{ 2008 09 08 }

Layton and Harper are Yellow – UPDATED

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said letting May participate in the debates would be in essence allowing a “second Liberal candidate” to participate, which he called “fundamentally unfair.”

- Source CBC.ca
conservative ballot ad
- Actual Conservative mailing from last week distinguishes Greens from Liberals

NDP campaign spokesman Brad Lavigne confirmed late Monday that party leader Jack Layton had said he wouldn’t attend the debate if May were allowed to participate.
“We believe that as someone who’s endorsed Stéphane Dion to be the prime minister of Canada, she has endorsed Liberal candidates throughout the country,” Lavigne said.
“We said that if the Liberals were going to have two representatives, we would not accept the invitation.”

-Source CBC.ca ibid

Jason MacDonald, a spokesman for the network consortium, said the other three parties all opposed her participation “and it became clear that if the Green party were included, there would be no leaders’ debates.
“In the interest of Canadians, the consortium has determined that it is better to broadcast the debates with the four major party leaders, rather than not at all.”

The nationally televised event is run by Canada’s major TV networks through an umbrella group that decides who takes part. The consortium includes CBC, Radio Canada, CTV, Global and TVA.

The key to fixing this obviously anti-democratic decision made by the media, and imposed by the Conservatives and NDP, is to convince supposed-electoral reformer Jack Layton that if he does not change his ‘vote’ with the media consortium to agreeing to debate Elizabeth May, that he will look like a yellow-bellied coward who is afraid to debate the issues. With only Harper against including May in the debates, the media consortium can not claim that it was Elizabeth May’s political opponents who made the call to keep her from debating. If Harper decides to sit the debate out while the other 4 participate, that’s his fair choice. It also conforms with the consortium’s decision which is if you recall:
“In the interest of Canadians, the consortium has determined that it is better to broadcast the debates with the four major party leaders, rather than not at all.”

Duceppe is now doing damage control, and distancing himself from Layton and Harper and the media consortium who runs the debates and implied that the Bloc would boycott if May debated.

From the CBC, it appears Dion is not without blame in this anti-democratic boycott threat by the other 3 male major party leaders.

Dion, for his part, said he would have welcomed the presence of May, but he would not participate if Harper were to boycott the debates.

“I will say that I would like her to be there,” Dion said.

I am not alone in calling Layton and Harper the cowards that they are. The media has some explaining to do as well, for why they caved in to the obvious dismay that they had more competition to deal with in the debate.
Let’s make a list of bloggers who think Layton and Harper are cowards for ducking a debate with May.
Leave a comment with a link to your blog post making that accusation, I’ll link to you here.

–
Tanya joins the growing list of bloggers enraged by this travesty.
David Ben Mark will speak for the greenparty.ca bloggers (because obviously most are going to agree that Layton and Harper are cowards).
Mike asks why the chickens can’t cross the road to the debate.
Chrystal Ocean knows the tide is taking Harper and Layton out with it.
Shannon knows courage. Standing up to the CRA would take an army.
Seven Star has gone beyond the coward charge.
ThisCanadian talks about the spineless wonders.
Gordo knows that the Conservatives and the NDP are the new Yellow Party.
Daniel thinks Dion had a weak response to this too.
Townie thinks Layton and Harper didn’t make it out of Grade 4.
Zach Bell takes a toll on all of the parties.
Lord of Wealth welcomes Canadians to our new strongly led dictatorship.
Scott takes a tattered strip off of pants-shattered Stephen.
Shayn joins us.
Chris is a Green with his own blog. He joins the list.
James knows more than you think.
Dave knows who is scared, and why.
James says the old kind of strong is what Layton is.
Paul may be communist, but that doesn’t mean he’s against democracy like certain party leaders.
PeterC has strong reservations about Jack Layton.
WC cooks up a can of whoop-ass for Layton.
Miranda thinks they are both cowards.
MrvnMouse asks, “What is Harper and Layton afraid of?”
Alison declares May the winner of the debates.
Jim is tired of the greed and arrogance.
Mike asks the media to call Jack’s and Stephen’s bluff.
One woman asks why is the media complicit with Layton and Harper?
James says Layton is out of the running now for his vote.
Phyl joins our list, before there was a list.
Ryan knows Layton is spineless, but looks for spin to save face.
Simon joins the list.
CuriosityCat has a great way to dispell the myth that May and Dion are supporting each other. Have them challenge each other to a debate!
Glenn gives Joe Clark a link.

UPDATE: Layton has now backed down, and Harper’s party followed Layton’s lead. Harper’s a strong leader after all… who looks to the NDP for guidance so they don’t look even more foolish.

Posted by Saskboy on Monday, September 8th, 2008, at 8:26 pm, and filed under Saskatchewan, election, media, news, politics, radio, television.

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