B.C. Election 2013

[flamingfingers]

Thanks for quoting David Schreck of the NDP to "prove" your point. Which only proves my point of course. As I say, Christy Clark has run a terrific campaign and only the rabid NDP partisans would be so lacking in grace as to not even acknowledge that.

Four people besides Shreck say the same thing. She is definitely 'truth-challenged".

[George+]

Christy Clark has run a terrific campaign.
LOL
How about a one note campaign.
Has not discussed issues at all.

[Jo]

I've deleted some posts, some of you are perilously close to being removed from the elections forum.

[Smurf]

I wonder if the Okanagan had all NDP candidates if we would have had a reversal of spending from the parties. Me thinks so. Must pay back those that support you. Party politics all over again.

[NAB]

Excerpts from: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013 ... arper.html

""By: Tim Harper National Affairs, Published on Sun May 12 2013

VANCOUVER—Energy policy and the economy are expected to be the defining questions when British Columbians cast ballots Tuesday, but Christy Clark is taking one more shot at turning things around on the character issue.

However, it’s a 15-year-old character issue, one that has dogged NDP leader Adrian Dix throughout his run for his party’s leadership and the premier’s office and one which has been thoroughly aired through the years.It looks like a last minute haymaker from a politician losing the war, but Liberals here maintain that when asked about it in focus groups, many of today’s voters are unaware of the Dix scandal from years past.

Clark’s campaign manager Mike McDonald says the character issue is the fatal flaw for Dix, explaining what they call his “flip-flop” on the twinning of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, which the NDP leader now opposes, or what the Liberals believe to be a broken pledge to maintain a positive campaign.

**************************************************************************************

As Clark campaigned on Vancouver Island Saturday, she claimed momentum, even if her campaign is now in a race against time.

She has benefited from the collapse of the Conservative vote here and has seen much of the traditional Liberal, formerly Social Credit, coalition come back to the nest, even if some are doing so reluctantly or whether some in the business community want to see the back of Clark and quickly.

It may be a slender reed, but Liberals can take heart that one major poll here showed Clark most trusted on the economy and they have tried hard to make the economy the key issue.

*******************************************************************************

But there are two questions that must be settled here in the final three days, and neither bodes well for Clark.

So far, it does not appear that there is enough fear of the NDP to drive sufficient numbers of the centre-right coalition back into its traditional home in a polarized province.

The other question is even tougher for Clark.

She is really running not just against Dix, but the toughest opponent any politician faces, a collective sense that it is time for a change.

One constant in polling throughout this campaign is a majority of British Columbians say it is time for a change.

***************************************************************************************

Should she do the improbable Tuesday, she will have convinced voters that after 12 years of Liberal rule, they are comfortable with another four.

It is her first run for the top job after taking over from Gordon Campbell but if the party brand is tarnished and shopworn, we have learned from similar bids for renewal at the federal level in both the Liberal and former Progressive Conservative parties that new leadership is not sufficient.

It is something that Stephen Harper, should he choose to run again in 2015, will have to deal with after nine years in office, it is the same barrier which led to the departure of Jean Charest and Dalton McGuinty from Quebec and Ontario respectively.

It is the challenge that Kathleen Wynne would have to confront in Ontario, but a challenge that was successfully overcome by Alison Redford in Alberta.

With a Clark election, Canadians would see more of a woman on the national scene who has been accused of grandstanding, a woman who is publicly feuding with Redford, has no natural alliances and is trying to make an attribute of her penchant to shoot from the lip.

In Dix, Canadians would be introduced nationally to a reserved man, a sports and music fan, a premier from the West Coast with experience in Ottawa who would become the first fully bilingual B.C. premier.

He would be aligned with federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair, but not necessarily in lockstep. He has opposed the federal party’s position on the Clarity Act that it would take a 50 per cent plus one to break up the country in a Quebec referendum.

But whether either could work constructively with a federal government determined to push Alberta oil to B.C. ports is very much in doubt.""

[dudlee]

I apologize , I previously posted that the Liberals only doubled our provincial debt to $64Billion , I was incorrect , they actually raised it to $174 Billion . Just another reason ot to let these criminals back in .

To all you environmentalists out there , Gordos Green Carbon Tax on gasoline , to date , has not been used to fund or aide one new or old Green company . It is being used to pay down the OLYMPICS BILL still. For those that wanted to see ore Green projects , well there is a massive one taking place in the BC north coast area , in an area that has strong winds 360 of the 364 1/4 days of year , it there is a catch .

Gordo sold all the rights to a Cal-lee-foria based power company and we get nothing for it . Yes , a US based power company now has the wind rights in BC's North coast .

[dudlee]

The Liberals are gaining , the Liberals are gaining, states the news, yah BS , it's an old trick. Then tell all their liberal pals to advance vote to show false stats .

Iggy and Dion did it to,

[fluffy]

Then tell all their liberal pals to advance vote to show false stats .

I don't think we are allowed to know advance poll results, in fact isn't voting information secret until the polls close on election day?

[steven lloyd]

*******************************************************************************

But there are two questions that must be settled here in the final three days, and neither bodes well for Clark.

So far, it does not appear that there is enough fear of the NDP to drive sufficient numbers of the centre-right coalition back into its traditional home in a polarized province.

The other question is even tougher for Clark.

She is really running not just against Dix, but the toughest opponent any politician faces, a collective sense that it is time for a change.

One constant in polling throughout this campaign is a majority of British Columbians say it is time for a change.

***************************************************************************************

Should she do the improbable Tuesday, she will have convinced voters that after 12 years of Liberal rule, they are comfortable with another four.

This is where the Liberals and their apologists really failed IMO. When Gordon Campbell resigned in disgrace there was a window of opportunity for the Liberal Party to rekindle the enthusiastic support of the electorate at large. Inviting everyone in the province to sign up for membership and be a part of selecting the next Liberal Party leader was brilliant. People who had lost faith after a too long time of Campbell’s reckless arrogance were inspired to give the Liberals another chance and to again lend them their support. All the Liberals would have to do is behave like accountable grown-ups, acknowledge they had made mistakes and assure the electorate they had learned from them and would move on from there. Unfortunately we all know the rest of the story and it doesn’t need to be repeated again. In the minds of many voters, another four years of Liberal government doesn’t need to be repeated either. The only thing Christy and the Liberals have going for them right now is Dix’s apparent determination to self-destruct and throw this election away and the NDP's unreadiness and/or unwillingness to govern. We’ll see Tuesday.

[steven lloyd]

I don't think we are allowed to know advance poll results, in fact isn't voting information secret until the polls close on election day?

Yes it is. Reporters can and do talk to people going in and out of the voting stations though. Some people have no problem saying who they voted for on camera. That is their perogative. Reporters can also be very selective in how they report their findings.

Aren't elections fun?

[dudlee]

I don't think we are allowed to know advance poll results, in fact isn't voting information secret until the polls close on election day?[/quote]

Secret , REALLY ,!! , naive much , and all governments are truthful too , Right!! Ha ha ha ha.

Please. You probably like ICBC too? Eh.

[Merry]

Truth be told I don't really want either the Liberals OR the NDP to run this province, but in the absence of a third credible alternative we don't really have much choice.

I think history shows that ANY party that has been in power as long as the Liberals have, tends to become arrogant and prone to corruption. Therefore change every now and again is good for democracy.

However, that said, I do have reservations about the NDP. Not so much about those at the helm because, for the most part, they seem to have their heads screwed on right. But I am concerned about some of their more radical, "flaky" followers, and how much influence they may or may not have over party policy.

The environment is important, because we all need clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. But jobs are important too, because we all need to be able to afford a roof over our heads and food on our tables. As industry, ALL industry, pollutes to some extent - it becomes a matter of balance. How much environmental protection is possible, while still allowing for job creation and economic development? Is environmentally sustainable development possible, and if so how do we acheive it?

Regrettably when such discussions arise, we always seem to hear the extreme positions on either side, and not enough middle of the road common sense. The right wingers seem to believe in economic development at any cost, regardless of possible environmental damage, while the extreme left wingers appear to support us all returning to our pre-industrial days of "living off the land". I think the reality is that most of us are somewhere in the middle of those two positions, so it becomes a question of which party's policies most closely reflect that middle view.

In my mind, that would have to be the NDP, provided they can keep their most radical left wing elements in check. So I'm going to give them my vote and keep my fingers crossed. But if they get elected and wind up letting all of us middle of the road voters down, I think they'll be finished forever as a credible choice for Government in this province.

[Urbane]

Here's another reason why so many people are turned off the political process and why so many are cynical:

NDP buys full-page ad on front page of 24 Hrs
Adrian Dix has mocked a similar ad by the BC Liberals
News1130 Staff May 13, 2013 7:30 am

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It looks like the “comeback kid” has some competition.

The BC NDP has taken a page out of Christy Clark’s playbook by buying a full-page ad on the cover of this morning’s 24 Hrs newspaper.

The headline reads, “Remember the BC Liberal record” and the copy ends with “let’s turn the page on the last 12 years.”

When you turn the page, you’re greeted by the smiling face of Adrian Dix.

Just a couple of weeks ago, a Liberal ad on the front page of the free daily newspaper featured a picture of Christy Clark with the headline reading “Comeback Kid.” There was also a reference to a poll.

At that time, Dix mocked the ad, saying the Liberals had to buy the front page of a newspaper to claim victory in the TV debate.

The bottom of the ad reads “Authorized by Heather Harrison.” Harrison is a financial agent with the NDP.

ETA: Another reasons to be cynical . . .

VaughnPalmer ‏@VaughnPalmer 7h
#bcpoli Harcourt, Byers, Berman, all endorsed Dix. Then warned against voting Green as could split vote
Expand Reply Retweet Favorite More
VaughnPalmer ‏@VaughnPalmer 7h
#bcpoli Dix says "hugely disrespectful of voters" to criticize vote splitting. NDP supporters Harcourt, Byers, Berman did not get memo.

[flamingfingers]

A vote for and a vote against
Posted on May 13, 2013 by Ian

I’m a partisan. I’ve been a New Democrat since I heard Dave Barrett speak about our province and his vision for it in 1972.

But for crying out loud, please shoot me if I ever turn into one of those non-questioning, all-power/all the time Liberal robots who post on the Globe comment boards.

Is there a place where these people go to have their brains redone? Is there an assimilation process? Or does it just happen over time, kind of like calcification or Alzeihmers.

Generally when I read a paper on-line I like reading the comments more than the stories these days. It’s one of the great things about the internet – the reporter is finally not immune from argument.

But there is something about these crazed Liberal war-room generated comments that makes me fearful. These are the voices of people who brook no argument. Who listen to no reason. Who believe only they deserve to rule, no matter what they have or have not done.

It doesn’t matter if their facts are wrong, if their logic is deficient, if their history is made up, it’s my way or the highway.

This Liberal campaign belongs to those ideologues. It’s built on lies and rhetoric. Truth and record have been banished. Policy and plans have been thrown out the window. It’s the fairy tale right versus the dragons of the left. All ideology, no substance.

That’s because the reality of their government over the last twelve and especially four years is just too terrible to look at.

That is the number one reason to defeat them. If after all the lies and deceit, scandals and corruption, bad policy and missed targets, arrogance and lack of democracy, if after all of that we re-elect this Liberal government we don’t deserve better.

So yes, for our own self-respect we should defeat the Liberals.

But we should also elect the NDP.

If there is one thing I can’t stand about my party it is our self-righteousness, the kind that always ends up talking about a “moral victory”.

Moral victories are the only kind of victories the self-righteous win. We told the truth. We fought the good fight. It would have been wrong to do what we need to do to win, we mumble.

Blah, blah, blah.

Elections aren’t about us. They are about people. And we need to listen to them to win them over.

If we win this time it’s not just because the Liberals deserved to be defeated. It’s because we cut our cloth to fit the electorate. We listened to what they had to say about us and we adjusted.

In the stupidest endorsement ever the Globe this past weekend called the BC NDP “socialists” which is correct in the same way that the BC Liberals are Nazis. In other words, not at all.

That’s a good thing. British Columbians aren’t as insane as their politics. They actually seem to want reasonable, decent government that taxes people responsibly and spends money carefully on things that are important to the general good.
The Liberals haven’t done that for a good while. They deserve to be defeated.

The BC NDP has presented a leader and platform that seems to capture that sentiment. There is a nice modesty at the centre of the plan, which fits the times. It shows the NDP listened and deserves to be our government this time around.

This is the last time I’ll ever get to cast a ballot. Like a right proper citizen I’ll feel very good voting against the Liberals and voting for the NDP.

http://therealstory.ca/2013-05-13/bc-li ... te-against

[jimsenchuk]

Off to the voting station i go, have a great day all. Vote wisely people. Dix will win but the Greens will get alot of votes.