Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch
I don't get the Liberal's in the middle thing, at the height of their power they sat firmly in the middle, but under Ignatief and Dion their policies swung to the left and they began to fight the NDP for control of the left vote.
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Granted, Dion and Ignatief were part of that leftist swing, but that also seems somewhat natural given how much support on the right bled to the Tories. Instead of trying to re-capture the centre, Dion and Ignatief were stupid and arrogant enough to try and take down the NDP by becoming the NDP. Why settle for a cheap imitation of insanity when you can have the real thing?
Not withstanding some poorly concieved lefty policies, such as the green shaft and universal day care, the Liberals still remained far closer to the centre than Jack Layton and his "tax the crap out of oil and gas while also instituting price controls on same" idiocies that would have crippled Canada.
The Liberals have a chance in the next election if they move back toward the centre. If they continue to try and battle the NDP on their turf, then any real discontent over Harper's policies won't turn into much at the ballot box, simply because most people outside of welfare-dependant areas don't view the NDP as a legitimate governing alternative and won't risk having it happen. But if Golden Boy and his handlers can build a real centrist platform, they could cause a dramatic reversal in that election. One wonders if they are smart enough.