Political Insider: Insightful Canadian Political Information

The Presidential Debate-Round Two-The Outcome!

One was more likeable, One would manage the economy better.Who would you vote for?

And the winner is?

Depends on whether you believe the CNN polls on who won the debate tonight or whether you believe that the poll within the poll tells the true result.

The Overall poll result is 46% of the people believe Obama won versus 39% for Romney.

Gotta leave the Obama people feeling pretty good eh!

Not so fast. Obama was awful in the first debate and anything a little better would propel his numbers upward. He gets credit there.

In November when Americans cast their vote in the only poll that matters they will be looking for two things as most people do in elections.

They are leadership and the economy. ( Think Harper Harper Harper if you were watching the least Canadian election) . These two factors will stand out even more in the US next month given where the world economy and the US debt-load is.

Romney won by 4% on who would make the best leader ( I hear people screaming that the margin of error makes that a tie, I say who says the margin of error always has to go the way of the loser).

On the poll within a poll that really matter Romney blew Obama away. He won by 18% on which candidate will be able to manage the economy.

If I was running the Republican ad machine I would get the commercials rolling. ” When it comes to your food,job,house taxes and lively-hood Mitt Romney trumps Barack Obama hands down” or something to that effect.

When people go to the polls they are not voting for the most likeable guy, they did that the last time and look where it got them.

They are going to vote for the candidate that will protect their wallet.

Tonight 18% more said that it was Romney.

What do you think ?

A Word About Bullies.

Maybe through Amanda’s death others will have a chance to live better lives.We can only hope.

Lately and with good reason all the talk has been about bullies and specifically the death of Amanda Todd.

Her death was a travesty.

This article written by Kelly McParland I think is one of the best ones written that not only speaks for Amanda but other victims of this little punished crime.

One of those people would be me.

I went to junior high in Winnipeg made up of grade seven,eight and nines.

I remember only too well being in grade 8 ( I was the smallest kid in the class) living a 1 minute walk from school.We lived next door to the school, I literally had to go out the back gate and pretty much the back stairs were there.

Didn’t matter, this guy got me most every day at least once. Never hit me just blocked my way, pushed me , and threatened to clobber me. Tormented me, scared me.

Bothered me so much I used to pretend to be sick so I wouldn’t have to go to school.

In reality and looking back there was no pretending at all. I was sick and scared.

This guy ( there was two, but one predominately and I remember the name like it was yesterday but I won’t mention it).

Still bothers me today and it makes me wonder how those events shaped my life and that was before the internet.

I had a nervous stomach and as a 12 year old kid became the Tagamet king of Winnipeg.

I often wonder if taking that drug is the root of all my digestive and other problems now .( Actually bullying is probably the root)

So lets hope Amanda’s life and death were not in vain, lets hope she brought this issue to the forefront where it should be.

Maybe then, the bullies will no longer be the funny people in cartoons but rather the monsters that they deserve to be.

Presidential Debate Tomorrow-The Set Up!

To set the table for tomorrow nights debate one only has to look at the weekend polls to see what is riding on the outcome.

Essentially we now have a presidential horse race where even the potential votes in the so-called swing states are showing the two contestants neck and neck.

This is surprising to some because Obama was so far ahead on the eve of their first debate.

But then he tanked.

We then had the Vice Presidents debate which by all accounts was a tie.

This brings us to Tuesday nights debate where voters,pollsters and pundit will be watching with baited breath.

What needs to happen to break the tie?

1) Romney has to keep up the attack on the Obama record and show the electorate why he is the best leader to put their hopes and dreams with.

2) Obama has to awaken from his coma. If you recall he sat back in round one and let Romney bring the fight to him.He has to state very clearly what his vision for the country is for the next four years.

3) As this is a town hall type debate both candidates will take questions from the voters. This is where Obama usually excels and Romney does not. Obama has a history of being better able to interact with the voters where as Romney tends to be a little gaffe prone.

This should be an interesting night!

My feeling as I have said before is that Obama’s heart is not in the job and if it were up to him he would quit. If Romney brings it to him professionally and aggressively look for Obama to sit back and give up.

If I were on team Democrat I would be worried.

What about you?

The VP Debate: Who Won?

The CNN poll released after the debate showed the numbers to be Ryan 48% VS Biden 44%.

Given the margin of error a virtual tie.

What I think this poll is not revealing are three things:

1) Paul Ryan did a great closing that will resonate for weeks to come. He took leadership,said he would be held accountable and not run from the tough decisions that any administration will face in the coming years. He also asked for the vote.

2) People are sick of old style politics and Joe Biden kept interrupting and cutting Ryan off.

3) Most important is this; people want a positive future and Ryan gave them that. I believe this will count big time later on in November when people actually make their voting decision.

Still Biden didn’t lose any immediate ground like Obama did last week.

This debate puts the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Barack Obama in next weeks second presidential debate.

He can’t afford to lay another egg.

I suspect he will. He doesn’t want the job.

I think and I have said before, in his eyes 4 years are enough.

What do you think?

Tonight’s VP Debate: The Set Up!

Ryan: I can’t believe he just said that!

This debate tonight is a must win for both!

The Obama Biden Democrats need to win because Obama took a hammering both in the presidential debate and the polls that followed.

For the Romney Ryan ticket they need to win to keep the momentum going.

Key to Victory:

For the Biden folks, he must be aggressive and go to Ryan without causing any of the gaffes he is famous for.

For Ryan he can’t look boring ala his rival Obama in the last debate. He must come off the guy next door.

Who has more at stake tonight?

Obama Biden, two hammerings in a row and their campaign goes into a tailspin.

I will be back with post-debate discussion tonight,stay tuned!

Marissa and Kyle would like you to Help Christopher Speer’s Children!

208199_1008181853863_1504449366_30025079_8954_n — Please help Taryn and Tanner!

October 16th marks the one year anniversary date of the death of my granddaughter Marissa and her dad Kyle.

As I was thinking about that the other day ( I think about that a lot) I received an email asking me to help out the children of Christopher Speer who was murdered in Afghanistan by Omar Khadr.

It goes without saying that even though I lost a granddaughter it is not the same as being a young kid losing a father and all the memories and fun times that that entails.

I think that Marissa and Kyle would like it very much if I reached out to you through my blog and asked for a little piece of your heart.

It would be great if you could help out, go to the website and help the cause. Contribute whatever you can even if it means at the very least sharing it on your Facebook page or Twitter account.

Together we can make a real difference in these children’s live and perhaps restore some of the hope that they lost when Christopher’s life was taken from them.

Marissa,Kyle and I thank you!

Barack Obama Laid an Egg in the First Debate Tonight!

A CNN poll after the debate tonight showed 67% of the people polled ( registered voters I should add) gave the win to Mitt Romney.

In every category,taxes, health care etc. Romney handed Obama his head.

More shocking than all that, the talking heads on liberal leaning CNN also said Romney “Out Obamad Obama”.

it’s not often even former Clinton Campaign manager James Carville gives in and says his team lost.

It was obvious that Obama wasn’t at his best and Romney was.

It seemed that Romney had better knowledge of the facts and was able to attack the President on his record.

Obama rarely went on the attack and in fact I thought he looked like he had aged about 20 years since the last election.

It will be interesting over the next couple of days to see the polling done in the swing states. Did Romney pick up some ground?

What do you think: Was this debate a game changer?

Christy Clark Threatens to Trip the Circuit Breakers!

Christy Clark: Sorry Justin but nobody takes center stage from me!

Not wanting to be one-upped on the news high-lites by the likes of Justin Trudeau, Knucklehead Premier Christy Clark used the occasion of the opening of Trudeau’s coronation to tell the world she will withhold electricity if the pipeline goes ahead without her okay.

One problem with what Clark said is that if and when it gets to that point she will either have been ousted by her own party or sent packing by an angry electorate.

Justin Trudeau on the other hand, well, his world, is about to get a whole lot more exciting after announcing tonight that his hat is in the ring to lead the Liberal Marijuana Party of Canada to oblivion.

I am sure The Prime Minister is sitting back thinking this is the best thing that could have happened to him and the Conservative party.

Trudeau, if as expected, waltzes to the LMPofC leadership more or less uncontested, he will have more than Prime Minister to contend with.

Tommy Mulcair is no dummy and wants to hold onto the title of Patron Saint of Quebec. Trudeau will not get seats in his home province without a fight.

A fight that bodes well for Conservative Party fortunes across Canada as both the NDP and the LMPofC clash and prepare to split whatever vote is out there allowing Harper’s team to come up through the middle and win seats they don’t currently have.

It’s also possible, although I never take the electorate for granted, that the CPC will pick up additional seats with the new riding redistribution under way and expected to be in place before the 2015 campaign.

This should make for a larger majority in 2015 than they have now.

Speaking of elections,Liberals in BC complained during the 2011 federal campaign that they were tarred and feathered with the Gordon Campbell Liberal brush. Just wait until they get painted with the Christy Clark ” I am a federal Liberal in my heart brush”

They will also have the Ghost of Justin’s old man to contend with.For years the west has wanted in and now that we are ” aint no man named Trudeau going take that away from us”

The next LMPof C leader has his work cut out for him. ( it will be no cakewalk for Mulcair either, as by the time 2015 rolls around, Adrian Dix and the BCNDP will have had two years to screw up enough things to have their share of doors slammed in their faces too)

For Justin Trudeau to succeed and show the country he will do politics different and more exciting, he will have to be just like his dad.

He will have to be like his dad in that he will have to stand at the ready with his middle finger, the only difference being he will have to wave it at his own party establishment rather than the electorate in Salmon Arm,BC.

The folks in the LMPofC establishment will no doubt try and refine Justin’s image,something that he cannot allow to happen.( Look for fallout here too!)

What do you think will happen?

Update:Christy Clark on Enbridge: Brainstorming Potential Answers is Not Her Responsibility!

The only MSM in town that bothered to report to this point on Inept Premier Clark’s visit with Alberta Premier Redford in Calgary today had the line for the ages.

When asked by reporters about her meeting Clark ,apart from saying it was frosty, advised anybody who would listen ( and by extension anybody who would read the Globe and Mail) that it was not her responsibility to brainstorm for answers regarding the dilemma with Enbridge and the pipeline.

The operative word of course in the quote was ‘Brain’ and we have all learned by now anything to do with that area of the human body is not a Christy Clark strong point.

So Premier Clark, if not your responsibility,whose?

Essentially today’s meeting was a great big waste of Premier Redford’s time.

Why on earth would Clark drop in without any new solutions to restate her position on the project?

Why hasn’t the brainstorming been done?

Could Clark have been hiding in Alberta to avoid bad press over the 12% increase in BC Ferries rates?

Watch the Calgary Herald Video where you will hear Clark’s first words’ Well um it was Frosty”

Clark in Calgary

We have,ladies and gentleman, what sounds like a 12-year-old girl as Premier.

Next she’ll be singing ” The good ship lollipop”!

What an embarrassment!

Need I say more?

What are your thoughts?

UPDATE Some 6 hours after the meeting,NONE of the BC Electronic News Sources( Sun,province,Times Colonist) have a line about the meeting. They are still saying she will meet with Redford later today; Geesh!

Adrian Dix: When He talks YOU should be Listening!

Dix: There’s a sucker born every minute!

Adrian Dix has been doing a lot of talking in public lately and if the latest polls are to be believed at this point not many of the voting public are paying much attention.

It may be that it is not close enough to an election and nobody cares but it is time to listen because this is platform stuff that the electorate will be voting on.

One week ago Mr.Dix spoke to the Vancouver Board of Trade and advised them that if elected premier he would raise corporate taxes back to 2008 levels.

This should be of concern to the average voter because an increase in corporate taxes will either result in a loss of jobs or at the very least result in frozen or decreased wages in the private sector.

It has to, there will be less money for companies to allocate for raises or benefits.

On the heels of that we see reports today that Dix told reporters after a speech to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities that he would repeal balanced budget law if elected premier .

Dix claimed the law as is was a joke.

While I agree that the Liberals have made a mockery of the law, the nice thing about forcing a government to go before the house with hat in hand to ask to run a deficit is at-least it goes on Hansard .

This forces both a record ,a vote and yes the house to be in session.

To allow any government in this day and age to run a deficit and tell you later is heresy.

With Dix ( he has a history of forging memos and fare-beating) and the BCNDP’s propensity to raise taxes without warning why would you want to give them this license.

There can be no more open blank cheque book style of government; we have seen how the Liberals have handled that. ( Look at the bad press this week with government begging for money for senate elections that have not yet been put to the house yet).

Remember the 1990″s and the BCNDP fudget budgets and recall Dix played a leading roll with that group too?

If anything the law should be tougher,not repealed.The voting public should demand it!

What about being open and accountable before spending our money?

What do you think?