They are all the same.

Obama was supposed to be the great savior. He is not doing what he stands for or what is right for "the people" either.

Harper...... my guy...... WTF? I know minority gov't and all but sheesh. He couldn't beat Dion! And a split left vote!

They are all the same. Somehow someway they all end up the same.

And I so want less debt, less spending(arts?!?! daycare?!?!? CBC?!!?!) less laws and less gov't.

Harper has given us less of those things. Some of which I think he campaigned on.

Rant over, all the beer is gone, good night all.

Taxpayer with an orange X. My brain is itching.
This from folks who tried a Coup in Canada last year. What a sham.

And this is from the same bunch that were chastising Harper a year ago for not following the O ring and spending more money to ward off a recession. The only thing these losers have going for them is the CBC and the rest of the marginalized media to help spout their stupidity. As a Western Canadian first and foremost I still dream of the West leaving and the first thing on the agenda would be some political cleansing by sending all the stupid left east.

Well Jeff K we get the government we deserve.

Quebec decided we needed 300' inflatable banana's flying over Texas.......

GTA same old same old.....

Demon Sheep I wuv you!

"Might there be a better choice?"

Yeah, well, who? That's not a rhetorical question.

The California sheep ad - which is funny, and effective - vaunts a particular candidate - a real-world individual - as a "better choice" than the incumbent; in the Canadian context, who's a better choice than Stephen Harper?

Even if we're talking about some idealized brand of federal politics that reflects our desires (as opposed to the aggregate desires of the Canadian sheeple), *who is* that better choice?

Gimme a name.

Stephen Harper isn't some sort of analog to the morons who are running California, and Canadians as a whole aren't some analog to the moonrock-brained voters of California.

I'm a Harper man, myself. I don't know, there's just something about a modest guy who's not a millionaire lawyer from Que/Ont with connections to PowerCorp that strikes my fancy - it's just so unusual. Would I like to see him acting on my preferences instead of using his own judgement? Oh, yeah. Yep. You betcha. Uh, would he be elected if he did so? Nope.

Tough gig. I think he's doing a good job.

I understand the frustrations, but any one of the frustrated complainants, were they to run for the post, would garner about 0.0000128 percent of the vote, which - not to put too fine a point on it - wouldn't necessarily advance the cause. So point yer' fingers at yer' neighbours, eh? Work on them. 'Cause they're steering the ship, eh?

Love the sheep ad, though...in the California context.

So far in his government career, Stephen Harper has gotten away with a very watered down brand of conservatism, on the grounds that at least his government is not Liberal.

You have to wonder, how many years would the Ottawa Senators continue to sell tickets on the slogan "at least we are not the Leafs?"

Ironically, the Liberal approach is to suggest "at least we are not Harper," but sooner or later somebody might break up this death struggle by actually formulating new policies.

I am sorry that I won't live to see that, being over forty.

Okay, Peter, that's actually very funny. I take your point. But here's the essential question - and again, it's not rhetorical, I really want to know what you think:

Do you think that a leader who promotes and subsequently - if he's given the chance - enacts a pure, un-watered-down version of conservatism would ever get elected in Canada?

Peter.... Mr. Harper hasn't done everything I,ME,MYSELF wanted him to so like EBD says Gimme a name. If the next guy doesn't do everything I,ME,MYSELF wants as quick as I,ME.MYSELF demands then he is gone too.
Or how about we hang in hopefully for a majority and see what happens ,it beats the hell out of a lieberal dipper bloc crew running Canada.

one word to describe the video: lame

You frigid folks are lucky to have someone like Harper willing to do such a thankless job.

He may not be everyone's cup of Tim Horton coffee, but at least he's not a self-obsessed fool, convinced that his way is the only way.

You've had this kind before, and there's no shortage of 'em waiting in the wings, but in the meanwhile, count your blessings.

Just another pol who tossed any conservative beliefs he may have once held, under the bus of political expediency.

Canada's parliment, housing the left, the far left, the lunatic left and seperatists.

So, AtlanticJim, for the sake of argument, let's agree that you are correct (left, far left, lunatic left, separatists).

Given that choice, who do you vote for?

To me, the choice is clear. But what are YOUR thoughts on choosing who to vote for?

I've asked before and never got a real answer...how is voting for someone who is MORE LEFT that a (for argument's sake) LEFT-LEANING CONSERVATIVE going to improve the situation?

Sorry. Should have read "...more left THAN a left-leaning conservative..."

Well, there might be a better choice but not in the Canadian political galaxy at the moment. All the others were the ones screaming for Harper to spend, spend, spend in the fall of 2008. Now, of course, hypocrites like the Iggster profess horror at the mounting debt.

pok: "but at least he's not a self-obsessed fool"
.......

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Obama-She-insisted-shes-going-to-be-buried-in-an-Obama-t-shirt-83645132.html

Obama: 'She insisted she's going to be buried in an Obama t-shirt'

There is nothing worse than stealing a pathetic attack ad and trying to make it your own. It isn't even a parody. I figured the Taxpayer's Federation was a bit better than that. Do they not realize Canadians can actually figure out the origins of this woolly piece of dung or do they think all Canadians are sheeple?

Shut off the money taps and what happens? The LSM, the unions, Toronto, Quebec and everyother "I'm entitled!" type (which, unfortunately, covers a hell of a lot of Canadians) goes into convulsions. The Lieberals and the Dippers jump in and promise to give them a 'free' ride on the backs of those who create the wealth. Anyone with the 'balls' to do what is right will be gone.

Once politicians open up the public trough, the voters tend to vote for whoever promises the most goodies and to hell with the cost. Fascist totalitarianism usually follows shortly thereafter.

Eeyore, until there is someone worthy of my vote, someone who has the same viewpoint as I do, and not someone who pretends to, the ballot goes into the box unchecked.

I refuse to vote for the lesser of two, or in this case, four evils.

AtlanticJim: How does not voting for a candidate actually help? Do the ballot counters say ' Oh look, here is a spoiled ballot, obviously it is from a voter with a high moral sense of integrity. I shall now base my life on his teachings and spoil my ballot as well.' Perhaps you should run for parliament as you must consider yourself 'worthy' of your vote.

I'll take Harper/CPC over any current opposition leader/party.

It's the lot we got.

So uuess, you would have me say to hell with my values?

I could not care less what some vote counter thinks when they see an empty ballot.

What matters is that I can look in the mirror and not despise what I see there.

Tally up the New Democrat (communist) vote, the Greens vote(Lizzie May's gang of lefties) Iggy's socialist/soft communist (daycare addicted) Libs and lo and behold, Canadians are deeply left of centre in voter numbers, and far outnumber any combined libertarian/ conservative vote number.
It's a tough slog to get a majority conservative government in Canada at the present time.
Add to the mix the biased leftist corporate kool-aid sotted MSM and the picture is clear.
Canadians are already addicted to the public teat.

The Harper conservatives are the best money managers all things considered.

That is a pretty clever Liberal ad.

Funny how the red light region that is Ottawa and the pimps from Toronto are able to throw even well meaning politicians off course.

Western Canadian's comment @ 2:47 merits some consideration.

Geez, can you believe I left out the other gang of Communist / Separatists (Bloc-Quebecois) from the mix?

AtlanticJim: of course do not abandon your values, but when the self-rightous, entitled elitist liebrals or dippers get elected from your riding then what value do your values have?

It seems the only way to get elected these days is to promise the moon (or in Obama's case, deny the moon) and vilify the opposition. Politicians of all stripes treat the tax dollar as though it didn't come from all of us working folk out in the hinterland. It's just an unlimited credit card they never have to worry about paying back. As much as I disagree with PMSH on a range of issues, as someone else said, who else can I vote for? The idea of a majority govt is unfortunately coming from someones' pipe. The voters already addicted to the teat refuse to be weaned and will only elect another spender. The idea of Ignatief coming down on the CPC for the deficit when he demanded it, just proves the hope he has that the electorate will forget all his screw ups come election time. And of course they will. I'm afraid all we can hope for in the foreseeable future is minority after minority. Sad but true.

So Atlantic Jim you look in the mirror and see someone who is not smart enough to see the only choice there is in politics is "The lesser of the evils" and you are OK with what you see. I call it an excuse for being too lazy to vote..

EBD

"""Would I like to see him acting on my preferences instead of using his own judgement? Oh, yeah. Yep. You betcha. Uh, would he be elected if he did so? Nope."""

this is a very simple concept that some in here are to cement headed to grasp

they do not want others ideals lorded over them, but they have no compunctions about doing the same to others

the internet is one h!ll of a tools, but it's also one heck of a divisive tool when not used properly. It turns average citizens into universal genius in their own minds, while they still only have the understanding of some one with average comprehension skills

and, people also forget that the PMO is the PMO of ALL the people, and there fore is a position of compromise, and not that of a absolute ruler!!

I think Mr. Harper walks the tightrope as well as any politician. It looks as if he may succeed in at least shaking up the Senate, though if his government went down, it would just be a matter of months when the Libs would be stacking the Senate in their favor again. I don't know if Mr. Harper will ever get his change to refore the Senate but it would be nice if he got some of his proposed bills passed. There are many forces that govern our country--big international corporations who pack up their toys and go home if they can get a more favorable deal elsewhere (like environmental regulation and taxation) among others. Then there are groups that can afford big PR campaigns to sway public opinion. I'm ashamed to admit that I fell for the WWF when I thought my donation might help to buy some habitat for threatened species. Now I see that they have become part of the climate conspiracy and I will donate to my local SPCA instead. In a minority situation, you're obliged to yield to some demands of the other parties in order to retain power. Now, when the financial crisis hit, Mr. Harper could well have let matters go to a confidence vote, but if he had lost, can you think of the mess the country would have been in? I sincerely think that the Conservatives are the lesser of evils though I wish it were possible to vote for the "best". Sadly, we're stuck with the "least worst".

Our job is to try to influence our representatives and also public opinion. We can't just preach to the choir either, we need to argue our views in many places and do so articulately and convincingly. It would also be nice to try to encourage our best people to enter the political fray--not just those with inflated egos who ride to power on their connections.

AtlanticJim, if enough conservatives think like you and choose not to vote or to spoil their vote, then the far left will be elected. Period. Full stop.

Again, I ask...how does that improve the situation?

I understand your position...but putting your values into action and doing ANYTHING OTHER THAN VOTING FOR THE CONSERVATIVES will give the far left the win and make us all worse off.

Why would you want to things to get worse, faster? I truly don't understand. Why cut off your nose to spite your face?

Anyone beside me notice the left used to use recycled Dem. ads and now they are using recycled Rep. ads? This is the people's House sound familiar? Recycled 'teaparty' at prorogation? Does the left actually believe in democracy?

I lost a lot of respect for the CTF after viewing that blurb. It reminds me of something a bunch of idealistic teenagers would concoct and consider gripping and cogent. I have contributed to the Federation in the past but never again, now seeing where the money goes on such puerile tripe.
Very unprofessional and childish. I am extremely disappointed in the CTF

Speedy, Of course not. They only believe in power. At any cost. And Power Corp too. Did you notice what happened when PMSH took a principled stand against Chinas human rights? It was if the entire free world came crashing down because someone had the balls to say no you have to treat your people with some respect. My god you could risk our prosperity because we all know China rules the world. And we never say boo when they steal our intellectual property and ship us toys filled with lead paint or some other toxic waste to poison our children. We have to trade with China to offset our trade with the great Satan. (At least it was until the One was elected.)

The Matrix is controlled by Demon Sheep, and the tool of the control is called Democracy.

Rob C, I cast a ballot in every election. Federal, provincial and municiple. Sometimes there is a name checked off, sometimes it is empty.

When I look in the mirror, I see someone smart enough to not be con'd by someone pretending to be a conservative.

If the CPC puts an actual conservative in charge and not someone that wastes my tax dollars bailing out failing companies, or ignoring the rats nest that is the CHRC, then they can ask me for my vote.

I love the conservative point of view on display here:

"I can't get a perfect candidate, so I will not vote nor get involved to improve things. This way, the lefties will win and Canada will appear further to the left, which will make the right wing candidates further right. How, I'm not sure, but dammit, I'm going to hold my breath it happens."

The lefties have it figured out. Vote for the best option and work to make it better. The right? It has to be perfect or we pout.

Joe Molnar says "Tally up the New Democrat (communist) vote, the Greens vote(Lizzie May's gang of lefties) Iggy's socialist/soft communist (daycare addicted) Libs and lo and behold, Canadians are deeply left of centre in voter numbers, and far outnumber any combined libertarian/ conservative vote number."

Well that is true but there is a rough regional divide. And that is the real problem. There is a fault line in Canada that is slowly but surely growing wider. Canada, with it's old, imperialist Central Canadian political system will almost certainly tear apart eventually. The Central Canada Politburo (i.e., the old "Golden Triangle"...soon to be "Rust Triangle", Quebec/Ontario/Ontario) has to recognize the reality of the New Canada. Not the one from a hundred years ago.

Too bad they stole the commercial,but I can't remember when we last had a government who would say no to anyone.

Too bad they stole the commercial,but I can't remember when we last had a government who would say no to anyone. It's no wonder we act like a bunch of spoiled kids.

Two pieces of wisdom, can't remember the authors
1. Democracy works until people figure out they can vote themselves money from the treasury.
2. If pigs could vote, the man carrying the slop pail would be elected herdsman every time; no matter how many he was slaughtering on the side.

It needs to be pointed out (again) that in November '08 at the g20 PMSH along with all the other leaders agreed to spend 2% of GDP immediately in order to stimulate the economy. This was done and the result is the large deficit. Tax cuts were not considered stimulus apparently.

It also seems to bear repeating that unlike the US stimulus spending the CDN plan had measures that were all temporary (eg the renovation tax credit) and most of the stimulus got into the system far faster than the US.

Under the circumstances PMSH and company showed remarkable restraint - the separatist coalition was planning to use the lack of even more stimulus as their pretext for bringing down the govt until the CP annouced they were cutting the vote subsidy.

After prorogation ends we can expect a budget that proposes to reduce the deficit and debt by reducing spending - something that the socialists running the US clearly do not intend to do.

The CTA should know that it is very bad luck to look a gift horse in the mouth. it bet they lose support/donations rather than gain after putting out the video above.

Jim by not voting you are actually giving one to the lefty socialists. If that is the way you handle the situation you might as well vote Lieberal or dipper. Then when you have your morning look in the mirror you can say to that reflection "at least I took a stand" I'll sure show those damn conservatives.

John Luft @ 11:36 is onto something.

Some of us just get a little tired of waiting, and waiting, and waiting for some really tangible results of having a conservative government, rather than a few morsels thrown out on occasion that appear almost as an afterthought to keep us quiet.

Especially so when the bulk of the media is constantly, day after day, shilling for the Liberals.

@AtlanticJim
If your aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
Fish or cut bait AtlanticJim, either get actively involved in politics, or just go away, as a wasted vote is the same as no vote.
If you don't like the alternatives you saw on your last ballot, or expect to see on the next ballot, join a party and seek to implement change.
Canada is a participatory democracy, so s**T or get off the pot.

I agree that the Libs, Dips and Bloks are the worse choice for Canada. But election campaigns aren't just held in the last six weeks before voting day. The Cons are running a pretty pathetic campaign these days. What's it going to take to get their asses in gear? Either they get going now, or they're going to spend another two decades in the wings by which point it may very well be Too Late.

kakola...What specifically would you suggest the CPC do ? Keeping in mind the voters of of quebec and southern Ontario (GTA).I don't think the greedy entitled bastards will ever be satisfied until they can sit on THEIR asses at home and have the rest of Canada pay them to do it.

I don't know why we are wasting time doing a back and forth with Atlantic Jim. He's one of two things - a troll or a true Atlantic deadbeat faking the claim to be a conservative but really pissed off because he fears the Atlantic Canada free ride is fast fading. The end to handouts, "entitlements" and "equalizations" that they have been enjoying for years at the cost to other Canadians are becoming inevitable regardless of the party in power. If he is a conservative, it is temporary and he'll support the party providing the best choice of freebees to Atlantic Canada. A true blue downhomer.

I wonder if it might be appropriate in this thread to ask the following question:
Specifically, what policies/initiatives would we like to see implemented to assure us that this Conservative government isn't just a CINO government? I'm talking conservative utopia, a sort of Santa's wish list (which I know is never all going to happen).

I'll start.

-Privatize the CBC
-Open up the grain market, thereby destroying the monopsony of the CWB
-Repeal the long-gun registry
-Get rid of Section 13 (Human Rights Commissions)
-Kill the $1.95 subsidy per vote
-Immediately stop all "stimulus" and bail-out spending
-Stop any impending spending on the BS of man-made climate change and focus on real pollution
-Amend the Canada Health Act to allow for real 2-tier health care
-Get the CRTC out of regulating who can and cannot broadcast in Canada
-Make a life sentence actually mean life (this one particularly gets me because I lived in the area Clifford Olson was taking kids from and raping them, and of the age, when he was doing it)

Sometimes the government does things I don't like. If Dion were elected he would have done a he11 of a lot more things I didn't like. When I supervised I believed in the theory the solution should make everyone equally unhappy. Nobody gets all they want because that leads to winners and losers. They can't beatch I played favourites and if you don't win you will solve the problem yourself most of the time. Worked for me.

As a member of the CTF, I DON'T approve of this stupid attack ad!

Harper can only do what is possible with a minority government,that's not an excuse,but a fact,as everyone here knows.

If Harper tries to bring in ANY legislation the Left Parties don't like, it's defeated. I don't like his current policies on carbon sequestration, cap and trade or climate change, but Harper's MP's are approachable and they DO get our message to the PM. SDA is monitored by Conservatives, as are a lot of other conservative and Liberal blogs, your comments are noticed,you aren't whistling in the dark.

I realize Conservatives are independent thinkers and don't follow the Glorious Leader like so many Leftists do, but for the sake of our Country, you had better put your disatisfactions in perspective,and realize Harper is a master political strategist, the best since Jean "Three Majorities" Chretien, and he DOES NOT work for Paul Demerais.

Keep not only your "faith" but try to retain your logic. We conservatives are caught in the same position as have many Canadians in our history , fighting against seemingly overwhelming odds,and we must NEVER give in.

Nothing good comes easy,there IS no utopia. We have to maintain our resolve and continue to fight the good fight or drown in a sea of socialist sewage.

Harper isn't perfect,and he'll do many things we don't like or understand, but he and his MP's are working for US, not the Toronto-Montreal Elitist Club that is frothing at the mouth to get back into power.

Get out, meet your MP,tell him your concerns. They DO get through to the top.

Well, that settles it. I'm voting NDP from now on. (But at least it gave me a chance to see what the fuss was about at Ace's over the "real" sheep ad from the U.S.)

DMorris,

Good work. I'll second that!

'You frigid folks are lucky to have someone like Harper willing to do such a thankless job.'

Thank-you for that poc - the Troika is breathing down our backs and I get chills down my spine. If people like Atlanticjim think that Western Canada will do the 'Bolshevik Stomp" with the rest of Canada, they are delusional. The Eastern bloc has treated the Western bloc as 'colonies' for all the Years since confederation. Unlike the USA, we did not have a Civil War in Canada, all and any province can separate from the union - legally.

Something for the E.latte slurpers to think
about. Obama is a one term President and the next congress (in 2010) will change the direction of the USA (the Tea Party people will see to that!) - we have our Constitutional Prime Minister in power, stay the course with him, or loose the 'slush $$", Eastern Canada.

And here's real debt building:
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/government-232798-obama-unsustainable.html

[Hat tip five feet of fury]

I will always vote. Even when I used to live in Saskatchewan and there was no way anything but NDP would be elected, I always got the pleasure of killing one socialist vote. At least Prentice isn't my MP or I would have to spoil my ballot or move.

johann...the only change I would make is totally cut the HRC's. Just finished reading Shakedown; HRC's are a shameful waste of our taxes.

I think we should expect a real conservative budget in March. By now PMSH should be willing to lay it on the line. If we go to election, fine.

Meant to say: "johann...great list"....

Of course,
those that do not subscribe to the socialist/fascist totalitarianism, rather subscribe to self-reliance, helping others and freedom, have hard time to choose who to vote for.
One can understand the position of Atlantic Jim, the question is, what do you do?
Perhaps the first thing is to get a party membership and take the initiative to either go for it yourself or work hard for someone whose ideas are those you can agree with. You have to state your ideas without fear that someone may oppose you for there will be many.
I understand that this is very difficult do, been there done that. None the less, that is the only way, so far as you are a free thinker. To be sure you will have boulders and logs thrown on your path, that is what politics is today, it seriously sucks, though there is no other way, bar revolution.
You see, the likes of socialists don’t need to do any of that, they are mindlessly united in tearing down anybody who does an honest day of work and promise to distribute wages of those to those that think that work is not really the way to go.
Then you have people like my neighborhood, all new houses, retired, the likes of professionals and retired RCMP’s, and others such. Even they complain that the damn government is not doing enough for them. What the hell.
They likely never voted for the socialists (formed by the socialist troika cabal) however now it is a different story, to hell with the next generation.
Sometimes one wonders if the world has gone mad.

Essentially Harper defenders are saying...we have so little faith in principled conservative policy that until we get a majority...he needs to be a little bit liberal??

This has always puzzled me. If one truly believes in the validity of "conservative" policy outcomes then there is nothing to be feared by plowing forward with a conservative agenda at every turn.

The expected positive results would be observable.... and then followed by acceptance by all but the leftist ideologues.

Conservative activists would then gain some well needed self respect...replacing their seemingly never ending excuses to be clever.

ivbinconned: " ... Conservative activists ... "

Try again, kook.

It's unfortunate the real issue has been missed in this discussion: the ballooning deficit. This is not about whether Harper, Iggy, Layton or anyone else is the PM. It's about sending a loud message to Ottawa that taxpayers aren't happy about massive deficit budgets no matter who is implementing them or under what rationale.

It's about changing the political culture, not necessarily the political leader.

Why is everyone surprised? If you look at previous governments, it has been the Conservatives that have added to our debt and the Liberals that have lowered our debt. But voters don't seem to remember this a election time. Wake up people!