Iffy closing in on John Turner

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is now only two points behind former leader John Turner for second place in the WORST approval ratings for a Liberal leader in history, according to an Angus-Reid poll released yesterday. Ignatieff came in at 16%, just barely behind John Turner's lowest score, which was 14%.

Of course, John Turner's record of 14% was thought to be the all-time low, and stood for some 25 years... until Dion shattered it in May of 2008 with his new record all-time low of just 10%.

Which means Ignatieff is now just a mere six points ahead of Dion's LOWEST EVER score. So much for being the "saviour" of the Liberal Party of Canada. I think Dion's numbers were even better than these during the whole coalition fiasco at the end of 2008, weren't they? Are we on the verge of yet ANOTHER record setting "leader"? With his near constant stumbles, despite the valiant efforts of old pros like Donolo, Ignatieff still can't manage to avoid tripping over the bar... the bar set so low, it's just mere inches above sea level.

And Canadians aren't known for backing a losing horse.

"Let's Make it THREE" - MSM getting the same feeling about Iffy

Anyone remember my "Let's Make it THREE" idea from way back in September? As in, let's make sure Ignatieff is the THIRD Liberal leader to never become Prime Minister, following in the footsteps of Blake and Dion?

Well, the Globe's John Ibbitson, in attendance at the Liberal 150 conference this weekend, is wondering the same thought aloud in today's paper...

The party of Laurier and King and Trudeau is weak. Its fortunes have declined in each of the past three elections – from majority government to minority government to opposition to disaster.

Since Edward Blake in the 19th century, no Liberal leader had failed to become prime minister, until Stéphane Dion. The polls suggest Mr. Ignatieff could become Number Three.

Prorogue EXTENDED by Ignatieff for 29 MP's

In perhaps the most ironic political twist of the year, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff (despite his demands that MP's be allowed back in the House to "get back to work" during the prorogue) has ORDERED 29 of his Liberal MP's to SKIP WORK INSTEAD, and extend their prorogation by skipping out on any Budget related votes.

UPDATE: Wow, looks like Iffy himself is gonna be skipping out for a few days... remind me again why he wanted back into the House so badly?

Ironic, since he said back when he took over (literally) the Party from Stephane Dion, stating that the Liberals were "done sitting on our hands". (h/t to Alberta Advark for finding this video, see the 1:08 mark) Looks like he's taken a page from the "Not a Leader" playbook, and is ordering 29 of his MP's to sit on their hands by NOT showing up for work.

Even more interesting though, since he had quite the OPPOSITE opinions about "getting to work" on videos like this one here, where he tells reporters at the 0:40 mark, "What I like doing right now is opening the doors of Parliament, continuing to work even if other parties aren't, do our job one step at a time"


Or how about this one, where he says at the 1:59 mark, "and you're here to say, to everyone who has the good fortune to work up there, GET BACK TO WORK!"


Now that he's decided to EXTEND the Prorogue for 29 of his MP's, what's he got to say for himself now?

You might also find the anti-prorogue statments of some of those 29 MP's quite enlightening, now that they've done a 180 degree about face when it comes to "showing up for work", like they accused the Conservatives of not doing back in January.

A prophetic photo from the "CC Archives"

Was looking for info from an old post of mine, and came across this prophetic pic from October 2007...
Yep, looks like we called that one pretty accurately... although at least Ignatieff waited long enough to let him have one kick at the can. Anyone remember playing "CLUE" when they were a kid?

"The murderer was Professor Iffy, with the knife, in the House of Commons... I WAS RIGHT, I WIN!!!"

IFFY's IN SUB-DION TERRITORY

With the most recent EKOS numbers having been released by the CBC this morning (hardly a bastion of Tory support), one thing should be kept in mind... IFFY IS NOW POLLING BELOW DION's 2008 NUMBERS.

That's right folks... Ignatieff is polling BELOW the numbers that Dion ended up with in the 2008 election... the election that Liberals consider to be their worst result EVER.

I guess the question isn't "How low can he go?" anymore... it's "How long can he hang on?"

And just in case and Liberals don't fully understand the ramifications of what's going on here... we just pulled ahead of you (or at least tied with the MOE) in QUEBEC, 22.2% vs. 21.0%.

What's really fun though is reading ITQ's take on the situation. She's a funny gal you know.

My prediction? If there are gonna be floor crossers jumping ship, it's gonna be soon.

New Campaign: Let's "Make it Three"

My fellow Conservatives... I present to you our newest fundraiser campaign... the "Make it Three" Campaign!

What's the one thing that we want all three of these "leaders" to have in common at the end of the next election campaign? Anyone?

Here's a hint... the first guy there is Edward Blake...



And the answer is... [drumroll please...]


The first two, Blake and Dion, are Liberal Party leaders who never made it to the PMO.

Our new rallying cry? Let's "Make it Three"!

UPDATE, March 2010: The MSM finally picks up the theme...

"Since Edward Blake in the 19th century, no Liberal leader had failed to become prime minister, until Stéphane Dion. The polls suggest Mr. Ignatieff could become Number Three."

Iggy: The $300 Million Dollar Man

So Iggy is gonna do it, and pull the trigger on yet ANOTHER election here in Canada, the FOURTH election in just five years. At a cost of NO LESS than $300,000,000 to the Canadian taxpayer... that's right, THREE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.

$300 million dollars, just so the Liberals can MAYBE install Iggy as Prime Minister? I can think of a lot of better things we could spend that money on.

"What's the big deal? $300 million dollars to make me
Prime Minister... THAT'S A BARGIN, don't you think?"
Perhaps Iggy didn't read the recent Readers Digest list of "Most Trusted Canadians"... where Prime Minister Stephen Harper ranked #8 on the list. Iggy? Way down at NINETEEN, behind even the likes of Don Cherry and Rick Mercer.

"ObamaCare" to include Abortion?

On this point alone, he may limit himself to a single term...

Iggy - "Okay, so Dion's Carbon Tax sucked big time"

That's pretty much what he said yesterday in Edmonton, according to the Toronto Star.

Dion's carbon tax plan was a vote loser, Ignatieff says
'You've got to work with the grain of Canadians and not against them,' Liberal leader tells Albertans
February 28, 2009 - Les Whittington
OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA – Michael Ignatieff used an appearance in Alberta to slam his predecessor's carbon tax plan as the new Liberal leader opened his party's latest attempt to win back the West.

But what the Star didn't report, however, was that he then quietly whispered, "I just hope no one figures out that he stole the idea from me..."

Ignatieff calls for 'carbon tax' to aid climate
Liberal leadership candidate also eyes cuts to taxes on cleaner fuels to create incentives
Peter O'Neil - Vancouver Sun
Monday, August 21, 2006

OTTAWA -- Canadians are ready for tough measures, including a controversial "carbon tax" to boost the cost of environmentally-unfriendly fuel, in order to deal with the escalating problem of climate change, Liberal leadership candidate Michael Ignatieff said Sunday.

Ignatieff, the race front-runner who will unveil his full plan in Vancouver today, is proposing a boost in the GST and excise taxes for regular gas and a concurrent tax cut for cleaner fuels made from agricultural products, like ethanol.

(sorry to the fellow BTer who I should h/t for this link, but my Internet Explorer crashed while initially posting this, and I don't remember who I got it from!)

The Count won't commit on size of the deficit

Humm, Ignatieff won't commit to a number... Mr. Dithers II? Not a Leader the Second?

Don't know why, but I couldn't get this image out of my mind of what Ignatieff's response to the size of the deficit might be on Budget Day...

"Ten billion dollars! Ahh, ahh, ahh..."

"Twenty billion dollars! Ahh, ahh, ahh..."

"THIRTY billion dollars! Ahh, ahh, ahh..."

I think you get the picture...

Liberal leader Stephane Dion CHOKES

What the...??? Oh... my... goodness...



It was a very simple question... "What exactly has Harper done wrong, and what would you have done instead?" It's the very same question he's been hammering Prime Minister Harper on for the last three days. I'm sorry Liberals, but he should have had this answer down cold. With the way he's been attacking Harper on it, saying he hasn't done enough to protect the Canadian economy, you guys should have been well prepared with an answer to this question, and Mr. Dion should have been able to point out Harper's errors without blinking.

For the record, some Liberals are trying to twist this around and accuse people of making fun of Mr. Dion's hearing problem. Based on Mr. Dion's own questions back to the questioner, you can clearly see that his hearing has nothing whatsoever to do with what happened here... he heard the question, but simply did not get it.

CTV's Tom Clark just confirmed that Liberals on the campaign said it was NOT related to his hearing. And he also confirmed that the Liberals are crying foul, and they're even threatening CTV for broadcasting this clip.

Ahh yes, Liberals once again defending the Independence of the media. How quickly things change when the shoe is on the other foot.

Dion brings Warren's hockey analogy to life!

Are you kidding me? What on earth was the Liberal campaign thinking!?!? Unbelievable! Why on earth would his team go and even try to stage this photo op? I know they're trying to soften his image, but come on!!! Setting yourself up like this is NOT the way to go!

Amm, I'm thinking this is looking like Doin's "Robert Stanfield Football" moment?

To quote Warren: "Stephen Harper was the goalie. He knew he'd be under attack from the others, that he wouldn't get an opportunity to score, so his job was to keep the puck out of the net and he did that. Stéphane Dion was skating around, he looked fine, but he didn't score - and he needed to score."



Whoever threw this video up, with the "BUZZ" each time he failed to score, is just BRILLIANT. But for Dion and his "Team Liberal", this video is just BRUTAL!

h/t to Steve Taylor

UPDATE: Great minds think alike! Warren posted the exact same thought today on his blog, posting Dion's hockey "photo-flop" along with the infamous Robert Stanfield photo.

Again, my question to the Liberals... what were you thinking?

Craig Oliver: "Dion's best friend tonight..."

"...is Gilles Duceppe". That's what CTV's Craig Oliver said three minutes before the start of tonight's debate.

Oh how the mighty author of the Clarity Act has fallen... doing so badly in the polls, that his only saving grace is the very separatists he fought for so long.

"I'm Stephane Dion, and I approve this message"

The most negative political hit in Canadian history... coming from the man who said he'd "take the high road"?

Yea... right.  Some high road there Stephane.

He personally approves every ad, right?  Yep, his stamp is on this one... it says it right on the bottom... "AUTHORIZED BY THE FEDERAL LIBERAL AGENCY OF CANADA, REGISTERED AGENT FOR THE LIBERAL PARTY OF CANADA"

Brought to you by Stephane Dion, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.  Bringing politics in Canada to a new low.

Oh, by the way guys... anyone spoke to Iggy about this topic lately, considering he and Harper were on the same page and all?

This oughta be fun...

DION PRESSES THE BUTTON & GOES NUCLEAR

I can't believe it, but the Liberals have gone and done it again... looks like it's "Soldiers with Guns... Part II"

By far, this has got to be the most negative political ad ever seen here in Canada.  Talk about desperation... pulling out the Bush card a full week and a half ahead of schedule?  Under normal circumstances, they'd have held off on this one until the final week, give the Tories no time to respond.  But after getting trounced in the polls for weeks, they've gone ahead and pulled out the WMD's of political ads now.

This is going to backfire HUGE. Especially considering their own deputy leader was on the same page!

Mr. Dion?  You said you were going to take "the high road".

This ad says you're a liar.  And I don't use strong language like that often.

Liberals are first to "go negative"

So much for Dion taking "the high road"... his party (and I say "his party" because it's obvious that he's not in charge anymore) have launched a negative smear attack ad, trying to use the deaths of Canadians for their own political gain.

DISGUSTING.


In the United States, politicians are required to place a tag at the end of their ads, stating "I'm So-And-So, and I approve this message".

So then, I have a question for the Liberals... would Mr. Dion be willing to stand there, look Canadians in the eye through the camera, and say, "I'm Stephane Dion, and I approve this message."???

Didn't think so.

UPDATE: CTV is reporting that this ad breaks Dion's promise not to make personal attacks a part of his campaign. Of course, he can't really be blamed... because we all know he's not in charge anymore.

Dion takes aim at Harper, dismisses Tory 'gimmicks'
Updated Sat. Sep. 20 2008 12:41 PM ET
The Canadian Press

ALEXANDRIA, Ont. -- Liberal Leader Stephane Dion is taking dead aim at Stephen Harper today after his party unleashed their first attack ad of the election campaign.

Dion says voters have a choice between Conservative gimmicks and a Liberal vision for the country.

He says Harper has no plan and is trying to buy votes with false solutions.

Dion was echoing the party's attack ad, which targets Harper's handling of the deadly listeriosis outbreak that has claimed 18 lives.

The ad says Harper stooped to 'a new low' this week when he refused to fire Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz for making insensitive jokes about the medical crisis.

It follows repeated promises by Dion that he wouldn't indulge in personal attacks.

"All the Liberals eggs are in one basket"

I think this sums up what just happened today pretty well.

From the Toronto Star's Chantal Hébert: "Take out the controversial carbon tax and the air goes out of the entire Liberal platform."

What's that hissing sound I hear?

Dion election platform built on carbon
Jun 20, 2008 04:30 AM
Chantal Hébert
National Affairs Writer

OTTAWA – With the Green Shift plan, Stéphane Dion and his party have crossed the Rubicon. As of now, there will be no turning back from a carbon tax scheme. Should it come to that, the Liberal campaign ship will sink with its captain.

Far more than a climate change strategy, the plan unveiled yesterday is really a gutsy, but risky substitute for the old Liberal Red Books. For better or for worse, it is the platform that the party will take into the next campaign.

While other promises will come to the fore between now and the election, Dion's main commitments, including his ambitious anti-poverty agenda, have already been rolled into yesterday's announcement.

The decision to put all the Liberal eggs into the Green Shift basket was largely inspired by necessity. The only way to overcome the negative optics of placing a new tax at the core of an election platform was to make the attendant tax relief significant. That was achieved by placing multi-billion-dollar tax cuts in the Liberal window.

Those cuts serve another, larger purpose. Under the guise of a revenue-neutral proposal, the Liberals have found a scheme to finance their priorities at a time of declining federal surpluses, by promising to shift not only the environmental balance but also significant amounts of tax money to lower-income Canadians and families.

Take out the controversial carbon tax and the air goes out of the entire Liberal platform.

I guess the Sun Media Editors misunderstood too

They also seemed to be under the impression that Dion's "Green Shift" was going to form the core of his electoral platform...

Dion defends carbon tax
Maintains stance that green plan's tax scheme will be revenue neutral and appealing to Canadians
By KATHLEEN HARRIS -- Sun Media
The Toronto Sun

Stephane Dion's green shift plan will form the core of his party's election platform, but the Liberal Leader can't project what short-term impact a carbon tax would have on cutting emissions.

In a 75-minute session with Sun Media's editorial board in Toronto, Dion predicted his proposed carbon tax will trigger large reductions by 2012, building momentum that he hopes will reach a 20% drop by 2020. But he can't forecast how fast emissions will decrease in the short term.

Dion's "Tax Trick": Now you see it...

...now you don't!

(sorry, that one was just too good to pass up)

Not so fast there Mr. Dion!

Today, he's quoted as saying that he never said that the Green Shift was a major part of the Liberal election platform.

Well then, what's this quote mean?

"The Green Shift is at the heart of the Liberal plan to fight climate change and improve Canada’s environment and economy."

The HEART... in other words, the CENTRAL component.

Where's that quote from?

The Liberal's Green Shift Book... Page 39.