Saturday, April 16, 2011
Strategic voting. Harper must get the boot!
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BC Mary comment: When an Unholy Alliance took over the Progressive Conservative Party federally, they did not become "Conservatives". They double-crossed the real Conservatives and then snatched the name for themselves. They were, in fact, Re-tread Social Credit, or Reform-a-Tories. British Columbia knew them well, where they snatched the Liberal name first from Gordon Wilson (leader of BC Liberals) then federally they seized the Progressive Conservative Party name from Peter MacKay and David Orchard who had signed a binding agreement never to join the Harper gang. Ha! We called them LINOs -- "Liberal In Name Only" -- and they were a coalition of anybody willing to "Unite the Right". The important thing in both cases was to snatch those time-honoured names: Liberal, Conservative. But the Harper Gang is neither. Federally, they are shameless fakes. Harper's triumph is to lead his government into a dramatic defeat under the first-ever charge of "Contempt of Parliament". He is not even embarrassed. He says that the remedy for that is to give him more power!
This means that we're facing the most important election in Canadian history.
The challenge on May 2, 2011 is to make sure that a democratic vote will remove these dishonest, destructive, anti-democratic fakes. That's the important thing: send these Corporate Stenographers out into the world to make an honest living. But we must be careful. Make sure you're voting to ELECT an alternative.
Targeting vulnerable Harperites could work — or backfire
Swing 33 and Catch 22 encourage voters to defeat Conservatives with lesser-evil votes.
StraightGoods.ca - April 12, 2011
by Ish Theilheimer.
Please visit the full article for the two embedded links.
http://www.straightgoods.ca/2011/ViewArticle.cfm?Ref=326
{Snip} ... Progressive-minded Canadians have a real dilemma: how can they get rid of a dangerous Prime Minister who can govern with minority support, without a skewed result?
In the past, anti-Conservative activists (like Buzz Hargrove in 2006) have told progressive Canadians to "vote strategically" against the Conservatives by voting Liberal. As mentioned in last week's column, this strategy usually backfires. It has had the effect of electing Conservatives in ridings where the NDP was their main competition by encouraging voters to switch from NDP to Liberal. Many feel "strategic" voting helped make Harper Prime Minister.
This year the stakes are higher than ever, and the strategy of those urging strategic voting has become more sophisticated. The Catch 22 and Swing 33 campaigns, about which Straight Goods News has run coverage, pursue tactics that are more truly strategic. They are targeting ridings where the combined Liberal and NDP vote in the last election surpassed the Conservative vote but a Conservative won the seat. In those ridings, they are asking supporters of the side that finished third in the last election to vote for the party that finished second. They're endorsing NDPers in some ridings and Liberals in others.
Voters don't like to abandon the parties in which they believe, especially party activists to do so, let alone for central parties to condone this sort of activity. Compared, however, with the justifiable terror with which progressive Canadians regard a Harper majority, switching votes seems a reasonable proposition.
I live in a Conservative riding where the voting equation is different. The incumbent won more votes than the combined total of the Liberal and NDP candidates. A small-c conservative independent candidate probably has the best chance to win, and some anti-Conservative voters are telling me they plan to hold their noses and vote for him despite his own dubious record.
Most Canadians are not political junkies, but they know whether they like Harper or not. The challenge for this year's crop of strategic voting campaigns, especially in ridings where the NDP is their pick, will be to transmit a fairly sophisticated message that will overcome the Liberals' own strategic voting message ("Just vote Liberal."). Otherwise, we'll get Harper again.
BC Mary comment: When an Unholy Alliance took over the Progressive Conservative Party federally, they did not become "Conservatives". They double-crossed the real Conservatives and then snatched the name for themselves. They were, in fact, Re-tread Social Credit, or Reform-a-Tories. British Columbia knew them well, where they snatched the Liberal name first from Gordon Wilson (leader of BC Liberals) then federally they seized the Progressive Conservative Party name from Peter MacKay and David Orchard who had signed a binding agreement never to join the Harper gang. Ha! We called them LINOs -- "Liberal In Name Only" -- and they were a coalition of anybody willing to "Unite the Right". The important thing in both cases was to snatch those time-honoured names: Liberal, Conservative. But the Harper Gang is neither. Federally, they are shameless fakes. Harper's triumph is to lead his government into a dramatic defeat under the first-ever charge of "Contempt of Parliament". He is not even embarrassed. He says that the remedy for that is to give him more power!
This means that we're facing the most important election in Canadian history.
The challenge on May 2, 2011 is to make sure that a democratic vote will remove these dishonest, destructive, anti-democratic fakes. That's the important thing: send these Corporate Stenographers out into the world to make an honest living. But we must be careful. Make sure you're voting to ELECT an alternative.
_______________________
Targeting vulnerable Harperites could work — or backfire
Swing 33 and Catch 22 encourage voters to defeat Conservatives with lesser-evil votes.
StraightGoods.ca - April 12, 2011
by Ish Theilheimer.
Please visit the full article for the two embedded links.
http://www.straightgoods.ca/2011/ViewArticle.cfm?Ref=326
{Snip} ... Progressive-minded Canadians have a real dilemma: how can they get rid of a dangerous Prime Minister who can govern with minority support, without a skewed result?
In the past, anti-Conservative activists (like Buzz Hargrove in 2006) have told progressive Canadians to "vote strategically" against the Conservatives by voting Liberal. As mentioned in last week's column, this strategy usually backfires. It has had the effect of electing Conservatives in ridings where the NDP was their main competition by encouraging voters to switch from NDP to Liberal. Many feel "strategic" voting helped make Harper Prime Minister.
This year the stakes are higher than ever, and the strategy of those urging strategic voting has become more sophisticated. The Catch 22 and Swing 33 campaigns, about which Straight Goods News has run coverage, pursue tactics that are more truly strategic. They are targeting ridings where the combined Liberal and NDP vote in the last election surpassed the Conservative vote but a Conservative won the seat. In those ridings, they are asking supporters of the side that finished third in the last election to vote for the party that finished second. They're endorsing NDPers in some ridings and Liberals in others.
Voters don't like to abandon the parties in which they believe, especially party activists to do so, let alone for central parties to condone this sort of activity. Compared, however, with the justifiable terror with which progressive Canadians regard a Harper majority, switching votes seems a reasonable proposition.
I live in a Conservative riding where the voting equation is different. The incumbent won more votes than the combined total of the Liberal and NDP candidates. A small-c conservative independent candidate probably has the best chance to win, and some anti-Conservative voters are telling me they plan to hold their noses and vote for him despite his own dubious record.
Most Canadians are not political junkies, but they know whether they like Harper or not. The challenge for this year's crop of strategic voting campaigns, especially in ridings where the NDP is their pick, will be to transmit a fairly sophisticated message that will overcome the Liberals' own strategic voting message ("Just vote Liberal."). Otherwise, we'll get Harper again.
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Comments:
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the reason Harper has been and is in power is becuase:
1. The liberals are weak (Ignateuf, and before him, whatshisname)
2. The NDP are inept (Layton isnt bad, but the rest are either tree huggers, or womans lib'ers. Canadians do not want them respresenting us
3. Thw BLOC doesnt run a slate outside of Quebec (France).
4. Elizabeth May looks and sounds like a govt employee, not a political leader.
That leaves us with Harper, practically by default.
Honestly, I cannot think of one remarkable thing Harper has said or done. And yes, he has his share of idiots in his party, most of whom he has sacked by now. But other than Harper, who is left to lead?
Answer: No one. Which is why Harper will get in again, if not by a slim majorty.
1. The liberals are weak (Ignateuf, and before him, whatshisname)
2. The NDP are inept (Layton isnt bad, but the rest are either tree huggers, or womans lib'ers. Canadians do not want them respresenting us
3. Thw BLOC doesnt run a slate outside of Quebec (France).
4. Elizabeth May looks and sounds like a govt employee, not a political leader.
That leaves us with Harper, practically by default.
Honestly, I cannot think of one remarkable thing Harper has said or done. And yes, he has his share of idiots in his party, most of whom he has sacked by now. But other than Harper, who is left to lead?
Answer: No one. Which is why Harper will get in again, if not by a slim majorty.
# posted by 
: April 16, 2011 at 2:18 p.m.
: April 16, 2011 at 2:18 p.m.
Its not that i like harper, I just dislike him less than the rest of the bozo's running.
# posted by : April 16, 2011 at 2:19 p.m.
: April 16, 2011 at 2:19 p.m. 
Anonymous 2:18,
It's not as if this is a fashion show or even a popularity contest ...
it's about the fate of the nation.
Harper wants Canada integrated into U.S. hands.
Harper wants Canadians to be quiet, bags over our heads, unable to protect ourselves or our country.
Get a grip on yesterday's picture of Harperites trying to grab the ballot box at Guelph University and run off with it ...
Michael Ignatief isn't Steve Harper and that's a good thing.
It's not as if this is a fashion show or even a popularity contest ...
it's about the fate of the nation.
Harper wants Canada integrated into U.S. hands.
Harper wants Canadians to be quiet, bags over our heads, unable to protect ourselves or our country.
Get a grip on yesterday's picture of Harperites trying to grab the ballot box at Guelph University and run off with it ...
Michael Ignatief isn't Steve Harper and that's a good thing.
Yes BC Mary, I have looked at what Harper is doing, and am not displeased. I particulary like the tough on crime message.
The fate of the nation would be better served with criminals in jails where they belong, and mandatory minimums on drug and gun crimes!
The Liberals and NDP do not support locking up criminals and I cannot support them because of that.
The fate of the nation would be better served with criminals in jails where they belong, and mandatory minimums on drug and gun crimes!
The Liberals and NDP do not support locking up criminals and I cannot support them because of that.
# posted by : April 16, 2011 at 4:02 p.m.
: April 16, 2011 at 4:02 p.m.
You see - this is the challenge - it sounds like both Rosemary and Anon 2:18 are generally conservative voters. Maybe they are voters who think the same as Helena Guergis - no matter what the Conservative party has done to Helena, she will stay in the party because she can't go anywhere else - there is no option for her. Kind of how an abusive situation can become the status quo ~
The guys from the Reform Canadian Alliance Progressive Conservative parties were quite smart - they saw the writing on the wall - none of them could get a majority of the conservative vote so the only way any of them could win was an amalgamation. Remove the options and you are the only choice. Think of any country that has only one party on the ballot - what do you get? One choice.
The CBC Voter Compass showed this immediately in a visual image. Without another choice on the right, Rosemary and Anon 2:18 have to vote for their Conservative candidate - they have no other choice.
The guys from the Reform Canadian Alliance Progressive Conservative parties were quite smart - they saw the writing on the wall - none of them could get a majority of the conservative vote so the only way any of them could win was an amalgamation. Remove the options and you are the only choice. Think of any country that has only one party on the ballot - what do you get? One choice.
The CBC Voter Compass showed this immediately in a visual image. Without another choice on the right, Rosemary and Anon 2:18 have to vote for their Conservative candidate - they have no other choice.
# posted by : April 16, 2011 at 11:01 p.m.
: April 16, 2011 at 11:01 p.m.
Hi Mary:
Thank you and God Bless for all your tireless work in exposing the Campbell criminal gang here in BC and now shining a light on the Fascist gang in Ottawa. I love my country, I served my country, but I do not trust my government, federal or provincial. I do not understand how the good people of this great province and nation could be duped into allowing these two most dishonest, devious and duplicitous men into such high office. On a lighter note I leave you with my personal battle cry for this coming federal election -
"The only good tory is a suppository!"
Cheers from Ernie on Denman Island.
Thank you and God Bless for all your tireless work in exposing the Campbell criminal gang here in BC and now shining a light on the Fascist gang in Ottawa. I love my country, I served my country, but I do not trust my government, federal or provincial. I do not understand how the good people of this great province and nation could be duped into allowing these two most dishonest, devious and duplicitous men into such high office. On a lighter note I leave you with my personal battle cry for this coming federal election -
"The only good tory is a suppository!"
Cheers from Ernie on Denman Island.
Good God!!! Harper has criminals working with him, that I knew. Did that idiot actually say to stop that, give me a majority? He and his party, are in contempt of the House, and people still don't get it? What in the hell is it going to take?
Do people Google: Harper delivers his plans of, Global Governance for Canada? Are people going nuts? Harper is a damned monster. If he wins a majority, we can kiss this country, good-bye.
We had better make sure we make it clear. If Harper wins a majority, the other party's, must form a coalition.
Harper needs to be run right out of this country, he doesn't belong in Canada. Harper is not democratic, he is a dictator, arrogant and vindictive. He is no Canadian.
Do people Google: Harper delivers his plans of, Global Governance for Canada? Are people going nuts? Harper is a damned monster. If he wins a majority, we can kiss this country, good-bye.
We had better make sure we make it clear. If Harper wins a majority, the other party's, must form a coalition.
Harper needs to be run right out of this country, he doesn't belong in Canada. Harper is not democratic, he is a dictator, arrogant and vindictive. He is no Canadian.
# posted by : April 17, 2011 at 5:42 p.m.
: April 17, 2011 at 5:42 p.m.
Ernie on Denman Island,
Thank you for your comment, your wonderful thoughts,
and for the big laugh I had, all alone at my computer,
thinking of Harper as a Supposi-Tory. Good One!
I hope you've figured out the best way to vote on May 2, with the primary view of booting the "Conservative" out of the picture. I have work to do on that, myself.
.
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Thank you for your comment, your wonderful thoughts,
and for the big laugh I had, all alone at my computer,
thinking of Harper as a Supposi-Tory. Good One!
I hope you've figured out the best way to vote on May 2, with the primary view of booting the "Conservative" out of the picture. I have work to do on that, myself.
.
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