Hopeless

Shorter Jason Cherniak:
Some people may believe in a little town called hope. But as far as I'm concerned, we're better off bulldozing it to make way for a superhighway.

Coalition-breakers

Shorter Jason Cherniak:
I'd rather see a Harper majority than a Dipper in cabinet.

(More about Andrew Coyne's coalition suggestion later.)

Update: I've discussed before the difference between a partisan (which I'd consider myself), and a hyperpartisan - see the comments to this post for one distinction between the two. But I'd might as well point out a prime example based on Cherniak's view that he doesn't want to see a coalition government lest the NDP's credibility improve as a result of its members successfully holding federal cabinet positions:

A partisan wants to keep power out of his/her opponents' hands to avoid the risk that they'll use it badly; a hyperpartisan wants to keep power out of his/her opponents' hands to avoid the risk that they'll use it well.

But he's just the messenger

Shorter Jason Cherniak:

Politics is about compromise. Let's bring down the volume of the debate and discuss it rationally - by casting evidence-free aspersions against our political competitors.

Double the hypocrisy

The latest Cherniak story just keeps getting better, as the Liblogs administrator is now up in arms over the prospect that anybody would think of comparing him to "Stalin (possibly the worst mass murderer in history)".

Which makes for the following timeline:
- Cherniak claims that doing X makes the NDP "Stalinistic".
- Cherniak does X.
- Cherniak goes into a fit of outrage at the prospect that anybody would compare the act of doing X to anything Stalinistic.

So let's take stock of what kinds of actions are to be considered acceptable in Cherniak's world.

Purging people based on a perceived failure to toe the party line is outrageous. Except when Cherniak does it.

And comparing one's political opponents to Stalin is beyond the pale. Except when Cherniak does it.

This has been today's lesson in Lib principles. Carry on.

On principle

There are plenty of times where no line fits a story better than CC's oft-mentioned phrase: "And if you don't like THOSE principles, well, I've got others." But sometimes, even that classic snark falls somewhat short of a target.

And so it is with Jason Cherniak, who by his own standards has established himself as a Stalinist who makes "unbelievable decisions":

"If you don't like THOSE principles...well, no big loss. After all, I wouldn't know a principle if you whacked me over the head with it."

Update: In comments, Cliff points out that the original attribution of the "I've got others" quote (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) is to Groucho Marx.