04.29.2010 12:51 PM

Holy rookie mistake, Batman!

For the first time that I can remember, Mr. Angry has been the first politician to invoke the “E” word.  So much for his ever-helpful “unnecessary election” talking points.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

If there is an election, the Libs/NDP/Bloc should save that headline: it’ll help to remind everyone, in a paid campaign, who is really to blame.

UPDATE: Who says PMO doesn’t watch this web site?  They got on the blower to CTV to complain, and the headline was changed!  (Should’ve got a screen cap – I wonder if Kevin Bosch did?)

UPDATER: Never mind.  I did it myself.  You’re welcome.

28 Comments

  1. smelter rat says:

    THAT’s what Harpo wants to call an election on? The supremacy of parliament over the PMO? Bring it on.

  2. Michael Harkov says:

    “If there is an election, the Libs/NDP/Bloc…………………..”
    ================
    Hmmm, Libs/NDP/Bloc, eh? Is that a misnomer for “coalition?” 😉

  3. Tceh says:

    What? no prorogue this time?

  4. Robbie says:

    I’m watching various animated versions of Humpty Dumpty on You Tube with my two year old twins while reading your blog on split screen. This one sums up Mr Angry’s predicament http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqiAKiGJcZ8&feature=related

  5. Eugene Parks says:

    he is at 30% and branded as a banana republic type leader… and now he is desparate

    • Paul R. Martin says:

      According to the famous pollster Frank Graves, the Conservatives are at 31.9% and the Liberals are at 26.6%. Would Graves recommend that the Liberals force an election if they are barely above 25%?

      • Warren says:

        Write him and ask him, and let the rest of us know what he says.

      • Tceh says:

        It appears Graves has caused the Conservatives to get on the “Everyone is against me” theme which is really a load of codswallop. I guess it’s human nature for this type of paranoia to kick in when that is all you have left to explain your weakening support.

        Nevertheless, the polling firms are all over the place in terms of which way they lean and which party they favour. Léger Marketing and EKOS actually stand up well compared to the other Pollsters although that doesn’t fit the Conservative story very well and will be ignored by them.

        –From Threehundredeight.com–

        The top pollster for the Conservatives is Ipsos-Reid, which tends to poll them 3.5 points higher than other pollsters. The worst for the Conservatives is Harris-Decima, 2.4 points below average.

        The top pollster for the Liberals is Environics, which tends to poll them 3.2 points higher. The worst for the Liberals is Angus-Reid, which polls them 2.1 points lower than the others.

        For the NDP, the best pollster is Angus-Reid, 1.7 points higher than average. The worst are Ipsos-Reid and Environics, 2.2 points lower than average.

        And for the Greens, the best pollster is the Strategic Counsel, 2.3 points higher than average. The worst is Angus-Reid, 2.2 points lower than average.

        Léger Marketing and EKOS seem to be the pollsters with the fewest outliers. Léger Marketing doesn’t have a variation of more than one point, while EKOS doesn’t have one of more than 1.5 points.

        From: http://threehundredeight.blogspot.com/2010/03/polling-firm-leanings-update.html

        • Eugene Parks says:

          When people are desparate to say it’s 32% and not 30% you know they are really really worried. He’s below 1/3 which means he is exposed. At least 25 seats, say around 10% of the HoC, up for grabs. A self-respecting party would take that seriously.

  6. Connoisseur says:

    For a guy who says he knows hockey, he obviously missed the game last night..recap for you Steve: the Canadiens (the team no one believed in) sent the mighty Capitals packing !! Take that as a sign…

    Vive le Bleu, Blanc, Rouge!

  7. Scott Tribe says:

    I’ve said before, there must be something pretty damaging to Harper and the CPC in those documents that he would rather have an election and bank on getting a majority government so he can shut down these investigations, then just comply with the Speakers ruling.

  8. Ted says:

    Yesterday in QP, the Conservatives used the words “Adscam” and “coalition” over a dozen times apparently.

    With such a huge loss and strong rebuke from Miliken, being forced to show their hand on abortion, with more and more revelations about Conservative cabinet minister dealings with Jaffer and now threatening an election, sounds like they are getting desperate.

    Sounds like they are ramping things up to DefCon6 over at party headquarters:

    DefCon1 – it’s a non story
    DefCon2 – blame the media
    DefCon3 – blame the Liberals
    DefCon4 – blame a bureaucrat or provincial premier
    DefCon5 – blame a staffer
    DefCon6 – start talking about Adscam, coalitions, broken GST promises and the NEP

    • Ted says:

      And by “DefCon”, of course I mean “DefendConservatives”.

    • Warren says:

      You’re a genius. I love that. I will now steal it.

      • Ted says:

        Be my welcome guest to do so.

        • Bubba says:

          It is totally up to the opposition PMSH will ask for confidence and if not given it will be election time. The opposition have the majority they control when the election will happen. Its math The opposition has controlled the whole situation. They could have pulled the plug any time.

          • smelter rat says:

            Run along Bubba, the adults are talking.

          • Scott Tribe says:

            If he does that, “Bubba”, it’s just Harper again trying to avoid being held accountable by Parliament. Another example of him cut and running when the going gets tough. He did it with prorogation twice, he did it when he broke his own election law.. and this would be another instance.

  9. JH says:

    Watch how fast the the NDP and the Libs go to the old ‘we want to make parliament work’ fall back position, if Harper starts down the election road. Two of them are scared spitless he’ll do just that.
    No guts – no glory

    • Scott Tribe says:

      Turning this into some macho game is typical of you Conservatives.

      Andrew Coyne at Macleans said this:

      It is impossible to believe the government could be so reckless. The means of addressing its national security concerns have always been available to it. That it has refused to engage the opposition on these raises two distinct scenarios. Either it is simply too bloody-minded to give an inch to its political foes, on whatever matter, or the documents contain something truly awful, so scalding to the national conscience that it would be prepared to go to almost any length to suppress them. Either, that is, it is behaving completely irrationally, in a way that can only be harmful to its own best interests. Or it is behaving all too rationally.

      It says something when it doesnt bother Conservative supporters that they are flaunting the rules and will of Parliament and are covering up documents that may show they’ve authorized some pretty bad stuff.

  10. Derek Lipman says:

    Paul R. Martin:

    Forget the polls. Contrary to folklore, Harper is a terrible campaigner, and the Conservative caffeine crew will find ways to screw things up. Don’t underestimate the large number of people out there who do not like this government. The NDP and Greens will bleed support. We should not be afraid of an election. Never.

    • parnel says:

      Absloutely agree with that. lets go get them. I would assume Donolo has more campaign stuff organized than Dion ‘s team did and thye certainly have more money.

  11. kt says:

    The article title has changed, but the url is still the same. So much for damage control via web savy.

  12. Anne Peterson says:

    I know the NDP candidate in my riding will win so I will vote for him. But if I lived in the south somewhere where I thought the Liberal candidate might win I would jump ship and vote for him or her. I am an old dyed-in-the-wool social democrat but more than anything in the world, I want Harper out of our lives. And I don’t think I am alone in thinking this way.

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