[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Kerplunk

I didn't want one last year either. This year I would be open to one, if someone brought out some good/new ideas. I have yet to hear any.

I have heard some, believe it or not. Straight from the horse's mouth, actually. Ignatieff is really a very impressive guy--he just somehow fails to connect with people on a personal level.

Mind you, compared to the charisma vacuum that is Stephen Harper, Ignatieff is practically the homecoming queen.

EDIT: I'll edit to add this. If you haven't heard "new ideas" as part of our political conversation, you're not working hard enough. I happen to like Ignatieff's ideas (though not his "style" particularly) but Harper has plenty of "new ideas" too, as does Layton. There is a difference between party A and party B, and in the end it's up to voters to educate themselves. It's a classically cynical ploy to say "politicians are all about getting elected"--and it's true, that is their agenda. But politics is not a very rewarding business, and there's really only one reason people get involved in it in the first place: the belief that their ideas are better than the next guy's.

I don't mean to jump on you, particularly--but the post above kind of sounds a little like that species of laziness where you're waiting for someone to come into your living room and give you a personalized powerpoint presentation before you'll get engaged. And sorry--that's just not how it works. In the end, you have two choices. The first is to rely on the media for your vision of what the parties stand for and who their leaders are. Then, you can either vote or not vote depending on that second- and thirdhand version of our political choices. Or you can inform yourself, and choose the party that most closely stands for something that you stand for yourself.

There are two aspects to democracy: the freedom to choose your government and the responsibility to engage in a high-minded and serious way with our political culture. Some people like to adopt a cynical pose--and pretend it doesn't matter, that there's no difference anyway and they're all corrupt, etc. But that's a cop-out. Democracy is sometimes ugly, sometimes boring and sometimes too much work. But you have to put that work in--no-one's going to do it for you. If you choose not to exercise that choice and get involved, it just grants more power and influence to those that do.