I don't know. I mean I like an election as much as the next guy but, you know, I kind of have a date this fall with the US election. It's always great fun to look forward to a campaign between two people who both have good sides and maybe each have a bit of an unknown factor. What's happening down south is fairly compelling. Is the same the case in Canada? Has the jelly set in each party such that they are ready to bring their cases to the people? Apparently Mr. Dion may think so:
Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion and his top strategists will meet next week at Stornoway, his official Ottawa residence, to devise a response to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's election dare. The meeting comes just a few weeks before the national Liberal caucus is to gather in Winnipeg for its annual summer meeting. Mr. Dion has told his MPs he wants to hear what their constituents are saying about his carbon tax or Green Shift plan, which he plans to make the centrepiece of the Liberal election platform.
Hmmm...the fact that no nation has done this carbon tax thing as a core principle - let alone done it well - might affect your opinion of the idea. On top of that, have we gotten to the point that we are comfortable enough with the Grit leadership that we can see them slipping into the seats around the cabinet table? Are the Tories really in any better spot. Has there been any growth in their leadership through having had the experience of governing? Without getting into personality, they simply do not seem to have advanced as professional administrators - have they?
Will this be a mapled election season? Will it get any better with a delay to the spring or a year from now? Probably not. So do we have an election to get it over with?
Comments
Hans - August 7, 2008 10:08 am
My senses are telling me that the Liberals are going to want an election this fall. I think Dion wants an election for 2 reasons: (a) he might win and become PM and (b) if he loses now i.e. early in his leadership, his critics have to give him another chance before getting the knives out (cf. John Turner who was given 2 election chances as leader). By the same token, Dion's critics want to get his first electoral failure out of the way ASAP. In this sense, Dion's plan and his critics' plan are aligned. The Conservatives don't want an election because (a) they want to govern and (b) they like to browbeat Dion about being too scared to trigger an election. On the other hand, they are covetous of a majority government. I think we're going to have an early November election.
I agree that the 2 contenders for the American Presidency are much more intriguing characters and storylines than the contenders up here. Much more.
sean - August 7, 2008 10:09 am
I have a feeling that we will have a half hearted attemt to force an election and its about 50/50 that we do before the end of the year. If we don't I am sure the Liberal leader will have a "good" reason why not, i.e. "we need to focus on ze economy right now and wit things as they are, de people of Canada are not in a mood to go to de polls".
Personally I think that as much as the Harpies keep screwing things up, ignoring things they should not ignore and ticking off pretty much everyone (including core purse-string holder in the west), they are hobbled right now and cannot do much as they are. I'm in no rush to go pound signs in lawns for anyone right now and I don't see the options put forward by others as being all that appealing.
(Yaay! I'm now an full fledged apathetic Liberal!)
Renee - August 7, 2008 10:49 am
Nope. I'm with Sean on this one. I think that Dion will realize pretty quickly that he still has miles to go. The US election will start to overshadow things, and the September by-elections will be the bellwether.
Renee - August 7, 2008 10:50 am
(NDP! NDP! NDP! NDP!)
David Janes - August 7, 2008 1:56 pm
I think Dion's party may want to goad him into an election, believing that the odds of a CPC majority are minimal and all other outcomes are good for the party (minority CPC victory can be used to toss Dion off the side and challenge again).
sean - August 7, 2008 2:19 pm
And I'm with David on that last bit. Dion is an intelligent guy, though a bit of a semi-smarmy acedemic, but you need charisma and a feel for the people to lead a nation.
(free pint to whoever guesses first who the Dion successor is who's camp I am firmly entreched in.. People on my facebook friends list cannot make a guess ;) )
Ben (The Tiger) - August 7, 2008 4:36 pm
Bring it on!
And if Dion loses -- which is by no means a certainty -- my money's on Bob Rae.
Renee - August 7, 2008 6:30 pm
Is it Ignatieff, Sean? Because he's basically a red tory, with a little bit of blue where his circulation has been cut off by either his law degree, his wealth, and his time spent living in the US.
Matthew Fletcher - August 8, 2008 12:09 am
An election? Why not?
I'm about 75% of the way toward knowing who I would vote for right now. Voting really doesn't take that much effort if one is politically engaged between elections.
As for McCain and Obama being more intriguing characters, that may be the case, but interesting characters don't necessarily make for good representatives.
As for following an American and a Canadian election at the same time, or nearly the same time, I think I can manage it.