jdobbin

Um, he was never Hansen's supervisor. And he retired 15 years ago. That isn't a smear. That is a fact.

A deficit is radical to these commentators.

You will vote Conservative again and that means for Harper again. There will be no leadership review until after an election.

Really? It is the PMO telling the caucus that party solidarity is absolute on the budget. They were talking about this on the political talk shows this evening. The alternative is you start your own conservative party. You seem to think the alternative is to support the Liberals. You agree you are getting old? As for Cash, he simply turned the story around to attack the Liberals. Cash is angry that the Liberals didn't bring down the budget. He should be angry that the Tories even wrote such a budget. Doesn't matter how you explain it, the deficit spending and many of the programs supported in the budget makes many in the west furious. The Tories should have had a reserve fund building up when they decided to eliminate the surplus. It might have gotten them over the deficit and left room for a stimulus. Given the anger out there, I'd say that some on the right don't want your conservatism. Once again, you are looking at the forest and not seeing the trees.

Think so? You might be right. The war with Iran might have sent oil prices so far up as to prop up Canada.

But you will still vote for Harper next election.

I doubt any Tory MPs will vote against the budget. My feeling is that it would not be tolerated by the PMO. As for the Liberals voting against the budget, I don't know what Ignatieff will do. My guess is that he will let it pass so long as there is enough votes to let the budget pass. There is too much controversy involving early election or coalition to reject the budget outright. Ignatieff needs to get the Liberals organized and have in terms of structure, policy and financing and start recruiting candidates. Harper himself may pull the plug early to avoid having to go another budget with the type of deficit we have seen now. There is so much anger in the west about the deficit that it will be interesting to see how many on the right start withdrawing support.

You must really want the Tories to be defeated because of this budget.

I think Andrew Cohen said something similar although he meant that if the Tories want to have a Liberal budget (albeit with a deficit), why not choose the support the Liberals. Given the sharp rise of Liberal support in Quebec according to the January 30 poll by CROP, people in Quebec are looking more and more to real Liberals. Voter support in Quebec has dropped so much for the Tories that they are in NDP territory. Does it? I am seeing more and more of this all over of angry Tories. http://hacksandwonks.blogspot.com/2009/01/budget-2009.html

Latest CROP poll. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/090130/...politics_quebec Looks like Ignatieff is helping the Liberals recover in Quebec.

You said it, not me. Are you looking to change your vote. I disagree with it since I think it will lead to mark-ups in prices for those who do use contractors to install things like furnaces or so roofs. Think I disagreed with the huge increases in transfers to begin with. I am getting a little tired of tax credits used for this and that. Make an income tax cut. Simple. He is alienating his base. Looks at the thinks tanks, the political blogosphere. They are livid.

Yes, he does. Fiscal conservatives set up their own party. Remember? I have been reading and listening to angry Tories all day. They are more than appalled. They are furious. It is enough to get some Tories talking about what next after Harper. I agree. More likely to vote Tory. I agree. Hiring freeze would be good too. It is modest. However, the deficit might not have been here at all if the government had a rainy day fund set aside. ===== Harper had no choice but to support the amendments and the Liberals. The Conservative party can't guarantee an election now. Unless Harper acts like a sociopath before then.

Goodies for Quebec is why Harper left the PCs in the first place. Think we are already hearing rumbling from fiscal conservatives today on the deficit issue. Hand things over to Quebec and get whacked even more. We have been hearing from that wing all day today.

I do realize that. You should ask Harper why he was one of the people who did that. The reason they will tell you is that the awarding of the contract to Quebec was the law straw. Now you are saying that is exactly what the present Tories need to do. So you think he will bring separatists into the government and still expect them not stab him in the back?

He certainly looked angry. She might have approved a coalition where the leader was going to be replaced in May. I don't know she wouldn't allow a coalition for a leader who was to be affirmed in May.

My opinion is that Layton knows that he is closer to the end of his career as leader than he is to the beginning. He needs to do something dramatic and getting an NDP government involved in governing would do the trick. I suspect that if the government fails in three or so months, the coalition is an option. Six months from now, an election is probably a more likely outcome if the government fails.

You do realize that when Mulroney did this with the CF-18 contract, he helped create the Reform party?

Yup. If the Governor General turns to the Opposition leader, they will kiss and make up.

Probably by looking at the commentators all day. Some of them are very angry about the deficit.

If Harper rejected the amendments, it was a coalition. Now, the opportunity comes again in three months.

I was thinking of real fiscal conservatives actually just not voting or withdrawing their support from the Tories. Certainly real fiscal conservatives are upset. http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianp...2IYwIf5pQgM2wMQ They make Harper answerable every few months. In those months, his own party might get increasingly upset with growing deficits. Looks like Tory supporters are already doing that.

They probably don't need to. If Harper acts like a sociopath, he will reject the amendments and his government will be defeated. The Governor General will decide if an election will happen. Don't know that Harper wants to take that chance.

Money seems to be coming in now according to some commentators on Politics Today last week. Guess we won't know until the quarterly statements come out but my guess the major impediment to funds coming in was Dion. As for the polls, some have Ignatieff running ahead of the Tories. Some of the polls also had the two parties tied. I guess we should not read too much into them but majority territory for Harper has disappeared once Dion left the scene. If Harper thinks he can win now, he can refuse the amendments. Don't know if that means election. Can he really be sure that the Governor General won't ask Ignatieff to form a government? I think Harper will have to choice but to accept the Liberal amendments because he is no position to let his government fall and have the Opposition take over. It will be the end of him politically.

It seems if Harper goes for the amendment, he is following a path Ignatieff wants.

If Harper rejects the amendments, Layton says the coalition is back on. Will you be against the coalition then?