Liberals need scandal to trigger election: Nanos
Former Liberal MP Jean Lapierre says his onetime colleagues in the House of Commons were seized with a “malaise” as they meekly acknowledged they could not force an election over the budget and—despite two months of protest over Parliament’s winter suspension—could not even utter the word “election.”
Two Liberal MPs reflected the mood of caucus as they privately told The Hill Times an election is unlikely even before next year unless there is a dramatic shift in the polls and party leader Michael Ignatieff (Etobicoke Lakeshore, Ont.) miraculously catches on with the public.
“The leader’s numbers are not good,” said one of the MPs. The other replied “it’s fine with me” when a reporter suggested it might even be two years before an election.
Mr. Lapierre, who watched Question Period in the guest row of seats reserved for temporary passes to the Parliamentary Press Gallery, agreed later the Liberal benches appeared listless after their relentless attacks through January and February against Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) decision to prorogue Parliament in December.
The Commons scene was like the calm after the storm.
“When you go around here, and there’s no buzz and nobody wants to pronounce the word election, it shows that there is a malaise, obviously,” said Mr. Lapierre, a former Liberal campaign strategist in Quebec who maintains party connections he draws on for political commentary on TVA.
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Jean Says:
Yes and the Liberals have been trying and trying and TRYING to make a scandal out of anything and everything since the Conservatives have been in power: Nothing too silly or trivial to try to blow up into a ” scandal ” !
Remember the ” handshake scandal ” when Harper shook his son’s hand when taking him to school early in the first mandate to Waffergate and every ” outrage explosion ” from the Liberals and the MSM going along with it most of the time at least until the scandal balloon popped or deflated.
The tactical problem now for the Liberals is that they have cried wolf so often that it would take a truly HUGE and substantial scandal to have more than cause a temporary dip in the polls for the Conservatives.
But the article is accurate in the sense that the Conservative and Harper are the only one’s who can sink themselves by doing something really stupid, unpopular or criminal.
It seems like a case of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and all these ineffective attacks by the Liberals may be making the Conservative ” immune system ” stronger !
Anyone remember the long list of by-monthly ” scandals ” ? I don’t they all seem to fade away from memory after a time: Many where minor incidents of someone saying something stupid or offensive, or a private discussion being taped, or some paperwork being forgotten at a girlfriend’s house etc ….. If this same level of scrutiny had been applied to any previous Government I’m sure one could also find that by-weekly scandal.
Posted on March 8th, 2010 at 10:13 am
fernstalbert Says:
Shame on PM Harper for not “playing nice” and being drawn into the murky world of scandal. Between the MSM and Ignatieff’s innner circle, manufactured outrage can only be sustained for so long. May I humbly suggest that the three opposition parties use their own malfeasance. Then and only then will PM Harper call an election because he is “outraged” by the dealings of the three opposition parties, when you point a finger there are five pointing back at you. Works for me. Cheers.
Posted on March 8th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Jema54 Says:
And poof ! there goes Iggie’s ‘reporter’, used to back up his smears against Canadian soldiers via the Conservative government:http://stevejanke.com/archives/224017.php
More at smalldeadanimals.
Iggie is a moral outrage; he has neferious pals ; he has pals that most Canadians would not stay in the same with….did Iggy ever live in Chicago?
Posted on March 8th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Undecided Voter Says:
‘Did Iggy ever live in Chicago?’ No but he spent a lot of time at Harvard and while there praised Bush on such issues as the Iraq invasion and torture of prisoners. Hell, it was even rumored that he was a card carrying member of the Republican Party.
So it would appear that party affiliation is trumped by personal ambition. Even Harper in his high school days in Etobicoke, Ontario was a member of the Young Liberals of Canada. Might explain some of Harper’s left leaning policies.
So without a program, its hard to tell who stands for what.
Posted on March 8th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
John Luft Says:
Harper might have been a member of Young Liberals of Canada at one time. Lots of people make that mistake when they are young and foolish. When they grow up, they realize they have been had.
Posted on March 8th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Ignatieff’s push for Afghan detainee “inquiry” suspicious « Crux of the Matter Says:
[...] Ignatieff’s push for Afghan detainee “inquiry” suspicious Posted on March 8, 2010 by Sandy Call me suspicious, but it’s got to be more than a little coincidental that on the same day we learn that Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff wants Prime Minister Stephen Harper to call a full public inquiry into the Afghan detainee issue — rather than just a report by Judge Frank Iacobucci – we also read that the only way for the Liberal opposition to justify a federal election is to create a crisis (h/t Jack’s Newswatch). [...]
Posted on March 8th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Mac Says:
The Liberals need a few more years in the political wilderness to sort out their issues…
Posted on March 8th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Undecided Voter Says:
Well John, it would appear that HM PM is still leaning to the left on some issues like deficits, Quebec kissing, raising taxes (HST) etc.
Posted on March 8th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
What ever happened to the iPod Nano settlement for the 1st generation iPod Nanos? | cheapax.info Says:
[...] Jack's Newswatch » Blog Archive » Liberals need scandal to trigger … [...]
Posted on March 12th, 2010 at 1:26 am