BC Provincial Politics Thread

[MelBridgeman]

Democracy sucks!

[killer_carlson]

I hope clark loses whatever seat she will try to drop into during a byelection

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by evman150

Big victory for negative campaigns today.

Not upset by that at all. Positive, sappy campaigns kind of make me want to puke. I love a good attack ad.

Boo to that. Attack ads suck. Whoever produces them, attack ads suck.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by opendoor

That's how I see it as well. The NDP basically did nothing and thought they could just coast to victory. So many legitimate criticisms of the Liberal government and Clark that could be leveled and I barely heard anything.

A couple of awful leaders and it's shameful that one of them had to end up Premier at the end of this.

It's rather funny, actually. In my very outside, and likely incredibly uninformed opinion, it seems that Dix tried to duplicate the Happy Professor's performance at the federal level, but lacked the personality to pull it off. Meanwhile, for all the hullabaloo about "attack ads", the simple fact is, the purpose of the opposition is to challenge/attack the government's record. By failing to do so, Dix failed to hold the Liberals accountable, and that reflected in the polls.

Also, some of the twitter talk I saw indicated part of this campaign was "environment vs. economy". If that's accurate, then it was really "idealism vs. realism", and idealism very rarely wins that fight.


The disaster the polls became in Alberta has easy and obvious explanations, even if they don't tell the whole story - the bozo eruptions scaring off voters. It will be interesting to see how the pollsters rationalize this one.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

It's rather funny, actually. In my very outside, and likely incredibly uninformed opinion, it seems that Dix tried to duplicate the Happy Professor's performance at the federal level, but lacked the personality to pull it off. Meanwhile, for all the hullabaloo about "attack ads", the simple fact is, the purpose of the opposition is to challenge/attack the government's record. By failing to do so, Dix failed to hold the Liberals accountable, and that reflected in the polls.

Also, some of the twitter talk I saw indicated part of this campaign was "environment vs. economy". If that's accurate, then it was really "idealism vs. realism", and idealism very rarely wins that fight.


The disaster the polls became in Alberta has easy and obvious explanations, even if they don't tell the whole story - the bozo eruptions scaring off voters. It will be interesting to see how the pollsters rationalize this one.

There were a couple of really weird and poorly thought out strategic moves by the NDP as well. They barely outlined a platform or a budget, and flat-out said a couple of times that they weren't going to reveal a full plan until closer to or after the election. Hard to get people to vote for you when they don't know what the hell they're actually voting for.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

Democracy sucks!

Yes, I think it should be all about violently overthrowing the bourgeoisie overseers so we can establish an enlightened government that can install a workers paradise, don't you agree Comrade.

[CaptainCrunch]

Maybe the whole Jack Layton effect is finally fading.

[Senator Clay Davis]

The NDP strategy was basically the old playing not to lose strategy, or to those who know how frustrating it is to watch on NFL Sundays, they went into prevent defense. Well as we all know, all prevent defense does is prevent you from winning. The NDP thought people hated the Liberals so much they could just show up and win. Never a wise strategy to assume voter apathy for the opposition will carry you anywhere.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by rubecube

There were a couple of really weird and poorly thought out strategic moves by the NDP as well. They barely outlined a platform or a budget, and flat-out said a couple of times that they weren't going to reveal a full plan until closer to or after the election. Hard to get people to vote for you when they don't know what the hell they're actually voting for.

In short, given the apparent anger toward the Liberals, they assumed they were the Natural Governing Party and behaved like it before the ballots were cast? Stupid.

[Resolute 14]

Also, what the hell is the "Platinum Party", and how incompetent must you be to get only 10 votes?

[flylock shox]

Freemen on the land by the looks of things:

http://www.platinumparty.org/

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

I hope clark loses whatever seat she will try to drop into during a byelection

she will take one of the vancouver seats like quilchena that can't lose

[opendoor]

I still can't believe the NDP allowed a party that has massively increased public debt over the last few years (and will continue to do so) as well as introduce nearly $100B in "contractual obligations" to P3s and Hydro contracts to paint itself as "fiscally conservative" or responsible.

[evman150]

In some respects, I'm glad the Liberals won. If the NDP mismanaged a campaign this badly, how the hell were they ever going to manage the province?

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by opendoor

I still can't believe the NDP allowed a party that has massively increased public debt over the last few years (and will continue to do so) as well as introduce nearly $100B in "contractual obligations" to P3s and Hydro contracts to paint itself as "fiscally conservative" or responsible.

Relative to the NDP, they probably are.

[d_phaneuf]

don't even think you can say probably

the NDP's economic plan might as well have been written in Crayon

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Also, some of the twitter talk I saw indicated part of this campaign was "environment vs. economy".

Seems to me like it's more "environment vs. environment". End the oil blockade!

Originally Posted by opendoor

I still can't believe the NDP allowed a party that has massively increased public debt over the last few years (and will continue to do so) as well as introduce nearly $100B in "contractual obligations" to P3s and Hydro contracts to paint itself as "fiscally conservative" or responsible.

Not sure why you would expect things to be any different from the federal level, where the Harper Conservatives have pulled just about the same trick.

[MelBridgeman]

With all the Alberta and Federal Cons supporting the BC Liberals and with all the fundraisers for the BC Liberals by big bad oil in Calgary - was any of this ever mentioned by the NDP or the Greens...

if not they deserved to lose

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

With all the Alberta and Federal Cons supporting the BC Liberals and with all the fundraisers for the BC Liberals by big bad oil in Calgary - was any of this ever mentioned by the NDP or the Greens...

if not they deserved to lose

You don't want to open that debate when your getting a ton of money from foreign environmental groups and foreign energy concerns.

The NDP would have lost that debate. Neither side is without fault there.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

With all the Alberta and Federal Cons supporting the BC Liberals and with all the fundraisers for the BC Liberals by big bad oil in Calgary - was any of this ever mentioned by the NDP or the Greens...

if not they deserved to lose

When the NDP say they took the high road, I think they mean they took the quiet road. We barely heard anything out of them for the most part. That's why all of this spin about negative campaigning is laughable. Dix just never threw a punch, positive or negative.