Silly Season

[August1991]

Last week, Martin said:

The campaign has also become increasingly bitter, with Martin launching his latest salvo by saying Harper had continuously wooed the U.S. far right.

"I really do believe that Canadians don't want to buy the far conservative right in the United States. They don't want to see (it) imported here," Martin said in Toronto.

Reuters

Today, Martin said:

“This is not an ordinary election,” Martin said in Toronto.

“Never have we seen a significant political party with such a conservative agenda as this one — an agenda that’s really drawn from the extreme right in the United States.”

Toronto Star

US extreme right wing?

I think Hillary Clinton is in favour of putting troops in Iraq, but she doesn't support gay marriage and I'm not even sure she supports civil union. I don't think she argues for universal, obligatory state-medical insurance. That puts her to the right of Stephen Harper. Is Hillary Clinton right of extreme right?

Meanwhile, the BQ web site now has:

Stephen Harper tentait hier de rassurer les électrices et les électeurs qui craignent l’arrivée d’une extrême droite conservatrice majoritaire à Ottawa en se fiant à la vigilance de la haute-fonction publique, du Sénat et des juges sous prétexte qu’ils ont été nommés par les libéraux.

BQ web site

It is ironic that Duceppe, an ex-militant of the Communist Party (M-L), talks of people's fears of an "extreme right-wing Conservative majority".

This inflation in rhetoric is the problem with negative attack ads. Like all inflation, the currency loses value, it takes more and more to buy anything and eventually the words are worthless.

I notice that Layton has not fallen victim to this excessive printing of currency.

----

Another irony is to see Duceppe and Martin both using the same language to describe Harper, for the obvious reason. It's not that Harper is "extreme right wing". He's not. No one in favour of state-medical insurance or civil unions can be considered truly conservative in either sense.

Rather, there is some truth that the Liberals and Bloc feed off one another. Harper's Conservatives in Quebec offer, for the moment, an alternative. By some accounts, Harper is more popular now in Quebec than Jean Charest and the ADQ.

This is one of the strangest campaigns I have ever seen. It combines the slapstick of the 1984 campaign with the drama, innuendo and insults of the 1988 campaign. I guess Liberals are bad losers.

[theloniusfleabag]

Dear August1991,

This inflation in rhetoric is the problem with negative attack ads. Like all inflation, the currency loses value, it takes more and more to buy anything and eventually the words are worthless.

I notice that Layton has not fallen victim to this excessive printing of currency.

Your words are very true. I would also commend Layton for not not falling into this trap. I think it speaks volumes, (in my mind, amongst all the other voices) that I am thinking of voting for this 'extreme right-wing' party as an alternative to the the corruption and recent antics of the Liberals. They are facing a mighty fall, perhaps one as large as the Mulroney/Campbell fiasco. It might not have even been such a far fall if they hadn't taken on the 'negative attack' approach.

Had they stuck with their own positives, including a reasonably admirable fiscal track record, they might have had a chance.

[scribblet]

Wow, I guess the liberals are beyond talking policy. Harper and the current policies are really liberal lite. Anyone taking the time to read or learn would know that, but the libs are playing to fear, and playing to knee jerk anti americanism. So sad.

[Harare]

Very true August, the shredding machines must be getting plugged in and ready to destroy as much evidence as possible. I believe that we've only seen the tip of the iceburg of corruption in Canadian politics.

[geoffrey]

Very true August, the shredding machines must be getting plugged in and ready to destroy as much evidence as possible. I believe that we've only seen the tip of the iceburg of corruption in Canadian politics.

I can smell burning paper all the way from Calgary.

[Boru]

Very true August, the shredding machines must be getting plugged in and ready to destroy as much evidence as possible. I believe that we've only seen the tip of the iceburg of corruption in Canadian politics.

I can smell burning paper all the way from Calgary.

And you can bet, if they do come into power, Conservative writers will be concocting all sorts of Liberal scandals for years to come. The evry essence of negativity. I find it hysterical that Harper's sheep keep bleating about how the other leaders are using negative approaches... I'm not saying that they aren't. But Harper has made as much use of negativity as any other leader throughout this election,a nd over the past 3 years.

[speaker]

Wow, I guess the liberals are beyond talking policy. Harper and the current policies are really liberal lite. Anyone taking the time to read or learn would know that, but the libs are playing to fear, and playing to knee jerk anti americanism. So sad.

Sad is the word all right. Here we have two parties slugging it out in the public forum, using low blows every chance they get, talking about the inadequacies of the other, whether corruption, or lack of patriotism, incompetence or hidden agendas, and you hit the nail on the head. The Conservatives are liberal lite and the Liberals are conservative lite, and there is less difference between them and the genetic differences between white cats and black cats. Frankly I find the whole scenario unbelievable in the sense that I can't believe anything either one says, and I find it way too believable because both parties have shown signs of being envious of the American two party system where each has to be exactly like the other in the peoples minds in order to win.

Once victory is achieved that mid term foresight disappears and politics becomes mere,ly a vehicle for improving the conditions for the politicians and their respective friends. There is incidentally some governance but more by chance than by good intent.

[Hicksey]

Wow, I guess the liberals are beyond talking policy. Harper and the current policies are really liberal lite. Anyone taking the time to read or learn would know that, but the libs are playing to fear, and playing to knee jerk anti americanism. So sad.

Sad is the word all right. Here we have two parties slugging it out in the public forum, using low blows every chance they get, talking about the inadequacies of the other, whether corruption, or lack of patriotism, incompetence or hidden agendas, and you hit the nail on the head. The Conservatives are liberal lite and the Liberals are conservative lite, and there is less difference between them and the genetic differences between white cats and black cats. Frankly I find the whole scenario unbelievable in the sense that I can't believe anything either one says, and I find it way too believable because both parties have shown signs of being envious of the American two party system where each has to be exactly like the other in the peoples minds in order to win.

Once victory is achieved that mid term foresight disappears and politics becomes mere,ly a vehicle for improving the conditions for the politicians and their respective friends. There is incidentally some governance but more by chance than by good intent.

Not even the Americans are so silly to believe that Harper doesn't have political realities to deal with here and because of that aren't any more excited than they were with Martin. There's a few quotes about it in yesterday's London FP. In fact, they said that they really dont care who's in office, they just want a majority so they have a coherent government to talk to that isn't more concerned about its own survival than the issues at hand.

[tml12]

Wow, I guess the liberals are beyond talking policy. Harper and the current policies are really liberal lite. Anyone taking the time to read or learn would know that, but the libs are playing to fear, and playing to knee jerk anti americanism. So sad.

Martin is no "socialist CEO."

This is a man who advocated a right-wing ecconomic policy through the 90s that was in line with mainstream U.S. Republican conservative ideology. He also gave the provinces a LOT more autonomy.

Why is Martin so right-wing?

Funny how the electorate has such a short memory... :angry:

[Argus]

And you can bet, if they do come into power, Conservative writers will be concocting all sorts of Liberal scandals for years to come.

You mean like the Liberals did? At least the Tories will likely have lots of ammunition if they set the auditor general loose on the public accounts.

The evry essence of negativity. I find it hysterical that Harper's sheep keep bleating about how the other leaders are using negative approaches... I'm not saying that they aren't. But Harper has made as much use of negativity as any other leader throughout this election,a nd over the past 3 years.

It's one thing to complain about what the Liberals have done while in office, and quite another to insinuate that the leader of the Conservatives doesn't love Canada, and is some kind of dark and frightening threat to human rights and freedoms and Canada's very existence. That's not negativity, it's not even gutter politicis, it's something darker and nastier than that. The Liberals are moving from the realm of fearmongering to outright hatemongring.

[speaker]

And yet on other threads the conservatives opponents have been attacked because they have used Harpers long held beliefs and values to give evidence of his direction. A procedure that throws light on the dark and frightening nature of Harper. Saints preserve us from people who must have it their own way at the expense of self honesty.

Scriblett I'm not sure if you were responding to my post or simply filling up a blank space. However, why does it matter to the Americans if we have a minority or a majority? If all the politicians are just trying to get re-elected it is at least better than having a party in power that has enough votes to thumb their noses at the public and concentrate on reaping the benefits of being in power. At least from my point of view, so again why would the Americans want it the other way. perhaps it makes it easier to pander to the fools.