09.21.2021 04:24 PM

Our latest Sun Media hit: dissecting the results

46 Comments

  1. Nick M. says:

    Brian Lilley is right.

    Those wanting to toss O’Toole are Partisan Consultants who don’t have billable hours while O’Toole is in charge of the Conservative Party purse.

    And those partisans who are bitter because they aren’t cashing in will leak stories to unfriendly CPC reporters to further their own selfish interest.

  2. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    So, it’s a campaign “review”, now is it? Like I said before, countless heads need to roll for blowing this election. Here’s a hint that hopefully Erin already knows: you turn the CPC world upside down and you gain credibility — you know, seen as taking the absolutely deadly political steps you need to take to turn this party around — then you ultimately hit paydirt. Otherwise, you’re only rearranging the deck chairs on RMS Titanic and drifting aimlessly before you sink your own leadership.

    • Ronald O'Dowd says:

      Put more gently: timing is everything. We already know who gave what strategic advice, when and who concurred. No review is needed to establish that SO those people need to lose their jobs now, not later. We’ll see if Erin has got what it takes to cut them loose within a matter of days, certainly not weeks or months.

      • Douglas W says:

        Voters, 18-45 years of age, see an older man.

        They want youth.
        They want energy.
        They want someone they can connect with and vote happily support.

        EOT is not the guy. (Super nice guy.)
        Harsh, but true.

        • Pedant says:

          What rubbish. I guess you’ve never heard of Bernie Sanders and/or completely unaware from which demographic he pulled most of his support.

          And I suspect once the exit polls are in, we will find that the Conservatives outpolled or tied the Liberals among under-30s (with NDP prevailing).

          • Douglas W says:

            We lost a very winnable election.

            Libs would jump at the chance to face off against EOT, again.

          • Pedant says:

            There are many reasons why the Conservatives couldn’t translate their popular vote strength into more seats this election, but O’Toole’s alleged lack of “youth” and “energy” has nothing to do with it.

            O’Toole was supposed to know that Premier Kenney was going to drop the ultimate campaign black swan grenade into the Conservative campaign days before the vote?

          • Ronald O'Dowd says:

            Pedant,

            Your choice of words doesn’t exactly work in Kenney’s favour. It was my impression that what was done in AB was solely related to the COVID-19 situation and was not in any way connected to the federal campaign. If that’s not exactly true, there will be hell to pay by some in the UCP at the demand of the CPC. That brings us to the question: why is Kenney going to be subject to a leadership review? Again, I thought the leadership review was entirely related to provincial issues. If it’s more than that, it’s a huge bomb going off between the federal and provincial parties.

          • Pedant says:

            Ronald – I wasn’t suggesting that Kenney deliberately sabotaged the CPC campaign (why on earth would he do that?). But his abrupt announcement clearly ruined the last few days for the CPC. Of course his responsibility is to the people of Alberta and not the federal Conservatives.

        • Doug says:

          Instead voters got:
          #youth.
          #energy
          #someone they can connect

        • Sean says:

          Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Replacing Scheer was obviously a pointless waste of everyone’s time. Replacing O’Toole would be even more so. Who is going to deliver on the attributes O’Toole supposedly lacks? Crickets…

          If “youth” and “energy” are your first qualifications, you will wind up with another Blockwell Day very quickly. All the same things were said about every single Oppo. Leader before they eventually became PM.

          Achieving a comfort level between the voters and the leader is critical. That’s not going to happen over night. It almost never does. It is usually a slow process. Embrace it.

          Tories need to stop wasting their own time trying to re-invent the wheel and looking for a savior. Build on what you have. O’Toole is making some wise moves right now. A leadership review will let all that negative air out of the “replace the leader” balloon.

          There is almost never a real case for replacing the leader after only one defeat. History is firmly on that side. Here is a list of Canadian PMs who faced defeat either at the party level, national level and even the local level before becoming PM:

          Laurier
          Borden
          Diefenbaker
          Pearson
          Mulroney
          Turner
          Chretien
          Martin
          Harper

          In short, losing once doesn’t mean S.F.A.. If you think average voters are interested in party mechanics / leadership fights between elections…. well… Dean Del Mastro has a train to sell you.

          If they dump O’Toole now they are out of their GD minds.

          • Douglas W says:

            If EOT stays on as leader, the Libs will be dancing in the streets.

          • Pedant says:

            Douglas were you the one who was spamming this site through 2016/17/early-18 saying incessantly that the Ontario PCs would lose the 2018 election because they “don’t know how to win”, or some such brilliant commentary?

          • Douglas,

            With respect, trying to be even-handed here and not taking a position on leadership, would you not agree that O’Toole is still more sellable to voters in a second election than Harper was? Sure, Harper won in his second but only a minority. O’Toole would have a better chance at winning next time and coming closer to a majority than Harper had in 2006 because Erin is centrist and moderate. The Trudeau Brand is stale. Once again, the popular vote reflects that. All they need is one more good push with Himself still at the helm and they’re gone. That’s why the CPC and BQ have to defeat them sooner rather than later.

  3. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Remember when Harper in mid-campaign took you know who and banished that person hastily right back to Ottawa? Even in his case, it was too little and far too late…

    In your case, you have no negative track record as part of your overall record in office. The fates have granted you a period of grace. Make the most of it and quickly.

  4. Derek Pearce says:

    Jesus fucking Christ he was at it again this morning– taking selfies with commuters on the Metro. In 2015 it was charming and down-to -Earth (people do forget how despised Harper was at that point.) But why would he fucking do this shit again today– when it’s got to be clear to everyone around him that people are sick of his face and his selfies– including those who voted for him 6 years ago. I get that he’s clueless but how is he not managed better by his staff?!
    I believe I read it right here on your site WK, that Chretien said “I don’t want or need my picture in the paper every day, the people don’t like it.” How has Telford not clamped down on this shit when that’s half the reason he almost lost?

    • Derek,

      Once he gets an idea in his head, it almost takes a miracle to engineer a reverse course.

      • Gary says:

        He has no ideas. He’s an empty vessel who does only what he is told to to by Butts.

        • Gary,

          I’m very much a body language guy and if you put Butts’ BL along with his attitude from CBC’s election night coverage into the mix, one does not get the impression that his departure was voluntary from the PMO, nor does he leave us with the idea that he is now in any way actively involved with the Trudeau PMO. Maybe I wrong. Others will know better than me.

  5. Steve T says:

    This was one of the best election de-constructions I’ve seen in awhile. I shared it with many folks – including the board of the Conservative EDA in my area.

  6. JH says:

    WK is right, LPC is now a Trudeau cult made up of his himbos and bimbos.
    That he was re-elected perhaps says more about the shallowness of today’s voters than it does about his opponents.
    The Trudeau cult is corrupt and led by a misogynistic racist. What does that say about us, when we make him PM again?

    • JH,

      Personally, I’m more concerned about what it says about our party than us as voters. O’Toole should have renounced the platform page on Assault-Style Weapons on Day One of the campaign, period. He didn’t. He should have also forced all candidates, except for those with a legitimate medical exemption to be doubly vaccinated or the leader does not sign those nomination papers…he didn’t. These were easy hills to climb and overcome politically. Apparently not for the OLO or the war room braintrust. So…….we lost, again.

  7. Peter Williams says:

    How many poll workers and voters will catch COVID due to Justin’s unnecessary election?

    https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/federal-election-2021/poll-workers-say-elections-canada-put-them-at-risk-of-contracting-covid-19-1.5595945

    How many will die?

    … Justin?

  8. Steve T says:

    Well, Candice comes at this from a certain perspective. That perspective will certainly please the further-right components of the party. But it will not get us elected.

    So the question is – do we Conservatives want to be competitive to run the country, or do we want to be another version of the NDP – no hope of ever gaining leadership of the country, and at best trying to complain from the fringes?

  9. JPB,

    Well, it depends what is at the top of the agenda for most CPC members: is it principles first, or power first? To ask the question is almost to answer it. Go mainstream right and we’re competitive every time, go hard-right and we’re simply not in contention.

  10. Peter Williams says:

    Face consequences?

    Trudeau’s Liberals don’t face consequences for bad behaviour. Heck, Justin will probably give this newly elected MP from Calgary a cabinet position.

    https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6185688?cmp=rss&

    • Puzzled in Principle says:

      That would be wise.
      That would give Alberta a voice at the table, which Albertans have been clamoring for for years now.
      I mean, beside Chrystia Freeland, Alberta-raised, of course.

  11. This couldn’t possibly be true, what with the highly principled government in place that we just re-elected:

    https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/snc-lavalin-corporations-and-2-former-top-execs-charged-with-fraud-forgery-by-rcmp-1.5597229

    Must be the figment of some Conservative’s imagination. Right.

  12. Peter Williams says:

    More SNC officials arrested.

    https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/snc-lavalin-corporations-and-2-former-top-execs-charged-with-fraud-forgery-by-rcmp-1.5597229

    How many phone calls being made to the PMO, the “justice minster”, or Trudeau?

    • Peter Williams says:

      Well it didn’t take long.

      Trudeau’s government offers SNC a deal.

      https://www.blacklocks.ca/govt-offers-lavalin-a-deal/

      • Pedant says:

        How convenient that the RCMP waited until after the election to charge these mafiosos. Canada is just rotten to the core.

      • Peter,

        It’s EXACTLY like what we all said. They were going to do this deal since Day One and now they are ramming it through and couldn’t care less that it’s a deliberate slap at those who just voted for them. They don’t give a flying fuck about what Canadians think and this is only the latest example of that. Buyers remorse, anyone en Ontario???????????

        • Peter Williams says:

          Wait until Trudeau, supported by Jagmeet Singh, re-introduce Bill C10, then liberal bureaucrats can/will ban sites such as this that criticize Trudeau.

          • Warren says:

            We have a mirror outside Canada for just that eventuality.

          • Puzzled in Principle says:

            That’s not how LPC works, really.
            One party flagged critics and their associates charities a criminals, it wasn’t LPC.
            LPC will only go after hate speech. They literally do not care what you say about them because…they are/see themselves as the Natural Governing Party.

            And the courts decide on DPA and rulings s with SNC. Plus, no one even mentioned SNC during the election, it’s a dead horse.

          • Pedant says:

            Puzzled – it’s the Opposition’s job to uncover corruption such as Justin’s taxpayer-funded likely kickback scheme to Mom and Bro. I’m sorry if parliamentary democracy inconveniences you or those creepy WE brothers.

            Oh and who gets to decide what constitutes “hate speech”? Do you think Twitter will give user-generated content the benefit of the doubt knowing that Guilbeault’s politburo is watching?

        • Ronald O'Dowd says:

          Warren,

          Bless you. But IMHO, there’s no way in hell that C10 can pass a Charter test. Ha, ha, ha, thoroughly fucked by Daddy’s charter. Can’t wait.

  13. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    INTERESTING. O’Toole freezes MPs and candidates out of CIMS. Boy, did that bring back memories to 2005 when the exact same thing happened as we tried to give Harper the heave-ho.

  14. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Now, this adds as interesting wrinkle for “The Talk” that Erin has to have sooner rather than later with caucus. If only to be a fly on the wall.

  15. Gilbert says:

    It’s fine to run a positive campaign, but I think negative attacks work, and the Conservatives needed more of that.

    I thought Justin Trudeau’s promise to give us $10 a day childcare sounded great, but why did he decide to wait five to six years? Hadn’t his party promised that for ages? What was the implication? Was it that if you didn’t vote for him in an election years away, that would never happen? To me it was just another example of an empty promise.

    How many trees did Justin Trudeau promise to plant and how many did he? How did his government allow scientists to send dangerous virus samples to the Wuhan Lab? Why did he suspend parliament during the pandemic? Why was Canada excluded from the AUKUS agreement? Why is inflation so high? Why didn’t we prepare properly for the fall of the government of Afghanistan? Why didn’t we evacuate all our allies in Afghanistan in time?

    I feel the Conservatives missed many opportunities. Where was the Conservative research team? Did we go carefully through the Liberal platform? It’s nice to be positive, but I think negative attacks are very effective.

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