The election is coming up, and I'm going to vote Liberal.
I have two degrees in political science. I have done my share of volunteer work in election campaigns, from being a scrutineer to pounding the pavement, canvassing for votes. I've attended conventions, and I spent 5 years studying many facets of politics' ugly underbelly.
All that study...all these years...and I'm still going to to vote Liberal. Here is why you should vote Liberal as well:
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1--At all costs, the Conservative Party must be kept out of office. As far as I am concerned, they are the nastiest, insular, conformist, pro-American/Republican institution in this country. They promise tax cuts as if it were a prayer mantra -- and in the next breath, they promise to raise spending on health care while cutting it everywhere else. How much more evisceration does this country's infrastructure need? Wasn't the lesson of Mike Harris and his hateful, spiteful policies in Ontario enough?
This party is also full of right-wing religious elements that are totally anathema to the Canadian way of life. To try to get around their prejudicial views against abortion, gay marriage, and immigration, they promise free votes
on such issues in the House of Commons. Well, here's a newsflash, kiddies: free votes DON'T WORK. It?s the equivalent of mob rule, and a mob does not think. Free votes will put the institution of government into the hands of personal ethical agendas, and that cannot be allowed. This is not the Athens of Pericles. There are singular realities that must be faced in this country: social realities that can only be protected and nutured if a party that supports such things works together to maintain such a fabric.
I'll be blunt: religion belongs in the home, not the corridors of power. A woman has the right to choose! Two people can get married, man or woman...and both of these are no one else's business! Progressive taxation, equalization payments, and welfare are not sink holes, but charity and compassion and a responsibility to the less fortunate. If you agree with this, you cannot possibly vote Conservative. If you diagree with this, we have nothing to talk about!
2--Voting NDP is a waste of a vote. Is that harsh? Of course it is: politics is a brutal, ugly bloodsport. I like the NDP -- I like a great deal of what they stand for, and I like the passion they bring to their agenda. That said, I do not believe they can properly govern this country. I think they would raise taxes beyond a reasonable point, and make enemies of corporations that can be better allies than enemies. I think they would spend our money gratuitously, and take us back into deficit. I think they would enrage the Americans needlessly -- they are still our closest friend, and most powerful ally, and to be blunt (again) -- we need them. Far more than they need us.
Finally, voting NDP will only make it easier for the Conservative Party to slip through the cracks and perhaps eek out a victory of some sort. I'm loathe to talk about tactical voting, but to be perfectly frank, it's a reality in a multi-party system. For all the faults of a Westminster-style majority government, the bottom line is that things get done! We give a government 4-5 years to implement an agenda, and I am not a big fan of coalitions. Politics is not about idealism -- if you want that, go study philosophy. Politics is about achieving maximum gain in order to do the most good. It?s certainly not perfect, but in terms of ensuring a government with a progressive (and typically Canadian) social & economic policy, the vote must be given to the Liberals. It's the lesser-of-two-evils argument, but I don't apologize for advocating such voting habits. Voting NDP is throwing away your vote -- and handing the keys to 24 Sussex Dr. to Stephen Harper's Conservatives.
3--The Liberals, for all their faults, and all my worries about some of their right-wing political shifts, are still the biggest tent in which most Canadians can share ideas, concerns, and policy suggestions. They remain the only true brokerage party in Canadian politics, and they are the closest to representing the broad swath that is compassionate, moderate Canada.
But there are religious, socially conservative elements inside the party that must be fought. I'm certainly not going to stand by and let them influence government negatively. I believe in confrontation, and facing down the forces of division -- and I have a message for such people: you are NOT true Liberals. Moderation means accepting all, and protecting the minorities from the tyrannical majority. If you can't agree with that, then get out of the party.
In spite of that, and the fact that party shouldn't rest on its laurels, this IS the party that gave us mass immigration, opened up the west, established multiculturalism and billingualism as institutions, gave us the Charter of Rights, and opposed American military mistakes publically. It's a worthy legacy, and one that must continually be built upon -- something the Conservatives will NOT do, and something the NDP will not do successfully.
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For me, this election isn't about democratic deficits, patronage scandals, gas taxes, the GST or the military budget. This election is about choosing the right people to lead Canadians on the progressive, compassionate path that we've been travelling since Pierre Trudeau took office way back in 1968. He changed our entire outlook. I believe a vote for the Liberals will continue this balanced progress and keep us worthy of his legacy. A vote for the Conservatives will destroy everything we have achieved up to this point, and a vote for the NDP will simply throw us into a social quagmire.
My opinion? Certainly -- but that's what I'm allowed to do in this country. Do you disagree? Not a problem. But you'll have a hard time proving to me why I might be wrong?
