On his radio program a few days ago, comedian & talk show host, Dennis Miller, went through example after example of the 'geniuses' on the Left side of the political spectrum in America. Talk with any devout member of the Left and you will be told, with absolute conviction, that all of the following people are geniuses: Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Andrea Mitchell, Paul Krugman, Katie Couric, the ladies on The View, and even Ed Schultz.
Listen a little longer and you'll be informed that not only are they brilliant but they're also well balanced, thoughtful moderates who are striving to do nothing more than save America from the "hateful" Republicans.
Up here in Canada, things aren't altogether different. For years we were told that Stephen Harper is "evil" and "has a hidden agenda", that Mark Steyn & Ezra Levant are "hatemongers", and that anyone who supported the Tories was greedy, unenlightened, and lacking "Canadian values". Such "progressive" rhetoric has been subdued of late after Canada's self-proclaimed Natural Governing Party (aka the Liberals) were dealt a massive knockout punch in the recent federal election. But the antipathy towards conservatives hasn't gone away. Just wait until after the summer and the first "controversy" in Ottawa comes to the fore. The Leftist fear mongering will return like a hungry bear coming out of hibernation.
What seems apparent is that a civil war of sorts is afoot, especially in America. Let's just hope the temperature of said war doesn't change from cold to hot. But in the coming years, when the U.S. comes to grips with the fact that its public sector commitments are well beyond affordable and need to be pulled back ... watch for the violence of Greece & Spain to come to America! :-(
Most of the so-called "hidden agenda" would be fine with me, but I would imagine that Harper has now become enough of a centrist to continue to water his wine to the extent that a few bits and pieces will be tossed out as appetizers, a few well-meaning statements offered, and not much actually done on various difficult questions.
For example, does anyone here really expect to see any of the following? Climate realism with no ambiguity, restrictions on abortion, an open debate on same sex marriage, curtailing the powers of the CHRC, de-funding the CBC, slashing cuts to the civil service, calls for UN reform, or if you really want to shake the tree, no further funding for universities until they balance their curricula?
I thought not.
But there will be some tax cuts, a lot of flag waving, feel-good videos, and the usual superficial stuff that do not really address fundamental questions or problems. It will continue to fool a lot of people into thinking this is a very conservative government when in fact it is a centrist government that relies on conservative votes based on fear of any other alternative.
I would love to be proven wrong, but it seems unlikely given the recent history of this party and its leadership.
Robert
You forgot to mention a couple of serious hitters without an ounce of bias,Rachael Maddow and John Stewart.Now I'm off to loof for a shoe horn to adress that tongue in cheek thing.
Peter....I would LOVE to see you proven wrong also,but being a bit practical,the best we can hope for is a lousy tax cut,which will be quickly eaten up AND surpassed by some other hidden tax that will be introduced. No gubermint EVER gives something back it has stolen from the plebes. We need a good revolution in this country.
We need a good revolution in this country.
*Ahem*
We need a good revolution in every country.
Peter, so would I love for you to be proven wrong, but over 50 years of having an interest in the political goings on in Canada and around the world, I suspect that you will be right. The most recent example of Prime Ministers on the right being Brian Mulroney.
The frustration experienced by myself with the media stemmed mostly from their own inconsistency.
Take the so called "hidden agenda" of the current government. The media states that they may do 'x'. 'x' will be something that the conservatives have been saying needs to be done since Manning, nothing hidden.
Also frustrating is the flip flop on there sell points. First we here that our PM just carries water for the US. Then overnight because of the mention of one date, 1967, the media flips on it's head and suddenly declares that our PM needs to follow the American lead. This is but one example and NO ONE calls them on it!
Thanks to sights like this one in particular and Sun TV, I'm now able to watch or read news (prior to this my only news was Gormley and Adler) without continually feeling like yelling at the TV.
Here is a big thanks to Kate
When the rubber hits the road...aka...full monetary collapse...then you'll get your revolution.
It ain't going to be pretty...though as history always shows,necessary for societal change.
For better or worse, it will represent movement from the present stagnant state of affairs we find ourselves in.
Some time ago Steyn opined that the US was in a cold civil war; an accurate assessment for much of the western world. We live in interesting times.
"hard right-wing agenda,".
Who has?
Leftist MSM knows all, sees all, tells all.
Hint: PMSH.
See, you are a Canadian only if youse a "moderate":
>>> "Will the tone be moderate and Canadian, or will it be tough and right wing?" said Clarkson.
Well, guess we're not Canadians, eh? Damn.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2011/06/02/18230411.html
Reality is going to a real beeatch for the Leftoid crowd. Monetary collapse, no cheques arriving from the government, massive layoffs in the civil service - we can start with all the rent seekers in the Human Rights Grievance Mongering Race/Religion/Gender baiting industry.
And then things will turn ugly when the entitled to their entitlements crowd wakes up hungry, broke and rejected as useless members of society.
Tick, tock, tick, tock . . . the Useless Class your time is coming.
old duffer....you are right...it ain't going to be pretty...but I think I'll just pull a Klien...shoot,shovel,and shut-up. Leftoids make wonderful compost/fertilizer,what with all the sh&t they are full of. Deer get a free pass on my garden,not so much mooching leftards.
The only lady on The View I would want to have sex with was the Conservative sacrificial lamb. Boy, why are Conservative so desirable?
watch for the violence of Greece & Spain to come to America! :-(
Sadly so.
Peter O'Donnell - I think your list is ..well, partisan, and, if implemented, authoritarian.
For example, 'climate realism' is already underway, with Harper rejecting signing a new Kyoto agreement and rejecting cap-and-trade.
As for restrictions on abortion, you and I may disagree with abortions, but we do not represent the Canadian people, many of whom consider such an act, not barbaric, but 'a right'. Harper has rejected the federal govt moving into this divisive area and I think he's right. He leaves it up to the provinces and the people.
Same with same-sex marriage. Such a decision is left to referendums or other local legislatures.
The CHRC - the CPC passed a resolution to remove Section 13 and now, with a majority, we hope that it will be done.
Same with the CBC and reducing the number of civil servants.
As for 'calls for UN reform' - he can call for it all he wants; until the majority of members want it, ...there's no action.
With regard to universities, no government can intrude on the academic freedom of universities. We may indeed, on this blog, consider that the militant bigotry, bias and blatant misinformation in these universities is endemic and shameful, but it's not the role of government to interfere...for such an act would set a precedent for political control of the curriculum.
It's up to us, the people, to mount campaigns, to make public our displeasure at their curriculum.
Good thoughts by quite a few here tonight. Makes me proud to support this site. Thanks Kate and notable regulars.
bverwey
Sorry Robert....and contributors as well for their discussion topics.
bverwey
The liberals bring in warrantless searches with their gun registry, but Harper is the bad guy?
If Harper doesn't want to touch something, he is hardly thinking of provinces' rights.
Also, I found this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nviImDEFoY4&feature=related
Do have a laugh.
WELL ... ET !
Good for you .....
I think we have to remember what we, as conservatives, support as the attributes of a good government.
It isn't specific laws - such as 'no abortion', no same sex marriage etc, but Less Government.
That is, to my understanding, the conservative idea of government is that government should be reduced to specific common areas, such as defense, immigration, communications and transportation, currency and fiscal...and should for the most part, stay out of social issues.
We don't want just 'our kind of laws'; we want less government.
So, getting rid of the HRCs and the CWB and the CBC and the gun registry is 'less government'. A federal govt should leave social issues such as marriage, abortion and education - up to the people - this is 'less government'.
Govt shouldn't be involved in providing day care, in setting educational curriculum, and so on. These should be left to local decision-makers.
Wait until after summer before the Leftoids start making stuff up? How about the announcement today that Marvel will be bringing back Alpha Flight to fight a Fascist Canadian government? You know, an ultra-right wing that was voted into power . . . umm, I thought Fascism was a derivative of lefty socialism?
Now my question is, when the new character who is a tough, no nonsense anti-hero who was experimented on by the goverenment appears, will it be Wolverine or V?
I mostly agree with the post, but not with the hope that the civil war will not turn hot. As Orwell once wrote, "war is evil, and it is often the lesser evil." The worst crimes are those of governments, during peacetime; especially of leftist governments. Even the Nazi program of mass murder while taking place during wartime was a butchery of its own innocent citizens, and was a distraction from the fighting.
As for restrictions on abortion, ... He leaves it up to the provinces and the people...
Same with same-sex marriage. Such a decision is left to referendums or other local legislatures. ~ ET
Has jurisdiction for these matters been formally devolved to the Provinces? Perhaps it should be, but I missed that debate.
[quote]when the U.S. comes to grips with the fact that its public sector commitments are well beyond affordable and need to be pulled back[/quote].
The issue is much worse than just the public service...
In the US the payroll tax SS & Medicare is not universal...That is not everyone pays into SS & Medicare...The large Unions opted out and fund thier own plans (not a bad idea until the Market tanked) Teachers, Policemen, Firemen etc...,prior to the meltdown 2007/08, were not paying or Covered by the Middle Class payroll taxes..."S" Corps are not required to pay SS or Medicare, although they may agree to pay...The Elite Class in the media don't pay..those on Contract....
The planned theft from Medicare (middle Class) of 500B, by BOTH parties, is been used to Re-fill the short fall in Plans of Unions, civil servants and friends of the Congress..(The Same Pll who have asked to opt out of Obama Care)
The SS/Medicare plans of the middle class are missing ~ 17 Trillion that has been used to FIX other Problems.. The SS/Medicare Plan, if not raided, could pay benifits of more than ~ 10X existing payments..
Medicare is not Medicaid
Time to wake up
"Civil war" is such an ugly term.
Try and think of it as a "kinetic bitch-slap operation".
One of the problems with party systems is that voters tend to identify with a particular party. The second this happens, any accusations against the party become accusations against the individual. The entire process becomes emotional rather than cognitive.
This is apparent when you examine how voters from opposing camps behave: each side believes their own candidates to be above reproach while assuming the candidates of opposing parties are villains. Attacks against 'us' are baseless and therefore any evidence must be fabricated, while attacks against 'them' do not require the burden of proof.
Some of the more partisan comments here worry me because they're so charged with emotion that there may no longer be room left for reason.
One of the problems with party systems is that voters tend to identify with a particular party...Some of the more partisan comments here worry me...
Word matches on this page:
Liberal = 2
Conservative (as Party) = 1
NDP = 0
Green = 0
What worries me is when people confuse ideology with Party; and even more so when Parties avoid enunciating an ideology because they want to appeal to a broader spectrum of voters. This is deception pure and simple.
ET makes the point of the day. "Less government" means LESS GOVERNMENT, not a shift in focus of regulations from Liberal to "Conservative".
Meaning you do away with Section 13 of the HRCs, you don't just fire the old Liberal bird they have now and put the Church Lady in charge of it.
Freedom means people will be free to do stuff you don't approve of. On the bright side, YOU will not be paying for it, and added bonus, you will be free to tell them off really f-ing loud.
tegs: "Some of the more partisan comments here worry me because they're so charged with emotion that there may no longer be room left for reason."
Dude, there's been no "reason" in Canadian politics since Trudeau. Pretty much all of liberal/socialist policies defy reason from the start. Single payer medicine? Insane! Gun control? Insane! Global warming? Made up AND insane! Multi-culturalism? Insane insane insane!!!!
Its not partisanship. Its a refusal to be bushwhacked by the insanity and propaganda. Again.
The gap is getting wider than than what lead to the American Civil war.
We have a dominant Political culture run By Elitists with nothing but distain for its populace if not outright contempt. One that runs on the sweat of others but thinks itself entitled just by being what they are.
In the rush to make us slaves, by default regulations they are making us all criminals while making real criminals victims.
Several levels of law instead of one for everybody. A house divided cannot stand.
When the plug is pulled on spending , we go into a mega deppresion there will be no room left for leeches.
How can these people justify thier perks while persecuting the producers that give them their wages & positions?
"watch for the violence of Greece & Spain to come to America! :-( "
And miss Dancing With The Stars?
Glasnost: That's valid. I was responding specifically to the bias indicated by the statements Cathy quoted from the liberals, which is also present in her failure to quote similar statements in the conservative media.
The Phantom: Why do you think the system is this way? Politicians use propaganda and misinformation because we as the general public fall for it. We don't request proof, and we don't hold media and politicians accountable. For most of the public, it's laziness, but for the majority of those who care enough to vote in my area it's self-identification that stops them from thinking that the burden of proof is needed.
Very well summarized ET.