Monday, March 17, 2008

NDP Bloggers Silent

No chest pumping about today's by-elections?

15 comments:

Sean S. said...

Given the margins of victory in 2006 I doubt they have a chance in any of the four ridings....Quadra maybe being their best chance....

Greg said...

We are letting Liberals do that, although it is pretty funny to see them thumping their chests over seats they already hold.

leftdog said...

Well none of the 4 seats were held by the NDP. However, I think that Ms. Beattie could be in some trouble. That part of Saskatchewan is in the habit of voting NDP provincially and Liberal Federally. Lots of voters are unhappy that Joan ditched them as their MLA having just been re-elected in early November. If enough anger exists ... she is toast!

James Curran said...

That's funny Greg! Lol!

The Dippers were quick to proclaim the death of the Liberal party after losing 3 PQ ridings. Two of which Liberals had no shot at whatsoever.
Not to mention the Liberal that now calls himself a Dipper that was elected in Outremont.

Mark said...

Actually, the Dippers held the Saskatchewan seat very recently.

The big question is whether they'll fall to fourth place in any of these seats.

My understanding is that it's too late for Stephen Harper to send in the cavalry to help his buddy Jack as the Tories did in Outremont...

...and besides, most NDP bloggers are laying low to see if the Mulcair leadership campaign can begin in earnest tomorrow morning.

Greg said...

...and besides, most NDP bloggers are laying low to see if the Mulcair leadership campaign can begin in earnest tomorrow morning.

I have never seen more projection in my whole life. The only leadership race going on in the background is in the Liberal Party.

Greg said...

The Dippers were quick to proclaim the death of the Liberal party after losing 3 PQ ridings. Two of which Liberals had no shot at whatsoever.

Not to mention the Liberal that now calls himself a Dipper that was elected in Outremont.


Well, it is somewhat legit for a party to crow when it picks up a seat from another party. It is a bit odd when it is triumphant about holding seats. It speaks to the weakness of the Liberal Party that it needs to thump its chest over standing still.

Is it indelicate to point out that your candidate in Toronto Centre is a Dipper who now calls himself a Liberal (although trust me you are welcome to him).

Mark said...

Hmmm. I'll weigh in to agree with Greg on part of what he is saying. Thomas Mulcair was never, to my knowledge, a federal Liberal, although I stand to be corrected.

As for the Rae thing, it is understandable why the NDP may not want Rae around as it reminds them of the responsibility that comes with actually winning something.

northwestern_lad said...

Sorry James.... I've been spending too much time busting my ample ass working on the El-Farouk Khaki campaign to write about it. I prefer to let my actions speak in cases like these.

Malcolm+ said...

The NDP has never come close to winning three of the four ridings. We've spent 75 years being thumped in Toronto-Centre, Willowdale and Vancouver-Quadra. The fact that we got thumped in those three again yesterday is only news to the desperate Liberal spin machine.

Of course, the Liberals want to deflect attention from the fact that they were thumped in Denesthene-Missinipi and very nearly thumped in Quadra.

So, in the byelections to date, the Liberals are down two, the Bloc are down one, the New Democrats are up one and the Tories are up two.

Only in your delusions does that constitute "progress" for the Liberal Party.

James Curran said...

"Well, it is somewhat legit for a party to crow when it picks up a seat from another party."

Yes it is Greg, however the NDP were spinning it like we lost all three ridings, when, in fact, we had no shot at the other two.

Northwestern Lad,

you needed a lot more help by the looks of it.


As for you Malcolm, the Dipper spin machine made the same desperate attempt when the Libs lost the two ridings in Quebec that we had never been in contention in since the Trudeau era. And, who said anything about progress?

All of us in the Liberal party are quite aware of what happened in DMCR last night. We have to live with that...for now.

Mark said...

If the NDP are not growing in urban Ontario, Vancouver and Saskatchewan, where are they growing?

Montreal? PEI? Calgary?

Come on.

Malcolm+ said...

Apparently the NDP ARE growing in Montreal. I seem to recall a certain byelection in "the safest Liberal seat in the country."

Of course, the Liberal spin cycle has it's own absurdity. Let me see. Paul Martin - the most dithering Prime Minister in Canadian history - managed to win 103 seats at the last election. To date, between floor crossings and byelection defeats, they hold 97 seats. And they are so terrified of an election that they will prop up the Harper government at all costs.

Some momentum.

Of course, if the Liberal Party actually believed any of the pretty progressive things it says in opposition and during elctions, perhaps real progressives wouldn't despise you so.

James Curran said...

Um. The safest Liberal seat in the country is Mount Royal. And that is all jack Layton can spin. That he won a by-election in Montreal with an ex-Liberal cabinet minister.

Having said that, Tom Mulcair should start looking for a safer seat to run in.

Malcolm+ said...

I remember another occasion when the NDP won a byelection in a "safe" Liberal seat. You lot all claimed there was no way Dan Heap could hold Spadina at the next general election. In fact, Dan Heap not only held it at the next general election, but at the one after that as well.

Let us review the byelection net results.

- Conservatives - plus 2
- New Democrats - plus 1
- Bloc Quebecois - minus 1
- Liberals - minus 2

I like your Liberal momentum.