tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post3628531853411364865..comments2023-10-22T09:18:16.885-04:00Comments on Far and Wide: StuckSteve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-30704422169237110902010-04-25T23:43:28.689-04:002010-04-25T23:43:28.689-04:00To early for black flies.To early for black flies.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-4385558016612379752010-04-23T12:45:55.907-04:002010-04-23T12:45:55.907-04:00Say hello to the black flies for me!
Bzzzzz...Say hello to the black flies for me!<br />Bzzzzz...Omarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12058734544373976550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-81022774931665801742010-04-23T00:44:02.443-04:002010-04-23T00:44:02.443-04:00Steve,
I couldn't get in on the above thread....Steve,<br /><br />I couldn't get in on the above thread.<br /><br />Have a good camping trip, and enjoy the time with your son.<br /><br />They grow up so fast.Gallahadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07080769095519829015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-56282398518634789362010-04-22T23:23:29.092-04:002010-04-22T23:23:29.092-04:00you are starting to sound like another nut that ha...<i>you are starting to sound like another nut that hangs around and bugs Steve about his over-indulgence in poll tracking. (that clutters-up an otherwise decent blog)</i><br /><br />It needs to be said. The problem reveals itself on election day or with other matters that rely on opinion (such as the state of the economy in terms of consumer confidence shortly before a catastrophic economic collapse that *no one* saw coming) and we find out how disastrously wrong everyone has been.<br /><br />We make better decisions for ourselves when we're less concerned with what others are doing. And when we make better decisions for ourselves, we make better decisions in aggregate.Ti-Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06620550471437012866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-28377052580338867572010-04-22T22:56:41.055-04:002010-04-22T22:56:41.055-04:00LOL. Hey, looks like Spector was a flyer, cuz Kor...LOL. Hey, looks like Spector was a flyer, cuz Kory came prepared to swamp Graves this afternoon. Classless move.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-56222689728463829792010-04-22T22:27:42.293-04:002010-04-22T22:27:42.293-04:00Ti-Guy
you are starting to sound like another nut ...Ti-Guy<br />you are starting to sound like another nut that hangs around and bugs Steve about his over-indulgence in poll tracking. (that clutters-up an otherwise decent blog)<br /><br />"The only thing these polls do is determine the limits of "acceptable" opinion, which is another way of just telling the public to think a particular way because everyone else is."<br /><br />look outNorthern PoVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04670080478290108536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-54199146289919340982010-04-22T19:34:51.977-04:002010-04-22T19:34:51.977-04:00The Opposition Party leading the party in power in...The Opposition Party leading the party in power in between elections is the exception not the rule.<br /><br />The fact it has happened twice since this gang got elected in 2006 is the result of two honeymoons for the Liberal leaders corresponding with serious political missteps by Mr. Harper.<br /><br />That is not likely to happen again before the next election (hopefully) so we should not be surprised that the Liberals are trailing the Conservatives.<br /><br />Certainly Liberals would prefer if they were above the 30% mark but if that were the case the Conservatives would probably be above the 35% mark.<br /><br />Instead the Conservatives find themselves mired in the 30 range four years into government. With each passing day it will become more difficult for the Conservatives to push that number upwards as more and more Canadians become fatigued by their government.<br /><br />Mr. Ignatieff is doing exactly what he is supposed to be doing. He is attacking the government on its many scandals while introducing policy and beginning to delineate himself and the Liberal Party from Mr. Harper and the Conservatives.<br /><br />This will not pay dividends now. The Liberals can forget about gaining any lasting "traction" before the next election. They might close the gap a little more and conversely the Conservatives might open a slightly bigger lead but in both cases they will short-lived.ottlibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12695135535019042279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-52588146332275593482010-04-22T15:45:11.066-04:002010-04-22T15:45:11.066-04:00I believe this is Harper's last election, barr...<i>I believe this is Harper's last election, barring a majority.</i><br /><br />After four kicks at the can as leader and still no majority, you can count on that. Even if he hangs on after a narrow win, the leadership challenges will be out in the open. They won't give him a 5th chance. That's why I think Harper is dangerous now, this is his political survival at stake; as the other elections were an aggregation of his popularity to win a majority.Tof KWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15756310841374198056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-21892882863954630972010-04-22T15:24:51.263-04:002010-04-22T15:24:51.263-04:00If the Libs can shave off 20-25 Con seats in the n...If the Libs can shave off 20-25 Con seats in the next election, Harper's mandate reduced significantly, that alone should fuel the fractures behind this united front veneer. I believe this is Harper's last election, barring a majority.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-21553954948095048202010-04-22T14:54:47.232-04:002010-04-22T14:54:47.232-04:00I know that day is coming, and I will enjoy every ...<i>I know that day is coming, and I will enjoy every moment of it.</i><br /><br />Actually that day may be sooner than many people realize, Harper's own hometown paper printed this. I'm making sure I got a full case of beer in the fridge that weekend - whenever it happens. :)<br /><br />BTW - good for the Grits if Bernard Lord isn't the next leader. He's the only one of the lot that could get me voting for the CPC, provided he gets the manure smell of the Reformers out of the party.Tof KWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15756310841374198056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-11387614587453790092010-04-22T14:27:53.357-04:002010-04-22T14:27:53.357-04:00"The Grits are living under gray skies now; b..."The Grits are living under gray skies now; but one day when the CPC is going though a leadership campaign you folks will be smiling again."<br /><br />I know that day is coming, and I will enjoy every moment of it.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-36963052189318804922010-04-22T14:10:39.857-04:002010-04-22T14:10:39.857-04:00Mon Dieu!!!
Bad enough that backstabbing weasel M...Mon Dieu!!!<br /><br />Bad enough that backstabbing weasel MacKay finished first (Charest doesn't have a chance, too many bridges burned now) - but Stockwell (the earth is 6000 years old) Day, and Epic Financial Fail Flaherty, both finishing ahead of Bernard Lord???<br /><br />The Grits are living under gray skies now; but one day when the CPC is going though a leadership campaign you folks will be smiling again.<br /><br />BTW - thanks for posting that Holly.Tof KWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15756310841374198056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-12198672200518225462010-04-22T13:51:00.989-04:002010-04-22T13:51:00.989-04:00According to Leger, we think Peter MacKay would be...According to Leger, we think Peter MacKay would be a good leader.<br /><br />http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Peter+MacKay+Conservative+leader+Poll/2935551/story.htmlHolly Stickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01137842937086115228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-51827635914213392302010-04-22T12:56:46.597-04:002010-04-22T12:56:46.597-04:00Hear hear, TofKW. I want an SOB to deal with the...Hear hear, TofKW. I want an SOB to deal with the other SOB's who run the World and ruin it for the rest of us, all the time.<br /><br />I'm not sure that's Iggy though, but then, I don't look necessarily to the PM to be the one and only SOB. We do have cabinet government (for the time being at least) and there are others who can be called up to fill that role, when the need arises.<br /><br />That said, all of this is a <i>terrible way</i> to run a democracy. I much prefer a consensus/collegial approach. But it's what we're stuck with.Ti-Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06620550471437012866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-40223903402268558922010-04-22T12:53:26.459-04:002010-04-22T12:53:26.459-04:00Oh okay, I'm just speculating that the Libs ar...Oh okay, I'm just speculating that the Libs aren't getting traction, Canadians haven't warmed to Ignatieff and we want out of Afghanistan. Leave me to my delusions.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-52838041485105840672010-04-22T12:45:37.542-04:002010-04-22T12:45:37.542-04:00I think they actually tell us a great deal.
No, t...<i>I think they actually tell us a great deal.</i><br /><br />No, they don't. Only data elicited from a survey tell us anything. The absence of data tells us nothing at all.<br /><br />You can speculate, but that is in fact, quite often worse than knowing nothing. That's a big part of what's motivating the Tea Partiers, for one thing.Ti-Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06620550471437012866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-47809591643993927442010-04-22T12:25:12.839-04:002010-04-22T12:25:12.839-04:00Sandi
You should forward that to Spector ;)Sandi<br /><br />You should forward that to Spector ;)Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-4755832164793980292010-04-22T12:22:02.710-04:002010-04-22T12:22:02.710-04:00JimBobby said...
The Liberals are stuck because th...JimBobby said...<br /><i>The Liberals are stuck because the voters just can't warm up to Iggy.</i><br /><br />JimBobby, with all due respect, this 'likability' factor the media goes on about is a farce. You don't have to like a leader, you just have to respect them. Regardless of what his cheerleaders say, Canadians don't like Harper much at all, but somehow he still got the CPC in power didn't he?<br /><br />Putting that whole 1968 Trudeaumania spell aside, old Pierre was really an arrogant SOB that was really out of touch with the middle-class. But he sure commanded everyone's respect, no matter if you voted for him or not.<br /><br />For that matter there is another term Canadians call arrogant SOB's ...they call them Prime Minister. Diefenbaker, Mulroney and Chrétien all fit in this category. <br /><br />And frankly, you have to be if you want to get involved in leading a political party. I think this was a huge part of Dion's leadership problems; he was an honest, intelligent person who wasn't an arrogant SOB.<br /><br />This whole 'have-a-beer' thing is a pox on the governance of this nation. I don't want to have a beer with any of the people I vote for; I just want them to know at least as much about the world as I do (preferably more), to be competent at their jobs, and hope they follow through on at least some of their campaign promises.<br /><br />By the way, Harper and the Reformatories fail on all three of the personal benchmarks I've just outlined.Tof KWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15756310841374198056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-65229395384041575082010-04-22T12:10:03.314-04:002010-04-22T12:10:03.314-04:00On April 16th I got a call from EKOS - polling. I...On April 16th I got a call from EKOS - polling. I said I would answer the questions. A voice tape/woman's voice asks the questions and you press "1", "2", etc. for your answer.<br /><br />But I found interesting at the end of it all they asked if I was willing to answer more polling questions - I said yes and the voice said my telephone number was recorded and someone would phone me back in a few days.<br /><br />Well, well - April 21st I get that call (EKOS showing on my call display) and the woman (real person this time) said that someone in my household said they were interested in doing polling questions from time to time. I said it was me, but I have some questions of my own. I asked what these polls were and she said they were a research firm. I asked if they would be political questions and she said yes. I asked who the research/polling questions were for......The Government of Canada under the company Probit - EKOS on my call display.<br /><br />hmmmm.........taxpayers paying for Harper's pollingRuralSandihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09552973218865121867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-37296800790598218762010-04-22T11:50:17.030-04:002010-04-22T11:50:17.030-04:00On the plus side, it's not like Iggy is burned...On the plus side, it's not like Iggy is burned into our souls, he's still pretty much a blank slate. I see room to define, people don't have strong opinions, like the other more established leaders.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-24854623489877657752010-04-22T11:41:43.054-04:002010-04-22T11:41:43.054-04:00I reckon the elephant in the room is named Michael...I reckon the elephant in the room is named Michael. The Liberals are stuck because the voters just can't warm up to Iggy. I don't think it's entirely impossible for Ignatieff to mount a major PR blitz aimed at making him not only likable but understandable vis-a-vis his/LPC's differences from the devil they know. Not impossible but dang difficult and he's had a lot of time now without gaining much support, if any. <br /><br />Dion was probably too much the treehuggin' absent-minded perfesser but at least he was a likable sorta feller. I figger if you get up close to Ig, the smell of erudition an' pomposity gets a little thick.<br /><br />Maybe the ivory towers of academia ain't the best place to find a political streetfighter who can take on the nastyass Cons.<br /><br />JBJimBobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04603665575714484326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-208661693629437422010-04-22T11:37:05.681-04:002010-04-22T11:37:05.681-04:00I think they actually tell us a great deal. As fo...I think they actually tell us a great deal. As for undecideds, they vote less, so hardly any comfort.<br /><br />I don't bother with Oopsos Reid anymore. The Rasmussen of Canada.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-6274181064558621332010-04-22T11:22:57.314-04:002010-04-22T11:22:57.314-04:00It bothers me that you think the Liberals should b...It bothers me that you think the Liberals should be <i>reacting</i> to these polls, which tell us <i>nothing at all.</i><br /><br />They don't even report the undecided anymore and they tell us nothing about what's motivating people to choose to vote one way or the other.<br /><br />The only thing these polls do is determine the limits of "acceptable" opinion, which is another way of just telling the public to think a particular way because <i>everyone else</i> is.<br /><br />Sorry for the rant...still smarting over that latest Ipsos fiasco, when I had to endure fatuous ninnies (including Tom Flanagan on the CBC) using it to proclaim that the Liberals were experiencing a precipitous drop in popularity, when in fact, they weren't.Ti-Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06620550471437012866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-90544884665817193092010-04-22T11:22:53.994-04:002010-04-22T11:22:53.994-04:00The poll reflects how apathetic people are with po...The poll reflects how apathetic people are with politics in general. Unfortunately, apathy works in the conservatives' favour.<br /><br />Harper needs people to ignore him. That way when he comes out with his juicy soundbites no one notices he's a liar and a hypocrite. Do you think if Canadians were paying attention they would ignore the fact he has become the most secretive and unaccountable PM in decades?Gaylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08112657859825911939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-42109141782234671992010-04-22T09:49:22.189-04:002010-04-22T09:49:22.189-04:00And yes, the Libs are in "deep, deep trouble&...And yes, the Libs are in "deep, deep trouble", which makes you wonder why the Cons are stinking up the joint, 7% below the last election. Hello in there!Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.com