In his first Conservative campaign ad…
“I’m a Democrat… a democratic politician right to the bottom of my feet and the top of my toes”.
In his first Conservative campaign ad…
“I’m a Democrat… a democratic politician right to the bottom of my feet and the top of my toes”.
Wow. He’s worse for them than McCain was for the Republicans.
Is there somewhere I can put money on “Iggy will resign on May 3rd?” (+/- 24hrs)
I’m betting this news scrum makes a point of discussion tomorrow on Roy Green.
And then gets replayed again on Monday’s Adler show.
One question.
Didn’t the media wait until the last days of the campaign last election before they tore into Dion?
The writ hasn’t even been dropped and already Iggy has bombed his first press conference.
I’d feel sorry for him, but he should have been better prepared. Why in the world did he ever expect the media would mouth his talking points?
Could it be that the media doesn’t appreciate it when a politician tries to use them and make it patently obvious.
They even warned him, pleaded with him, to just answer yes or no, one female journo (sounded like Taber, we really need to find out so we can email her and keep reminding her) even insisted that if he didn’t put this question to rest it will, not could, will dog him through the campaign.
Now this is something quite prescient, because it was Harper that said almost a year or more that the next election would be a choice between a conservative majority or an lsd* coalition.
*(liberal/separtist/democrat)
But again, I’ll stress this point, Iggy seems to have been given the impression that the Ottawa Press Gallery would treat him with kid gloves and never ask an awkward question. Somebody in their War room must be pulling their hair out.
I wonder if Bourque will have some pithy comment posted about what was overheard at Hy’s.
Perhaps the one about two lib party workers discussing whose leadership campaign they’ll be joining up with after the Seinfield election.
Is MI arrogant enough to ask the GG to form a coalition right now. There is at least 2 years left before there is a constitutional requirement to hold a election. Sounds crazy but we live in crazy times and nothing would surprise me.
mid island mike
When they don’t answer the question…..they have answered the question.
The best result in any event of the election would be for Ignatieff to get beat out in his own riding (don’t care by who).
It would be poetic justice to see that power hungry fascist’s plan totally backfire.
*Who’s on first?
Count Ignatieff: The Dodger.
Tabolo calls the game:
“Just after defeating the Harper government, Michael Ignatieff walked to the microphone in the Commons foyer, ready to begin his first campaign as leader of the Liberal Party
Unlike the other party leaders – Stephen Harper, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe – Mr. Ignatieff was surrounded by his entire team, and his female MPs were front and centre.”
>>> “But he also must address whether he would be involved in a coalition if the election produces another minority government. He stumbled out of the gate on Friday when asked where he stood on the issue.
He dodged, saying he is running to form a Liberal government.”
“Ignatieff to take team approach to campaign”
Count Ignatieff and his team: Down In the Mouth.
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/01258/web-ignatieff-g_1258573cl-3.jpg
…-
*Who’s on first:
“Abbott: Goofè Dean. Well, let’s see, we have on the bags, Who’s on first, What’s on second, I Don’t Know is on third…
Costello: That’s what I want to find out.
Abbott: I say Who’s on first, What’s on second, I Don’t Know’s on third.
Costello: Are you the manager?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: You gonna be the coach too?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: And you don’t know the fellows’ names?
Abbott: Well I should.
Costello: Well then who’s on first?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: I mean the fellow’s name.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy on first.”
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/humor4.shtml
Here’s a big what if. Stephen Harper has said that Canadians don’t want an election. Pretty much the three opposition leaders have parroted the same line and claim that they were forced to defeat the Gov’t. What would happen if MI went to the GG and with the still valid agreement in his hand asked the GG to allow the coalition to form Gov’t for the next two years. In some peoples minds this would be a solution the the problem of the election that nobody wants. What if the GG agreed and allowed the coalition to rule. Constitutional crisis anyone. Is MI stupid enough or desperate enough to try it. Jack & Gilles have nothing to lose. Jack has limited time left due to health issues and Gilles will always be leader until he decides to leave. We live in interesting times.
mid island mike
The man who was appointed as head of the Liberal Party actually utters the words “contempt for democracy”.
Plus I never thought I would see a grin that would out-rictus Paul Martin, but I just did.
“There’s a heel joke in there somewhere.”
Groucho Marx “Time wounds all heels”.
“Wonder is he will have a Skelly moment tomorrow, asking for a Mulligan? (posted by DanBC)
LOL. That’s all it sometimes takes. Why would Canadians relate to a party leader who doesn’t relate to Canadians and who appears to be uncomfortable in his OWN skin?
The black drapings have been hung out by no less than Warren Kinsella. He smells a repeat of the drubbing the libs got in 1984.
Tories thundered to a huge majority under Brian Mulroney.
He sees the same thing happening again.
When that election was called Tories were 22 points ahead. Almost the same alignment exists.
It was madness , he says libs think, for Iggy to want an election when your party is down 20 points or more. In for a penny, in for a pound!
This is the best chance for a clear Conservative majority I have seen in years. Perhaps since 1984.
Let’s hope they make the most of it and make a coalition move moot.
Maybe Mike, but Taliban Jack wants to be PM or co-PM with the Count from Harvard not third fiddle. Another thought, how could Duceppe join a government of Canada? It’s a concept he has nothing but contempt for except on payday. Maybe he would vote for more paydays, just a thought.
One question I would like to see put to Iggy is this:
“If the conservatives win another minority, and the NDP wins more seats than the Liberals, would you still form a coalition, and who would be it’s leader?”
Don’t get your hopes up too much. AM640 (most conservative talk radio station in Toronto) played only the last 20 seconds of the clip starting with “Don’t buy the Tory spin…”
Talk about cherry picking the quote. They completely ignored the other 3 minutes that made Iggy look like a buffoon. The Liberal Party of Toronto will remain in power of their base. We’re counting on the rest of the country outside of Quebec and Toronto (ROC) to make the right choice and save us from this madness.
This is fantastic stuff – use the coalition to force an election, then take a hearty public dump on them when the dirty work is done. The purging of the Sturmabteilung comes to mind.
This reminds me of the responses I get, when I ask any politician / member of my extended family… “Who will give me more freedom, who will allow me to keep more of the money I earn, who will allow me to remain more secure, who will roll back the nanny state that’s been constructed” ?
The response is always bullshit. I want to hit them with something so they don’t lie to me anymore. I want to live in a country where the politicos are limited in what they can do to me. I don’t ever want to know what they say they are going to do for me. Everything they do FOR ME, costs more money. What are their spending limits? How about a “proposition 13” for all government in Canada?
I’m far, far, far too sick of it all.
And here in Alberta, we’re likely to have a provincial election within the year as well. We have liberals in Edmonton, that call themselves Progressive Conservatives. I haven’t heard a word I agree with them about, in more than a decade. Ralph’s second term actually.
since then, it’s been bullshit, and more spending, more rules for everyone, more control, and less freedom.
I fully expect that world events will overtake us. Canadian issues will pale in contrast to what is happening in the Middle East, finaicial woes in places like Portugal, and even physical crises — we have not seen the end of earthquakes. In such a context, I think people do not want change — they want stability. This will work in favour of Conservatives. This would be a grim way to win power, but I think it is a realistic prognosis as so many things are on the brink of collapse.
Mansbridge and the CBC whitewashed the whole thing, Iffy’s undenial denial doesn’t exist in Mansbridge’s world.
If that was Harper, it would be repeated ad nauseum.
FIRE.THEM.ALL.
I don’t see why the future of Canada is any of our business. We should stop asking Count Iggy annoying questions. He’s better than us, you know.
to Mike @ 10:39
My understanding of the “coalition” is that it is formally between the NDP and the Liberals. The BQ would stand outside the government but would “support” them.
As the BQ are not part of the political bloc that would form the government, their seat count does not count toward the government. Therefore the NDP/Liberal amalgamation would not have the highest seat count and therefore traditionally could not form the government. Thus an election.
If the BQ were to be part of the government, I predict it would destroy the NDP and Liberals for at least a generation or two as everyone would remember that they sold out Canada to by Quebec overtly (as opposed to the Cons and Liberals trying to by Quebec votes with our money).
Ignatieff really needs to learn how to smile…. so does Harper, but not as much.
Poor Iggy is f**ked.
Day one of the (unofficial, until tomorrow morning) campaign, and I’m sick of him already. You can be sure that a lot of Liberal supporters – who themselves might well be interested in finding out if he intends to form a coalition government in the event of another Conservative minority – are also embarrassed by his condescending, unaccountable attitude.
He was asked a perfectly straightforward question, a hugely important one – the most important one, realistically – and he acted exasperatedly in a patrician, almost sneering way, like he was too smart to answer such dumb questions.
“I’m in politics. I’ve been a Liberal since I was seventeen…I am here with this team of proud Canadians..
“I’ve answered that question in the past…”
“On the abstract constitutional principle, ask the Governor General…
By the time he’d finished gassing on, all he’d really said was: “I don’t have to answer to you, you silly person, and I’m not required to answer to the Canadian people. I am a member of the ruling elite; I’m here to take over the reins of government, not to answer your silly questions.”
As several of the reporters suggested, the question will be asked again and again, and will dog him every day, until he actually answers it.
I hope he doesn’t answer it; I hope this kind of sorry and revolting display continues throughout the campaign.
One more thing: did anyone notice how the pack of Liberal candidates standing behind him looked kinda’…sneaky?
There’s just something wrong with that picture. For one thing, *why are they all standing there*?
The Liberals had a number of options in addressing the whole coalition question, but the Ignore-the-question strategy is the dumbest one possible.
Ignatief’s two realistic options were:
1) Reject the possibility of a coalition, unless the Liberals win the most seats. Really this is the only intelligent option as it respects voters.
2) Embrace the possibility of a coalition. Run on it and let the chip fall where they may. An honest strategy, albeit a losing one.
But Ignatief has come up a third option: obfuscate, hide, hope the questions stop. Is he serious? This is dishonest and disrespectful to the voter. If by Monday, he has not embraced options 1) or 2) above, I predict the Liberal meltdown and a 4th place finish in this election.
EBD, you make good points, but you missed one thing. That coalition question, from Tonda MacCharles of the Toronto Star, was actually intended as a softball. She was trying to give the Igster an opportunity to answer, in friendly territory, a question that was sure to come up.
It’s just mind-boggling that he didn’t have a carefully prepared answer for that question.
EBD >
“why are they all standing there?”
Something about guilt by association I would think. Much like any criminal enterprise everyone has to be present and accounted for in some capacity with the others, to avoid deniability or “turning rat” later.
Really, this is surprising. Everyone has got to think that some sort of coalition is on after the shenanigans of January 2009. The only ones who won’t admit it have some official position in the Liberal party.
Rick: I agree. The coalition thing is Kryptonite now. I don’t know if there will be a Meltdown, but if the Libs get pounded enough in the early going, the focus of the campaign could shift to why the NDP is polling in second place.
OTOH, if the Libs hang on, and the press gets bored, things could change. A week is an eternity in politics, and we have five of them left. A little too early to proclaim victory…
After watching that spectacle, seppuku seems somewhat less gory, certainly less painful and rather more politically humane.
This guy is absolutely going to try for a coalition. Truly, it is a sure frickin’ thing.
I strongly hope the CPC campaign reflects this.
Regarding the Liberals charge of contempt of Parliament that has terminated this government, the CPC should be stating that they were not showing contempt for Parliament but rather contempt for the opposition whom they have tried to work with for the last five years. Secondly didn’t MI show contempt to the voters of this country when he refused to answer the question and the went on to say “I’m a Democrat…”Somebody in the press corps should have pointed out that in Canada we don’t have Democrats, Conservatives, Liberals, NEW Democrats (Dippers), and Seperatistes. If he’s a Democrat he should have stayed in America with his Harvard buddy!!!!
Frigging slime balls!!! First the coalition cooks up a phony “you gave me too much to read and handed it to me in a contemptuous way therefore you’re guilty of contempt of parliament.
Next, with the bloody world in a melt down, soldiers in harms way in a new and very smelly Libya mess, these toad eaters call a federal election.
I hope that Mini-Marx gets constipated from the pain pills and that the Liebrals get destroyed by the electorate!!
Not that I have an opinion.
Iggy et al decided to ring this bell thinking they’ll have time to frame the campaign before Sun News gets on the air. What a surprise [you can see it gradually dawn on him] it must be now that the MSM aren’t shilling for him as “expected”
The Sun news line-up will shred Iggy and the coalition and all else they dream up [Green shaft II? ]
IMHO, the Libs badly wanted an election and provoked it so they can get rid of MI as leader. Good budget, Conservatives doing a stellar job on the economy, so no reason otherwise.
CJ (1:29 am), I’m not going to defend The Star or their reporters – shocka! – but the reporter’s question (I’ll take your word here that it was Tonda McCharles, because I don’t know) was *clearly* – as in, self-evidently – NOT a softball question. A softball question is one that is designed to allow the person being asked the question to speak at length about something in his proverbial wheelhouse that he’s just itching to speak about. The question McCharles asked was – if you consider Ignatieff’s and the LPC-crony media’s silence on the issue over the last year or so – the exact opposite of that: it was a pointed and (clearly) discomfort-inducing question, and – as his ‘answer’ demonstrated – THE question that he and the LPC would most like to elide/avoid during the upcoming election campaign.
It was commendable journalism, IMO. If it *was* (and the possibility has to be at least considered, based on the OPG’s past performances) some sort of colluded set-piece, or some forwarder-than-forward-thinking end-game political chess move designed to obviate the efficacy of the question in the upcoming campaign, including in the leaders’ debates, it was a complete failure, because it made Ignatieff look very, very bad.
It’s my opinion that McCharles was actually pissed, and felt dissed, and that other members of the gallery shared her frustration. If Ignatieff’s obvious discomfort and circumlocution and the snotty peevishness of his response wasn’t enough to prove that it wasn’t a softball question, the reporter’s *clearly* aggravated, and annoyed, and raised tone of voice in her follow-up question to Ignatieff’s “I can’t be clearer than that” —
— seals the deal for me.
I assume that even left-leaning reporters don’t like being brushed off and bullshitted and condescended to. And it’s a near dead-certainty that there are NDP-leaning journalists out there who dislike the NDP’s bitter rivals in the LPC. Why wouldn’t they?
“Looks like the writs hit the fan!”
Priceless!
Let me fix that headline for you?
Politician hits the rail
“I’m a Democrat… a democratic politician right to the bottom of my feet and the top of my toes”.
So while Michael Ignatieff may have a heart for Canada, his sole is clearly still in the USA…
Watching CTV this morning they are reporting that Iffy has repeatedly stated there is no coalition, I guess they didn’t watch that clip? Well there you have it Liberal CTV has spoken now go crawl back into your hovels peasants. I can’t believe how hard the media is working to coverup for Iffy’s blunders.
The Liberal Twinkle Toes / Polkka Dot Door/ Coalition / Sienfeld / Liberal leadership / $300 million dollar wasteful unnecessary election!
Ewww….Iggy just made me think about his feet.
Ohh and check out Iggy’s nice humble expression between 1:48 to 1:51….If he keeps that up the eye rolling is just going to feed the arrogant image.
You can’t train that out of someone in a 5 week campaign. Watch for more of it if things dont go well….it will go from bad to worse.
I know it has already been said, but…
Given that Iggy has for months stated his intention to bring the government down, and Harper has not hidden his agenda to use the coalition question, you would think that the masterminds of the LPC would have prepped Iggy to answer the question?
If he is that unprepared it either means the LPC have nothing or that they think they will not be asked hard questions.
Here’s the video, tweaked with play-by-play action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAw2rMJp_xI
Smith @ 3:49 — Good point. The people who really own the LPC, Desmarais family et al, may see this as the time to clear out the interlopers at the leadership level, purge the constituencies after the election and put the LPC back into their hip pocket where they figure it belongs. What better way than to send it into a disastrous election campaign while keeping their people LOB.
Why doesn’t he just lie, and say “absolutely no coalition”. Then when he loses to a minority Conservative win, resign like he would anyway, and the new guy forms a coalition.
I shouldn’t give them ideas.
Iggula; Fearless leader of the liberal intelliduncia. What a jack-ass. Remember the EH 101’s people, think about our men and women flying around in Amelia Earhardts rejected Seakings because of lieberals. The fighter jets cost money, think where Canada could be if we had not had all those years of money stealing lieberals under Cretin.
“I’m a Democrat… a democratic politician right to the bottom of my feet and the top of my toes”.
Obama is a “democrat” too so careful Iggy, you are up here in Canada right now…He’s like a guy with too many girl friends, in this case too many allegiances and get names mixed up 😉
…And he also went to that prestigious Harvard, just like his friend Barry…You can tell from his above quote how those two are so superior to the average North American intellect.
Barry the globalist also digs coalitions…He’s working overtime on bringing the US into a world coalition that the voters did not ask for…Freedom, independence and Democracy is for peasants you know!
Iggy, just like Barry is a plant from the globalists like George Soros thus Iggy is a traitor with a secret agenda that goes way beyond this opposition coalition. (IMO)
—————————-
“Interesting. I never thought to see this up on the CBC. A full “broadside” by the canadian media on the Liberal leader!!!”
I have notice of late that the CBC is more balanced????
Is it just me?…Could it have to do that they are to receive additional funds? (Which I’m pissed off at) or is it in preparation for SUN NEWS and they don’t want to look too obviously different (Bias more exposed) and/or afraid of the repercussions from an angry Harper if they attack the CPC as much as they did in the past elections?
Iffy has said this morning that a coalition is legitimate, but he only wants to form a Liberal government?
Again, Iffy obfuscates, but a little different from yesterday.
Weasel!
Liberal Count Ignatieff, aka Zero, aka 0.
Iggy’s first word to Canadians: bawjourrrrr…
Je suis a Democrat.
…-
“Le Devoir/Léger Marketing poll:
Ontario: CPC 41%, LIB 31%, NDP 19%, GRN 7%
Le Devoir/Léger Marketing poll:
Quebec: BLOC 39%, CPC 22%, LIB 18%, NDP 16%, GRN 4%
Le Devoir/Léger Marketing poll:
Canada: CPC 39%, LIB 23%, NDP 19%, GRN 7%”
http://www.newswatchcanada.ca/
What a moron.
Today after Harper announced the election, Iggy declared in a statement there will be no coalition, but will work issue by issue with other parties, ie a coalition.