2011 Canadian Election Thread

[old-fart]

And now a Liberal campaign worker will be in court for stealing signs.

They steal your money and give to their friends, the make up stuff and lie, and they cheat. Is there anything they can't or won't do?

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews...18-215805.html

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by old-fart

And now a Liberal campaign worker will be in court for stealing signs.

They steal your money and give to their friends, the make up stuff and lie, and they cheat. Is there anything they can't or won't do?

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews...18-215805.html

Phone you in the middle of the night ? (my apologies if already posted): http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cana...ing-calls.html

Elections Canada has launched a formal investigation into complaints by various Liberal candidates in Ontario that someone is making repeated phone calls to voters, purporting to be Liberal supporters — often at odd hours, including the middle of the night.

The Liberal Party is blaming rival operatives for setting up the harassing, late-night phone calls that ask residents to vote Liberal. The calls seem to be targetting ridings expecting close races.

[Ford Prefect]

^^^Laff ... sounds like something hockey fans would do to an opposing playoff team.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

^^^Laff ... sounds like something hockey fans would do.

Well, sadly it is apparently a used tactic:
Ronald G. Shaiko, senior fellow at Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, says both Democrats and Republicans have both tried the strategy, but it's usually associated with Republicans because lower turn-out tends to benefit that party.

Shaiko says it's likely a third party is responsible for the calls.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by transplant99

The don't bitch about it when Alberta annihalates them in 13 days.

Its not up to Albertans to give them a chance, its up to them to earn it from voters.

I won't bitch, I'll simply shake my head.

It is up to Albertans to approach things with an open mind rather than plain ignorance.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Addick

I won't bitch, I'll simply shake my head.

It is up to Albertans to approach things with an open mind rather than plain ignorance.

What have the Liberal's done to encourage an open mind?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Addick

Have you ever thought that maybe they decided that doing whatever it takes to reconnect with Alberta would take away to many resources for them to be effective in other parts of the country? Politicians will do anything for a vote and I think the fact that the Liberals look at what it takes to reconnect in Alberta and say even they can't be bothered speaks volumes about Albertans' unreasonableness.

Not to be crass, but that's a big of a load. Isn't it up to the politicians to work to get the vote, what your saying is that we have to accept the Liberals without the Liberal's putting in the work, or addressing Alberta in their platform.

Your also saying that the Liberal's aren't a national party because they don't care about Alberta.

[Ark2]

Originally Posted by Addick

I won't bitch, I'll simply shake my head.

It is up to Albertans to approach things with an open mind rather than plain ignorance.

I gotta say, I'm not getting your point here. Albertans should vote Liberal because they ignore the province and their platform isn't exactly beneficial for them either?

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

What have the Liberal's done to encourage an open mind?

That's silly. An open mind should be the default position it's not something you "earn"... the vote is what you earn and the open mind automatic.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Parallex

That's silly. An open mind should be the default position it's not something you "earn"... the vote is what you earn and the open mind automatic.

I would agree with you, but if you look at the Liberal track record when it comes to the Province of Alberta, what have they done to encourage an open mind.

Every election has platform policies that are actually thinly veiled programs used to funnel money out of Alberta into Ontario Liberal voter rich areas.

When Alberta doesn't elect candidates then the Liberal's attempt punishment.

Or during elections the Liberal's ignore the region completely.

so at one time there might have been openings for the Liberal party, but they burned that up a long time ago.

There's no reason to vote Liberal, they haven't done anything to earn that trust.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

What have the Liberal's done to encourage an open mind?

So are you inferring that people should be closed-minded until a political party coaxes them?

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Not to be crass, but that's a big of a load. Isn't it up to the politicians to work to get the vote, what your saying is that we have to accept the Liberals without the Liberal's putting in the work, or addressing Alberta in their platform.

No, the attitude of the staunch Conservative voters in Alberta who only vote for one party because of what another party did years ago irrespective of what they are doing today is the big load. Furthermore, what I'm saying is politicians can only be asked to do so much and they can only go so far before it becomes unreasonable. You can bring the horse to the water but you can't make it drink.

Originally Posted by Ark2

I gotta say, I'm not getting your point here. Albertans should vote Liberal because they ignore the province and their platform isn't exactly beneficial for them either?

No, they should keep an open mind. There are many voters in this province, many of whom are my friends, that hold values that closely align to the core values and platform goals of the Liberals or NDP but won't vote from them because, well, we just don't do that over here.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I would agree with you, but if you look at the Liberal track record when it comes to the Province of Alberta, what have they done to encourage an open mind.

you're making me repeat myself... an open mind isn't something that you need to encourage people should just have it automatically. If you don't think the policies are good (or are bad or whatever) then by all means you personally shouldn't vote for them but to say that they need to encourage just an open mind implies that you think that closedmindedness should be the default position of Albertans... I really don't know what to say to that other then it's sad.

[Ark2]

Originally Posted by Addick

No, they should keep an open mind. There are many voters in this province, many of whom are my friends, that hold values that closely align to the core values and platform goals of the Liberals or NDP but won't vote from them because, well, we just don't do that over here.

So everyone that votes Conservative in Alberta is just a closed minded partisan that blindly votes for the CPC. Gotcha.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Addick

So are you inferring that people should be closed-minded until a political party coaxes them?

No, what I'm saying is that if you look at the Liberal track record when it comes to this province there needs to be some justification for opening peoples trust levels. The Liberal Party dosen't do that, so should I be voting for the Liberal's on blind faith?

Originally Posted by Addick

No, the attitude of the staunch Conservative voters in Alberta who only vote for one party because of what another party did years ago irrespective of what they are doing today is the big load. Furthermore, what I'm saying is politicians can only be asked to do so much and they can only go so far before it becomes unreasonable. You can bring the horse to the water but you can't make it drink.

Have you ever thought that people in Alberta have been staunch conservative supporters because even though things like the NEP happened years ago, the Liberal's have done nothing to prove that they're willing to engage Albertan's? And I agree that politician's can only do much, but Sadly the Liberal's have decided to do nothing or even worse, attack Alberta Industry in their platforms.

Originally Posted by Addick

No, they should keep an open mind. There are many voters in this province, many of whom are my friends, that hold values that closely align to the core values and platform goals of the Liberals or NDP but won't vote from them because, well, we just don't do that over here.

Thats your friends problems, not the provinces problems. Why ae your friends afraid to vote, considering tht the ballot is secret?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Parallex

you're making me repeat myself... an open mind isn't something that you need to encourage people should just have it automatically. If you don't think the policies are good (or are bad or whatever) then by all means you personally shouldn't vote for them but to say that they need to encourage just an open mind implies that you think that closedmindedness should be the default position of Albertans... I really don't know what to say to that other then it's sad.

So lets say that every morning when you go to work, the same guy slaps you in the face and calls you a red neck, then rolls his eyes skywards and says "I don't understand you, but we should be friends now" that your going to approach that individual with an open mind?

[Ark2]

Let's all face facts here. For over a decade, the Liberals had a stranglehold on Ontario and they didn't need Alberta, so they didn't give a crap about this province. When Chretien said that he didn't understand Albertans, what he was also saying is that he didn't need to understand them because he got along just fine without them. That mentality resonated with the people of Alberta and it still persists today. If the Liberals want to make inroads with the people of Alberta, then they need to abandon this old line of thinking where don't need the west. They have no one to blame but themselves, so attempting to paint a picture of unreasonable voters is ridiculous.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

So lets say that every morning when you go to work, the same guy slaps you in the face and calls you a red neck, then rolls his eyes skywards and says "I don't understand you, but we should be friends now" that your going to approach that individual with an open mind?

I woudn't vote for that guy, but i also wouldn't vote for the guy who knows you worship him without fail, and therefore doesn't need to show you any real respect because there's no chance of you not clinging to him like a desperate school-girl.

It's a tough decision you guys have up there.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

But a lib minority would absolutely require a bloc support to survive.

A Conservative minority can defeat a combined Lib/NDP vote which means that the Lib/NDP would require the bloc to govern.

The Cons can't pass legislation just by having more votes than the Lib/NDP if the Lib/NDP were voting against them. They'd need the Bloc just as much as the Lib/NDP would if the Cons were voting agasint them. (Assuming Con minority.) So when the Cons say that they're not in bed with the Bloc, but the Libs/NDP would be, in way what they're saying is that they're less willing than the Libs/NDP to support the government in order to shut out the Bloc.

Originally Posted by transplant99

yes...and compromise is a 2 way street. Why wont the Liberals compromise and support CPC bills? Why is it just the CPC that is required to do this when more canadians voted for them than any other party?

Why the heck do you think Ignatieff was absent from parliament so much? It's because the Liberals were abstaining to let the Cons pass legislation.

[old-fart]

Originally Posted by SebC

Why the heck do you think Ignatieff was absent from parliament so much? It's because the Liberals were abstaining to let the Cons pass legislation.

So what you are saying then is that the Liberals don't respect democracy as they refuse to do their job in the house. And, by extension, Iffy is a hypocrite for suggesting that Harper can't be trusted with democracy. Got it.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Ark2

Let's all face facts here. For over a decade, the Liberals had a stranglehold on Ontario and they didn't need Alberta, so they didn't give a crap about this province. When Chretien said that he didn't understand Albertans, what he was also saying is that he didn't need to understand them because he got along just fine without them. That mentality resonated with the people of Alberta and it still persists today. If the Liberals want to make inroads with the people of Alberta, then they need to abandon this old line of thinking where don't need the west. They have no one to blame but themselves, so attempting to paint a picture of unreasonable voters is ridiculous.

Alberta was staunchly anti-Liberal long before then. Even before Trudeau.

Ontario is a swing province if there ever was one. The Liberals have never had even close to the strangle hold on Ontario that the Conservatives have on Alberta.