES.

A.L.

Fire this man and send him to the next CPC nomination meeting

2007-02-16T21:02:00.000-05:00

globeandmail.com: Hillier decries military's 'decade of darkness'

I am sorry, but this is just too much!

The military is not to be politicized. Period. If Hillier wants to be a shill for the CPC he needs to resign his commission, join the party, and run in the upcoming election.

There are many ways in which this message can be said without taking political potshots.

Funny, the US Generals have figured out how to do this: Retire, then go on Fox, CNN, or NBC and then lambaste the political leadership.

Shame on you sir.

A.L.

The drum-beat begins!

2007-02-15T18:11:00.000-05:00

globeandmail.com: Tories prepped for March campaign

Hey Mr. Harper! You can now not say it's the Liberals who pushed you into an election you don't want.

A.L.

Al Gore: Oh no I didn't!

2007-02-12T19:29:00.000-05:00

Al Gore to Stephen Harper "don't make me come up there and kick your ass."

"And furthermore, I wasn't praising your climate busting conservatism... Biatch!"

Don't mess with Al Gore, he invented the internets.

A.L.

Come on King Steve, you gotta do it

2007-02-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

globeandmail.com: Conservatives accused of plotting Kyoto coup

So Big King Steve thinks he's above the law of the land.

Parliament rules buddy! Its called a parliamentary democracy, just because you want to be like Georgie boy, doesn't mean you have to govern like him, in fact in this case it WOULD be against the law.

A.L.

They get Khan and Emerson, we get GARTH!

2007-02-06T12:43:00.000-05:00

We get Garth!

Independent and former Tory MP Garth Turner, is apparently making an announcement today at 5pm that he will be joining Stephane Dion's Liberal caucus.

This is good for a couple of reasons:

-He's blogtastic
-He is outspoken and will be a harsh critic of Stephen Harper, and it is possible his comments may carry more weight, as a former CPC member.
-We need all the help we can get.
-He deflates the supposedly big news day for Big Steve.

Bad for one reason:

-Takes a lot of wind out of the sails of any Emerson/Khan arguments that "you were elected as a Liberal/Conservative".
So, until I hear otherwise from the learned readers, I will say this is a good thing for the Liberal Party.

A.L.

Tory MPs... Will you walk the line?

2007-02-05T18:32:00.000-05:00

Liberal leader Stephane Dion tabled a motion in the House of Commons on February 1 that will culminate in a vote tonight. The motion is only mildly politically crafty, but it will ask MPs to declare support for or against Canada's implementation of the Kyoto Accord. Daring the Tories to do something "credible" on the environment file.

It will be interesting to see if any Tories break ranks, I doubt they will. So I fully expect Stephen Harper will be comfortably singing... "Because you're mine, YOU walk the line...

A.L.