Quote:
Originally Posted by Flash Walken
These arbitrary party lines are interesting to me as an outsider.
March, you classify yourself as a 'blue liberal', liberal on social issues, conservative on economic issues. In that description, I'd probably group myself. Where we diverge though is I could never entertain the thought of voting conservative in this iteration because they don't fulfill either of those designations. Certainly they aren't socially liberal (and in fact are against the grain to the majority of Canadians socially, even many conservatives) and they don't appear to be fiscally conservative.
You'd think there would be more division on this board about the conservatives based on how they have governed for the last decade. There isn't even a cult of personality; Harper likely goes down as one of the most boring and unlikeable Prime Ministers in the last hundred years.
What Slava wrote about 'the west wants in' strikes me as particularly poignant. Are Albertans any better off with a Calgarian as Prime Minister vs., say, Paul Martin? In some respects, they're likely worse off.
Even the dyed in the wool conservatives on this board have made mention of the CPC 'losing their vote'. Now, I don't believe for a second that is actually the case, however, to say it out loud is clearly an indication of attitude.
Quite frankly, March, the conclusion I draw at the end of your post is that you aren't so much a 'blue liberal' as you are a 'liberal living in Alberta and therefore classifying yourself as a 'blue liberal'.
I think if more Albertans could entertain the idea that they don't have to be 'conservative' to be conservative, the political landscape of the province and nation would see a dramatic shift.
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Wait, was I unclear about my political leanings at some point? I'm not sure that our political viewpoints are diverged at all -- I have never voted for the CPC in the past and am very unlikely to in the future unless a new leader significantly changes the direction of the party.
And I most certainly would classify myself as a "blue liberal" using the classic definition: fiscally conservative, socially progressive. In recent memory, the Canadian politicians whose policies I most strongly support are Paul Martin and Frank McKenna -- balance the budget, pay down the debt, enact business-friendly legislation to grow the economy, and move forward with progressive social policies (e.g. gay marriage). If that doesn't make me a blue liberal (or a "red tory", I guess), then what am I?