I Can See America From My House

116 Replies to “I Can See America From My House”

1. Is it possible that the GOP is, from the grassroots, finally, renewing itself?
   First came the grassroots, a movement of the people, all people – Democrat and GOP and independents. Americans. The Tea Party. An astonishing act of freedom by the American people. This moved the GOP to begin a renewal. Sarah Palin, importantly, moved herself out of official government and into being a vital voice for this movement. Importantly, she was outside of government and thus, aligned with the people.
   Now, GOP people in government, like Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, McCarthy – are articulating a non-insider, non-old guard view…the ‘conservative’ GOP, of small non-intrusive govt.
   The GOP had gotten away from this basic identity and had moved left. The Democrats then moved even further left of the Left-GOP! The Democrats turned into radical socialists.
   Then, from the grassroots, the people affirmed the basic nature of the US – small conservative non-intrusive govt, the free market etc. This is moving into the GOP. It’s starting to be expressed by the GOP in these new younger people.
   Old guard – and that includes Karl Rove – are being flung aside. This must also include ALL old guard GOP – including Romney, Huckabee…It’s good that it is happening now..and it will grow during the next year and two. How much of a fight will the old guard GOP carry out to try to retain its old power?
   Glenn Beck’s rally in Washington – an outstanding success and articulation of the grassroots conservativism – was important. The pendulum is swinging back from the left to the right.
   So where does this leave the Democrats? They’ve moved into statism, into elite marxism. Where do they go? Now, the incumbent Democrats are running from it, running from Obama. But the radicals aren’t about to give up without a fight!
   The Democrats don’t have their own ‘Tea Party’ grassroots to move them from their marxist socialism back to the centre. At the moment, they have their leaders who are statist socialists – Pelosi, Reid, Obama and the backroom gang and all his ‘czars’. They are asserting rigid control over their members in Congress.
   And yet they have Congressmen who are afraid to even mention they are Democrats in their TV election ads!!! Or are advertising that they voted against Obama’s bills!
   But they don’t have a grassroots to articulate what they are! Their 2008 campaign was a fraud, wherein they defined themselves as centrist but their 2009-10 actions have been statist. Unarticulated by voice but loud and clear by action. The people are rejecting it and their leadership refuses to release them to move to the centre. Democrats are silenced.
   Whereas…the GOP has the Tea Party and then, the people like Ryan, Cantor etc who are redefining the GOP as small, non-intrusive govt.
   The Democrat old guard are, now, fighting to retain their new statist identity – moving into racism as a means to prevent change and prevent any of their own grassroots voices. That is, if you reject statism, which is becoming identified with Obama, you are a racist.
   This is a weak strategy; it’s defensive and refuses to acknowledge reality; the reality that America is, by its founding and constitution, centrist.
   Fascinating.

2. Delicious irony, the Tea Party’s first big victory is from an amoral (“I never said he was gay”), perennial runner with a history of pocketing the war chest and forgetting to pay her staff.
   Sarah Palin, in the meantime, stands to almost single handedly abate the chance(s) of the Republicrats from taking Congress back. Republicrats are reaping what they’ve sown, a bittersweet justice, indeed~

3. It appears that the tea party has taken the preverable wrong fork in the road.
   By identifying themselves with the republicans they are making a big mistake.
   I give you Canada as an example.
   We had the reform party with the same ideals.
   They got a taste of power and wanted more.
   They made a deal with the devil.
   We now have the Regressive Conservative Party.
   Same pile of —- same stink.

4. Canada desperately needs a Tea Party also.

5. 2nd link not woiking….

6. Hasta la vista, baby.
   /irony

7. I’ve been following the DE primary for weeks now and I am so happy at the result.
   As for comparisons of the Tea Party to Reform; the Tea Party isn’t regional, there is no East vs West mentality involved there. This is a sea change for the conservative movement in the States and I hope there is some spillover up here.

8. I second Ken’s motion.
   What we have now in Canada is a “conservative” party whose biggest contribution to personal liberty is to make a census voluntary, while simultaneously proposing to spend millions on subsidies to professional sports franchises. I honestly hope it does not take an economic collapse to make Canadians realize that this kind of leadership is not going to work.

9. Ditto on 2nd link.
   It seems that Congressional Democrats in non-safe seats -an ever increasing number now- are sweating even more today, seeing that even RINO Republicans are getting the boot from conservative-moderate mainstream American voters. That makes a helluva lot of Congressional Democrats look like future pelts on the wall of a Tea Party Republican Congressman or Senator.
   Apropos of all this is the great fear-unease of the thousands of Democrat Cong. aides and staffers. While we can’t say the rats are deserting the ship yet, they are putting on their life vests. “Dem. aides could face massive layoffs”, at Politico.com
   PREDICTION: I’ll be the first to predict that Obama won’t run for re-election in 2012, passing the laurels to Hillary Clinton. So the question then will be how do we retire Hillary Clinton.
   “Interesting times”, maybe the glimmer of hope in the distance?

10. molarmaular you missed my point. It is wrong for the tea party to align with the republiacns. I give you example reform-conservative.
    When you have a broken system you cannot fix it by tinkering with it. You need to start a-new.

11. esin
    It is a pity that these dreadful people (Tea Party} are challenging your Stalinist world view.
    And that the CPC is not following LIBRANO policies.
    Wake up!
    The COLD WAR is over and YOUR side lost.

12. The screening process and parachute candidates that the CPC imposes won’t allow such CPC candidates. Kate is correct, it’s up to HQ. It’s the National Council that sets these rules. It’s the National Council that sets items up for vote at CPC conventions. Until a National Council is elected that supports open nominations, forget the CPC being a party of change.

13. “If only there were some sort of technology that could carry political developments in the US to our own Conservative Party headquarters.”
    I disagree. Said technology would be far more useful to transfer the developments to the riding level. The rank-and-file membership holds more power than the party HQ. They just don’t realize it.

14. A few things –
    First, the Tea Party did not align or identify itself with the GOP. It is apolitical; it represents Americans. Period. It includes people who are members of the GOP, and Democrats and Independents. The GOP, seeing this grassroots conservativism, has started to align itself with the basic themes of the Tea Party: small govt, non-intrusive govt, fiscal responsibility.
    It’s important to understand this action – it went from the people..to the GOP. But the old guard GOP, the socialist-type Republicans, such as Castle and others, have tried to maintain their old control. And are being thrown out by the people.
    The Democrats could not pick up on this grassroots action because they are IN POWER, and their leaders, Pelosi, Reid, Obama, are all marxist socialists, statists, and they control their Congressional members.
    Second, it is difficult to make a valid comparison between the Tea Party and the Reform Party. Certainly, the West unlike the East in Canada, has an ideology of individualism and self-reliance that the East (Quebec!)in its socialism lacks.
    Also, the Reform was a political party while the Tea Party is a movement of the people. The only similarity I can think of is the spontaneous cross-Canada rejection, by the people, against the Liberal-NDP-Bloc attempt to get a coalition government.
    Canada was not built on individualism but within the notion of a Ruling Government. People don’t feel the same, here, about individual rights and freedoms. Plus, we have almost always had a majority SOCIALIST government. At the moment, there’s the Liberal-NDP-Bloc; put all three together and it’s very difficult to get anything conservative accomplished. Example – getting rid of the gun registry, reforming the Senate, reforming our refugee laws.
    And since The Canadian People tend to be silent about these issues (in comparison to the US people with FOX and other conservative outlets) or vote socialist each and every time (either Liberal or NDP or Bloc) –well, it’s difficult.
    As for Obama not running in 2012, a number of us here and elsewhere have been predicting that. The issue is, how the Democrats get rid of him. They’ll have to find him some World Leader position where he can preach and pontificate via his teleprompter as much as he likes. As for Hillary Clinton – I doubt if they’ll go for her. They must be aware that they need ‘new blood’ as well.

15. CPC HQ is, if not more, isolated and elitist than the GOP. The PMO is now so heavily sandbagged that virtually nothing permiates from the ground up.
    I’ve said it here before, and I’ll repeat it again so that CPC tribalists might let it sink in. I’ve had a back bench MP, in an ultra-solid CPC riding, coach me on how to “maybe” get heard. The MP coached me on methods and “tricks” they must use in order to penatrate the sand bags and even “get” a response, least of all a straight answer to queeries; and they only occasionally succeed.
    Now, that’s an MP for crying out loud … someone who rubs shoulders daily with the PMO. It means that the arrogance and brush off we feel from HQ is real … it’s not our imagination.
    Harper is to blame. That’s what happens when a smart person, but with no sizzle, natural leadership skills, or communication skills, gets the top job. They become control freaks, they try to micro-manage success, they become more dictatorial with every failure … they become politically passive-aggressive … they become hacks … they become out of touch.
    As a result, the CPC has a consistant response to the proles:
    1. Keep your mouth shut
    2. Trust Us
    3. Send Money
    That up-coming LPC minority is going to hurt like hell, especially since Layton is going to have more power than he’s ever had before.
    CPC hopes lie in LPC ham-handed tactics, not in anything Harper or his sychophants do. Imagine that, kept in power not by your own ability or message, but because the other is so hapless.
    The greatest gift Harper can give the CPC is to step down just in time for a leadership race heading into the next election.

16. The Canadian housing bubble and US finacial meltdown can’t come soon enough for me otherwise the status quo will continue in Canada. The reality is that even though the seeds of a Canadian ‘Tea Party’ style movement are planted it will take a big economic correction and a Liberial tax and spend take over to make it happen. Perhaps we should all vote NDP to kick start it – it would only be for 4 years (or less)? :^)

17. They’re not being retired. How daft are you? This is a big score for the dems. Let me tell you how this is going to play out. Tea Party wins are going to lead to disillusionment amongst independents and all the TP’s will lose in the general election. And shortly after you’ll be posting articles blaming the “mainstream media”.

18. Cjunk is quite correct. The PMO is pretty much a fortress, which goes a long way to explaining Harper’s wacky proposal concerning the Quebec City arena. The grassroots have very little opportunity to be heard, at any level, as a result.
    However, the “shut up and send money” tactic can only work for so long. Canadian conservatives are only going to get more envious at the success of their American counterparts and more insistent on emulating them. If Harper and the PMO continue to be deaf to these sentiments, the result will be legions of conservatives sitting on their hands and their chequebooks in the next election, and the result will be a leftist coalition in power.
    That’s not the outcome I want to see, but I fear it’s the one we are going to get.

19. “If only there were some sort of technology that could carry political developments in the US to our own Conservative Party headquarters.”
    There is.
    Every time they call me now from Ottawa looking for money I have a wonderful chat, well more like a one way discussion that essentially tells them to get there conservative act together or no money.
    Same-same for their mailers . . .

20. “….the result will be legions of conservatives sitting on their hands and their chequebooks in the next election, and the result will be a leftist coalition in power.”
    Jesus, what’s taking you so long? I started when taxing my after-tax money, again, became the norm for these con-artists. So I can buy a hunk of rust-belt Ontario called GM and buy some CAW votes. Meanwhile their own Premier is taking a wrecking ball to the Ontario manufacturing sector by jacking up power rates via the “green economy” and government controlled smart meters.
    When local government is more concerned with limiting my salt consumption, than the local economy that allows me to earn a living to actually consume some salt for it to be a problem, there’s a problem.
    Every political party and politicians at very level are out of touch with reality, including their unaccountable public employees.
    We need a Tea Party right here.

21. Breaking: Kory Teneycke has resigned from Quebecor Media. The lefties are going batshit in the comments.
    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/09/15/kory-teneycke-sun-tv-quebecor.html?ref=rss

22. cjunk – I strongly disagree that Harper should step down; I think he’s the best PM we’ve ever had. It’s typically Canadian that he’s recognized for his values outside of Canada and denigrated within Canada. Canadians only value socialists, eg, Trudeau.
    By the way, Harper has not said that the federal govt would fund the Quebec stadium.On Sept 13 in Quebec City, Harper said:
    “I know there are more demands for new infrastructure for the NHL and the CFL here and in many other cities across the country,” Mr. Harper told the crowd who waited in anticipation for his remarks on the proposed arena project. “My friends, we are all great fans of professional sports. But professional sports are first and foremost the responsibility of the private sector. And if there is a role for the federal government, it must be equitable across the country and also affordable.”
    Jean Charest said that Quebec would fund 45% of the 400,000 cost and the organizer wanted the same from Ottawa. Harper said that it should be privately funded not public – and that any public funds would have to be ‘equitable across the country’.
    So I’m puzzled by the statements here asserting that Harper is funding 400,000.
    I agree that the CPC offices in Ottawa are tight; I think that’s because the Ottawa bureaucracy is firmly Liberal, the media are Liberal and Canadians are, by and large, more leftist and socialist and expecting government handouts.
    Note that our Canadian media, constantly, endlessly, daily, is focused on one thing only. When’s an election going to be held to restore the Natural Governing Party? They don’t discuss issue; they don’t act as if the govt we have is the one we citizens elected. No, our media act as if the Conservative govt is some giant mistake; that the ignorant citizens, trapped in their beer and popcorn, fell into. The media are focused only on: when’s the election.
    There’s never any debate in our media. If people want to debate our insane refugee laws, the media define us as racists. If we want Senate reform, we are defined as ‘against wisdom’. If we are against socialism, we are defined as ‘unfeeling’.
    So- it isn’t Harper to blame for what is going on in Ottawa. We have a large role to play in allowing Canada to have a dominant socialist agenda (Liberal, NDP, Bloc).

23. Palin and the Tea Parties are purging the establishment in the GOP. Conservatives did the same thing over a 13 year purgatory while Chretien ruled with 37% majorities. We got rid of Joe Why and stopped purging.
    Purging isn’t a onetime process we need to constantly adapt to changing conditions, purging should be perpetual. Furthermore to expect PMSH to be our Messiah while we sit on the sidelines and moan and groan is not conservative. Conservatism means what Rob Huck says “The rank-and-file membership holds more power than the party HQ. They just don’t realize it.”
    Better still, as everyone keeps saying, we need our own Tea Parties who would back Maxime Bernier when he says stop ArenaGate (which is what PMSH is probably hoping we’ll start screaming). But no, we sit waiting for Godot to lead us by the hand and we’ll end up with our own Obama.
    Meanwhile Pogo said : I’ve seen the enemy and it’s us.
    We’re hypocritical to expect government to get government out of our hair.
    Where do we start? Stop the disproportional socialist representation by Quebec in Ottawa which is badly screwing up our democracy and can be seen again here with ArenaGate. Plus the Bloc is only 40% of Quebecers and would die if we stopped giving it $1.95 a vote. Start the purging by killing the distortions of the Bloc.

24. I told you so.
    If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything. And look at how far the Conservatives have fallen. Good grief even Iggy is catching up!
    Years ago I was complaining about the way Harper was compromising his and his party principles to get votes and the near unanimous consensus here was that it was ok to do that because he was going after Lieberal seats and whatever means he used to obtain them would certainly be justified by the ends.
    Well here we are 3 years later and how do we like those ends? We have an admittedly minority government that has strayed farther and farther away from conservative principles and seems to be doing almost anything to stay in power. I understand the need to sometimes hold your nose and reach accommodation when in government, especially when a minority. But I also expect that there needs to be some bedrock principles that you stick to.
    Trying to live up to campaign promises, even if they are local would be one. Treating all members of our confederation equally would be another. Fiscal conservatism and small government would be another. There have been plenty of opportunities to stand for these and more principles, but they have been missed.
    What do we expect? Harper gets a majority by falling for the wants of the people in the few seats he needs for a majority, then he unleashes his hidden conservative agenda? Not going to get the conservatives reelected. The way forward is for the CPC to stand for something and keep on that platform. I think times have changed enough for people to be worried about the ability of government to meet its fiscal obligations in the future as people age and health and pensions become an issue. Small government and promoting a business friendly environment are the way forward.

25. Amen, especially to the last line, Kate. I’ve had it up to ‘here’ with the Liberal Lite CPC.

26. Conservatives did the same thing over a 13 year purgatory while Chretien ruled with 37% majorities. We got rid of Joe Why and stopped purging.
    When Harper invited the PCs to join the Alliance it reversed the purge.
    The CPC is now the resurrected PC party.
    The only answer I see is for western conservatives to gain control of their provincial governments, like Quebec did, and from there safely reject the socialism of the CPC or any other federal government.
    If a Leftist party or coalition gets control of the federal government it’s hasta la vista time.
    They don’t call our premiers “First Ministers” for nothing.

27. nomdeblog – exactly right.
    I find it stunning how so many conservatives, who by definition are ‘all about the power of the free individual’ and against governmental authority, still expect govt, and one man in particular, Harper, to solve everything while all they do is gripe on blogs.
    So, if that one man doesn’t solve our socialist hangups, then, we want to install yet another on man top-down authority to do it. We simply refuse to acknowledge that we, the people, all the people, have to do this job ourselves.
    Does Canada have a Tea Party? No, because we Canadians gripe on blogs but don’t, as they do in the US, go out and organize one. The only time I’ve ever seen a grassroots organization in Canada was that spontaneous reaction against the Coalition. That was real; that was grassroots. That’s the only time.
    But I’ve seen lots of socialist groups organize petitions and marches. Including the unions with their professionally printed signs …in favour of that same coalition.
    We stand back and wait for someone else to bring us a Fox News North; we don’t pool our money and put out a newspaper or take an ad in a newspaper for our conservative principles. Or pool our money for a TV spot.
    And, we continue to expect govt to solve all problems.
    Consider what happened when Harper tried to stop the public funding of our political parties. Why did he do this? Well, it would have defunded the Bloc, for one thing. THINK. The Bloc, which has ONE agenda- to separate from Canada – is funded by Canadians. Wow.
    It is NOT funded by Quebecers. They don’t donate to it. Remember, Quebecers are socialists and expect Others to fund everything. So, the Bloc gets 80% of its funding..from Canadians.
    And – since it is not a federal party, then we Canadians can’t vote on its policies or its behaviour in our parliament. So, if we stop the federal funding, then the Bloc disappears, and federal parties have a chance to be elected in Quebec. That would give the Conservatives, possibly, a majority.
    But what was the result? The Liberals, NPD and Bloc went beserk – and tried to kick the Conservatives out, without an election, and insert themselves in as a Coalition..with the Bloc sworn to uphold their power, no matter what the Bill being voted on, for two years. That’s The Democratic Way.
    Are we citizens campaigning to stop this funding? Haven’t heard a whimper out of anyone.
    Are we campaigning to reform the Senate?
    Haven’t heard a word from anyone.
    So – our Canadian reliance on govt to change govt is exactly the wrong approach. It’s time we stopped wanting a top-down approach and thought about the grassroots.

28. The CPC is very aware of the political developments south of the border. That’s why they have been circumventing their own nomination process.

29. @ET
    >>People don’t feel the same, here, about individual rights and freedoms
    In general, I think you are right. But there are a lot of us who *do* feel the same. What is surprising to me is the number of people I’ve met recently who have suddenly found that *they also* feel that way now, but didn’t before, or had never thought about being Canadian in those kinds of ways before. Just because it was never like that here doesn’t mean it can’t yet become like that. The gun registry issue appears to be one of the sparks, alon with the boat refugees in BC, and the HST.
    Remember, before Boston in 1773, Americans in general “weren’t like that” either.

30. “The only answer I see is for western conservatives to gain control of their provincial governments, like Quebec did, and from there safely reject the socialism of the CPC or any other federal government.”
    Oz….a little early to be drinking,isn’t it? QUEBEC REJECT SOCIALISM? They thrive off it,at the expense of the rest of the country.
    That said I do agree that provinces should,and must,start taking back power from Ottawa,using the not-with-standing clause if needed.
    How well would our semi-red PMSH fare if our 3/4 red Eddie(AB) told him to STFU,and no more transfers from Alberta? Wouldn’t hurt us,we would be ahead financially from the get go!
    Okay. I’m done dreaming now.
    Who was it that said every country needs a revolution every now and then to set it straight?

31. I find it stunning how so many conservatives, who by definition are ‘all about the power of the free individual’ and against governmental authority, still expect govt, and one man in particular, Harper, to solve everything while all they do is gripe on blogs.
    Is it too much to ask that Harper doesn’t ADD to the socialism?:
    -incandescent lightbulb ban
    -apologise to Indians
    -general support of Green agenda
    -creation of new Crown corporations
    -allowing 265k/year immigrants into Canada while Canada LOSES 270k/year jobs
    Just off the top of my head.
    Justthinkin, read it again, you putz.
    If the part in commas was at the end of the sentence it would suggest that Quebec was rejecting socialism.
    As it’s written it just says that Quebec has control of their provincial government.

32. [quote]Old guard – and that includes Karl Rove – are being flung aside. This must also include ALL old guard GOP – including Romney, Huckabee…It’s good that it is happening now..and it will grow during the next year and two. How much of a fight will the old guard GOP carry out to try to retain its old power?[/quote]ET
    ET,
    I wish you would rethink that Statement..It is not those people, but the IDEA that Truth does not need to be the foundation of sucess. All people can be herded, but all pLL somehow have the same BS detector (since the beginning of time)…Pushing the right buttons can be used for good or evil…..
    The TEST is Sarah Palin’s to PASS or FAIL.. everything else is in the noise. Is she STILL an American for America, or ~
    JMHO

33. BTW – I’ve been a strong Harper supporter. That support has been eroding quite a bit since January. No one thing, just a collection of decisions that I strongly oppose (ie. gov’t money for sports teams).
    I’m kind of tired of hearing the “we need to do it because we’re a minority gov’t” argument. It’s time to stand on principles. If Canadians can see that there is a principled movement afoot, it will only help in the long run. The current moderate success is due in large part to the principled stands that began with Preston Manning. The fact that the CPC is still a minority is, in my opinion, due the somewhat-slightly-conservative-leaning triangulation that has been happening recently. Ditch the triangulation and bolster the conservative principles and get out there and show the country how things could be, and should be.
    Stop the “government is in charge” meme, and start the “people are in charge” movement. And ignore the naysayers that liken populism to fascism.
    The real problem is the siren-song of statism.

34. The CPC’s biggest vulnerability is not gun registries or census but spending. The strong anti-gun, pro-LFC crowd will never be reliable CPC voters. New CPC voters, particularly suburbanites east of Sask, may be rethinking their conservative votes because of the G-20 waste and sport-arenas-for-votes scheme. The blatant disregard for taxpayers dollars was regarded as a LPC failing, the one directly responsible for their defeat. If the CPC is just as fiscally unrestrained then eastern voters might return to voting for Liberals. The west votes for the CPC because there is no alternative. Both the NDP and Liberals are intent on harming the fossil fuel industry on which so much of our prosperity depends.
    In the US…well the Devil’s Dictionary explains the motivation of the establishment Republicans and Democrats quite well:
    Politics
    n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

35. “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,
    Or close the wall up with our English dead!
    William Shakespeare, “King Henry V”
    Canada requires TPA.
    TPA = the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
    “Six years ago, Andrew Allum, Florence Heath and Mr. Elliott founded the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA) with the goal of reducing taxes and the size of government in Britain.”
    >>> “The good news is that those who believe in limited government and free markets are energized in both the United States and Europe. The bad news is that even the reform governments, such as the new British government, so far have not been sufficiently bold to do what needs to be done.”
    …-
    “The Once And Future Queen Of Conservatism
    On Friday evening, a tall, bespectacled 30-ish Englishman, Matthew Elliott, escorted Lady Margaret Thatcher into a reception at London’s 800-year-old Guild Hall. Despite the fact that England is going through its worst economic crisis since Mrs. Thatcher became prime minister more than three decades ago, she was of good cheer as she conversed with those of us who had come to pay our respects. Perhaps a reason for her upbeat manner was that the ideas she (and Ronald Reagan in the United States) championed are once again gaining currency.
    Six years ago, Andrew Allum, Florence Heath and Mr. Elliott founded the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA) with the goal of reducing taxes and the size of government in Britain. Through the use of new media, including the production of several devastatingly hilarious videos of the tax-and-spend excesses of the British government, and the publication of a number of very sound and persuasive papers about governmental abuse, the TPA already has made a major impact on the political scene, including a role in the recent defeat of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. One of the TPA’s papers documents how taxpayer monies have been siphoned off to support labor and other organizations for the purpose of lobbying for higher taxes and bigger government. In other words, the poor taxpayer is being forced to pay for his or her own fleecing.
    Some of this misuse of taxpayer funds to support higher taxes and spending occurs in the United States, but the statist and union thugs who control the political establishment in Britain appeared to have turned it into a higher art form – at least until Mr. Elliott and his colleagues came along. Last week, under Mr. Elliott’s leadership, the TPA sponsored a conference whose participants included leaders of think tanks in Austria, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and other countries. The event culminated in a glorious and uplifting Friday-evening banquet at the Guild Hall. The distinguished economist Arthur Laffer – the most famous father of supply-side economics, who was an adviser to both President Reagan and Mrs. Thatcher during their years in power – gave the keynote address with the same zest and humor as in decades past.
    The good news is that those who believe in limited government and free markets are energized in both the United States and Europe. The bad news is that even the reform governments, such as the new British government, so far have not been sufficiently bold to do what needs to be done.”
    http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/4532

36. The BLOC funding is a problem. The three federal parties should adjust the $1.95 per vote formula – multiply it by the fraction of ridings a party runs candidates in over the total number of Canadian ridings. The NDP,LPC and CPC run in 308/308 so they get 100%. The BLOC runs in 75/308 so they get about 25% of the per vote subsidy.

37. Let’s hope the Tea Party movement is just transitional and transformational. The whole “Prussian” social-democratic system is getting old and suffering from institutional sickness. Politics have became career path , mostly for lawyers and social workers; personal ambitions are wrapped in “public goods” facade; and all geared up for bureaucratic machinery to run for sake of itself. Harper’s values or Ignatieff’s values are only these that are benefiting the system and structure supporting governmental power (or their party coterie during elections).
    Of course, general population (voters) fully participate in the system , because they don’t know anything else. Your “Canadian values” of collective slavery are at best a product of mass delusion. Even in Roman Empire there was a better understanding of underlying moral principles dividing public and private: other people (including the Emperor) have not a single right to what belongs to you.
    Let’s hope Tea Party Express is going into right direction and in some form will fly over Canada.

38. Canada had its own Tea Party movement in the early 90s. It was called the Reform Party, which gained official opposition status in 1997. During the first half of the 90s, Reform pressure was a large factor in bringing the books of Canada into balance.
    Unfortunately, voters east of the Manitoba/Ontario border (generally speaking) preferred their establishment candidates, their establishment parties. Translated, this meant the plurality of votes went Liberal, or Progressive Conservative (ignoring the political basket case that is Quebec). With the exception of a couple of seats in the ’93 election, Reform could not break out of the West.
    Sadly, this phenomenon still exists today to some degree today.

39. “The CPC’s biggest vulnerability is not gun registries or census but spending”
    Agree LC Bennett. But much of the entitlement spending is locked in, like the $13 billion that goes to “equalization”; $8.6 B of that goes to Quebec and most of the Quebecers don’t even know that because Radio Canada is a cesspool of Separatists and needs to be replaced by Quebecor’s Sun TV. Canadians are generally mis and dis- informed. We also need to cut the funding to the Bloc. The BQ’s 55 MPs are what Preston Manning would call the “root cause” of our dysfunctional democracy. And of course Preston would be called a racist for saying so.
    We need a Fox north to engage the public in what needs to happen pronto to save the country:
    Stop funding the Bloc (only 40% vote Bloc, many simply vote Bloc as a fiscal negotiating tactic, the Bloc dies without the $1.95 funding)
    Stop perpetual “equalization” welfare
    Stop funding billions to the CBC and cut off its Big Government propaganda.
    Stop funding the HRCs … they are a draconian weight on business and individual freedom of expression

40. Once thought, and still suspect that Conservative MP, Bernier was a total doofus, but think now I saw his star twinkling (well, glimmering) recently after his comment re: Quebec!

41. Excellent idea about the party funding, LC Bennet.
    Lots of excellent ideas come out of conservative blogs all the time.
    Too bad there is no way to get them recognized by the CPC.
    Just a reminder:
    With the Reform Party it was one-man-one-vote.
    The first demand that Harper caved to when negotiating with the PCs to join the Alliance in a new party was to jettison one-man-one-vote and go to the delegate system.
    Goodbye grass roots voting/ideas, grass roots funding still welcome.
    They want your money, your ideas can talk to the hand.
    It was a harbinger of things to come.

42. Join our TPA. Kicking the butts?
    But, get a membership and get in their faces.
    We are here, ZiffyRaeTaliban JackNDP/MSM. What are you going to do about it?
    “The MSM controlled the narrative of all stories about him and he lost favor because of it. Learn this lesson – for me I will not allow thoes bastards to use this tactic aginst us anymore –
    THEY do not get to decide that one set of standards is o-k for their candidate, while another exists for mine.
    This goes for the elites in the GOP as well.
    Yeah, thanks alot Karl for your brillance in helping to support Arlen Spector for so long… how did that work out? Jackass.”
    …-
    “73. Macsooner
    LONG – TIME reader, first time poster, This morning at the gym we, (a fellow BC reader and I) were discussing this very topic, It seems to me that we as conservatives must not let the MSM or the Rockerfeller republican types control the narrative of this woman or other Tea Party/conservative candidates, it was a MAJOR mistake to let these groups pressure the rest of us into removing Newt Gingrich – The left feared and hated Gingrich because he defended (like Reagan)conservatism and he defended it well, he was a man of ideas, and more often than not he defeated the left in the arena of ideas. The MSM controlled the narrative of all stories about him and he lost favor because of it. Learn this lesson – for me I will not allow thoes bastards to use this tactic aginst us anymore – THEY do not get to decide that one set of standards is o-k for their candidate, while another exists for mine. This goes for the elites in the GOP as well. Yeah, thanks alot Karl for your brillance in helping to support Arlen Spector for so long… how did that work out? Jackass.”
    “Anybody But”
    http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2010/09/14/anybody-but/#comments

43. Well Said Xiat….

44. The Castle vs. O’Donnell race in Delaware is a prime example of what has been wrong with the Republican Party for some time now. There is absolutely no doubt that Mike Castle is a RINO, and possibly even a Democrat running for the wrong party. He consistently voted along Democrat Party lines, including voting for Cap & Trade and against the Surge in Iraq.
    The argument that a right-of-center person should vote for him because he is “less worse” than the the Democrat candidate is pure nonsense. Why on earth would one vote for someone who mostly works & votes for the opposition?. This makes no sense. And all those GOP elitists – including a few at National Review – should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. ARE YOU LISTENING, DAVID FRUM?!?
    To be sure, Christine O’Donnell has an uphill fight ahead of her. Delaware is a left leaning blue state. But these mid-term elections are an interesting case and I do believe it’s possible for her to win. The fact that the corrupt Delaware GOP Party refuses to support her should signal just one thing to Republicans in that state: Fire the entire “leadership” there!

45. Good for them, liberal or democrat the same damn thing elites who use their power to ammass more power. What we need in Canada is a real choice, and hopefully we’ll see a slate of independant canadates who wish to represent the people of their constituency instead of being party lackies and party flunkies.

46. Great post, ‘nomdeblog’: I would add getting rid of the CRTC’s draconian hold on the media. Too much censorship and it needs revamping or dismantling.
    I am in complete agreement with defunding the BLOC. Good grief, they are not even a national party. Provincial only. WHAT provincial party has a national presence and a seat at the parlimentary table?
    The CBC is a cesspool of liberal bias and we could use the money elsewhere.
    Transfer payments are an outrage as are the HRC’s. NOW THAT is draconian statism in it’s purest forms.
    From your lips to Harper’s ear and the sooner the better.
    As for the Tea Party movement in the US. This is something it appears completely misunderstood not only by the Republican elite but any of us here in Canada. We had the Reform…sure. But it was a Western alienation issue.. borne of the inequality that IS Quebec and Ontario, et al.
    This is truly a rising up of the people and it will change everything.
    I don’t see anything close to the intensity of feeling here in Canada about the country itself. That strong feeling of ‘losing’ the country and her identity as a strong constitutional republic. Once that was seen and understood ( thank Fox News and Glenn Beck , Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and especially Rick Santelli who called for a TAX uprising …this was the beginning of the Tea Party and it grew from it’s own momentum.
    The establishment in the US , both Rep and Dem DO NOT understand this at all. Just look at the opposition to Christine O’Donnell in favour of Mike Castle, a RINO if there ever was one.
    As Sarah Palin said “the good ole boys network”. She fought that in Alaska. Fought her own party and won. One little lady fighting her own party and the dems and she won.
    This is lost on most people EXCEPT those who have embraced the Tea Party movement, who understand instintively that if they do not work to preserve their republic against all opposers, whatever stripe, they will lose something very valuable and irreplacable. As Ronald Reagan said: ” Once it is lost, it is lost forever. We are the last best hope of freedom. If not HERE, then where?”
    Indeed. I think we are watching this from our perch in Canada and in doing so we see what people are willing to do for their freedom and democracy. Some with envy. Some with resolve and some with evil intent to crush it and anything like it that might rise in Canada.
    This IS a socialist country and has been for decades. Most people do not think far enough to even realize THAT.
    If it were not for blogs like Kate’s, Kathy’s, Ezra’s and Mark’s, along with their tribulations run ins with the HRC and lawsuits, we would be even more ignorant of what is really needed.
    These and others are our heroes of conservatism in Canada. They need to be joined by thousands more of us.
    This is an object lesson we are watching play out in the US. If we galvanized one tenth of the enthusiasm and dedication we would not only have a majority government but would realize the laundry list of things that need to be done in ‘nomdeblog’s post in short order.

47. “What we need in Canada is a real choice, and hopefully we’ll see a slate of independant canadates who wish to represent the people of their constituency instead of being party lackies and party flunkies.”
    ~Rose
    The problem with independents is that they don’t add to party seat count because they’re independent.
    In Canada the party with the most seats…..forms the government.

48. The 9:00 – 9:30am segment of Dave Rutherford’s show he generally discussed how the Left in both Canada and the U.S. love to shut down our free speech whenever they can.
    I was so inspired that I sent him this letter:
    Dave,
    I very much enjoyed your segment on Sun TV News. The thing that hit home the most was how those on the Left shut down free speech here in Canada.
    In America this past year we’ve witnessed disgraceful attempts from Leftists to end dialogue by shouting “Racist”, “Bigot”, “Hater” at anyone who has a different political view than them. Thankfully, this strategy has backfired and the Tea Party has grown larger & stronger!
    I am 45 years old. For all of my adult life, the technique used by the Left here in Canada to shut down discussions has been to utter this simple phrase: “We don’t need your American style thinking here.” It’s simply code for all the highly charged words used by the Left down south. This constantly goes on publicly & privately all the time and has been very effective at stopping honest, open discussions in no time flat. It must absolutely come to an end.
    Robert W.
    Vancouver, BC
    P.S. The lyrics in this song by Krista Branch well capture what has been going on in the U.S.

49. May I add to Oz’s statement: independents are dependent on those who worked and gave their money to get them elected. There ain’t no free lunch.

50. “Come gather ’round people wherever you roam, and admit that the waters around you have grown.” – Bob Dylan.