Yo, Canada,

Dan Savage has a message for you,

" There isn't really time to engage my Canadian readers in a discussion about your upcoming election, as it's just days away. Instead I'll just order my Canadian readers to vote for Paul Martin and his Liberal Party allies. Scandal, schmandal, people! Sensible people in the United States are relying on Canada to continue to be more politically and socially progressive than our own government. It allows us to point north and say, 'See? Gay marriage, a single-payer health care system, and moves toward decriminalizing pot won't cause the country to implode. They're doing all of that and more up in Canada, for Christ's sake, and the sky hasn't fallen.' Vote Liberal, Canada!"

Don't let us down.

Then I'll sit you down and explain to you how in a multi-party system there are more than two choices.

I am disgusted with Prime Minister Paul Martin and his declaration:
"I can do business with George W. Bush"

I am disgusted with P.M. Martin's sell out to * and the Lockheed Martin missile defense scam.

In opposition to Paul Martin, and for the common good,
my support is for the National Democratic Party and Jack Layton.
www.ndp.ca

Martin needs the NDP to hold his feet to the fire! The only thing that made Chretien's three successive Liberal majority governments palatable was his inclination to tilt left, his good relations with Bill Clinton, and his enjoyment of irritating (make that downright pissing off) Chimpy & cabal. In the absence of a spine vis-a-vis the US, Martin needs a minority government with the NDP propping him up--or NOT!

:evilgrin:

If you're in a riding where the NDP has even a ghost of a chance, vote NDP. We need all the New Democrats we can get to hold the ruling party's feet to the fire.

Otherwise vote Liberal. Hold your nose if you have to. If the Conservatives win, especially with a majority government, we can look forward to years of the same social policy catastrophes that are eliciting our sympathy when we look south.

My riding falls into the second category, and I'm afraid that even as a fourth generation New Democrat I'll be taking my own advice. Forgive me mom, but this election is too damned important.

And I'd hate to have to make it. Fortunately, I'm in Alexa McDonough's riding!

:loveya:

I'm in a region with a couple of decent Liberals -- one of them even left the neo-Cons to protest Harper. I'm working on an NDP campaign so I voted for our candidate, but when people I meet during canvassing tell me they are leaning Liberal but feel guilty, I give them a leaflet anyway and ask them to highlight the NDP proposals they agree with, and if they go with the Liberals, use them to put pressure on the Grit MP (who will likely get in if they are able to bring their friends to the polls!).

The last time this happened, Trudeau got credit for some things which the NDP had been advocating ... 30 years later, the general population probably doesn't care who thought them up, and assume that they are "Canadian" ideas. And that's fine by me.

So we need people to keep on pressing the policymakers after the election, no matter what the outcome. Jack will forgive you if the Liberals end up adopting some NDP ideas -- as may well be the case in a coalition government situation. And I bet your mom would too.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

Clinton was clever enough to talk "supply-side" in '92 to help him get elected. And Chretien cut taxes in office. Martin, however, has ruled out tax cuts altogether...his dropping popularity is not surprising.

that's why harper's in the race no?

Harper promises tax cuts, more spending and no deficit. Ring any bells?

the right wing, NDP votes will not help the anti-right cause.

Why would a vote for the NDP not help the anti-right cause. They are Canada's left-wing party. A seat in the hands of the NDP is a seat that cannot go Conservative.