We talked politics.
I think she's pretty typical of a lot of very busy but concerned Canadians
She hates Harper, wants him out, but hates Iggy too. She always votes Liberal, but doesn't even know this time who her candidate is. She said she's seen no signs.
She said that a Conservative majority was inevitable.
After I got done shrieking 'NOOOOO', I talked strategic voting with her, told her it was vital that we stop dividing the anti-Con vote. I did the whole 'hold one's nose' spiel.
She wanted to continue to talk about the Liberals: why did they bring Iggy in, why don't they get rid of him, etc.
I said: First, we get rid of Evul Stevul.
I asked for her email address and told her I'd send her what she needs to vote strategically.
I just did it and here it is with links left in plain text, so it can be conveniently copied, edited, pasted and forwarded to EVERY LIKELY PERSON YOU KNOW.
Dear World's Best Eye Doc:
First we need to deny Harper the majority he so desperately wants. Then we can go back to politics as usual -- the Libs to backroom in-fighting, the NDP to uselessness, and the Greens to hopelessness.
To get rid of Harper's Conservatives, we must vote strategically. We must stop dividing the anti-Conservative vote. We must hold our noses and vote for the candidate and party most likely to beat the Con. In some cases, this will mean voting NDP, in others Lib, or even Bloc or Green.
Do not try to vote strategically, i.e. just anybody but Con, unless you've done some homework. It's easy though. There are several websites where smart political wonks have done the math. Here's one: http://www.projectdemocracy.ca/
Find your riding, see which candidate has been recommended and vote for him or her.
Here's a site offering donation information for 33 'swing' ridings, if you want to help out with some dough. http://swing33.ca/
Here's another strategic voting guide: http://regressiveconservative.ca/voting-guide.php
And another targetting 40 key ridings. http://catch22campaign.ca/notes
All of these sites are multi- or non-partisan.
Do please vote and pass this information along to any and all your friends, relatives, and acquaintances across the country.
This is really urgent. Look at the nuttiness going on the US. You think Harper wouldn't try killing universal health care, pensions, unions, and environmental legislation if he got a majority?
If you or any of your pals need a reason to vote against Harper, here's 107 of them. http://100reasons.ca/
And for fun -- and not safe for work -- have a look at this site that has gone viral. It crashed yesterday when it was hit over a million times on the day it went live. http://shitharperdid.ca.nyud.net/
Each page has a headline, some text, a link to the source and a button to hit for the next 'item'.Sample: Stephen Harper thinks women talk too much.
Since 2006, Harper has cut funding for women’s advocacy by 43 per cent, shut 12 out of 16 Status of Women offices in Canada and eliminated funding of legal voices for women and minority groups, including the National Association of Women and the Law and the Courts Challenges Program.
There are also two funny -- and NOT SAFE FOR WORK -- videos promoting that site. Young people in particular might find them cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONPki_Qhlz0&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQm0t1v2wOM&feature=related
Just one more thing: Rick Mercer, in one of his rants, challenged young people to vote.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=225Mx6ya7SQ
And the kids responded: http://leadnow.ca/en/vote-mobs
They've staged several Vote Mobs and they're planning more.
Here's the first from UGuelph: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbGGjnoqfFs
UVic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbGGjnoqfFs
Please forward this far and wide. Be part of the viral 'Anti-Harper social media attack'
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/techsense/archive/2011/04/13/anti-harper-social-media-attack-goes-viral.aspx
This may be the most important election you've ever voted in.
Cheers,
fern hill
Seriously, fans of democracy, the fucking media keeps shovelling 'inevitable Conservative majority' at people too busy to inform themselves otherwise and they'll believe it and stay home.
This is what Evul Stevul is counting on.
Here's that last link in the letter, for some Thursday midday optimism. Anti-Harper Social Media Attack Goes Viral.
Social media is wreaking havoc on the Conservative Party’s closely orchestrated election output with anti-Harper videos going viral and a website citing a litany of Harper criticisms crashing Wednesday under viewer traffic.
Mixing mockery with profanity, the web site shitharperdid.ca got more than a million hits within hours of its its launch Wednesday morning.
Among people who noticed the site – Margaret Atwood – who tweeted a link to her 160,000-plus followers:
“Didn't know about some of these things! Yikes!” she wrote.
10 comments:
Terrific link list - here's hoping that it catches some wind.
The last link seems to have a problem - or at least from my server. I'm just saying.
Thanks, Pseudz. Fixed now.
great job , fern
fern hill: Of the few political blogs that I still read, I think you and Orwell's have done the best job of articulating urgency without appearing to be going right off your rockers. If the goal is to convince the Undecided & Apathetic to get off the fence, this is the only approach that will work: rational and informative (rational above all else).
I don't believe most Canadians are in tune with the Daddy State which is the conservative vision of governance. But given the choice between feverish rhetoric about dictatorships and Harper's Calm, collected demeanour, many might say "Blue sweater, please.", so appearing rational is mandatory. It's a fine line, but your skill in walking it is impressive.
*blush*
May I quote you on the 'rational' bit to my sweetie who is often subjected to the pre-edited versions of these blog-posts?
Hey fern - how far out of range do you go to get your eyes checked anyhow?;)Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic, but Steve really doesn't seem to have much hope of picking up any 416 seats. I sense that Steve's whine to voters to give him a majority - or else - we might have *another* (hide the kitties!!) election again in a couple of years could come back and bite him on the ass. It's that fear-mongering thing that, as you wisely point out, just might motivate Canadians to get their selves out and vote for ABC. Steve is counting on voter apathy. Let's hope for a good voter turnout May 2. It will prove that Steve is lying when he says Canadians don't want an election. Baby steps - kick Harper and his gang to the curb is the first.
Not far into Nosebleedland. But Eye Doc has HUGE network. I figured convincing her might pay off.
This is one of my favourite blogs! Either I am laughing and saying yes or I am saying YES YES!!
I couldn't agree more with your strategic voting schtick, keep this up, please!
I would add this - poke in some eyes - to the next one: "Next time Canadians decide Liberals need a time out, a trip to the woodshed, to be taught a lesson, or any of the other cliches bandied about in 2006 in such a smug, naive, cavalier fashion, someone please, PLEASE mention Stephen Harper immediately!" But then, I am sure you can think of a much nicer, much more diplomatic way of putting that. Regards.
Not going to happen - and won't fix much if it does. That from a fellow who despises Harper and his ilk.
Think back to when Iggy parachuted in from the USA. He took over from a fellow who was 'going for it' against the Cons with help from the rest of the House. This during a quick period of grace Harper manufactured for himself with a desperate dissolving of Parliament. What happened ? My guess is the bagman spoke; having received his instructions from the party financial base.
So Iggy is going to have a plurality ? He won't even promise Layton a place at the table. Last time I looked Jack was doing much better than him ! So - he shot himself in the foot already.
That makes the Liberals a device to split the anti Harper vote - with the 'leader' a patsy or shill. He'll 'die' - and give the Cons back their turn at the tiller uninterrupted.
Backtrack to 'God Save the Tories' in '93. Kim Campbell ran on 'Free Trade' and continuing the GST. The Blues had 2 seats nationally for that effort ! And the Lie-beral Chairman Mao style Redbook of election promises...suddenly was nowhere to be seen. That was because Chretein and the boys took over the overwhelmingly rejected platform and implemented it.
You might not think that we live in a kleptocracy which is the natural progression of that which was imposed on Britain in 1066. But I don't see that our 'parlez-ment' has moved much from its roots as a deception to pacify the common people while Money Talk$
Hi Janet, my name is Karen. I'm posting this as Anonymous because I don't know what the other stuff means. I'm new to the internet. But anyway--my God woman, good stuff! Well said!
I literally can't sleep, some nights, thinking about Harper getting a majority. He will run us off a cliff. He will sell off and privatize our public resources and assets, rack up huge debts for shit like fighter jets we don't need and prisons--all the while cutting corporate taxes; its a perfect storm of economic mismanagement. And terrifies me.
And that's just one of the things about this man that terrifies me. He sent 19,000 cops to Toronto and beat a thousand people up. He used the citizens of Toronto as lab rats in a right wight science experiment at the G20. And he spent a BILLION of our dollars, in just 72 hours, to do it. And you know this! I'm not alone! I've been ranting at the neighbors and everybody at work, so you made my day. Thanks for your fabulous, insiteful blog, or site, or whatever the proper term is. You are dead on about Harper. Karen.
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