Musings —10.05.2011 10:37 AM
—Hudak PC candidate: “people don’t like my leader”
You have to hear this to believe it.
This morning on CJBK radio, PC London-area star candidate Cheryl Miller was asked if her message was getting out at the door. Here’s a transcript of what transpired:
Reporter: Cheryl, we’ve got a minute left here, is there anything that you want to share with our listeners, especially to people in the riding? Tomorrow is election day – are they getting your message out there? Are they voting for the Leader? Are they voting for you? Is there anything more you want to say?
Cheryl Miller: That’s kind of interesting, I knock on doors and people say, ‘I like you – but I don’t like your Leader’, and that’s really been difficult for me.
I’ll bet.
In case you want to hear for yourself, you can listen to Cheryl here.
I wonder if Tea Party Tim’s going to get asked about this today?
I’m picturing a PC war room sharply inhaling through their teeth in unison..
And no shadow cabinet post for YOU!
Do you really think that TimmyTeabag will be around long enough to appoint a shadow cabinet?……What’s that I hear?: “Shik, shik, shik”……
Yes. I’d imagine the Hillier-MacLaren axis is preparing a nice surprise for Tim.
I listen to talk radio from Toronto. On CFRB, last night John Tory conducted a 20 minute infomercial, then this morning it was another session with Jerry Agar,and 640 is worse. Is there no regulation about equal time?
I hope my guy Kim Craitor can ride the wave.
I agree Steve. I tuned out of both stations last year. The final straw for me was when “a caller from Belleville” phoned in and was allowed to rant about how McGuinty was “just another Hitler”. The station’s host just sat back in silence. It was disgusting.
And on Sunday evening Peter Shurman was given a full hour to rant without any response from his opponent Bernie Farber. It gets worse Jim Richards touted one time as the “Liberal” at 1010 has spent the entire pre-writ and writ hyperventilating about the Premier. He has been awful. And whenever he could lick the shoes of any Tory he took it. Its really disgusting.
CFRB has no credibility anymore, Jerry Agar is sickening to listen to, spinning pro-Rob Ford, Harper crap
Agar is an angry breathless Tea Party-er. Catch him on Youtube addressing a rally in the states. A refugee of American conservative talk radio where he spent the last twenty years, he’s now living in my hometown telling us all how great things would be if we only cut taxes and services. Check out how many times a show he says “I don’t know.” He’s completely predictable.
The rest at CFRB, with the exception of the morning man, are conservatives or comedians. Their formula for good radio seems to be high on outrage and bluster and low on information. How the mighty have fallen.
A Hudak government would be an unmitigated disaster for Ontario.
The Provincial government is of course closer to our daily lives than Ottawa but even Harper seems to have some shreds of human understanding and a grasp of reality.
These guys, the Ontario Conservatives (why bother even maintaining the pretense of putting Progressive in there any more) under Hudak are a wrecking crew with no policy and no real understanding of the province except perhaps a knowledge of where the bigots and morons who are the only people who would support them like to hang out.
I wonder why they don’t like Tim in London? Oh right, that genius walked into town and announced he would kill two hundred jobs.
Maybe she was talking about Mr. Harper.
One of the things I find remarkable about this election is how the LPO planned and implemented their campaign. Rather than the guesswork I’ve seen in other campaigns, this one was based on a correct reading of their key opponent. Not just on one issue, but in every dimension. And they stuck to their plan. They sensed Hudak’s style would strike many as suspiciously slick, and countered with a simple ad with straight talk from the Premier, taking what some might have though was not their strongest hand and making it an advantage. Then there was the so-called “foreign worker” campaign pledge, which in hindsight now was a bear trap. Hudak rose to the bait and in many ways defined him and his entire campaign. Even the LPO’s campaign slogan: not only was the simple message consistent with how they ran their campaign, it also correctly anticipated the divisive tactics of the PCs (and to a lesser extent, the NPD). In all, it has helped define the real sense of choice that voters have, based in part in emotional terms, but also firmly rooted in facts…with a willingness to fight back to defend and discern between truth and petty conjecture.
As I’ve said before: this is how Liberals need to campaign on the federal stage in the future.
I would be wary of drawing too many lessons from this campaign and assuming that they’re directly transferable to the federal sphere. Other than the obvious lesson that campaigns matter — the LPO has run a good campaign, the PCPO a lousy one. Other than that, though, the issues are different, the personalities are different, the electorate is different, the geography is different. And the fundamental dynamic is different — in this election, the Liberals are the incumbents running on a classic incumbent “stay the course” message. In the federal election, that was the Conservatives’ role and approach.
Great analysis, and I agree with you completely…..If Mr. Kinsella had been running the Liberal war room, and if we had another leader(even though I quite liked Michael Ignatieff) perhaps the outcome of the Federal election might have been different….The Ontario Liberals adhered to the KISS principle, and as you say, followed a game plan to the letter….
This actually makes me quite excited about the prospects for the Federal Liberals in the next election…..
Totally agree. Very disciplined, professional campaign. But the Ontario campaign has two other things that are really helping to push it over the hump – a leader who is defined by his own record (not the other guys) and genuine passion among the base. Those two pieces take a lot of time and work and are really the backbone to the campaign. All the discipline and work ethic in the world can’t overcome a poor leader and a disaffected base.
The work at the federal level needs to start with those basic pieces and then – and only then – will a campaign like the one run in Ontario be possible.
I wonder if Cheryl will win? Honesty is tough to find in all levels of politics these days.
You mean like the honesty she displayed when running in the municipal election? When she failed to mention that she was going to run in the provincial election and leave the city of London with either a costly by-election or an unelected councillor?
I think she might have a shot. She was a respected City Councillor for years, and London is a pretty conservative town. I don’t think the PCs have any chance of knocking off the other two grits in London though…
actually there are 4 London ridings. Matthews and Bentley are safe wins for the Libs here. Cheryl will sadly lose to the NDP who will also upset the Lib Incumbent Khalil Rhamal. Elgin ,Middlesex London is going to flip to the cons from the Libs from all reports with house speaker Steve Peters sitting this one out and a popular conservative candidate leading by double digits….
I wasn’t counting Elgin, Middlesex, London for some reason. Thanks for the correction…