How will the next election be fought?

[Saturn]

The Liberals are surging in the polls. Harper's popularity is sinking. What do you think his response will be? What cards will he play to win the next election? How will the Liberals fight back?

[Michael Hardner]

All he has to do is wait it out. Dion's publicity bump will soon fade and the incumbent advantage will reassert itself.

[mikedavid00]

The Liberals are surging in the polls. Harper's popularity is sinking. What do you think his response will be? What cards will he play to win the next election? How will the Liberals fight back?

Well if these polls continue, I think that you might see the Liberals fighting the NDP because there is a shift from NDP support over to Liberal.

I don't think the Liberals are anywhere near a position to get CPC votes. However I think they can get NDP votes.

The Libs need to gain more Quebec seats and go after NDP votes.

The conservatives need to pander hard core to immigrants. Even offering maybe $200 a month in payments to buy votes.

"Today we will anounce that all new Canadians will recieve a $200 per family help care benefit."

That is the only way I think the Conservatives will get a majority.

[mikedavid00]

All he has to do is wait it out. Dion's publicity bump will soon fade and the incumbent advantage will reassert itself.

Well it seems to be a shift from NDP support. Who knows why. NDP is a vote splitting party that really doesn't do anyone any good.

Conservatives will not gain a majority unless they pander big time.

[Jean_Poutine]

Well if these polls continue, I think that you might see the Liberals fighting the NDP because there is a shift from NDP support over to Liberal.

That's because Dion is a shift to the left, but Paul Martin tried to get votes from the NDP too.

[Jean_Poutine]

Conservatives will not gain a majority unless they pander big time.

I'm not so sure they'll need to resort to Liberal tactics.

I can honestly say that I'm a centrist. I voted for Harper in one of the two elections that he ran in. If the Liberals would move more to the center instead of the left -- specially on matters of defence -- I would consider voting for them, but Dion just pushes me to vote for the Conservatives again. If they team up with the Bloc to try to bring down the Conservatives over Afghanistan, for example, I guarantee you I will vote Conservative. In this regard, Ignatieff would have been the better choice, but he dug himself into a hole by stubbornly sticking to his position on the Iraq war.

I also like the fact that both Harper and Ignatieff are outsiders. I'm sick of the usual suspects in Ottawa. Dion worked with Chretien who worked with Trudeau, etc.... It's all the same small circle of people in the Ottawa/Quebec area, yet we have a huge country and our choices in leadership should reflect that.

[mikedavid00]

Conservatives will not gain a majority unless they pander big time.

I'm not so sure they'll need to resort to Liberal tactics.

Well getting the immigrant vote is probably as hard as getting an Alberat vote. Immigrants need absolute assurance that their loved ones will get to be sponsored over. They need complete certainty because immigration of relatives are their #1 issue. Paul Martin and Volpe delivered and wanted to raise the bar to a destructive 500,000 poeple a year.

I can honestly say that I'm a centrist. I voted for Harper in one of the two elections that he ran in.

Wow it's very rare to meet a swing voter on a forum.

If the Liberals would move more to the center instead of the left -- specially on matters of defence -- I would consider voting for them, but Dion just pushes me to vote for the Conservatives again. If they team up with the Bloc to try to bring down the Conservatives over Afghanistan, for example, I guarantee you I will vote Conservative. In this regard, Ignatieff would have been the better choice, but he dug himself into a hole by stubbornly sticking to his position on the Iraq war.

Do you really want someone who has been out of the country for 30 years as our leader? I don't want a deep thinking ideoligist running things.

The way I see it is, as long as we have fellow Canadians dying on medical waiting lists, I don't think putting billions of our tax dollars into.. thin air.. is a wise investment in our time and money. I think the environment is actually a waste of time and moot point becase policy cannot change emissions. In soon enough time, cars will be emmission free, and we'll have clean nuclear generation. Focusing billions internationally and raising taxes is just playing politics and Dion will never have my vote if he's goign to make that his number 1 issue. Not MY #1 issue as he likes to profess to us, it's HIS #1 issue.

I also like the fact that both Harper and Ignatieff are outsiders. I'm sick of the usual suspects in Ottawa.

Well I mean Harper does go back a long ways behind the scenes. Even back to the 70's. I just don't support Ignatieff and the nation stuff. I don't like the professor ideological types like him. Even in the house of commons he doesn't seem to know how to handle himself. He's supposedly very rude as a person and not very 'personable'. Guess that's why no one backed him at the convention. He wants to play ruler of Canada. I feel we need someone who will bring gov't back to the people.

Dion worked with Chretien who worked with Trudeau, etc.... It's all the same small circle of people in the Ottawa/Quebec area, yet we have a huge country and our choices in leadership should reflect that.

YES. Finally someone else realizes this. Try telling some people here that. They think that Dion is NOT part of the old establishment. Lol.. things could be farther from the truth. The real outsiders were ignatieff and Rae and that's it.

The fix was in for the anti-establishemtn to lose, and Kennedy\Dion to win.

[geoffrey]

How will the Liberals fight back?

It's like the sharks and the jets.

"Rocks, belts, pipes, cans, bricks, bats, clubs, chains..."

It's going to be a bloodbath next election. Though for what? Another slim minority?

[normanchateau]

[quote name='mikeraq war.

I also like the fact that both Harper and Ignatieff are outsiders.

Harper an outsider? He was leader of the Canadian Alliance Party when it merged with MacKay's Progressive Conservatives. He fought against Preston Manning for leadership of the Canadian Alliance in 2002. He was a Reform MP under Preston Manning from 1993 to 1997. Being a Reform MP then Alliance MP then Conservative MP in Ottawa is not most people's idea of an outsider. But perhaps you have a different definition of outsider. For example, his so-con, anti-libertarian positions on some issues make him an outsider relative to most Canadians.

[Canadian Blue]

Harper an outsider? He was leader of the Canadian Alliance Party when it merged with MacKay's Progressive Conservatives. He fought against Preston Manning for leadership of the Canadian Alliance in 2002. He was a Reform MP under Preston Manning from 1993 to 1997. Being a Reform MP then Alliance MP then Conservative MP in Ottawa is not most people's idea of an outsider. But perhaps you have a different definition of outsider. For example, his so-con, anti-libertarian positions on some issues make him an outsider relative to most Canadians.

I think the fact that you can't really even figure out his history is telling of your idea the he's a Socon simply because of his position of weed and thats about it. Harper never fought against Manning in the 2002 leadership race, it was against Stockwell Day, who Harper routinely attacked for being supported by religious elements.

[normanchateau]

Harper an outsider? He was leader of the Canadian Alliance Party when it merged with MacKay's Progressive Conservatives. He fought against Preston Manning for leadership of the Canadian Alliance in 2002. He was a Reform MP under Preston Manning from 1993 to 1997. Being a Reform MP then Alliance MP then Conservative MP in Ottawa is not most people's idea of an outsider. But perhaps you have a different definition of outsider. For example, his so-con, anti-libertarian positions on some issues make him an outsider relative to most Canadians.

I think the fact that you can't really even figure out his history is telling of your idea the he's a Socon simply because of his position of weed and thats about it. Harper never fought against Manning in the 2002 leadership race, it was against Stockwell Day, who Harper routinely attacked for being supported by religious elements.

OK, it was Stockwell Day, not Preston Manning who so-con Harper fought for the leadership. How does that make Stephen Harper an outsider?