Conservative Strategy

[nbguyca]

Why won't Harper (or any Conservative candidate for that matter) answer a question directly. All they do is state what the Liberals would do.

[Oleg Bach]

Why won't Harper (or any Conservative candidate for that matter) answer a question directly. All they do is state what the Liberals would do.

It's like asking a person what they have to offer and they retort - So and so has nothing! This deversionary approach is based in the fact that none of the politicans are capable of causeing postitive change...for God's sake it feels like we have an election every three months! We are so busy electing and de-electing our leaders that no time is left to exercise leadership.

[nbguyca]

It's like asking a person what they have to offer and they retort - So and so has nothing! This deversionary approach is based in the fact that none of the politicans are capable of causeing postitive change...for God's sake it feels like we have an election every three months! We are so busy electing and de-electing our leaders that no time is left to exercise leadership.

I agree.

There is no good reason for having this election.

[White Doors]

I agree.

There is no good reason for having this election.

Simple solution then, don't vote.

[nbguyca]

Simple solution then, don't vote.

I don't think that is an option. I believe you should always vote. If you are not happy with the options, spoil the ballot.

[eyeball]

I don't think that is an option. I believe you should always vote. If you are not happy with the options, spoil the ballot.

I'm planning on spoiling mine, I intend to put an X beside the Green, Liberal and NDP candidates name. Then I'm going to photogragh my ballot and send a copy of it to May, Dion and Layton with a suggestion their parties get over themselves and form a coalition.

Some people think I'll be arrested for taking a camera into the ballot box. I sure hope so, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be dragged off by the police for spoiling my vote in a way that actually makes it worth the effort.

I wonder what they'll charge me with if anything?

[Moonbox]

Why won't Harper (or any Conservative candidate for that matter) answer a question directly. All they do is state what the Liberals would do.

Every leader dodges questions. They dodge questions in a debate for a reason.

Your opponents in a debate are usually asking loaded questions where to answer honestly would look bad in the eyes of the average uninformed viewer. Here's what happen:

1) Person A goes on briefly about how Policy A will solve Problem A. He then asks Person B why he hasn't yet supported Policy A.

2) Person B has a limited amount of time to answer the question and thus tries to explain what his Policy B would do to solve the same problem.

3) Person A says, "ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

4) Person B doesn't believe the context of the question was fair and tries to explain.

5) Person A then yells again, "ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

6) Finally, Person B gives up and says, "No Mr Duceppe, we haven't. We looked into reimbursable tax credits and they will simply not work given the budget."

The questions the leaders ask are unfair in nature. They all do it and they're all trying to trap each other. The only question in particular that I thought anyone looked to really be burnt for was the one where the moderator challenged one of Layton's "Harper hates people/doesn't care" statements. He asked Layton to back it up and the only thing Layton could do after blustering and looking stupid for a few seconds was, "Well just LOOK at him!"

[Oleg Bach]

Sounds like a pushy and moraless lawyer...."Answer the question!" Reminds me of a subtext that states - Give me what I want now! I am going to bully my way to victory at any cost" - creeps me out...I did not see evasion on the part of Harper. You are entilted to control your own communication without interference.

[BC_chick]

Why won't Harper (or any Conservative candidate for that matter) answer a question directly. All they do is state what the Liberals would do.

They're Pepsi - the "un-cola"...

[BC_chick]

I'm planning on spoiling mine, I intend to put an X beside the Green, Liberal and NDP candidates name. Then I'm going to photogragh my ballot and send a copy of it to May, Dion and Layton with a suggestion their parties get over themselves and form a coalition.

Michael Bluth had that signature on his profile about conservatives not defeating the liberals while divided... the reverse is now true.

If the left doesn't unite, the party whose support consists of 30-something percent of the population will continue to run the country.

With the solidified conservative base, there is no choice now for the left but to unite. Bye bye multipartisanship.

[Moonbox]

Michael Bluth had that signature on his profile about conservatives not defeating the liberals while divided... the reverse is now true.

If the left doesn't unite, the party whose support consists of 30-something percent of the population will continue to run the country.

With the solidified conservative base, there is no choice now for the left but to unite. Bye bye multipartisanship.

The problem is that a very large number of Liberal supporters are considerably more opposed to the idealogies of parties like the NDP than they are to the conservatives. Liberal support over the last 20 years has been very much centre and centre right. There has been very little left of centre to speak of since Trudeau's disastrous terms. If the Liberals were to join with the NDP and the Greens you'd likely see an exodus of centre-right voters from the Liberal party.

[nbguyca]

Every leader dodges questions. They dodge questions in a debate for a reason.

Your opponents in a debate are usually asking loaded questions where to answer honestly would look bad in the eyes of the average uninformed viewer. Here's what happen:

1) Person A goes on briefly about how Policy A will solve Problem A. He then asks Person B why he hasn't yet supported Policy A.

2) Person B has a limited amount of time to answer the question and thus tries to explain what his Policy B would do to solve the same problem.

3) Person A says, "ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

4) Person B doesn't believe the context of the question was fair and tries to explain.

5) Person A then yells again, "ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

6) Finally, Person B gives up and says, "No Mr Duceppe, we haven't. We looked into reimbursable tax credits and they will simply not work given the budget."

The questions the leaders ask are unfair in nature. They all do it and they're all trying to trap each other. The only question in particular that I thought anyone looked to really be burnt for was the one where the moderator challenged one of Layton's "Harper hates people/doesn't care" statements. He asked Layton to back it up and the only thing Layton could do after blustering and looking stupid for a few seconds was, "Well just LOOK at him!"

I'm not talking about just in the debate, it is their whole campaign. They have nothing to offer the general public and the only reason for having this election is so Harper can take advantage of a fractured Liberal party.

[independent]

Why won't Harper (or any Conservative candidate for that matter) answer a question directly. All they do is state what the Liberals would do.

Harper strategy is too destroy the Liberal Party. By destroying the Liberal party he feels he can move further too the right. There will be no other party that would appeal to voters too the right of center where most voters are. He never expected to get a majority. There was nothing in the poles to suggest that. What he does know is the Liberals are very short of cash and can not afford an election every couple of years. By calling an election now the Liberals will use up the war chest in another year or two he will ask for another election and another until the Liberals basically become bankrupt. The war of attrition. The Conservatives have the resourses too go to the electorate every couple of years. He will continue too attack the liberals and Dion as a person trying too reduce the contributions given to the Liberal party.

[myata]

With the solidified conservative base, there is no choice now for the left but to unite. Bye bye multipartisanship.

That's the unfortunate consequence of the majoritary system (on the other side are longer, more stable governments). Only two can survive. Look no further than across the border; or the UK.

However, it may be awile for the truth to dawn on politicians. They have federal party status, funding etc, and no Bay street boys to gently or not, push them in the right direction. For those who wouldn't want to wait forever, while toying with "Harper in majority" scenario, the only choice is to take matters into their own hands - i.e to vote for the progressive candidate that is most likely to resist Conservatives in their riding. The alternative is obvious - split progressive vote and massive Harper majority.

[Topaz]

I think instead of joining forces the Libs have to do a better job of electing their leader. IF Dion is leaving politics after this election if he doesn't win, I think they probably need a "new face" at the federal level. I was thinking maybe Dalton McGuinty since he's not running next time provincially, Ottawa is his home and I would like to hear Baird say things negative about Dalton when he's talking to his brother David in the House,or would he?

[blueblood]

I think instead of joining forces the Libs have to do a better job of electing their leader. IF Dion is leaving politics after this election if he doesn't win, I think they probably need a "new face" at the federal level. I was thinking maybe Dalton McGuinty since he's not running next time provincially, Ottawa is his home and I would like to hear Baird say things negative about Dalton when he's talking to his brother David in the House,or would he?

Judging from most of the Ontario posters on here, that would be the nail in the Liberals coffin.

[OddSox]

Harper strategy is too destroy the Liberal Party. By destroying the Liberal party he feels he can move further too the right. There will be no other party that would appeal to voters too the right of center where most voters are. He never expected to get a majority. There was nothing in the poles to suggest that. What he does know is the Liberals are very short of cash and can not afford an election every couple of years. By calling an election now the Liberals will use up the war chest in another year or two he will ask for another election and another until the Liberals basically become bankrupt. The war of attrition. The Conservatives have the resourses too go to the electorate every couple of years. He will continue too attack the liberals and Dion as a person trying too reduce the contributions given to the Liberal party.

Um, why are the Liberals short of cash? Simply, nobody wants to give them any - what does that say?

[capricorn]

Um, why are the Liberals short of cash? Simply, nobody wants to give them any - what does that say?

Spot on.

I am in my 60s and I was a lifelong Liberal supporter until 2000. I never gave them a penny and was never inclined to donate. Why should I have when corporate Canada flooded Liberal coffers with cash and favours? Since I switched allegiances to the Conservative, I purchase a membership annually and I send in small regular donations to the party.

Typically, Liberal supporters do not open their wallet to help their party. This is proving to be disastrous for the Liberals.

[nbguyca]

Spot on.

I am in my 60s and I was a lifelong Liberal supporter until 2000. I never gave them a penny and was never inclined to donate. Why should I have when corporate Canada flooded Liberal coffers with cash and favours? Since I switched allegiances to the Conservative, I purchase a membership annually and I send in small regular donations to the party.

Typically, Liberal supporters do not open their wallet to help their party. This is proving to be disastrous for the Liberals.

Are you saying corporate Canada dosn't donate to the Conservatives?

[capricorn]

Are you saying corporate Canada dosn't donate to the Conservatives?

I gather you're not familiar with the legislated limitations of financial political donations imposed on the business sector and labour unions? You can find the information on the Elections Canada website.

[Slim MacSquinty]

Dead on Capricorn, but there is more; Even Stephen LeDrew is talking about the cathartic process of having the Liberals getting handed their lunch. The Liberal party has spent four decades being the party of big business, they've cozied up to business, made cushy rules for the rich and handed scraps to the public and played us all for fools. Their reward has been easy fundraising at crutial moments. They have become really thin on the grass roots level and frankly at this time seem to have no idea how to connect to the grass roots.

Since Paul Martin made such a mess the party has been taken over by the far left, the centrist core has been pushed aside and now is sitting on the sidelines. Without a really good kick in the ass the Liberals won't be able to rebuild from the bottom up.

[nbguyca]

I gather you're not familiar with the legislated limitations of financial political donations imposed on the business sector and labour unions? You can find the information on the Elections Canada website.

Sorry maybe I should have said, "Are you saying corporate Canada never donated to the PCs, Alliance, Reform, Conservative Party of Canada or whatever you want to call them?

[capricorn]

Are you saying corporate Canada never donated to the PCs, Alliance, Reform, Conservative Party of Canada or whatever you want to call them?

No party comes even close to the Liberal Party in terms of the money corporations poured into the Liberal coffers over the years. The tap was turned off and their supporters are not opening their wallets. Today, the Liberal Party is almost broke.

[independent]

No party comes even close to the Liberal Party in terms of the money corporations poured into the Liberal coffers over the years. The tap was turned off and their supporters are not opening their wallets. Today, the Liberal Party is almost broke.

For what reason do the corporations prefer the Liberal party over the conservatives?

AS far as I know Harper has yet too tell people where he got all his money from to run for leader?(But what do you expect from a politian that campaigns on openness.

Edited October 5, 2008 by independent

[Slim MacSquinty]

What do you want him to come over to your house with the ledger? Contributions are generally well documented under the new regime, Chretien under pressure after the adscam passed the first bit, Harper the second, what it does is limit contributions from one individual or business, then Harper passed a law that no business or Union could give money, a large part of the money comes based on the number of votes each party gets, in other words the government gives the money.

The Conservatives have a far better organization for collecting money from individuals (grass roots), the Liberals have long been the party of big business, since the second world war. Of late Power Corp and the Desmerais family have been the king makers, and most of the leaders since Trudeau have had some connection. Chretien, who was never anything but a politician retired a very wealthy man from several very short stints as a corporate lawyer, he's related by marriage to the aforementioned family, Martin inherited CSL as a spin off from Power Corp as favour returned for his father who was a Cabinet minister.