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  •  NDP vs. Liberal (none / 0)

    People, don't get fooled by the "Liberal" name.  The Martin Liberals are like Clinton Democrats.  The party is no longer the progressive party of Pierre Trudeau.  It's obsessed with balanced budgets, paying down the debt and selling out to corporate interests.  If you want a progressive political party, support the NDP.

    I agree there likely will be an election on June 25.  All three independents would have to vote against the no-confidence motion.  While one will, it's unlikely that bot of the more conservative independents will.

    Shill, Shill, Shill.

    by Paleo on Wed Apr 27, 2005 at 04:29:24 PM PDT

    •  Paying down the debt is bad? (none / 1)

      And balanced budgets bad?

      What are you, an American Republican?

      Small-l liberal idealism does you squat if you're broke.

      by Northwatch on Wed Apr 27, 2005 at 04:32:23 PM PDT

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      •  Re: (none / 0)

        Paying the down debt when health care and other social spending is badly needed is not only bad, it's despicable.  It's classic Republicanism to talk about balancing the budget and paying down the debt as the foremost goal of government.

        Shill, Shill, Shill.

        by Paleo on Wed Apr 27, 2005 at 04:36:05 PM PDT

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        •  But see, the difference is... (none / 1)

          Republicans only talk about balancing the budget and paying down the debt (while doing the exact opposite). The Liberals actually did it. They got Canada's finances into such good shape, we can now afford better health care and more social spending.

          The Liberals embody the Canadian political centre: strongly in favour of government spending to make life better for average Canadians... but only as much spending as the country can afford.

          We learned the hard way that if you spend more than that, pretty soon a bigger and bigger chunk of your tax money has to go to handle interest payments, and there's less and less money available to help people.

          Folly is fractal: the closer you look at it, the more of it there is.

          by Canadian Reader on Wed Apr 27, 2005 at 05:28:02 PM PDT

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      •  Yup. (none / 0)

        Actually, I'd argue the Martin Liberals are well to the left of the Clinton Democrats, well to the left (and I am a Clinton Democrat with reservations.)  Beyond that, the tragedy of the Clinton Democrats was that when they finally finished cleaning up the GOP budget mess and had some surplus to invest in R&D and education and social infrastructure, Americans went and elected another hard right government who quickly gave away the farm in supply-side tax cuts.  Which is exactly what Martin will do if he gets the chance.

        Last summer, Michael Moore and Ralph Nader were up here urging Canadians to vote Liberal.  Thankfully, we did (compared to what some, including my polisci friends, were predicting anyway).

        The grass is always greener when it bursts up through concrete -- XTC

        by tlaura on Wed Apr 27, 2005 at 04:39:55 PM PDT

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