2004 Democratic Primary

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

As a Tennessean, I'll take a crack at ours:

1 - Tri-Cities
2 - Knoxville
3 - Chattanooga-Oak Ridge
4 - Mid-State/Cumberland Plateau
5 - Nashville
6 - Upper Cumberland
7 - Western Corridor
8 - Northwest Tennessee
9 - Memphis

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Because "Fascist Dictatorship Party" doesn't give you a whole lot of votes.  I think they are disgusting but as long as they balance out the Commies, so be it.  It's really sad though when your true political alternatives to an incumbent government are Communists and Fascists.

Studying political party names of parties in other countries is very interesting.  My favorite example is the "Left" party in Denmark that is rather center-right

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

And now Brison has defected to the Liberals... why would someone vote FOR the merger and then leave?

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Objectively, a bad thing.  Relatively, a very very good thing.  

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Objectively, Russia isn't doing very well with the whole democracy thing.

Relatively, I'd MUCH rather have Putin's folks in charge over the Communists and Fascists.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I prefer SPS myself - but I'm afraid either of our hopes are nothing but wishful thinking -- wishing that Russia would join the rest of us in the 21st Century.

Objectively, Russia isn't doing very well with the whole democracy thing.

Relatively, I'd MUCH rather have Putin's folks in charge over the Communists and Fascists.

OK, but they weren't gonna win anyway. I wish Yabloko would win, they seem to be the only decent party left in Russia (together with the secret service right wingers, who despite being just that, didn't seem too bad). The communists actually want the good old days of the Soviet Union back, I saw one of their tv-ads on the Swedish news. Scary stuff.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Maybe Canada needs some sort of Electoral College to balance things out

Oh I know.
Ontario has over 100 seats. Sask has 14.
I was reflecting on the irony of politics in the Praries

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

It depends on what part of the state you are in.... the eastern part is the south, the panhandle and middle is the west, and the southern part is the north.... of Mexico

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Somewhere between none, nil, and 0% I'm afraid.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Since the sum (PC+CA) doesn't equal the sum of its parts (CPC) then where are those voters going and where are they coming from?  Are former PC voters switching to Liberal (or even former CA voters?)

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

The best way to make maps like that is using GIS data... the problem is that all the GIS data I can find for Canada is locked at Universities rather than freely available like it is in America.  I'm still looking though...

Elections Canada has an excellent mapping system.. but it would be difficult to make an independent map from it.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

An update... I found a GIS map of the old (301) districts... but still no luck on the 308.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

You could do insets for Toronto, Vancouver, etc... which is not hard to do with GIS.

There *are* GIS maps available... I just need someone who goes to a Canadian University to do some hunting for us!

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I suppose "investment" is a code word for "tax increase" in Canada too?

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

What I would do?

Write-in: Belinda Stronach!  I think she's awesome!

Harper gives me the creeps... though perhaps he's not all that bad.  Martin would be a great leader for the Conservative Party... though I probably wouldn't be able to bear voting for a Liberal MP just to get him

Hey all,

I don't know how many people here are actually from Canada, but I am.  One of the things that I find most frustrating about our electoral system is that, when voting, I often clash between whether to vote locally and take my MP into consideration, or whether to vote federally and take the party leader into consideration.  For example, last election I hated my Liberal Candidate for MP but loved Chretien.  This election, I love my Liberal Candidate and hate Martin.

Then I started thinking about how I'd vote if our country was like the US and we elected our PM like a President.  Personally, I'd vote for a Liberal MP but Jack Layton (NDP) for Prime Minister.

Anyone else care to voice their opinions?  Or, for those outside of canada, any thoughts on which leader you'd prefer?

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I think that if the Liberals died off like the PC's just did, that would be a sad day for Canada.  I'm rooting for the CPC over the LPC... but I really want my Progressive Conservatives back!

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

As it is generally considered inappropriate to campaign outside the fantasy forums except in signatures, I have posted a response to Siege's post here in a post entitled "ATTN Beaver" in the Fantasy Elections Forum.

You could use one of the Canadian avatars but you would need to pick a state and put that in your signature in order to be properly registered.  Like I said, campaigning here is inappropriate, but I will say that there is a strong centrist alternative to choose

It should be noted that even up until their unfortunate dissolution, the PC Party was "linked" with the Republican Party via an organization called the International Democrat Union.  PC leaders were regular visitors to Republican conventions and vice versa.