The Republicans were warned. Now, they’re being retired. (link fixed)
“That’s the Establishment’s worst nightmare: Irrelevance.”
More headlines at Drudge.
Plus – Bill Buckley’s magazine gets letters.
Maybe it is because of the circles you run in, but I don’t think you understand how angry people are in the country. It was an absolute insult to Republican voters to take someone as awful as Castle and expect the rank and file to vote for him just so Jim DeMint can be majority leader. Republican voters played that game in the 00s. And swallowed their principles and voted for lousy candidates in the name of keeping Democrats out. Well no more. That is the fallout of the 00s. Yeah, people want to get rid of the Democrats. But they are not going to do it if doing so means putting the same garbage that gave us Abramoff and the rest of the 04-06 Congress. And if that offends the delicate sensibilities of NRO and the Republican pundit establishment, well sometimes life is like that. And you better get used to it. Because the days of people like Castle winning in this party are over.
If only there were some sort of technology that could carry political developments in the US to our own Conservative Party headquarters.
How can there be anything like a Tea Party in Canada when the left wing zombie vote has remained at a reliable 60% minimum for decades.
jim303
Sorry. It’s not the leftie 60% that concern us. It’s the increasing betrayal of those who claim to lead the conservative 40%
At his best Harper had grudging respect, an aura of effectiveness, and the impression that he was in control.
That was 2 years ago.
He now looks like another grasping politician rapidly losing control of the situation, reacting rather then acting. He seems to have no real goals except keeping power.
Bring on the flames… those who have seen me post here for the last few years know that I am as pro-Canada, pro-West, anti-liberal, anti-socialist, and anti-nanny state as they come.
I am not going to jump on PMSH until I see what happens prior to an election. The left is in perpetual agitation about issues like the census and gun control. The anti-registry outpoll registry even in the cities by about 10%. As they try to defend something people don’t want as in Obamacare, it doesn’t always go too well.
People see waste in the registry and the census. The people that rant and rave don’t care but the people that pay taxes do.
I’ve been enjoying the politicallt correct op-eds stating that the tea party victory here or there has made the republican candidate unelectable.
I think many commentators are too busy cocktailing with the chattering classes and are ignorant, detached, divorced from, regular joe americans.
So many great posts above.
But, it does get discouraging watching what appears to be a slow slide to the “Progressive” Joe Who thinking.
It would be nice to get more than a few crumbs for once.
well…as far as i can see the last best hope…the only prescription for the ills you all attest are endemic in the olde Dominion is the election of PMSH with a majority government…
so why all the bitching carping and complaining ?
you…me…them…have no choice but to move that devoutly to be wished consumation forward into fact….i’m as sure as i am about anything that PMSH will bring us to a promised land of sorts…ONCE he holds indisputable control over Parliament and federal policy……
anyway…whaddaya have to lose?
Cjunk and all others with complaints re the PMO.
Why waste invective? You are literally attacking the mediocrities in their strongest bastion, and all you are likely to accomplish – despite your excellent criticisms – is to produce a laugh among the clowns running the show.
Likewise, the comments about Canada as a country long possessing a socialist sentiment may be true but ulitmately is irreleveant. When the Americans rose up against the British, a contemporary observer estimated that, at best 1 out of 3 American colonists had an interest in independence. But that 1 out of 3 determined the course of the 13 colonies, even though their course meant war and privation for all! Why did they succeed? Did they, just maybe, work harder than everyone else, and ultimately, persuaded a majority for independence? They started their revolt at the local level.
Consider what Ron says about local politics. Isn’t he absolutely right?
Couldn’t the CPC come to power, if concerned citizens got involved at the LOCAL level, in a sustained way?
Although it doesn’t have the drama of Federal politics, at a minimum, a very little local involvement by concerned citizens would screen out a huge number of mediocrities, who always are the drag holding back real change.
To see a great example of how local activists control national politics, look at the success of the environmentalists. Why did environmentalists gain such a hold on Federal policy, when they initially represented only a rather small minority position? Go take a look at local politics, and you will see the answer: a huge proportion of the left parties’ footsoldiers are environmentalists. The first step on the ladder leading to Federal candidacy is success at the local level, and success at the local level is impossible without footsoldiers to run the mundane campaign operations.
If there was more local involvement, Cjunk, in addition to criticism of the Federals, wouldn’t the rank and file slowly revolt, and the checks you refer to slowly dry up?
As local politics go, so go Federal politics. The odds may seem long, but they always have been long for reformers.
CERDIP at 6:55 “I’m running for councillor in my municipality ward, nominated last week. Most of what we are talking about in this thread is way above municipal politics, but one has to start somewhere, I guess.”
That’s fantastic, God Bless you and good luck. Don’t forget that’s where Sarah Palin started , who knows you might end up being a gazillionaire on Fox North.
Moreover all politics is personal so municipal is where it’s at and where it should have stopped for many (thinking Layton and Chow). I just got back from canvassing for my Council candidate in Toronto and what you hear at the door is both gratifying and terrifying ( in the sense of how people can at the same time be pro more bike lanes that block traffic but against making the TTC an essential service so that it can’t strike and prevent those strikes from completely gridlocking Toronto).
So just to get back on topic, Ottawa needs to get out of the way and we need to keep more money locally. We need better politicians ( I sense CERDIP would be a massive improvement) at City Hall who can be trusted not to give all our tax money to government unions.
Did Tim Hudak sign the “open letter”?
Did Red-Green McGuinty endorse Red-Green Smitherman?
Depends.
…-
“Tories back Smitherman
Toronto Star – John Goddard – 15 minutes ago
Former provincial Liberal cabinet minister George Smitherman, trying to stop the Rob Ford mayoral juggernaut, has attracted endorsements from high-profile Tories, including Mike Harris-era cabinet ministers.
Prominent Tories sign open letter for Smitherman Globe and Mail
Tories Give Smitherman The Thumbs-Up CityNews”
(googlenews)
http://www.bluelikeyou.com/2010/09/15/the-ndp-party-of-toronto/#comment-89882
@small c
Yup. “All politics is local”. Not sure if that quote is supposed to be grammatcially correct or not, but anyway.
Anyone in the Clarington area (yes, the place where the guy was railroaded by muni enforcement) here on SDA that wants to get involved at the muni level and volunteer to help me out, send me email – ken.finney@gmail.com.
For all those who have a problem with what the CPC is doing, I’ve just one question – what do you propose?
I think there’s an elastic relationship that federal conservative governments in Canada necessarily need to have with their supporters. When they stretch it too far, we get the Reform Party. I was a huge Reformer and believe it was a necessary step to put us back on a better track, but can we honestly say that we’re at that stage again where we need to sit on our hands?
The whole “Harper-as-a-control-freak” theme just doesn’t resonate with me. Without some kind of party unity (SOME control, some unity in messaging) how do you propose a national conservative party combat the leftist media? For Pete’s sake, they’re calling the CPC an extreme right-wing party!
Just my $0.02.
Maz “has attracted endorsements from high-profile Tories, including Mike Harris-era cabinet ministers.”
Yup I just got an email from Isabel “the chattering class” Bassett who has never been on the Red Rocket… ahem, at least not in public. Yup that crowd is anti-Ford because Ford is anti establishment; i.e. Ford is shaking up the old PC Billy Brampton utopian la la land they all live in. The more they go after Ford the more we realize he is definitely the enfant terrible we have to get in there to bust up the conflicts of interest (to put it nicely and not get sued).
Don’t forget the Ontario conservatives are the “Progressive” Conservatives. The common sense revolution stopped with Mike Harris, we need to whip it up again, maybe start a Trillium Party.
PS (CERDIP you should go see the new small business guys out there, like the car dealers, they’ll support what you have been saying here, they pay big real estate taxes only to see governments bailout auto companies and unions)
Give Harper a break. I support him because he is a conservative at heart but stuck in a minority position surrounded by socialists.
The criticism he’s getting are from impatient conservatives for not doing enough to push a conservative agenda and from intolerant leftards who feel their entitlement infrastructure is about to be dismantled. They both keep forgetting that we are in a minority position here and both can’t happen.
The Liberal public relations arm, the CBC, The Star and most other media outlets keep trashing him while letting the idiot Iffy off with a pass.
No wonder they are close in the polls.
It’s going to be a real downer for the MSM, Iffy and leftards when Canada is given a seat on the NSC at the UN – what will they say then, Iggy might be the next PM so they gave it to us or that Harper is respected on the world stage and they felt Canada’s input would be valuable because since Harper came on board Canada has upped the stakes and shown the world we can deliver and are willing to carry the responsibilities that are expected from our Allies. None of this “soft power shit”!!
Go ahead bash Harper – the people doing it are wrong and shortsighted.
Now that it will be O’Donnell facing off against Democrat Chris Coons, Democrats are breathing a little easier.
Within hours of the race being called, two top nonpartisan political handicappers changed their rating of how the Delaware Senate election might go.
The Rothenberg Political Report moved the race from “Lean Republican” to “Lean Democrat.” On Wednesday morning, the Cook Political Report changed its rating from “Likely Republican” to “Likely Democrat.”
“Castle had broad appeal, including to independents and even Democratic voters, while O’Donnell’s appeal is limited to Tea Party conservatives. Lacking an impressive resume and unlikely to garner significant national Republican support, O’Donnell clearly looks like an underdog against New Castle County Executive Chris Coons (D), who is suddenly transformed to the favorite in the general election,” the Rothenberg Report said. “While Tea Party activists are jumping for joy at the primary results, it’s Democrats who will have the last laugh in Delaware.”
Castle had broad appeal because he was bought and paid for by Soros in a largely Dem state. His voting record speaks for itself, Cap & Trade – yay: for Obamacare: yay; repeal Obamacare – nay.
Might as well be a Dem in that seat – no loss if they lose, but a huge win if O’Donnell pulls it off. She will be not short of money as the GOP topped her funds to the max and Rush sent out a “send O’Donnell a dollar” on his show today which crashed her web site. She will be able to vote the next day after the election as this was Biden’s seat so the winner is in the Senate the next day due to a special election to replace the VP.
I agree with Ron about our PM.
And thanks all for the positive feedback.
Intellectual conservatism is to conservative populism what Captain Picard is to Captain Kirk.
There’s a time to read Shakespeare and there’s a time to hit on the hot green alien chick and kill every Klingon in sight.