While the politicians and media lose their collective minds over the next 24 hours, I plan to back off and go into lighter fare today (unless something really spectacular happens). Frankly, my suspicion is that most average voters tuned the campaign out about 5 days ago, especially former Paul Martin supporters who have given up on him – once left to the pirahnas, they don’t have the stomach to stand around and watch the water churn. They don’t take pleasure in it.
So, for a pre-post mortem I offer the content of an email I received a couple of days ago;
1. A strong contingent of committed federalists in the Liberal Party have made the strategic decision to undertake actions that will support the Conservative Party because it is the lesser of two evils; the Bloc being the greater evil of course. This decision was made prior to the election. Why? The Liberal Party will be blamed for the break up of Canada if Quebec separates. This group of Liberal federalists would rather support another federalist party, the Conservatives, in absence of credible Liberal candidates. This situation is playing out at the riding level with a “take a Liberal lawn sign, but vote Conservative” whisper campaign.
2. The Liberal Party believes that some of their core voters will vote Conservative this election, but will return to the fold and vote Liberal in the future. However, the Liberal Party fears that some of their core voters will vote NDP this election and NOT return to vote Liberal in the future. This again explains the overt support for the Conservatives.
3. Frank McKenna is definitely in the race to replace Martin. McKenna’s team of operatives is strongly ‘encouraging’ no-hope Liberal candidates to stop their election spending. Why? The Liberal party is insolvent (broke), thus will need all available funds to keep their creditors at bay. The group of federalist Liberals recognizes the fact the the Liberals need five years to financially rebuild their party and cannot afford another federal election within two years if a minority Conservative government falls.
4. Several recent Liberal campaign mistakes in fact are not mistakes. Rather, they were intentionally designed to enable the Conservatives to show their strengths and hammer the Liberals and the NDP. Buzz Hargorve’sinvolvement in the Liberal campaign is a shining example of this strategy. For the record Buzz bought into this shadowy strategy ‘hook, line and sinker’. Buzz has been royally hoodwinked. The litany of Liberal campaign blunders are a series of well timed events. Sorry Warren Kinsella, you are not as smart as you think you are!
5. Paul Martin is no longer in control of Liberal Party of Canada. A clear indication of this situation is the fact that Liberals no longer operate a national campaign. Some provincial campaigns and individual ridings (I do not know which ones) no longer accept direction from the national campaign team. In fact some campaigns have removed all Martin/Liberal references from their literature and signs because they are ashamed of the response from voters. Several BC Liberal candidates are intentionally sabotaging their campaigns because they do not want to sit in opposition; especially if the Conservatives win a majority.
That should keep you busy in the comments.
Kate, sorry to imply you bought what was being sold. I never really thought you did; slip of the tongue.
If i had to pick the next lib. leader it would be Brian Tobin.
I know off topic but my last chance to say my piece befor the elecion. Kate, Harper probably reviews this post so Id like to address him. In the past I spent a lot of sweat fighting for the conservatives so I am a veteran. Mr Harper, be advised, keep your promises, if not your term will be short. I will vote for you tomorrow with many reservations. If nobody of serious stature goes to jail your term will be short. I abanded Mulroney because during economic boom times he increased debt taxes and patronage. If you have a majority you must still gain the trust of fellow conservatives. This sounds negative but it isnt. There are an army of conservatives putting a hope in you. Dont let us down
Harper probably reviews this post so Id like to address him.
He says he doesn’t read blogs, but his wife does.
I’ll be happy if he just begins to reverse the re-distribution of wealth so favoured by socialists.
There are no entitlements except for those unable to work.
Kate
I would agree with the assertion that the Liberal Party has abandoned Mr Martin. I have made posts to this effect for some time. They saw Martin as an anchor, someone that puts his personal ambition ahead of all else, including the country and most disturbing to them the Liberal Party. They know that he could never deliver a Majority Government and do not want to stand by while he grinds the Liberal Brand into the ground. They have been sabotaging his campaign from the start, but with the mind to keep the Conservatives with a Minority. The so called Mole on the Liberal Campaign is a well orchestrated coup detat to dump Martin.
As for your comments on Buzz , what you see is what you get. He is similar to Martin in that his personal ambitions come first. I think he is doing what is best for Buzz and is not a simple pawn as you suggest.
Point #3 may have validity. The rest of it sounds bogus.
The only part I would rule out is the Buzz Lightyear theory #4. Buzz was recruited by Dithers on the advice of the arrogant little cabal of punks that surround him. They thought Buzz held some sort of keys to the dippper vote vault.
Unfortunately the Buzz bomb detonated on the launching pad all over Mr. Dithers.
Some grain of truth in all but #4 – That’s a conspiray theory that gives them way too much credit. It’s also wy too high risk – giving away an election? Didn’t happen deliberately. Simpel incomptetence
Somebody introduce the guy to Michael Moore.
Conspiracy theorists, there’s one in every group venting his paranoia. Maybe those Roswell aliens are manipulating the whole thing. It would explain Paul Hellyers’ concerns.
Kate, speaking of the Liberal Party creditors…..who exactly are they?…Anyone?
Kate, speaking of the Liberal Party creditors…..who exactly are they?…Anyone?
I don’t remember where I saw the list – but it’s mainly the MS banks. The Conservatives were the only party that didn’t have loans.
Makes one wonder just how they secured this debt……… with what?
On #4 – the same but a little different. In BC the NDP squandered 300+M on fast ferries. When push came shove – they said we are not thieves, just stupid. It seemed to work.
Watching the football game Pittsburgh/Denver and I saw the Harper is pro-Bush ad for the first time. Good thing that BC has nothing to gain by having good relations with our biggest trading partner.
Makes one wonder just how they secured this debt……… with what?
Autographed golf balls?
This post gives entirely too much credit to the dying liberal Regime.
The reason they are doing what they are doing is threefold:
A.Martin is not a great leader, nor even a good leader. He failed to build an adequate staff that could handle a ‘different’ type of Conservative Campaign.
B. The Chretien people are determined to destroy him in a fit of pique. It’s not politics; it’s personal.
C. The Liberals have never had any real meaning except as a seeker of and a holder of POWER. The possibility of losing that POWER for an extended period has maddened them so that they can not see how truly amoral their whole campaign has been.
Always remember two important dicta:
1. You can never go broke underestimating the stupidity of the average person.
2. Never assign to malice(or conspiracy) that which can be easily explained by sheer stupidity.
This is not a deep plot; it is merely the external signs of a corrosive internal rot.
The Liberals may think that their voters on the ‘right’ will hurry back in the near future. Steven Harper thinks otherwise. He thinks if he runs a ‘moderate’ centre-right government and does things incrementally, that the new voters will stick with the Conservatives especially if the NDP picks up strength via sucking up the Liberals ‘leftist’ factions.
Steven Harper is a VERY intelligent fellow. I think he has a point. His goal will be to supplant the Liberals and leave them no ‘political space’ to occupy. Should the NDP make the decision to really become a centre-left Party and marginalise its lunatic fringe, the Liberals will be squeezed out of any meaningful role.
The Liberal party was built on Quebec. Quebec is now in the process of killing it.
dougf,
Nobody believes the email to be “true”.
ural,
I remember Robin Williams parodying “Tricky Dick
Nixon”in retirement walkin down a beach with a metal detector….I`m just now starting to visualize Cretien`s…….fishing golf balls out of the pond at Grand Mere. Thanks ural!
Bill D. Cat,
You also have a picture a sign that questions your values if you don’t sink at least one.
Hey golfballs are cheap,smalltown cheap so I`ve heard.
So it’s either a weak attempt at “yeah, we meant to do that” rationalization served up as FUD or a leak from the camp of brilliantly evil master villains.
Question is: Which is better?
And another thing, just as a start, the email breaks Items 6 and 11 of the Top 100 Things I Would Do If I became an Evil Overlord:
6. I will not gloat over my enemies’ predicament before killing them.
11. I will be secure in my superiority. Therefore, I will feel no need to prove it by leaving clues in the form of riddles or leaving my weaker enemies alive to show they pose no threat.
And one more:
First rule of being an Evil Overlord is that nobody ever talks about Evil Overlords.