And in other news:

"Do not go gentle into that good night. Blog, blog against the dying of the light"
Evidence suggests that the NDP vote is actually firming up and they continue to hold a sizable advantage on second choice. They may not have reached the ceiling of this JackQuake which is shaking the country.The silver lining to the Orange Crush is that the Conservatives are dropping almost as fast as the Liberals.
Graves said the figures could conceivably bring the NDP, led by Jack Layton, more than 100 seats in Parliament. The poll indicates that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives could win around 130 seats.That popping sound you hear is a million Conservative wingnut heads exploding.
But that's not a majority in Parliament, raising the prospect that the NDP could form a coalition with the Liberals and Layton could become the party's first prime minister.
In Prairie Dog magazine, Paul Dechene uses Project Democracy charts to summarize some other key Regina ridings.
- Liberals and Greens should vote NDP
Beauport--Limoilou- NDP and Green should vote Liberal
- NDP and Green should vote Liberal
- Liberals and Greens should vote NDP
- Liberals and Greens should vote NDP
- NDP and Green should vote Liberal
- Liberals and Greens should vote NDP
"They know it's a battle, they know it's a challenge, and they know we are behind to the Tories, but they are pumped and we'll go all out right to the end"
William Stairs, chief of staff in Oda’s ministerial office said in an email to the Star late Wednesday that despite Trost’s claim, no decision has yet been made on Planned Parenthood’s application because CIDA is “still reviewing the file.” . . .Oh, really? But we've heard from Trost before and he did seem to know what he was talking about then.
Conservative officials called an urgent news conference with reporters at 1:30 a.m. in Newfoundland to distance the party from Trost’s controversial comments. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, referred to Trost as a “backbencher” and said he was mistaken to say a decision had been made . . . “I honestly don’t know where he got his information,” Soudas said.
The much-ridiculed ersatz Muskoka lake the Conservatives commissioned for the G20 in Toronto wasn’t the only example of spending like “drunken sailors,” to quote Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff. Clement’s constituents also got $1.1 million for trees and sidewalk upgrades 100 km away from the Huntsville site. Another $745,000 for civic amenities in towns nearly 70 km away. $274,000 for public toilets 20 km away. And a $100,000 gazebo an hour’s drive away. What any of this had to do with the summits is anyone’s guess.
That’s the problem for the Conservatives. We may not see the final version of Fraser’s report before the vote, but what we already know is bad enough: A party now trying to wrap itself in the mantle of fiscal rectitude threw millions around for dubious political reasons.
. . . we’ve talked about the Ryan plan to gut medicare and medicaid and give the proceeds to the rich while feeding the warpig, and it is important to recognize this is not some one-off. This is what they want. They are also coming for your pension, they are after your social security, they want to destroy your union so you can not organize against them, they will go after your minimum wage next, they want to get rid of the EPA so their donors can pollute your water, air, land, and food and not have to worry about being punished, they want to deregulate Wall Street more so they can screw you again and not face any consequences, they want to tell you what you can do with your body, and they are spending lots of time and money making it harder and harder for you to vote. The Ryan plan isn’t an isolated incident, it was just shots fired on another front. If you are disheartened by the budget deal the other night, which is one small skirmish in a big war, you probably should just give up and go buy yourself a ton of lube.Its a war we would have to fight in Canada, too, if Harper gets his majority -- "just watch me" would be the new Con motto.
Both Ignatieff and Harper are polarizing figures in federal politics. But after five years as prime minister, Harper is a known commodity, with all his strengths and weaknesses already well established in voters’ minds and with three national campaigns under his belt as Conservative leader.
Ignatieff, however, is still relatively new to national politics, untested in the heat of a federal campaign.
That’s why Ignatieff, who has emerged over the first 12 days of the election as a surprisingly smooth, confident-sounding campaigner compared with Harper’s peek-a-boo-style of campaigning, must score a decisive win in next Tuesday’s leaders’ debate on English-language television.. . .
On Tuesday, Ignatieff will get his best chance to sell himself to Canadians. It won’t be easy, but it can be done.
“Ignatieff has to speak and act like a prime minister” in the debate, says Jim Gray, a Toronto presentation skills coach and author of How Leaders Speak. “His goal should be to get the audience to readily imagine him in that role. It all starts with the rationale: How would Canadians be better off under Ignatieff than Harper. He needs to establish the rationale early on — simply, clearly and confidently — and keep going back to it.”
Gray, who has coached politicians over the years, says Ignatieff is improving as a communicator. “He’s more relaxed on the campaign trail, more engaging, more real. That’s how he must be in the debate.”
Harper and Co. spend more time vetting the kids that show up at their rallies then they do their closest advisers.And how many more times are the media going to solemnly quote that tired old "overzealous staffers" excuse?
Our platform in this election has one overriding objective: to make equal opportunity a reality for every Canadian, whether you live in a big city, a small town, a remote community, a farm or a fishing village.Steve V writes
We will invest in quality, affordable child care for every young family that needs it. We will help every family with the costs of college or university, so your kids can be ready for the jobs of tomorrow. We will help families take time off from work to look after sick loved ones at home. We’ll strengthen universally accessible health care for all, and build on the Canada Pension Plan so everyone can retire in security and dignity. We’ll also have a new tax credit to help with the up-front costs of renovations to make your home more energy-efficient.
Finally, since opportunities for Canadians are now global, we will promote Canadian success overseas and stand up for the proud ideal that a citizen of Canada is truly a citizen of the world.
I feel like this party has found it's rallying cry, and I know I'm not alone. Many of us railed against this and that, our meandering positions, lack of clear focus. Victory or defeat aside, it feels like we have found something to support, the Liberals have finally armed themselves with a slew of ideas to convey a message.A week ago, Iggy was was 2,000 "likes" behind Harper on Facebook -- today, Iggy is at 47,418, compared to Harper's 45,684. So Iggy is now 2,000 ahead. And the Liberals as a party are still ahead of the Cons -- there are now 12,474 who like that big red tent, compared to 11,684 for the blue machine.
According to the latest Nanos tracking poll, Stephen Harper has managed something of a miracle: He has raised Michael Ignatieff from the political dead.. . . If Harper goes on to blow a near double-digit lead when this campaign began (either to win another minority or hand one to the other side), his substitution of messaging for communication will bear a large part of the responsibility. The prime minister uses language to create facts, not to convey them.In the Globe and Mail, Adam Radwanski says
What Mr. Ignatieff is doing, with surprising effectiveness thus far, is challenging the campaign model that Mr. Harper and his strategists have turned into the modern orthodoxy.
In place of rigid message discipline, the Liberal Leader is venturing into any number of unscripted and unpredictable situations. He’s taking more questions from reporters and from the public than he needs to; he’s throwing himself at the mercy of hostile restaurant-goers; he’s laying down challenges to the Tory Leader over Twitter.
Having seemed previously to lack stamina, Mr. Ignatieff appears to be actively enjoying the rigours of the hustings. And that sense of energy is rubbing off, not least on media looking to turn a potentially dreary campaign into a more compelling story.