So the budget is out and despite many concessions to the NDP they are not mollified that Harper hasn't fully metamorphosed from a blue caterpillar to an orange butterfly.
And Harper probably looks like the cat who stole the cream.
Why wouldn't the conservatives want an election right now? Their poll numbers are better than they have been almost ever, including a last minute poll which showed that Canadians trust the conservatives to lead an honest government more than anyone else, and by a margin of 13% over the Liberals. Ignatieff, who plans to run on an "ethics" platform, apparently still prefers mass telepathy to polls. In other news voters also believe that the conservatives would do the best job at handling the economic recovery, keeping taxes down, and spending taxpayer money wisely by margins of 17, 19, and 17%. Those are all, incidentally, bigger leads than the Liberals have over the back runner, the Bloc.
Ignatieff today, "I would love to fight an election over the economy."
Definitely still telepathy.
But, since the Conservatives obviously tried (or tried to appear to be trying) to placate the NDP in the budget, they get to come out looking like the good guys who tried to spare Canadians an unnecessary election, while the NDP, Liberals, and Bloc get to look like the petulant opportunists who wouldn't accept a reasonable compromise.
Why wouldn't they accept a compromise? Because they want an excuse to form a (drumroll please) COALITION after the next election.
At least that is what the Tory campaign ads will be saying for the next month.
Have a fun election season everyone.
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Rebekah - this election is going to be fought during tax season. All the Conservatives do is to release a batch of ads showing how much ye olde average Canadian saves because of their previous tax cuts, and how much more they would save were it not for the evil opposition.
ReplyDeleteAs for the new airplanes: highlight Cretien's repudiation of the helicopter contract and how much it cost, both in money (cancelling the contract and trying to keep the Seakings going) and in Canadian lives.
Upping the corporate tax rate: just where do CPP/RPP/RRSP's get the money to pay pensions if not from corporate profits via dividends?
If the Conservatives are smart, they won't need negative ads: they'll be able to produce sufficient positive ones on those talking points alone.