Debate

[Fransisco]

<b>Iggy's little red book</b>

In attempting to wax poetically about democracy, Visiting Professor™ Michael Ignatieff decides it is wise in the leadership debate to paraphrase the most famous quote by Mao Tse-Tung, also the most prolific mass murderer in the history of mankind.

Seems you can judge the cover of a man by the books he reads.

So let’s close the book on Ignatieff immediately, especially when it is now blatantly obvious that his erudite and pompous elitism is staggeringly out of touch with all true Canadians.

And he has the nerve to accuse Prime Minister Stephen Harper of “betraying democracy.”

Spare us such twaddle.

“Let some flowers bloom here, let democracy breathe. Let it live,” quoth Ignatieff.

“Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend,” wrote Mao, although it is often misquoted as being 1,000 blooms.

But it matters not.

What matters is that Mao went on to murder through brutality and forced famine some 65-million people to secure his communism — more than Hitler, more than Stalin, more than Pol Pot, and more than all those homicidal maniacs combined.

So when it comes to global genocide, Mao wins.

And Ignatieff quotes him?

Do not think, even for a second, that Ignatieff did not know who he was quoting.

He’s an internationally-renowned scholar.

If he quotes Trotsky, he will know intuitively he is quoting Trotsky. If he quotes Churchill, he will know he is not quoting Chamberlain.

So do not believe him if he denies knowing his “let some flowers bloom” was vintage Mao.

Judge him instead by what he actually said when professing to believe in the ideals of a democracy that Canadians fought for — died for, and continue to protect — so that even a Mao-quoting professor like him can run for the prime ministership of our country.

Trust us, we will be looking closely the next time Ignatieff’s waves his little red book — just to see if it is actually the Liberals’ party platform or Mao’s.

And so should you.

http://www.torontosun.com/comment/editorial/2011/04/13/17974651.html

[Fransisco]

I'm still shaking my head over count Iggy's attendance record in the house of commons. How can anyone take the man seriously if he missed 70% of the votes? That's just inexcusable.

[agstar77]

Harper did not debate, he campaigned. He did not answer any questions, just responded with " just give me a majority and it will be allright". He was scared of giving the opposition any ammunition. Never really explained why we need more prisons when crime rates are dropping. Iggy could have gone after him harder but was too timid. Jack , the most experienced with nothing too lose, attacked better.

[riders2010]

I have to agree Francisco, we send them there to do a job. Wonder what the attendance for all the mps is though, many times many issues are agreed or they know the amount of votes needed between the parties before they even go to vote so the outcome is determined before it happens, but still doesn't look good not going.

I have a question on the economy and it wasn't answered yesterday. At the occurrence of the 2008 crash at first the conservatives didn't even recognize a crash was occurring, Flaherty made that clear in announcements the gov is in great shape nothing needed to do, then the public got nervous about the fact everyone else knew the crash was happenning except gov. they still wanted to do nothing, then after the opposition basically forced them into doing a stimulus, they did, only because of the threat made by the opposition. Which brings us to today. Conservatives say trust us because of our economic policy look at how good our economy is. The fact as I see it is that it was the opposition's forced policy that helped our economy through to this point. Even now some conservatives are against the stimulus so which one is it are they for it against it or don't know. Another fact is that when the crash came it was at the beginning of the conservative reign which means our good financial position was due to the previous liberal gov. policy wasn't it?

Is anybody in this campaign going to talk about agriculture?

[fjlip]

"Flaherty made that clear in announcements the gov is in great shape nothing needed to do, then the public got nervous about the fact everyone else knew the crash was happenning except gov. they still wanted to do nothing, then after the opposition basically forced them into doing a stimulus, they did, only because of the threat made by the opposition."

I suggest the feds should not have wasted billions on the so called "stimulus" and let the chips fall. Such would have let the market adjust naturally. The economy was not screwed like the US. We ended up with a socialist inspired debt on our backs. Thanks 3 stooges!

[TOM4CWB]

Fransisco,

" ....we will be looking closely the next time Ignatieff’s waves his little red book — just to see if it is actually the Liberals’ party platform or Mao’s.

And so should you."

Well said.
Tax and Spend.
Iggy knows best!

[Burbert]

Hold your nose, go to the poll and vote in
another Comedian government. What a sad
state of affairs, when the only ones that
I want to vote for, want to breakup
Comedia and don't run in our area. Then
there are the GREENS that weren't allowed
to be in the debate. Sad, sad, sad. What
a totally f'd up country we live in.......

[riders2010]

Well Harper said we are in such great shape? so are we or are we not is what people are asking. Tax breaks to the rich and famous and then cut the gst money has to come from somewhere, I just don't see how you can do that and then go on the spending spree for prisons jets etc.

I was against the gst years ago but it's upfront you know what it is the guys with money that buy more pay more, it doesn't hurt the rich, and gov has a reliable reasonably forecastable amount of money to work with.

the stimulus if it is used to repair or improve infrastructure why not has to be done some time and if it helps out jobs during a downturn why not, I agree when you give stimulus money to bankers and big oil, auto execs, when average families need to use credit cards to buy food and clothing, then there is a problem. jmo.

[mustardman]

Franny have you've been watching beck's blackboard conspiracy theories again?
Get real comparing one line to a line by Mao, thats a stretch

The Real question you should be asking Yourself is can you vote for a man who has such disregard for democracy as Stephen not slandering the messenger

[Fransisco]

"you should be asking Yourself is can you vote for a man who has such disregard for democracy"

That's a good question. How can anyone vote for someone who was absent for 70% of the votes in the house of commons, had a white supremacist as a candidate for well over a year, another one who thinks its okay to sexually assault woman, and then to top it all off quotes chairman Mao in the national leaders debate.

[gregpet]

Yeah but Fran its a stretch, not like anything is stretched to reach conclusions about Harper.

[TOM4CWB]

'After going through the multitudes of punditry commentary on last night’s leader debate, this piece by David Olive who gives all the other Harper-haters at the Toronto Star a run for their money for top spot, best describes how it went:

“Stephen Harper was the big winner in last night’s English-language leaders debate. He was statesmanlike, fielding almost every question, no matter how tough or gratuitous, with grace and an impressive command of detail, as you would expect of a chief executive. In doing so, he managed to make the others look like glib malcontents when they weren’t squabbling among themselves”

[riders2010]

I must have missed how he answered why prostitutes, money launderers, and 5 time fraud artists hang out at the nations capital when everyday Canadians cannot even attend one of the party election rallies. I'll have to look at it again I guess.

Last thing we need is a ultra right wing majority cause that crap he's showing now isn't gonna get better. This isn't the Conservative party this is Reform party of Canada.

[mustardman]

Yes if I use Franny conspiracy blackboard it comes up that Stephen is a borderline Faschist LOl

[gregpet]

I think you came to that conclusion with your imajinary factual blackboard mustard.