Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Harper's Secret Plan?

"Stephen Harper has said repeatedly over the past few days that Canadians do not want an election, which means he must have a plan in the works." Another daily affirmation with Jane Taber, who sets the agenda at the Globe and Mail. You gotta love the partisan dedication of the Globe's agenda setter, where the Prime Minister assures Canadians that the Conservative party will not be pursuing an election in the fall, which to Taber means that he must be plotting some secret plan. Was John Baird made Government House Leader in order to force through a hidden agenda? Be afraid Canada, be very afraid...

In the last week we have had 3 national polls, two of them had the Conservatives at 34% while EKOS (led by Liberal donor Frank Graves) had them at 29.7%. Much ado was made in the media about this "historic" sub 30% showing (Taber wrote two different editorials on the same poll in the same day), but the other polling results prove that was an aberration. It would appear that EKOS produces a disproportionate number of the "outliers".  The poll in April 2009 that had the Liberals at 37% (their peak under Iggy) came from...wait for it...EKOS. The best polling results for the Green Party came from...wait for it...EKOS.

The outliers should be randomly distributed among the polling firms, not concentrated with Liberal donor Frank Graves.

17 comments:

  1. 'which means he must have a plan in the works'

    PMSH is running a country, of course he has a plan.
    And his agenda will be secret until government resumes,
    and then 'Harper's Secret Agenda' is given, in writing, to all the opposition House leaders.

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  2. The only people who REALLY want an election are the media and those afflicted with Harper Derangement Syndrome.

    Nobody should be fooled by the content and volume of the Libs rhetoric. Their actions, or better yet, non-actions, speak volumes. They're tough talk is intended to appease their base, make it seem like Iggy is holding Harper's feet to the fire, and oh, send us money cuz Harper might engineer or call an election at any time.

    I still cannot visualize 155 MPs finding the strength in their knees to actually stand up in the House. Why ruin a good thing--just rant and rave from the oppositioin benches, collect your paycheck, and (for those first elected in Jan 2006, like Iggy), survive until Jan 2012, so that you qualify for a pension.

    Brian Lilley talking about Pulic Security Committee debacle, census, tamil boat, future budgets, leader-for-life Lizzie Mae.

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  3. Jane Taber never misses an opportunity to pretend that she posses some kind of "impartial" clairvoyance when it comes to the PM and the Conservative's "secret agenda". When Stephen Harper says the sky is blue, Taber uses her Liberal super powers to speculate, and then print, what that really means. Liberal party strategist and donor Frank Graves, or Gravy as he likes to be called, had the Librano$ at 37% !? Yeah, okay... no hidden agenda from Frank, I mean Gravy.

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  4. And yet another poll in,
    Angus Reid
    Cons 33
    Libs 29

    Iffy popularity still at 14%, 5 weeks into his magical bus tour.....still at 14%

    http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/846867--libs-closing-gap-with-tories

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  5. I found this part of Jane's agenda interesting. Big Frank sees change again..

    "EKOS pollster Frank Graves, whose latest poll had the Tories and Liberals virtually deadlocked, says he is sensing change again as he is back in the field this week, preparing for the release of his poll next Thursday.

    “This suggests that the volatility is real rather than random oscillation,” Mr. Graves told The Globe. “Beyond that it is very difficult to explain. Perhaps a rebound from Harper's reappearance on the public stage? It’s all quite odd.”"

    No big Frank it is not odd it is summer. We go through this every year, polls tighten in the summer fall election speculation begins. Polls start to go up in the fall Election speculation dies down.

    We have the absolute worst media when is comes to politics. They all think they are political startigests. It is almost impossible to get through a full article now for me without skimming it..

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  6. Iffy's magical bus/plane tour is in Nunavut,
    and Iffy is still at 14% because:

    ''When asked what his party will do to regain Nunavut, Ignatieff was short on details and long on rhetorical flourishes.''

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  7. 'Mr. Ignatieff during the recession which you said you have no intentions of wearing the deficite on yout shoulder-yet it was your party and ndp and the bloc who forced a minority government into bailing out a union GMC- how is it that you can stand there and berate the government for deficit.

    Mr. Ignatieff you said that you that you will visit every community in Canada-how is it that you have not visited or have gone to every community in Alberta.

    How is it that there is not one real reporter to ask such questions-the reporter doesn't have to be a real one. you in fact can stand among the phoney ones and ask very damaging questions which the liberal media don't have the guts to ask.

    Mr. Ignatieff where is the missing million of dollars which your party refuse to return
    It can't be that difficult for the reporter to ask far less the liberals to answer when the 'events took place under their very eyes.

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  8. This is Iffy's first visit to the North, PMSH makes and annual pilgrimage to the north, the upcoming visit will be his 5th as Prime Minister.

    Iffy is in the North today, 'blasting' PMSH for not doing things, no details given by Iffy.

    Next, Iffy will 'blast' PMSH for the biggest deficit in Canadian history....
    spend more money! you spent too much money...rinse and repeat.

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  9. Frank Gravy, I like that! Thanks Sean.

    His statement about the volatility that is "quite odd" basically means get ready for the next EKOS poll showing the Conservatives rebounding. O'Malley and Taber love riding the Frank Gravy Train.

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  10. More on our mediocre media:

    Brian Lilley:
    "Tony Clement came out of caucus Thursday. He ended up in about a 15 minute debate with reporters ... He got a more thorough grilling than he would of from OPPOSITION MPs.

    And they weren't just asking questions. They were debating him. They would ask a question. He would give an answer. They would debate ! There was nothing new at all discussed in what he said."


    Steve Madley:
    "It should not be news to reporters on Parliament Hill, that this government is philosophically opposed to gov't being overly intrusive. It sides with being LESS intrusive ..."

    And today, in Bob Rae's press conference, it was one softball question after another from the ppg. Except for one question asking if the Libs would extend the stimulus spending past Mar 2011.

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  11. Graves is going to end up in the emergency ward with whiplash ! Here is what he said on the EKOS website, six days ago:

    "First of all, everyone seems to focus on the last week and it is the more interesting but the first week of the two week period was much better for the Conservatives and more consistent with previous weeks. The last week, however, clearly seems to show a significant shift in the voter landscape"

    So, trying to decipher all of his gobbledygook, he seems to be saying that:

    July 22nd to July 28th: OK for the CPC
    July 29th to Aug 4th: disastrous for the CPC
    Aug 5th to Aug 11th: big rebound for the CPC
    Aug 12th to Aug 18th: ????

    If the polls are good next week, he can point to Harper coaching the hockey game. If they are bad, he can point to Tamil Tigers drowning in the Pacific.

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  12. HArper is two things. HE is both dishonest (ie he used to say for 2 years that there would be an open competition for new military jet fighters then assigned a sole source contrcat for $16 BILION, elected senators etc etc) and acts in his own self interest.

    You can't believe what he says at any given moment. If the polls align right he will act on his own self interest and screw his fixed election law again.

    That is what feeds the speculation machine.

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  13. Anonymous, the Senate was filibustering Senate reform because they want to keep their jobs forever. You had to appoint Senators to reform it. Also if he left 30 empty Senate seats, then he would be leaving the Liberals patronage gravy in the event that they won an election.

    If you choose to believe Stephen Harper is evil, then I'm sure there is nothing I can say to talk you out of it.

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  14. Iceman...I don't think Harper is evil. But I don't see him as any different than politicians that preceded him. Despite his attempts and those of his followers to persuade that he is different. When reality diverges from the talking points that irks me.

    So when do you think Harper realized that he would appoint senators? The reason for appointment that you pointed is entirely valid and correct. HaArper knew that years ago too. Probably when he was opposition leader. MAybe longer than that. So why did he campaign and say he would never appoint? It's that knid of dishonesty that disgusts me. He says that stuff to seem holier than the Liberals and his base eats it up. Then he appoints and says the Liberals made him do it and his base eats it up.

    I am an idealist that wishes poiticians would say what they really think and not just say crap to get votes. On this point Harper lied.

    Believe me, I like most Canadians, hunger for honest strong leadership. Sadly, Harper ain't it.

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  15. Well GritPatriot, I was a fan of Jean Chretien when he was first elected Prime Minister because I fully supported his promise to scrap the GST. I was angry that he did not keep that promise, a promise that he knew he couldn't keep.

    Shit happens.

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  16. ''So why did he campaign and say he would never appoint?''

    Give us a link to PMSH 'quoted' as saying he would NEVER appoint Senators GritPatriot...

    You won't find one,
    because PMSH has always said it is his preference to have elected Senators.

    The media, as usual, make up things.

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  17. You know, when this appointed senators thing comes up, everyone misses one very salient point. The Prime Minister had to appoint senators because that is currently the way our system runs whether he (or I) like it or not. If he did not, then there would be many many citizens of this nation that did not have the same representation as other citizens. By leaving seats empty, parts of this country would not have proper senate representation, and that would be a BIGGER issue.
    This is the system we are stuck with at the moment, to tell PEI, Quebec, Ontario and other provinces where there were senate vacancies they cannot have their mandated senate representation is wrong.
    In everyone’s job, there are things you like to do and things you don’t like to do. There are policies you agree with and policies you don’t. The PM has to do his job, even the parts her doesn’t agree with. And the job he has with the senate is to make sure that balance (or imbalance as you may feel) of our current system must be maintained and that means every region must have its proper representation.

    tamara

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