Election 2010?

[SteelTown]

"Liberals will move to topple Harper government" I suppose the Liberals won't have a hard time getting NDP and Bloc support to topple the Conservatives.

So the far the only interesting candidate that popped up is Dan McLean. We should be hearing about candidates within days or weeks.

So any predictions?

[matt602]

Don't really care in all honesty. In recent years I've followed this stuff pretty closely but this time around there are absolutely no issues that interest me enough to even bother voting. I didn't even know there *was* an election coming up again.

[markbarbera]

The New Democrats are in a weak position to enter an election campaign. I suspect Layton will make a deal with Harper to keep the Conservatives in power. Heck, he met with Harper last week, the deal could already be in place. Strange bedfellows they would make...

[realcity]

Libs and NDP have no game right now. They don't know how to position themselves against the Cons.

Libs will do anything to win, they stand for basically nothing other then votes and the NDP can't even decide if they're NEW anymore, and have no idea where to position themselves in an ever shrinking unionized/industrial economy. Take the so-called leader of the party -- Layton -- who couldn't give a straight answer on CBC Radio even when asked the question twice if he preferred the word "New" in the party's name. The NDP has a nasty habit of keeping a leader well past his/her expiration date.

Prediction
Conservative Majority.
David Sweet beats Dan MacLean

MacLean is running in an area that is traditionally conservative, socially and fiscally. And they don't have close ties with Hamilton. Many see themselves as Halton or anything but Hamilton (except Westdale). They probably didn't even watch CHCH news. MacLean, if they want him to win should run on Hamilton Mtn. Then all the grandmas who loved and watched him for years can vote for him. It'll look good on them when he looses. Then maybe we can get off this 'name recognition' bs and field qualified people.

I met Tyler Banham and like him a lot. Lawyer, educated, charisma, the 'look', he'll be a good politician for Hamilton. Switch his riding for MacLean's and the Libs might win both. MacLean against Charlton would be a good fight.

The idiots of Hamilton Mtn voted for Charlton. After seeing her name on the signs, election after election, they probably thought she WAS the incumbent. "O Chris he's (sic) running again, I think I'll vote for him, (sic), he's (sic) done such a good job all these years". That's how stupid Hamilton Mountain voters are.

[realcity]

Another thing Re: EI reform

EI, the way it sits today, is EXACTLY the way it was when Harper become PM. In other words this is the same EI (qualification rules) of the Martin/Chretien days. The Libs made it impossible to collect in order to pay down the deficit to make the budget look good. Now the Libs are using their own EI as an attack tool. ???

This is what I'm talking about. Anything for votes Liberals. They assume a certain level of voter intelligence and play into it.

I wouldn't change EI either if I was Harper. It would just seem like a win for the Libs. A win that they managed to change their own EI rules.

What Harper is doing for our Arctic, sovereignty, and the Arctic/Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) and placing the agency in Iqaluit is more then any PM has done in decades for the North.

The new Northwest Passage is going to be huge economically for the Arctic. He's ensuring we have enough presence to maintain sovereignty.

My cheque is in the mail tomorrow.

[highwater]

Originally Posted by realcity

MacLean is running in an area that is traditionally conservative, socially and fiscally. And they don't have close ties with Hamilton. Many see themselves as Halton or anything but Hamilton (except Westdale).

You're forgetting Dundas which is solidly Liberal. Ancaster could go either way. The main reason Sweet got in again last time is because the Libs ran such a complete nonentity against him. In spite of personal anecdotes about Sweet's niceness (I have one myself. He called me personally and we had a lovely chat about a particular issue), he is widely perceived as being completely useless. Whether that's fair or not is beside the point, perception is huge.

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by highwater

You're forgetting Dundas which is solidly Liberal. Ancaster could go either way. The main reason Sweet got in again last time is because the Libs ran such a complete nonentity against him. In spite of personal anecdotes about Sweet's niceness (I have one myself. He called me personally and we had a lovely chat about a particular issue), he is widely perceived as being completely useless. Whether that's fair or not is beside the point, perception is huge.

I might also add that McMaster is in the riding and students for the most part vote liberal. If MacLean can get the students out to vote he will have a good chance.
The riding is traditionally a swing riding, so with the Liberals fielding a strong candidate they could squeek by the incumbent.

[realcity]

Dundas is solidly Liberal????

Because of Russ Powers? He runs as a 'liberal' to get elected. He's really a (small c) Conservative. Dundas is just too stupid to know.

I still go with Sweet winning. Even if Westdale and Dundas go more with MacLean.

Flamboro and Ancaster -- solid Cons terf. Plus I think Westdale voters are educated, so they will see thru the stupid "put a well-known-name in the race" and not vote MacLean.

This is the problem with a Parliament. A vote for MacLean means a vote for Ignatieff. If the voters want Ignatieff then the vote for whomever idiot is running in their riding.

I much rather prefer the US style of democracy. A vote for your House Rep, a vote for your Senator and a vote for the Executive. Also why the US doesn't need many parties. Because House Reps and Senators (Congress) can vote more independently of partisan then our parliament.

If you break it down there are more 'parties' in the US then Canada.

US has 5 Parties: L to R

Liberals (Obama)
'Regan' Liberals (Clinton)
Moderates (Blue Dog Democrats) (McCain)
Conservatives (Romney)
Neo Cons (Bush)

[realcity]

The students won't vote... please. if they do they;re coming from out-of-town and their political influence will be from whence they came

[bigguy1231]

Originally Posted by realcity

The students won't vote... please. if they do they;re coming from out-of-town and their political influence will be from whence they came

I said if he can get the students out to vote.

As for being influenced by where they come from that might be the case to some extent, but young people tend to vote center-left. I have worked numerous campaigns in the old Hamilton West riding for both the liberals and the NDP and historically students have voted for one or the other of those 2 party's overwhelmingly.

Since the riding is roughly, 2/3 urban and 1/3 rural, population wise, it will be a good battle. The Conservatives are strong in rural areas that tend to actually vote in large numbers percentage wise while the urbanites tend to vote in lower numbers.

It will be an interesting campaign.

[highwater]

Originally Posted by realcity

Dundas is solidly Liberal????

Because of Russ Powers? He runs as a 'liberal' to get elected. He's really a (small c) Conservative. Dundas is just too stupid to know.

No, because Dundas has historically voted Liberal federally.

Sweet got in the first time due to the backlash over the sponsorship scandal and held on last time because the Liberals ran a nonentity who ran an invisible campaign. If the Libs run a serious campaign this time, this seat is definitely up for grabs.

[SteelTown]

Dundas is pretty liberal, there are a lot of liberal minded people from Dundas. But Ancnaster is the opposite, from my observation.

I can see Dan McLean doing well in the riding mostly because he lives near Ancaster and they know him. Dan should have no problem with Flamborough, he lives there. But it has a tiny population so it won't help a great deal. He'll have to focus hard in Ancaster. Sweet has a good base in Ancaster.

[SteelTown]

I hope Tyler Banham runs in this election. I think he has a good future in politics. The way he talks is almost a carbon copy of Munro, Copps and Agostino.

[oldcoote]

Originally Posted by bigguy1231

I might also add that McMaster is in the riding and students for the most part vote liberal. If MacLean can get the students out to vote he will have a good chance.
The riding is traditionally a swing riding, so with the Liberals fielding a strong candidate they could squeek by the incumbent.

He should host a kegger

[oldcoote]

Originally Posted by realcity

I think Westdale voters are educated, so they will see thru the stupid "put a well-known-name in the race" and not vote MacLean.

Or they might hold their nose and vote Liberal as the only real opposition to Sweet.

[Zaz]

I am actually surprised that the crowd on this forum seems to be mostly right-of-center -- based on my informal glance-over. For no particular reason, I would expect more left-wing partisanship right off the bat (no pun intended).

On a more bipartisan note, here is an exceprt from a recent Star "article":

“Let’s talk about the medical isotopes. Let’s talk about the drought that farmers are living with, and having to leave their farms, give up life careers on that. Let’s talk about the salmon disappearing out in B.C., millions of salmon disappearing and the government isn’t doing anything. Let’s talk about the fact that we have a deficit now — an import deficit that we haven’t had in how many years, how many decades — under this government. Let’s talk about 1.6 million Canadians who are out of jobs and this government is doing virtually nothing for them except saying ‘no, no, no, no, no.’ Well, the government needs to grow up. That’s what they need to do,” Jennings said.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/689296

I am happy to see Salmon make it to the top-five list of issues on which the Official Opposition will consider a no-confidence vote. Brilliant! I suddenly believe things aren't too bad in Canada after all.

[SteelTown]

The deficit issue is a pretty serious issue in my book. It may not affect us now but in a few years, or even months, it's going to wreck havoc if we don't start controlling the deficit. In a short few months we've collected the highest deficit in history, last time it took years to have multi-billion deficit from the last Conservative government.

[Zaz]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

The deficit issue is a pretty serious issue in my book. It may not affect us now but in a few years, or even months, it's going to wreck havoc if we don't start controlling the deficit. In a short few months we've collected the highest deficit in history, last time it took years to have multi-billion deficit from the last Conservative government.

I hear you, but we should not think of deficits in absolute terms. They are dangerous only insofar as we don't grow our GDP. Besides, I doubt the deficit would be lower with Mr. Creative Writer in power. I believe we should pay close attention to the way the deficit is spent/invested. In this respect, I lean toward conservatives. I don't like what they stand for in other areas (i.e. anti-gay-marriage nonsense), but I believe that in this economic climate a Prime Minister of Canada should be familiar with a least basic principles of economics and finance. Harper and Co have the upper hand here in my opinion.

[Zaz]

^^ To add to this, "import deficit" -- I guess she means "current account deficit" -- is a different discussion altogether.

[realcity]

Zaz these forumers are mostly balanced from L to R. Personally I can't be put into any one camp. I vote on the issues and could give a crap as to what party the candidate is in.

Note: SSP is mostly about skyscrapers ie. development, so it goes without saying that skyscraper development equals big business equals pro-business attitudes, so generally speaking... yes.. Cons... mostly occupy that space.

Besides Canada's Conservatives are about as conservative as US liberal Democrats. Obama wouid be a Progressive Conservative.