The Conservatives are using this current confidence crisis in Parliament and all the talk of an opposition-led coalition to try to raise a new war chest from their party faithful.

Chris Hall

On Saturday night, the chair of the Conservative's fundraising arm sent out an urgent appeal for donations of $100 and $200.

The e-mail from irving Gerstein is entitled: "The privilege to govern must be earned, not taken."

It says the Liberal party was "completely rejected" by Canadians in the last election. And that it is now trying to seize power through the back door.

"As you read this letter, the Liberals are holding secret negotiations with the socialist NDP and the separatist Bloc Québéecois to overturn the wishes of Canadian voters and take power.

"They want to take power and impose on Canadians a prime minister without a personal mandate, a Liberal-NDP coalition not one voter has ever endorsed and have it all backstopped by the separatist Bloc Québéecois who simply want to destroy the country.

"We need your help to ensure that they do not succeed!"

The Conservatives are far more adept at raising money than their opponents. That is one of the reasons they wanted to scrap the political financing rules that give parties $1.95 for each vote they receive and gave rise to this challenge to their rule in the first place.

What the letter doesn't point out is that the Harper government already backed down on those proposed changes, in a frantic effort to defuse a crisis that threatens the Conservative hold on power less than two months after the election.