Cons and NDP Freakin Out over Dion/May Pact
Oh I am listening to the media on the National, searching through news and blogs and I am getting the feeling the Cons and the NDP are really stressed about this agreement/pact. What fun to watch!!!
Northern BC Dipper says,
But what Dion has done with this move in one fell swoop is given the Greens more credibility.
Can I ask what is wrong with Dion demonstrating through action that he believes the Greens have credibility? Are you saying the Greens are not a credible? I am pretty sure I heard someone on the National pundit panel tonight use that same point and it sounded just as silly the first time I heard it.
This is a brilliant move on Dion’s and May’s part. Finally I am hearing more than just words and rhetoric about progressives working together for Canadians. We are just giddy with glee in this household tonight.
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April 12th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Funny that you kinda snipped down that quote so much that you removed the meat of my statement: which is to simply say that Dion is creating more competition for the Liberals to go against, thus splitting the “progressive vote” (excepting two ridings).
I don’t think that this alliance will really have much effect on the NDP, Bloc, or Conservatives, but it will be interesting to watch the fireworks in the Green and Liberal Parties.
April 12th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Well I suppose you could look at it that way, but I do not agree. I think it will take votes from the NDP to the Libs and the Greens.
April 12th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
I think a lot of dippers are having a bit of fun with this … The Dion May story is a bit humourous when you look at the full range of possibilities. Dion is going to catch hell from a lot of old family Liberals.
April 12th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
I am sure those old family liberals are still recovering from the shock of Dion winning the leadership race. It’s good for them…its good for everyone.
April 12th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
I agree, I think this could hurt the NDP. First, you now have a united opposition developing, which undercuts Layton’s favorite tactic, bashing the Liberals and trying to paint them as Tory-lite. Second, the environmental banner is rallying around Dion. Given that the NDP has credibility on this file, those that supported them in the past may look elsewhere. People can criticize all they want, but May rivals Suzuki on environmental pedigree, her voice will be listened too.
I’m not trying to be partisan here, but I take any criticisms from the NDP and Conservative camps to mean that this is a great move by Dion.
April 12th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Agreed Steve….a very good thing. I think this could be the start of something great for Canada.
April 12th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Steve … naw … the Dion / May political ‘marriage’ is actually quite humourous for dippers! – the political cartoonists should have a field day with the imagery of ‘green Liberals’ – Mr & Mrs Dion-May – etc etc
April 12th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Here is a little self promotion on the same topic >a href=”http://buckdogpolitics.blogspot.com/2007/04/liberals-and-greens-are-getting-pretty.html”>Green Liberals
April 12th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Why does it seem like it’s the NDPers who really hate the idea of progressives working together so much. Pitiful…really pitiful.
April 12th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
leftdog
Maybe it is humorous to the hardcore partisans, but I think people are missing the point with the soft support. Laugh it off at your own peril, this is significant. I say that as someone who voted NDP in the last election
April 12th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
“Old family Liberals” will be glad to see the back side of Stephen Harper, don’t kid yourself Leftdog
April 12th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Hear hear Aarons Beard! Well said.
April 12th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Steve V .. fair ball – but this isn’t unprecedented either. Do you recall when Joe Clark ran in Calgary and Libs, NDP’ers, the GLBT community, ethnics and others threw their support behind him (he lost) and recently the Libs in Newfoundland did not contest the seat of the provincial NDP Leader (who beat the Tory) – so my point is that I am not going to get too riled up about it – I wish I could draw political cartoons cause as I said there is a lot of visually creative things you could do with this!
April 12th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Hmm…you mean like this video leftdog? I thought the tongues were pretty gross actually
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M572xalfn9I&mode=related&search=
April 12th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
just replace Steve and Jack with Stephane and Elizabeth. You have to admit that humour has a role in politics … it tends to lower the tension leveles a bit … and a true politician can laugh along with the rest of us at a good political cartoon or video.
April 12th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
But I think Jack should begin to join up with May and Dion. A threesome even. The Cons are grabbin their bibles right now just thinkin about it.
April 12th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
The Dion/May Pact is a betrayal to the Greens and the Liberal party grassroot supporters. It will end up hurting both parties.
April 12th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
I’d like to see the NDP take a step back to realize what’s better for the country now. They can either get on board, or get left behind (where they are at this point anyway).
April 13th, 2007 at 12:06 am
I think Dion and May’s gambit has put the ball squarely in Layton’s court. Harper is ball boy.
Harper was laid away in the heady daze of post-Vimy euphoria, and because he’s such a hand’s on type of guy, he dropped the ball while he basked in his own glory.
Canada is moving on.
The NDP is playing catchup now; the Harper Cons are still figuring out where the ball is.
A lesson for “leaders” is try not to be out of the country too long. Good to know Harper and his family, (although Laureen has now had two international opps to tear up over family graves) while her husband works to ensure Canadians are not allowed to welcome their newly dead on camera.
Where is that doughy leader Harper? Should he not be out appeasing his base and asserting his warmongering and sending of tanks to Afghanistan? Will Harper defend circumstances where Canada cannot be sure it follows the Geneva Conventions which O’Connor insisted over and over again in the HoC that it does? Where are those detainees, Mr. O’Connor? Did the “revolving door” you seem to support mean that a detainee was released to take a second, deadly, shot at a Canadian, Mr. O’Connor?
Harper has a lot to answer for.
Where is that doughy PM anyway?
Where is Layton?
Surely they’re not cutting and running?
April 13th, 2007 at 3:09 am
Leftdog, you are wrong. Joe Clark the Calgary riding thanks to the multi-partisan, progressive vote. It was one of the reasons he became the first former prime minister to sit at the head of the Calgary Gay Pride Parade, as a thank you to the progressive people of Calgary (and the big ol’ gays).
Get your facts right.
April 13th, 2007 at 3:19 am
Unfortunately, the environment will not be the defining issue in the next election.
Besides the ambiguous matter of “leadership,” the only issue the Conservatives have a solid lock on is CRIME. Mark my words, the government will fight the next election on crime. Liberals, NDP, Green, anyone who dreads a shift to the right must start SCREAMING the truth about crime NOW! Selling fear is much easier than selling truth; we need a large, loud head start. Leadership on the left is afraid of this issue; the chorus must come from the grassroots.
Crime is not out of control. Punishment is not a deterrent. US crime solutions will create US crime rates.
Please, please, please don’t go on the defensive over crime!
April 13th, 2007 at 4:02 am
Can someone please explain how the Green Party’s essential absorbtion into the Liberals is a good thing for Green Party voters? If they wanted to vote Liberal they had their chance. They chose not to vote Liberal because of the sorry Liberal record (rather than its rhetoric) on the environment. May’s message that Dion would be best prime minister tells Green Voters that they were fools for even thinking of voting Green because there is no hope. That is a pretty poor message for a party leader to send out to the grassroots. You can spin this any way you want, but it will have no impact on NDP voters. They know the Liberals are “let’s pretend progressives” who are always leftists in opposition and rightists once safely in power. This is nothing more than the successful takeover of the Green Party by one of the ringleaders of the Think Twice Coalition.
April 13th, 2007 at 6:21 am
Greg this has nothing to do with absorbtion the Greens and Libs do not agree on everything and if you nit pic we don’t entirely agree on the Green issues. In a case like this I would hold my nose and vote accordingly, a full merger would leave me parking my vote with the Rhinos, or libertarians, or the Green Assassin Brigade Party
It’s pragmatic and dangerous yes but May knows she is not forming the next gov, if you asked who would be the best she would say “ME!” if you ask Dion or Harper, she will say “Dion”
She will have to play this very carefully in explaining that she would be best for the job but Dion would do a very credible job compared to Harpo.
I do share some unease. 308 gave us cedibility to get this far but a seat would get us farther.
I don’t entirely like it but I can live with it. I hope May plays it right. If we are going to go this route we should do the same thing in Baird’s riding and maybe a couple others. Decapitate the Harper Cabinet.
April 13th, 2007 at 7:41 am
Joe and Mary Sixpack read the headlines and see a merger between the Greens and Libs.
The Green vote is now a Liberal vote, not a ‘park and protest’ vote.
I can’t see the purpose of voting Green anymore. May as well vote Lib or Con or NDP or stay home.
April 13th, 2007 at 8:20 am
I sincerely doubt a green voter would ever vote conservative. That’s hilarious Wilson
April 13th, 2007 at 8:25 am
I’m off to get my TB test read and to have lunch with Ken Dryden. No worries…. TB test is a work requirement. I will report on Dryden tonight. I will moderate any additional comments when I return.
April 13th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I’m just not sure what the big deal is. Is it because the Liberal party is acknowledging May as a leader of a party that is not considered loopy fringe? (Of that loopy fringe, the classy Rhino Party disbanded when they realized they were on the verge of having someone elected, those wise nosed creatures)
I thought (and I might just be senile) it was a politesse tradition to not run strong candidates (at least at one point in this country) in the riding chosen by a party leader so that leader could actually get into Parliament in our first past the post system. If the Liberals are choosing to simply not stand a candidate at all, saving themselves some money in the process, is that bad?
At the provincial level recently, where the opposition parties didn’t manage to elect their leaders, they were granted presence in the legislature as a matter of polite course by the sitting Premier, and allowed a daily question. I don’t see that happening at the federal level, so I’m interested to see what May can bring to the House of Commons table.
People are asking what the Liberals get out of it, how they can form a government next election with such tactics. I’m wondering if they intend to form a government (although I could wish), so much as force Harper to remain a minority while they rebuild more. Remaining a minority seems to be the last thing Harper wants with all his huffing and puffing about the election that isn’t coming (really. not coming). Part of that rebuilding is appealing to the youth vote, which is so focused on the Greens at the moment. While the Cons are making the big attack ads, the Liberals are aiming at Youtube.
I don’t know if this will start vote splitting on the left, or vote alliance on the left in different ridings. As one of those who found it a bright spot in the darkness of the Alliance’s hold over Calgary, the coalition that elected Joe Clark (yes, he did win) knew exactly what they were voting AGAINST.
April 14th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
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