This Must Mean That Blue-Staters Like Bush Better Than Paul Martin

Remember the 2004 U.S. election? How we got so many blue-state voters vowing to move to Canada, because "that dumb brick" in the White House won fair and square?

Turns out most of 'em have the gumption of an Alec Baldwin (hat tip: NealeNews):

In the days after President Bush won a second term, the number of U.S. citizens visiting Canada's main immigration Web site shot up sixfold, prompting speculation that unhappy Democrats would flock north.

But official statistics show the number of Americans actually applying to live permanently in Canada fell in the six months after the election.

Data from the main Canadian processing center in Buffalo, NY shows that in the six months up to the U.S. election there were 16,266 applications from people seeking to live in Canada, a figure that fell to 14,666 for the half year after the vote.

Interesting thing about them blue-staters: they talk a good game, but when it comes to the crunch, they can find an excuse not to deliver. (Which makes them the perfect fit for Liberals seeking voters; like attracts like, after all.)

Toby Condliffe, who heads the Canadian chapter of Democrats Abroad, did have an explanation of sorts.

"I can only assume the Americans who checked out the Web site subsequently checked out our winter temperatures and further took note that the National Hockey League was being locked out and had second thoughts," he told Reuters.

I'm more inclined to think that they had a look at Canada's immigration procedures, and decided it would take them longer to do the paperwork than to wait until Bush retired from office. Ah well.