This election is pissing me off big time. At a time when I should be putting all my efforts into talking up the Green cause I find myself spending just as much time taking to my friends and contacts defending Dion and trying in earnest to keep them from voting Harper.
Some of these people have been staunch Liberals for as long as I’ve know them and yet now due to Dion’s lack of presence and his inability to adequately explain the Carbon Tax, they are honestly considering joining the sweater vest express to oblivion.
It’s all becoming quit tiring; first I have to beat them down with the well documented lies, broken promises and illegalities of the Conservative, followed by a flurry of C61 to the head and a kick of C51/52 to the groin. As they struggle to rise up and defend themselves I finish them off with peak oil, global warming, secret agendas and an impending deficit head butt across the bridge of the nose. At this point I have to reassure them that image is not substance, that leadership is making the right decision not making a rash and pig headed decision.
Of course I do mention that there are better choices like the GPC, but I’m honestly willing to settle for Anything But Conservative at this point.
I’m also tired of dealing with the contagion caused by Dion adopting the idea of a Carbon Tax. The Liberals have done such a piss poor job of selling this idea, and the Cons such a good job of demonizing it (despite their own studies that prove otherwise) that I also have to reassure soft Greens it won’t cause the end of the world.
Things are not going as I expected. The debate win was a pleasant surprise but May continues to get less press than Duceppe, even outside Quebec. The press is not holding Harpers feet to the fire as they should, and I’m spending far too much time talking Liberals off the ledge! Who’d have thought?Recommend this Post
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Talking Liberals off the ledge!
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9 comments:
GAB - you may prefer carbon tax to cap and trade but Layton and the NDP are the only real progressive alternative to the Conservatives in large chunks of the country. Layton brought in c377, has a long record of working initiating and developing environmental programs at the municipal level. The NDP cap and trade policy has a hard cap and the commitments to green collar jobs and transit, home retrofit, etc. are solid.
Ohh, I forgot. Although the NDP will not circumvent democracy by denying voters the opportunity to vote their preference. Layton (unlike Dion) has already said that he will always work with parties that want what is in the best interests of Canadians. Layton (also unlike Dion) would bring in proportional representation. Which would be to the benefit of the Green Party in the long run.
Anon, whats the beef? I'm trying to stop people who should know better, not to turn Tory. These are people I know, not strangers, and while I might push them back to their Lib home, and promote ABC to them, the effort to revert them is much less than to convert them to your flavour, That's your job!
In my riding, the NDP were over a week late with a candidate, have no signs yet, and apparentuy making little to no effort. A simple cannon fodder candidate who got less than the Greens in the last provincial election. So while you have a point, its not valid in my riding. Lib/Cons split 81% of the vote and we fight for the rest.
P.S. if the NDP ever got a majority I don't know that I would trust them to introduce PR. It's never in the ruling parties interest to limit their future chances of another majority. I would have trusted Ed to stand to his word but I simply don't trust Jack to have that much integrity.
This election is making me mad too, just because it came at a bad time when I have way too much to do already. And, I didn't like the timing being Harper's choice.
I applaud your efforts to calm your Liberal friends. I wasn't a Liberal, but I decided a while ago that I trusted Dion and liked his honesty and commitment to issues I care about. I don't like the press coverage and don't know what to make of the polls.
I notice in the last few days, Layton has really come out hard against any kind of carbon tax and vowed to work against Canada adopting one. He attacked BC's carbon tax too, but isn't saying anything about Quebec's for some reason. Dion, May and Suzuki are taking him to task and Harper is echoing him.
It doesn't look good for Canada introducing any kind of carbon pricing soon. We will probably get a cap and trade up running about 5 or 6 years from now, maybe more, following the US lead. However, those of us who know better, can keep fighting, talking to others, and place our vote for someone who thinks we should do something NOW.
This election is making me mad too, just because it came at a bad time when I have way too much to do already. And, I didn't like the timing being Harper's choice.
I applaud your efforts to calm your Liberal friends. I wasn't a Liberal, but I decided a while ago that I trusted Dion and liked his honesty and commitment to issues I care about. I don't like the press coverage and don't know what to make of the polls.
I notice in the last few days, Layton has really come out hard against any kind of carbon tax and vowed to work against Canada adopting one. He attacked BC's carbon tax too, but isn't saying anything about Quebec's for some reason. Dion, May and Suzuki are taking him to task and Harper is echoing him.
It doesn't look good for Canada introducing any kind of carbon pricing soon. We will probably get a cap and trade up running about 5 or 6 years from now, maybe more, following the US lead. However, those of us who know better, can keep fighting, talking to others, and place our vote for someone who thinks we should do something NOW.
Anonymous, you're hilarious. You do realize that Layton conspired with Harper to prevent May from even debating? That shows how willing his is to work with any party on electoral reform.
Here's proof that the Liberal say one thing and do another:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUNJEQS7alo
This infrastructure money would have been spent on lots of green efforts (at least according to the Liberals)
And I don't have a beef per se, only making a few points.
BTW Sask - the federal NDP would bring in PR because they would be crucified by their base if they didn't. Provincial parties particularly in the prairies and bc are I acknowledge a different matter.
I'm a New Democrat as well, but I don't have the same animosity for the Greens that some NDPers have. I'd consider casting a tactical vote for them, in fact (and don't get me started on the trendy, and misleading, term, "strategic vote) if I lived in Saanich-Gulf Islands, Grey-Bruce-Owen Sound, or somewhere like that. I'd have a hard time voting for the Liberals, though; they have too much of a history of campaigning from the left and governing from the right for me to really trust them.
Fortunately, I live in Winnipeg Centre, so that's a non-issue for me.
Heello nice blog
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