Being Liberal means never having to say you're Tory

...Unless, of course, you're David Emerson. :)

I can't really find it in myself to get upset about Emerson crossing the floor per se. It happens, and Belinda Stronach did not quite a year ago. But I think the people of his riding are entirely justified in being mad as hell and crying for his blood. The election wasn't even a month ago, and he's crossed the floor. Those people just went out and elected a Liberal in a pretty closely fought election. No policies have been implimented yet, not a single budget has been tabled. The guy has no legitimate excuse at this point for what he did. It's not like he can stand before his constituents and say "I've looked at the record of the Harper government and I feel, as your MP, that I would serve you and Canada better supporting it." He's got no basis for doing that; at least Stronach had that much going for her. They're right to be upset.

Relatedly, I have to say... if I were one of these high-horse Western Conservatives who was peddling the idea that they were offering Canada fresh fish that didn't stink, I'd have to be a little embarrassed and angry today at Harper picking an unelected person for Cabinet and then cynically looking to slot him into the Senate -- as if even that were acceptable in this day and age. If the guy couldn't be bothered to run for a seat and be accountable to the public, then what the hell business has he in Cabinet? So all these folks who've been ballyhooing about a Triple-E Senate have just had the concept thrown back in their faces with a huge bellylaugh by one of their own in the most egregious of ways. Now imagine how Quebeckers feel, having given the Tories ten seats from which to choose cabinet members.

All I can say is, Harper must be a closet Liberal. Either that, or he only wants to be able to sit as Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in future with "the Right Honourable" in front of his name.