Saturday, February 28, 2009

Robopundit Nails The Liberal Position

Travers intuitively understands the Liberals' tail swallowing logic when discussing what is to be done about the Tory's slush fund:
Fortunately, there's a solution that requires some Liberal backbone, not an election that would not be in the national interest now. As a condition for continuing Liberal support of the budget still making its way through Parliament, Ignatieff should insist that the $3 billion fund be transparent. One caveat would guarantee that Page gets the funding that he was promised and needs to do his job. Another would force the immediate creation of a website to allow the timely tracing of public dollars all the way into private pockets.
Understand? The Liberals need to force Harper to do what he doesn't want to do and they absolutely cannot force an election over this (not in the country's best interest, don't ya know). So, how are the Liberals going to force Harper to change his mind?

My guess is, hypnotism. How else will Iggy be able to convince Harper that he will no longer support the budget and yet not force an election? Threaten a coalition? Harper will laugh until he wets his pants over that "threat". Truly, watching Liberals and their media minions, these days, is like watching a French bedroom farce. There is lots of yelling and door slamming, but in the end, everybody gets screwed.
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Friday, February 27, 2009

Whither The Progressive Wing Of The Liberal Party

Chantal Hebert today:
Despite its timid scope, the motion did serve one purpose and it was to formally align Trudeau with the activist wing of the Liberal caucus. Over the one-hour debate on the motion, that message was driven home further by the presence within camera range of Trudeau of Toronto MP Gerard Kennedy.

They both belong to a section of the caucus that has pretty much been reduced to marginal gestures since the de facto selection of Michael Ignatieff as leader, and the subsequent decision to support the Conservative budget. (emphasis mine)
I wonder how much it hurts to stand up and vote for a budget you don't believe in, just to satisfy the small "c" conservative rulers of the party? I am always amazed that they put up with it.
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Parliament Is Becoming An Episode Of Oz

Shorter Harper to Iggy: "Ok bitch, bend over or else."

Liberals are having some buyer's remorse at the moment, I am sure. It looks to me like Harper is feeling his oats again and has determined that Iggy is a punk. Too bad Iggy dumped the coalition in favor of the biggest "swinging dick" on the cell block. If it wasn't so sad for the country, I might be amused.

Update: Some Liberals are in denial, but not the ones running the party. The slush fund vote will come long before June and from my vantage point, Iggy's box is much smaller than Harper's.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Iggy The Egoist

Thanks to Warren K. for pointing me to this "profile" of Iggy from the Manchester Guardian. I think it perfectly captures the essence of Iggy.
Why did Ignatieff do what he did [prop up the government rather than demand more from it -- ed. ]? Because he has no interest right now in bringing down the government and thereby being compelled to share power. Because his political career has been about his own glorification, about his desire – for it seems to be the only reason he entered politics in the first place – to be prime minister. He may generously be called a chameleon, a shifty academic difficult to pin down, but perhaps more accurately he ought to be called an egotist who is sure of his own superiority and who seems to lack any real passion for the country he intends to lead.
The article is filled with these kinds of observations and is well worth a read.
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

This Is What Democracy Looks Like

"He'll only be encouraged to go longer if we respond." Translation: We have a country to loot here. No sense slowing down to actually argue our case.
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Friday, February 20, 2009

Question Du Jour

Why is it that right wingers portray any criticism of an American ( especially Republican)administration as "anti-Americanism"; while at the same time, see any support for an American (especially Democratic) administration as an embarrassment and a sign of our "tendency to prostrate ourselves before American celebrities"? Could it be that Canadians just don't agree with Republican policies and find Democratic ones more to their liking*? Heck no. It has to be either anti-Americanism or celebrity worship. It just doesn't make any sense to a right winger, any other way.

*Don't get me started on the subject of whether I see much difference between Dems and Republicans. Then again, I don't think there is much light between our Tweedledums either.
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Monday, February 16, 2009

Farewell Kyoto?

The Liberals have rediscovered "The West". The sound you don't hear is a dog whistle, blowing in the direction of Alberta. No more "running against the West" for Iggy's party. No sir.
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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Saturday, February 14, 2009

The Slander Party

From the Globe:
“The political party that's governing our country feel they can say anything about Joe Little Guy. They've got deep pockets. What recourse does the average Canadian have against that kind of power?” Mr. Zytaruk said.
One Hell of a way to run a country, eh?

Bonus Snark: And just what the Hell is going on with the Liberals?
Outside the Commons Friday, Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale said he could not comment, because the terms of the Liberals' settlement of the lawsuit preclude him from discussing the case.
So, we have a government that can say whatever the Hell it wants about the Cadman Affair and an official opposition that can't say anything. Welcome to Zimbabwe.
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Thursday, February 12, 2009

Robopundit's Lament

Travers is crying in his beer today about the state of politics in this country. It seems the two big parties are more concerned about the state of their respective parties, rather than the state of the nation:
Ottawa has choices. It can moan about unfairness and lament its diminished mastery of Canada's political space. Or it can maximize the advantages of being so close to the big U.S. game by abandoning the sidelines for the field.

Conservatives and Liberals are co-conspirators in that missed opportunity. Instead of doing everything possible, they are accepting that they can't do much. Instead of seizing the moment to reconstruct tomorrow they are wallowing in yesterday's politics.

That's no surprise; it is a pity.
Neat the way he limits the list of co-conspirators to just two, eh? Too bad he stops there though.

I don't disagree that the two big parties are more interested in maneuvering for advantage than helping Canadians through this economic crisis. However, I would add to the list of conspirators, the MSM, which spends 99.99% of its time propping up the status quo and dismissing parties that dissent from the Ottawa elite consensus as naive or out of touch. It seems a bit rich for Travers to attack the very parties his own employers are so desperate to maintain as the only two political alternatives in this country, while remaining silent on his own role in supporting our toxic status quo. To use Travers' own words, "That's no surprise; it's a pity".
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Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Opposition As Written By Samuel Beckett

Ignatieff spoke to Prime Minister Stephen Harper late Monday asking him to rethink the measures that would penalize Newfoundland.

"I said to the prime minister, 'You can't run a federation this way, unilateral-without-warning changes,"' Ignatieff said following Monday's vote.

"I said, would he push the pause button on those changes and rethink his approach to get greater national unity in a time of crisis, and he said no."


So, this is no way to run a federation, but will Iggy actually, you know, do something to stop this injustice? Um, no. The Dionification of Iggy continues apace.

Typed with one hand. :)

Update:
“The government is one big wrecking crew when it comes to federal-provincial relations,” Mr. Dosanjh said.

But Newfoundland's lone New Democrat MP wondered why, if that's what Liberals believe, any of them are voting for the budget.
Good luck getting an answer to that one, Jack. I suspect the replies from Liberals will begin with a question about your parentage and end with either a quip about your obvious lack of political sophistication, or a general "our team is better than your team" put down. It is all The Liberals have.
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Monday, February 02, 2009