We're having an election, too!

Awww ... isn't that cute. The Canuckistans are playing pretend and having an election like us.

 

It doesn't even count as real politics. It's Sports and News politics.

 

Point of order: he was kicked out of the Liberals.

 

That riding is rather loyal to its incumbent. MacKay would have to quit politics to lose that seat.

 

Ya figure? It's hard to tell the way Ontarians think these days and I honestly don't read enough news from out that way. Everyone out here is Harper, Harper, Harper -- no way in hell they're going to vote for a French guy.

 

Jeffrey Simpson of the Globe has a proper response when asked about the "Eastern media " during an online Q & A today:

Jason Schmidt, Saskatoon: I believe Mr. Harper should win a majority. He's the best prime minister Canada has had since Trudeau — even though they were from different parties.

But I fear the Eastern media is going to do everything it can to defeat the Conservatives. What do you say to that?

Jeffrey Simpson: Jason, I say that's complete and utter baloney.

Every since I became a journalist, Conservatives, Reformers and the Canadian Alliance have always blamed the "eastern media" for their problems. But when they win, as they did in 1984, 1988 and 2006, where did the "eastern media" bogeyman go?

Who are the "eastern media" anyway. Yes, the Toronto Star is proudly Liberal. But the Sun newspaper chain? The National Post? The CanWest papers that Jason presumably reads in Saskatoon and Regina. CTV, Am Radio? Get a life.

The Globe endorsed the Conservatives in the last campaign and the Liberals in 2004.

But editorial endorsements count for nothing in determining how people vote and what the editorial board of The Globe thinks and does has zero impact on how the news is covered or what a columnist such as myself writes.

The most level-headed political columnist in Canada almost blows a gasket. Good stuff.

 

To my liberal friends in Canada, keep an eye on your flags.
Seriously, I'm curious to find out what politics are like up north? Do the parties try and make the other side seem unCanadian?

 

All this time, I thought the loser of the U.S. presidential race gets to run Canada as a consolation prize.

So, wait, there's no Prime Minister Kerry?

 

This is why I like parliamentary politics. If you decide that you have no confidence in the governing body, you just disband it and start over again.

And it only takes six weeks, not six seasons! That's some true patriot love right there.

 

The idea of being unCanadian is ludicrous since most of us have never figured out what it is to be Canadian. It's an ongoing debate.

It will be (compared to the American campaign) relatively vitriolic-free.

PM Harper is a scary guy: a total control freak who will determine the message and will keep his ministers totally under wrap. The TV ads don't even mention the party. They are trying to focus in on the warm fuzzy side of Harper.

Stephan Dion is a French speaking policy wonk whose English is, well, pretty bad and comes off as the class nerd.

Ultimately, as someone said, it will come down to who you have your faith in: the personality of Harper or the strength of the Liberal brand.

The Liberals have always been the party of the minorities and the immigrants because, quite frankly, the Conservatives (and before them, the Progressive Conservatives) have been seen as the slightly less radical version of the Republicans: smug middle-aged white business men.

Because there are four parties (well, the Green doesn't count), I still think a Conservative majority is possible but unlikely. There are too many people who don't like Harper's iron hand way of governing.

But that's just me--being an eternally optimistic Liberal.