March 5, 2008
More Stupid Snow, Money Cheaper, Clinton Won't Go Away
It snowed again last night, so if you're going anywhere, it'll probably take you a long time. However, we're getting another storm on the weekend so you might as well wait before you start shovelling. Actually, it'll be spring in a couple of weeks anyway so if you have enough cans of SpaghettiO's, it's probably best to just stay home til then.
The Bank of Canada slashed interest rates by fifty basis points yesterday, looking to stave off effects from the imminent recession down south. Your role in all this, Mr. and Ms. Consumer, is to spend money like drunken sailors so that the factories in China can keep buying the output of BC mines and the blasted wastes of Northern Alberta and returning it to us as flatscreen TVs. And as you consider the financial, ecological and karmic debts you're accumulating for your grandkids, just remember that your spending is the K-Y jelly that keeps the global economy well-lubed.
Census data released yesterday revealed that the median age of the Canadian workforce in 2006 was over 40 for the first time ever. Researchers predict that the work day will soon shift from the standard "9 to 5" to a model that begins at 5:30 in the morning, breaks for a two-hour nap in the early afternoon, and finishes in time for dinner at 4:30.
In the U.S. Presidential race, John McCain secured the Republican nomination, while Clinton stayed in the Democratic race by beating Barack Obama in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island. The Clinton comeback disappointed media strategists who had already begun scripting a campaign where Obama's character (the charismatic but inexperienced underdog) fights an acrimonious battle against McCain's character (the irascible old war hero with a heart of gold), with the story culminating in a surprise finale where the two candidates have to work together to escape from a pit of poisonous snakes.
Stéphane Dion, having apparently dragged his cojones out of the mitten drawer, refuses to drop allegations that Stephen Harper's Conservatives tried to bribe dying MP Chuck Cadman. Harper for his part reiterated his threat to sue if Dion didn't shut up. So who's lying? Well, it's politics, so probably everybody; the fun part is figuring out how much and about what.
Photo by gardinergirl from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
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lol, that was great for a groggy morning!
so sad, cause it's actually true.
Why is it that every generation seems to screw up the planet for the next.
We're already, and have been in a recession. But yeah, that phrase about says it.
I also have a sinking feeling that the fix is in for our `08 election and it will be McCain and the Obama/Hillary thing is just to make people in this country actually believe we have a say...it adds some drama also. McCain will be more of the same.
It's only been every generation since the Industrial Revolution. That's like what, only 10 or 12 generations tops?
Forget Dion, it's all about Ken Dryden vs James Moore the other day. Ken basically gave James the proverbial">http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20080304_094539_7648">proverbial bitchslap... totally boss.
Why can't McGuinty pass a law that bans snow. I'm sick and tired of the stuff. The past three days have seen rain (which melted all the snow from the weekend), snow (lots of it), and sunshine (without a cloud in the sky). Now they are calling for more snow on Friday. Enough is enough.
Clinton stayed in the Democratic race by beating Barack Obama in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island. The Clinton comeback disappointed media strategists
Clinton stayed in the race because she chooses to stay in the race, but not because of any purported success yesterday.
I hate to keep coming back to this point, but she did not beat Obama in Texas. He got more Texas delegates than she did. Since the way to win the nomination is not to win more votes, but to win more delegates than the other candidate, I don't know how Texas is anything other than a win for Obama. Indeed, thanks to his success in Texas, he managed to keep Clinton's net delegate haul for the entire day (owing mostly to her success in Ohio) to 4.
4!!
She was down over 150 pledged delegates before yesterday, and Ohio and Texas (2 of the very largest states) were supposed to be her comeback strategy, and she netted all of 4 delegates. By way of reference, Obama netted more than that just by winning convincingly in the tiny state of Idaho.
And speaking of "comebacks", that's one thing she did not do yesterday either. A month ago she was ahead of Obama in Ohio and Texas by 30+ points; and in the last 2 weeks, Obama wittled down a 20 point polling advantage by Clinton to virtually nothing in Texas and 11 points in Ohio. So while on the night you might say Clinton won (although Obama almost assuredly clinched the nomination last night owing to Clinton's failure to cut into Obama's delegate lead in any meaningful way), she held on, rather than came back.
Someone's been spending too much time watching the news tickers.
Seriously, though, good stuff McKingford. Really detailed analysis. A few years ago I would have been able to offer similarly detailed analysis. Unfortunately, I happened to be taking an American politics course at the exact same time that the '04 primaries began and ended. It completely killed primary season for me as I can no longer stomach the words 'primary', 'caucus' and 'delegates'....
...ok I still like saying 'caucus'.