"They have to talk this way to get elected" or Silence is golden

"They have to talk this way to get elected," said Link Byfield, chairman of the Citizens Centre for Freedom and Democracy.

This is a bit disturbing. For a Conservative Party leader who values democracy, and an open and transparent government to allow this to happen you have to wonder if he really means it, or if he's up to the job...

Equally odd, was Harper's response earlier this week to Don Newman that his own position on abortion was too complex. In short, he refused to answer the question.

This is what's going on today or rather what's not going on... during an election...

....CTV reports that US conservatives are being asked to keep silent to ensure they don't scare Canadian voters.

Note, they are not being asked to keep quiet because they shouldn't interfer in another country's politics, they are being asked to be quiet so they don't scare us....

....The Liberal war room lists eight socially conservative candidates who the Liberals claim have been muzzled by their own party. The candidates withdrew from debates, and consistently refused to speak to the media...

....Ed Hollet, maritime Liberal blogger, is noting that CTV Newsnet is reporting that one their reporters was physically restrained by conservative handlers when she attempted to ask a candidate a question yesterday.

There is something quite perverse about muzzling candidates in a systematic fashion

I go back to my question a few days ago about free votes....

And as the blogging Tories now set up with their usual the-liberals-are-desperate response to this... let me note, that while those are nice media lines, they still don't answer the question.