Will Dion Resign Tonight?

[August1991]

If he does, he'll give a respite to Harper to govern.

[Hydraboss]

Not a chance of a resignation.

Too bad. If he did, he would probably be better remembered instead of fallling into the Pit of Campbell.

[August1991]

Not a chance of a resignation.

Too bad. If he did, he would probably be better remembered instead of fallling into the Pit of Campbell.

The Liberals are down 10 seats in Ontario. Dion has had almost 2 years to turn things around. The Liberals have little patience for losers. And Dion has to accept that he was the architect of this campaign (unlike Turner in 1984).

It wasn't Dion that prevented a Harper majority - it was the Bloc and the NDP that accomplished that.

I don't think that Dion will resign but I'm sure it's a question that is crossing many Liberals' minds.

Edited October 15, 2008 by August1991

[margrace]

The Liberals are down 10 seats in Ontario. Dion has had almost 2 years to turn things around. The Liberals have little patience for losers. And Dion has to accept that he was the architect of this campaign (unlike Turner in 1984).

It wasn't Dion that prevented a Harper majority - it was the Bloc and the NDP that accomplished that.

I don't think that Dion will resign but I'm sure it's a question that is crossing many Liberals' minds.

And Harper's own bullying tactics, he will have to learn that he can't push Quebec around. But he won't.

[jdobbin]

I don't think that Dion will resign but I'm sure it's a question that is crossing many Liberals' minds.

Until the convention, it is probably not in the interest of the party for him to resign tonight.

I think the Liberals know they are financially bankrupt but the party is mandated to have their convention this year. We'll see.

Lots of people are saying it is Harper that might walk away in anger about not getting a majority.

[blueblood]

Until the convention, it is probably not in the interest of the party for him to resign tonight.

I think the Liberals know they are financially bankrupt but the party is mandated to have their convention this year. We'll see.

Lots of people are saying it is Harper that might walk away in anger about not getting a majority.

and taxpayers

[Smallc]

and taxpayers

Why would taxpayers be angry about their own decision?

[blueblood]

Why would taxpayers be angry about their own decision?

Why spend 300 million on an election to get the same result. Waste of money. Watch CTV, Craig Olliver is livid.

[jdobbin]

Why spend 300 million on an election to get the same result. Waste of money. Watch CTV, Craig Olliver is livid.

Why is he livid?

Edited October 15, 2008 by jdobbin

[Smallc]

Why spend 300 million on an election to get the same result. Waste of money. Watch CTV, Craig Olliver is livid.

We don't have the same results.

[lukin]

Why is he livid?

Because the Liberals are doing so poorly. Remember, Craig Oliver is as big a bleeding heart liberal as they come. I could care less that he is "livid".

[August1991]

Why spend 300 million on an election to get the same result. Waste of money. Watch CTV, Craig Olliver is livid.

In a democracy, the cost of an election should not be a factor. The cost of a democracy is much greater than merely voting. Of all people, I'm surprised Craig Oliver complains about this cost. One could say the same about his own salary.

[jdobbin]

Because the Liberals are doing so poorly. Remember, Craig Oliver is as big a bleeding heart liberal as they come. I could care less that he is "livid".

Ah, that's right. All of CTV are Liberals. Gotcha.

[mikedavid00]

If he does, he'll give a respite to Harper to govern.

He's too stuborn to resign IMO. He doesn't 'get it'.. I could be wrong though.

Did anyone see Bob Rae and Ignatieff on CTV? That was hillarious.

[jdobbin]

In a democracy, the cost of an election should not be a factor. The cost of a democracy is much greater than merely voting.

That's why we might see Harper decide to break the logjam by January if he doesn't decide to cut and run.

[wolfd]

Ah, that's right. All of CTV are Liberals. Gotcha.

CTV sure did not help Dion in his recent 'three strikes' interview.

[capricorn]

I think Dion should hang around as leader but in the end it's curtains for him. Feelers should be sent out to see who will be willing to come forward to contest Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff. The Liberals would be making a mistake to limit themselves to those two choices. One is too far left (Rae) and the other (Iggy) is too far right. The answer is someone who fits somewhere in the middle of the two. What is needed is a re-birth as was seen with the Reform/Canadian Alliance transformation. It took seven years for the Conservatives to sprout so it could take that long for the Liberals to come back to life.

[jdobbin]

CTV sure did not help Dion in his recent 'three strikes' interview.

That was because CTV supports other Liberals.

[August1991]

I think Dion should hang around as leader but in the end it's curtains for him. Feelers should be sent out to see who will be willing to come forward to contest Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff. The Liberals would be making a mistake to limit themselves to those two choices. One is too far left (Rae) and the other (Iggy) is too far right. The answer is someone who fits somewhere in the middle of the two. What is needed is a re-birth as was seen with the Reform/Canadian Alliance transformation. It took seven years for the Conservatives to sprout so it could take that long for the Liberals to come back to life.

I just saw Ignatieff inyerviewed in French and he all but admitted that Dion is finished.

The Liberals have to do more than change their leader.

-----

At the same time, it's not a good night for Harper either. He had an ideal chance to win a majority and he threw it away. So much for the great tactician.

[jdobbin]

The Liberals have to do more than change their leader.

The Liberals have to have a policy convention. Re-work their finances and re-work their organization bottom to top and top to bottom. Leadership is only one aspect of things to be looked at.

At the same time, it's not a good night for Harper either. He had an ideal chance to win a majority and he threw it away. So much for the great tactician.

Hugh on CBC seems to think it is great news for Harper.

[cybercoma]

At the same time, it's not a good night for Harper either. He had an ideal chance to win a majority and he threw it away. So much for the great tactician.

The media had given Harper too much credit to take seats in Quebec. Quebec, as you're well aware, has historically been a Liberal strong-hold, at least until the BQ formed. Dion is Quebecois and that helped the Liberals immensely in Quebec, but that same thing is what hurt them in Ontario. Unfortunately, Harper never stood much of a chance gaining many seats in Quebec and anyone who thought otherwise was not thinking about the impact Dion would have on Quebeckers. I don't think Harper's policies had as much influence as the media and Duceppe are saying.

[blueblood]

Why is he livid?

no change in the landscape I suppose. He was blasting CPC MPs at one point.

Look at it this way, we had a 300 million dollar election with big storm clouds on the economic horizon and we are back where we started. I seriously think Harper should have waited until later and let people become more comfortable with him and hopefully have an election at the end of the financial mess.

[Smallc]

The media had given Harper too much credit to take seats in Quebec. Quebec, as you're well aware, has historically been a Liberal strong-hold, at least until the BQ formed. Dion is Quebecois and that helped the Liberals immensely in Quebec, but that same thing is what hurt them in Ontario. Unfortunately, Harper never stood much of a chance gaining many seats in Quebec and anyone who thought otherwise was not thinking about the impact Dion would have on Quebeckers. I don't think Harper's policies had as much influence as the media and Duceppe are saying.

I disagree. It could be seen in the strategic council tracking polls that the culture gaffe and the crime gaffe ended his majority quest. He had a very weak group of support, and he blew it unfortunately.

Edited October 15, 2008 by Smallc

[August1991]

The media had given Harper too much credit to take seats in Quebec. Quebec, as you're well aware, has historically been a Liberal strong-hold, at least until the BQ formed. Dion is Quebecois and that helped the Liberals immensely in Quebec, but that same thing is what hurt them in Ontario. Unfortunately, Harper never stood much of a chance gaining many seats in Quebec and anyone who thought otherwise was not thinking about the impact Dion would have on Quebeckers. I don't think Harper's policies had as much influence as the media and Duceppe are saying.

The Bloc has seen its popular vote total fall from about 42% in 2006 to about 38% in 2008. (Down from 49% in 2004.)

At the start of this campaign, Harper and the Conservatives were very well placed to win as many as 30 seats. Their campaign was terrible. The Conservatives had a larger popular vote in 2006 (24%) than in 2008 (22%).

----

All things considered, this is not a good night for any of the leaders. They have all lost.

Edited October 15, 2008 by August1991

[capricorn]

I just saw Ignatieff inyerviewed in French and he all but admitted that Dion is finished.

The Liberals have to do more than change their leader.

I agree. The Liberals have to do some soul searching. They have all but abandoned the centrist position which the Conservatives now own. They must decide where to position themselves in the political spectrum. A policy convention would help make that determination.

At the same time, it's not a good night for Harper either. He had an ideal chance to win a majority and he threw it away. So much for the great tactician.

Harper is not as in a precarious a position as is Dion though. Conservatives know that with the present political landscape it is almost impossible to win a majority. I'm not making excuses for Harper. He blew a golden opportunity by listening to his strategists, especially with regard to Quebec. Hindsight is 20/20. That said, as a Conservative party member, I would not be averse to a leadership review.