Not seeing the big picture.

Campbell Brown wrote an opinion article about Barack Obama's "broken promise" regarding accepting public financing.

You can see her article here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/28/campbell.brown.obama/index.html

8:00PM is no offically the No News Hour on all three US News Networks. We have Bill O'Reilly on FNC; Keith Olbermann on MSNBC; and now Ms. Brown on CNN.

But thats another point.

The point I am making is that Sen. Obama had no choice put to revolutionize the fundraising apperatus in order to survive. He wouldn't have been able to fight of the McCain/RNC Attack Ads if he had handicapped himself with Public Financing.

Mr. Obama has involved people in politics in a way not seen in generations. If he is successful in one week's time we'll be talking about the Obama Revolution like we now talk about the Reagan Revolution.

Yes, the US needs campaign finance reform. But I don't think Obama so much as broke a promise, but instead was realistic. And isn't that what everyone wants in a Commander In Chief?

McKenna is Out.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081028/mckenna_leadership_081028/20081028?hub=TopStories

Frank McKenna has again announced he will not run for the Liberal Leadership.

Its looking more and more likely to be a Ignattieff vs Rae Battle.

Obama's Final Argument...

... well sort of.

Obama will apparnetly be giving his "closer" in Ohio today. MSNBC reveals a heartwarming line : “The change we need isn’t just about new programs and policies. It’s about a new politics -- a politics that calls on our better angels instead of encouraging our worst instincts; one that reminds us of the obligations we have to ourselves and one another.”

We'll see how it plays, and rest assured if it needs tinkering we'll see it in Obama's 30 Minute Ad coming this Wednesday.

Needless to say, on paper it seems like a powerful line, and Obama will likely deliver on it.

Until next time my friends.

Things to Come

There are changes coming to The Centre Block. We are planning an expansion of our content. We have added some balance by adding some contributors.

Just recently "In Media Res" our voice from the west has posted. Soon you will see some from Matt B and Lucas Timmons, Mr. Timmons is our local Libertarian and I assure you will antagonize us who disagree. However he is a very smart man and will make you think about the issues.

Matt B is man dedicated to reason and his arguments will keep you coming back for more.

We are a centrist blog. This is why we make our additions. True political discource requires multiple point of view. I hope you'll join us here as we debate issues local, national, and international.

We'll also be having some fun. Keep reading, because we'll keep writing.

Confident and Smug

Indeed, Chretien exudes(ed) a respectable confidence in carrying out his duties; in retirement, he's also allowed to be a little bit smug. When several Canadian banks had it in their mind to merge (in 1998), arguing it would make them more competitive, the government blocked the deals from going through. Mr. Chreitien, though unwittingly, has left us in a generally favourable position heading into the current economic crisis; for this we ought to be appreciative.

Canada's Most Poopular Leader

He's still here, haunting us. Arguably, Jean Chretien is Canada's most popular living politician. Even for all those who hate him, the facts are undeniably there that he won three back to back majorities.

I won't apologize for his faults or accused scandals, but the guy is unbelievable. He has an unshakable confidence in himself, excluding the 1995 Referendum, but I think that year the entire nation had little confidence. Something which I think our current cabal of leaders lack. Yes, Harper seems confident, but I always get from him that he is unsure of himself.

I'm going to argue that Canada has lacked true leadership on the national stage for quite some time. No one inspires us anymore.

Here's hoping for a great Liberal Convention.

Poor Alberta

I'm not an expert. But it seems the current slide in oil won't help Alberta any. Combined with the Alberta Gov't new royalty plan, is it possible that their economy might tank too?

The Down Ballot Struggle Begins

I just saw this ad on Ben Smith's Politico Blog.



With Obama starting to wrap up his presidential campaign, it appears he is starting to let people ride on his coattails.

Though If I were him I would want to make sure that no party has a veto proof majority.

Expect more of this as the Democrats go for the trifecta this year.

On a side note, I have been living on Politico for the last few weeks. Sadly, there is no Canadian version.

Deficit Night in Canada?

Welcome to the 1980s.

Trudeau ushered in the era of big deficits, and Mulroney kept it going. Now after over a decade of surpluses we are going to have to sit through a blast from the past.

Yesterday, the Ontario Government announced a $500M deficit, today the Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said we might not be able to avoid it, but he is "confident" we can.

Its time to bring out the scalpal (not the axe) and start trimming the budget. Perhaps it wasn't such a great idea to slash the GST after all.

A Commitment to more posts.

My friends (I guess thats cliche now).

I have from time to time decided to post to The Centre Block. Now is the time for me to commit myself to blogging more than I have.

In today's economic and political climate it is more important than ever before for citizens to report their opinions and the facts they can find. In the past this was a difficult thing to do. Now with the advent of the internet we no longer need to sit quietly.

Martin Luther King Junior spoke of the fierce urgency of now during the Civil Rights movement. On the verge of the next era in Canadian and World politics, I along with all of you will be here saving the world through our words.

Liberal Leadership

So its begun. Now that the campaign has begun, let us look at a few contenders:

Michael Ignattieff: The Philosopher King. He is arguable the strongest of the contenders for the leadership, and most likely the candidate the Conservatives don't want. However, his long abence from the country is still an open sore.

Bob Rae: Potential Leader of the "Unite the Left" movement, however, Bob Rae is still toxic in Ontario, and as the last election has shown, Ontario is no longer a Liberal Fortress. To win it back they'll need a leader who can rebuild the party's fortune in Central Canada.

Gerard Kennedy: The Dealmaker. He was a strong enough candidate in the last campaign that he won it from Dion. However, will that strength remain? It can be argued in hindsight that his efforts have harmed the Liberal Party.

Frank McKenna: Premier, Ambassador, Businessman. Likely Bay Street's choice for Liberal Leader. He's bilingual (though apparently rusty).

Jane Stewart: She was apparently the successor Chretien wanted. She threw herself on the media grenade of the HRDC. There was a small "Draft Jane" movement in 2006, its unknown if she would take the plunge or not.

There are numerous others, but it'll be a short campaign, expect an Ignattieff or Rae victory.