Harper Dares Martin To Call An Election Now

[mirror]

Harper says he has the money, the candidates, and dared the Liberals to call an election now if the Liberals think they have the votes.

Harper dares Liberals to test poll popularity with election call

[err]

Harper says he has the money, the candidates, and dared the Liberals to call an election now if the Liberals think they have the votes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why doesn't he wait until it looks like he has a chance, instead of just irritating Canadians with an election that will not change anything.... except maybe put the NDP into a controlling position..... The NDP is the only party that appears to have done anything positive in the past several months....

[Shakeyhands]

He's feeling rather chuffed that he is wasting good TV air time, on the BBQ circuit and writing colums for the Sun paper without the chance to have an election now...

I do feel sorry for him though, the majority of Canadians are fine with how things are going right now, and are in no mood for an election. Harper will be schooled properly this time around. The majority of Canadians are not fooled by his tweaked promises and can see through to his real agenda.

[Leader Circle]

He's feeling rather chuffed that he is wasting good TV air time, on the BBQ circuit and writing colums for the Sun paper without the chance to have an election now... 

I do feel sorry for him though, the majority of Canadians are fine with how things are going right now, and are in no mood for an election.  Harper will be schooled properly this time around.  The majority of Canadians are not fooled by his tweaked promises and can see through to his real agenda.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Canadians may be happy with the way things are right now, but all the worthless spending and vote-buying antics of PM have got to come back and haunt us. When will people realize, if we make a change now, we can help our chances of not having another recession? Another term of the Liberals may see the division of Canada as we know it today! Why not force a change by having an election and ridding us of a corrupt, spend happy goverment.

[shoop]

Harper is looking a lot stronger now than he was just before the election was called in spring of 2004.

Calling for an election now is brilliant. If Martin ignores him, which is likely to happen, he shows Canadians he is eager to govern and has a rationale for announcing his platform plank by plank.

If Martin is foolish enough to take the better, instant issue. Why call the election before Gomery reports? At that point nobody, not even the Toronto Star, will care that Harper was calling for the election.

[kimmy]

He's feeling rather chuffed that he is wasting good TV air time, on the BBQ circuit and writing colums for the Sun paper without the chance to have an election now... 

I do feel sorry for him though, the majority of Canadians are fine with how things are going right now, and are in no mood for an election.  Harper will be schooled properly this time around.  The majority of Canadians are not fooled by his tweaked promises and can see through to his real agenda.

The Liberals' current resurgence in the polls is largely because of the old adage "out of sight, out of mind."

Martin, over the summer, has had a free ride. Parliament's out, Gomery's busy writing, things have been low key. When he's been visible, it's been at events that not even he could screw up, like giving speeches at centenial celebrations, or announcing relief for New Orleans, or talking about the NAFTA ruling victory. All that stuff will change within the next few months.

There's no doubt in my mind that Harper's comments were in response to rumours that the Liberals might engineer their own non-confidence defeat to get an election before Gomery comes out. "Oh yeah? Try it, we're not scared." If the Liberals engineer their own defeat, Harper has to make sure that the public sees through it. If Martin calls an election before Gomery's report, Harper has to remind people of when Martin went on TV to plead for people to wait for the Gomery report.

-k

[shoop]

The Liberals' current resurgence in the polls is largely because of the old adage "out of sight, out of mind."

Martin, over the summer, has had a free ride. Parliament's out, Gomery's busy writing, things have been low key. When he's been visible, it's been at events that not even he could screw up, like giving speeches at centenial celebrations, or announcing relief for New Orleans, or talking about the NAFTA ruling victory.  All that stuff will change within the next few months.

There's no doubt in my mind that Harper's comments were in response to rumours that the Liberals might engineer their own non-confidence defeat to get an election before Gomery comes out. "Oh yeah? Try it, we're not scared."  If the Liberals engineer their own defeat, Harper has to make sure that the public sees through it.  If Martin calls an election before Gomery's report, Harper has to remind people of when Martin went on TV to plead for people to wait for the Gomery report.

-k

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Right on!

The next election is going to be ALL about Gomery. No matter when Martin calls it. Or "engineers" his own defeat.

Hopefully the NDs see the light and join on the bandwagon.

It would also be nice to see the Greens win a few seats. Might actually vote for them myself dependin' on where I'm living at the time...

[cybercoma]

Is Harper afraid of the Gomery results? Why is he so eager to call an election before they're in?

[Leader Circle]

Is Harper afraid of the Gomery results?  Why is he so eager to call an election before they're in?

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Because when we actually go to the polls, if it were called soon, we would be hearing details of the Gomery report or the speculation of the results. Which would be damaging to the Libs. Alot of the campaigning would be done to remind Canadians of Gomery! I think even the NDP would trash the Libs about Gomery.

[kimmy]

Is Harper afraid of the Gomery results?  Why is he so eager to call an election before they're in?

I don't think he is. I think he's warning the Liberals not to try to get an early election.

-k

[shoop]

Is Harper afraid of the Gomery results?  Why is he so eager to call an election before they're in?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here is Harper's quote.

"The Liberal party thinks they've got great polls? Call the election - we've got the money, we've got the candidates, so ask them what the problem is."

Doesn't really sound so eager. Just showing that the CPC is ready for an election if it happens.

PS. I wonder if Martin would call an election if Harper double-dog dared him?

[mirror]

I think it was quite effective strategy on Harper's part. People were talking about some staffing changes, and now they are talking about his election challenge to Martin.

The Liberals can't call an election now, and Harper knows it. It was a good bluff, and it got the media onto another topic.

Score one for Harper.

[mirror]

Maybe that score one for Harper needs to be retracted. He just can't seem to succeed no matter, what he does. Only a Liberal could turn Gomery into a positive for the Liberals:

Harper's MPs don't share their leader's ardour for early election

A member of the Conservative caucus who spoke anonymously said any election speculation from his party was false bravado.

"It's a game of political chicken, isn't it? The first one who blinks in a minority government situation and all that. It's not serious," he said.

Liberals were laughing over what Public Works Minister Scott Brison termed the ultimate political game of Truth or Dare.

"I think there's too much testosterone flying around that caucus," Brison said, speaking in a phone interview in responding for the Martin government.

"We have absolutely no intention of engineering our own defeat to force an election that Canadians don't want," he said.

"Canadians want, and Canadians deserve an answer from Justice John Gomery before an election is called," he said.

[Shakeyhands]

and the Liberals smack back.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...tacodalogin=yes

[mirror]

But the reality is that the Liberals are a minority government, so they are just posturing the same way the Tories are posturing. It's a little show for their respective fans, and if the three opposition parties get together they can force a vote this Fall.

[August1991]

PS. I wonder if Martin would call an election if Harper double-dog dared him?

Double-dog dare? What does that mean, and where did the expression come from? (On the Internet, I just get the meaning "to dare".)

[mirror]

How about:

"I double black dog dare you."

[Riverwind]

PS. I wonder if Martin would call an election if Harper double-dog dared him?

Double-dog dare? What does that mean, and where did the expression come from? (On the Internet, I just get the meaning "to dare".)

Probably because 8 year old boys don't post to the urban dictionary ;-). You can insert any number of words in front of 'dare' to increase the ante. e.g. I triple dare, I promise-to-die-if-i-am-wrong dare you....

[cybercoma]

PS. I wonder if Martin would call an election if Harper double-dog dared him?

Double-dog dare? What does that mean, and where did the expression come from? (On the Internet, I just get the meaning "to dare".)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's a way for little kids to say "I really really REALLY dare you"

[shoop]

How about:

"I double black dog dare you."

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I cannot believe, that you mirror, an ardent supporter of the New Democrats, would resort to a racially motivated taunt of this nature.