OTTAWA ONTARIO – So here we are in late fall with just 28 sitting days left for the House of Commons before the Christmas/New Year’s break.
At last count we had 12 people who have entered the Conservative leadership race or who have said they will enter it, all believing in their own mind that they can be the next Prime Minister of Canada, assuming of course they win the next federal election. There are also a few who are supposedly/maybe/considering/possibly going to run from outside of the party and one other former minister, Lisa Raitt, who is said to be considering a bid. There are probably others out there as well.
When you look at all of those above, it’s an interesting bunch:
· Some who insist on running on policies that cost us the election and helped to decimate the party in urban centers
· some who feel they can win a national campaign when they couldn’t even win their own seat
· some who think they can win a national election by refighting social policy issues of the 70s and 80s
· and people who have never run for anything, but somehow feel they can win a national campaign.
If you believe all of their rhetoric every one of them is the only “true conservative” running.
Within the list of those declared or thinking about it, there are some serious candidates for party members to view, judge and cast their vote for, but right now much of what they say is buried in the media with some of the comments coming out of the mouths of other candidates.
Sadly the public (read voters) will eventually hear a lot more of these negative comments and in some cases stupid ones, as the days and weeks move forward towards May 27, 2017. Both the public and party members will eventually see some serious policy positions put forward and the party membership will have a chance to review and pronounce on them. Party members, the media and voters will also get a chance to judge the candidates and see which one has what it takes and also who has let their ego take them into this leadership campaign.
In the meantime there will be three primary factors which will limit who stays in the race and weed out the wannabees.
1. Money- who can raise it for a long campaign and who can’t. Tony Clement, who is a pretty decent guy, found that out the hard way that it will be a lot tougher than most think, as will a few others in the days ahead.
2. Their ground game. I agree with Georganne Burke that it can’t be just an air war; you need people on the ground in every riding to ensure that your candidate wins a significant percentage of the vote.
3. The team you can put in place, senior advisors, communication specialists, speech writers, policy wonks, advance people, issues management, rapid response teams and the list goes on. There are only so many talented people to go around and as things get serious, it will be interesting to see which candidate or candidates attracts the best and the brightest.
If you are presently a party member and on one of their email lists, you will be receiving press releases and letters from very few candidates at this time. If only a few in that large group above have received their lists from the party after paying up the needed funds to run, what does that say about their fundraising ability, their organization or lack of one, or their ability to attract staff capable of fundraising and putting a serious campaign in place?
Until the fundraising campaign, organizational work and staffing is completed the party membership will have to put up with this nonsense and all of these supposed candidates. Unfortunately so will the public who will be judging each candidate not only on their merits, but also on their comments and their policy positions. The public and many of them will be voters in the next election; will also be labeling the Conservative Party with all of them- both the good and the bad.
In the end that is where the damage will be done to the Conservative brand and its chances of winning the next election.
Doesn’t matter who wins the leadership now. The Cons will be in the weeds for at least the next eight years.
I thought it was the Liberals who were into weed Furtz.
I have to agree with Furtz about the Cons chances of forming the next few federal governments. And it aopears Keith Beardsley agrees as well.
If the cons do not get their act together and form a decent party to elect they can all count my vote out in the wind because I will not vote for Justine at all and never have nor will I ever. A lot of us are fed up with Justine and will bankrupt Canada and is no good at all and I knew that since the first time I glanced at him what kind he was. No tanks I dont vote so easily.
If an election was held today, the Libs would win forty to sixty more seats than they won a year ago. Must be doing something right. No?
If Jules?? The Cons will be toast for at least the next two federal elections. The “winner” of the leadership, IMHO, will be a caretaker leader until the Cons get their butts in gear. I see two different leaders for the Cons in the next two elections.
Just think… The last Conservative premier in Ontario was “Oil Can” Ernie Eves back in 2003, almost 14 years ago! Harris did to the provincial Cons what Harper has done to the federal Cons. It’ll take many many years for the toxic stench to dissipate.
Neither party is any good nowadays – they are as crooked as anything can get and I want no part of it. Until there is a Con who has the same goals as myself and the same moral principal I will not vote at all for anyone. I made up my mind after so much reading including what is going on in the US. I stand on my principals. I will not vote for just anybody. Justine is completely lost.
Ontario is a have not province (since 2009) struggling under a debt load doubled by failed liberal policies and corruption. An economic strategy that has killed manufacturing growth, promoted unemployment and grown welfare numbers. The opposition parties want to reverse the downward spiral. This is anti-liberal and anti-Canadian and not to be tolerated. Go Wynn go.
Furtz…”must be doing something right” The Liberals have bought unions votes, welfare votes, immigrant and refugee votes, cancelled gas plants for political gain, etc.etc. Everything “right” for political survival. They simply have failed the taxpayer who foots the bill. I personally do not know any educated or informed taxpayers sympathetic to the Liberals road to power and control at any cost.
I never would have guessed that Jules doesn’t like Justin Trudeau.
Learn something every day!
David, why did the Ontario Cons deliberately throw the last two elections? They could have easily been in power for the last six years and could have had all of our problems fixed by now.
Furtz if there is no candidate who doesn’t share my moral high ground I will not vote for him or her nor any other. I am so mighty conservative that it would make your head spin. You know some of my principles and I don’t back down nor bow down to any other.
Hugger if the cons are toast I will not vote. Someone in Lebanon put down Zorba the Greek for president and I intend to appoint Jamie’s dog Fitzie as PM of Canada. I have no respect for anyone who is in government now – none at all and you all know that fully well. Fitzie for PM of Canada – that would be wonderful. LOL LOL. ROLF! My little furry friend – so sweet and loveable.
Fitzy is about to get neutered soon Jules. Not sure if he’d make a good PM after that 😉
Yes Jules. But you will be waiting a long time before we have a political leader who is as openly homophobic and xenophobic as you are. Even Patrick Brown is trying to sweep his born-again bigotry under the carpet.
Furtz..might be easier to answer why did the chicken cross the road. Not so sure about fixing all the problems. That will be decades in the making. We could at least rest the shovels so that the hole that has been dug doesn’t get bigger.
David, chickens cross the road usually because there’s something good to eat on the other side. Why did the Ontario Cons deliberately throw the last two elections? It’s almost comical to hear them complain about how things are being run after they willingly handed the power to the Libs, not once, but twice.
My dear little Fitzie you are so mighty cute and loveable. Jamie I am neutred as well after my daughter was born. My daughter has hypothyroid cannot have kids without complications. She is best the way she is – single. Who in their right frame of mind want to be PM or President? One has to be really crazy to want that job. I am not that crazy.
Furtz I have noticed that Brown guy went to a gay parade and when I saw that I said to myself “in no way would I vote for him at all” and it looks like that I will not be voting at all in the coming election if there is not someone to my liking. Things are mighty bad the way they are now.
Jules do you realize that you wouldn’t be on the internet most likely if it wasn’t for Alan Turing who was brutally treated by the UK for no other reason than he was gay. There was a day you suffered for marrying a visible minority too. Good people come in all shapes, sizes, and colours and love who they love. It’s not a crime, right?
To vote for someone, or not vote for them, simply because they’re gay is silly. I’d be more concerned with those keeping secrets or lying about who they are like a few of our local closeted politicians like the one who lied about her height too 🙂
http://www.biography.com/people/alan-turing-9512017
Jamie that is true and I don’t hurt gays. I worked with some in the government and we had more laughs than a barrel full of monkeys. I will say this without naming the person but we just had a (MODERATED) We all know who that is and so many hated him. He came out of the closet one day literally.
Jamie my husband has gone through so much being a visible minority and it is mighty painful to endure. I wouldn’t trade that old goat for anything. Honestly those Lebanese are mighty hard to get along with next to impossible but he is the best and I mean that from my heart. Not many can endure all of this. “To Dream the Impossible Dream” LOL LOL. ROLF!
Jamie you know what happens to gays in Lebanon and all throughout the Middle East. These people have to live in hiding because they would be killed even by Christians. Justine has been letting some into Canada. The Middle East is a very hard life and no wonder the people are mighty tough who live there. We don’t bother with those people here in Ottawa – you don’t know who is who anymore.
What’s curious about Patrick Brown is that he was totally against equal rights for gays when he was working for Stephen Harper as a Member of Parliament. Suddenly, he has become a “progressive” and is sucking up to the people he used to hate not that long ago. Seems like the PCs have chosen yet another jerk for a leader.
Furtz, the big question is if Mr. Brown is in the closet to avoid a backlash from the party faithful?
Well, well, well worked with little Stevie so that answers the question. LOL LOL. I won’t say more on this. That man Turning worked in algorithims and Jamie there is a woman in the US called Bev Harris who is into this and she along with a genius mathemetician caught the cheating done by Hillary and her campaign using the logerithims. I don’t know if you heard about it but I did.
Jamie, Of course he would have to stay in the closet to keep the party’s base support, if he is indeed gay. The party has a fairly large homophobic born-again faction that has to be kept happy. It really is quite fun to watch this charade play out. The Cons might be better off to bring back Hudak. 🙂
I think that the PC’s are back in a rut like what happened when Lying Brian Mulroney led the PC’s down the way to destruction and they had to align themselves with the far right. The PC’s have never been the same since. I think like Furtz that it will take some time for the PC’s to get their act together before making another comeback. God Help Us All under Justine.
Furtz if Patrick Brown is making a kind of turncoat in his beliefs just to get votes then I do not support someone like that. I believe in total honesty or if one is a liar then admit it. I can see Patrick Brown clearly now and will not vote for him at all. I do not support liars or turncoats. Canada will fall like what is happening in the US. The west is falling.
Furtz bringing back Hudak is an option even the most ardent Con wouldn’t want. I think Cons hate losing more than some might not support gay conservatives.
The idiot branch of the PCs is already revolting… in both senses of the word. Google “Elizabeth de Viel Castel”. The Libs have the next election in the bag if this gets rolling. And look at the nineteen year old home-schooled born-again bible-thumper, Sam Oosterhoff, who will be running in Hudak’s place in Niagara West-Glanbrook. Hilarius!
What happens south of border with regards to conservatism will influence attitudes here in Canada. Interesting times, troubling times and time will tell how well we rise to the challenges presenting themselves. Diversity may be about to bite us in the ass as we pull on the oars in different directions. Canada desperately needs leadership, now.
Our leadership in Canada is just fine right now, David. The madness happening to our south is what we have to worry about.