Highly-scientific poll on Conservative Party leadership race (updated)

— 10.26.2015 07:11 AM

The Conservative Party’s leadership race is underway, whether official or not.

Because I am a student of politics, and because I am unselfishly devoted to my readers and the greater good, I have helpfully put together a Conservative Party leadership poll, below.  It is accurate 19 times out twiddley, which is about how accurate most of the real polling agencies are, these days.

Personally, I do not see the Conservative Party dead, at all.  They remain a threat, and smart Liberals won’t forget that.  In 2015, the CPC dropped just 50,000 votes from their 2011 total – which represents less than one percentage point.  They have representation in every region except the Atlantic, and they will likely have effective performers in the House of Commons.

The current anonymous sniping in the morning papers (social conservatives vs. progressive conservatives, West vs. East, everyone vs. Jenni Byrne, blah blah blah) isn’t something that should worry them.  In fact, as one wag put it, Conservatives should be worried if the sniping wasn’t happening.  You only ever learn how to win by first losing.

Thus, this here poll.  Whether you are a Conservative or not, you should pretend – however briefly – that you are, and you are a delegate to their convention.  Which of the folks below – listed alphabetically, and with the home province and most-recent portfolio indicated – do you think can win against the Trudeau Government™? (Mea culpa: I forgot Maxime Bernier – I see from today’s Hill Times that John Reynolds wants him. I’ve now added him. My sincere apologies to the Beauce chapter of the Hells Angels for my lack of diligence. Oh, and I also forgot Tony Clement. There’s a message, there. Those who have explicitly and clearly said no thanks – Messrs. Wall and Charest – are being taken at their word.)

Vote now, vote often! Politicos do, whenever they can get away with it!

[polldaddy poll=9145831]

UPDATE: Baird has issued a press release to explicitly rule out running! I guess we should consider him only a “maybe.” Or, not. Took him off.


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Well-behaved women seldom make history

— 10.23.2015 06:24 AM

This tweet, about the possible candidacies of Rempel and Raitt:

Elicited sexism, some subtle, some not. Example here. Disappointing.

I do, however, expect more of this sort of thing. Even from people who should know better.


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A wonderful moment on a very sad day

— 10.22.2015 01:05 PM

Man, I wish we could see more of this kind of thing.  We’d be better for it.


Comments (35)

I don’t “dish.” I “spew.”

— 10.21.2015 03:00 PM

P.S. Elizabeth May: if you had wanted to be a Liberal Minister of the Environment, you should have run as, you know, a Liberal.

Here’s Charles’ story:

Will Elizabeth May be the next federal Minister of the Environment? Not too likely – even though a growing enthusiastic, populist movement has been championing the idea.

Three petitions are circulating, calling on Justin Trudeau to make the Green Party leader the minister. Trudeau, however, has no need to look outside his own caucus – which is packed with potential candidates – for the position.

“I just don’t see that, however capable she is,” said Warren Kinsella, a former advisor to former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien. “If you reach outside the circle of people who are elected as Liberals to somebody who is their opponent, you could have some of these folks pretty mad at you.”

As qualified as May is for the job – and the former director of the Sierra Club of Canada and a long-time champion of the environment is very qualified – so are many of the newly elected Liberals. In fact, it’s almost an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the number of people who could step up to the position.


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