09.15.2012 10:10 AM

The sad ballad of Tim Hudak

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Ontario Liberals didn’t like the outcome of the Kitchener-Waterloo by-election – and it’s spelled Kitchener, Tim Hudak, not “Kichener” – but Ontario’s PC leader probably liked it a lot less. His party got beaten, badly, in a riding it had comfortably held for a generation.

He’s the most unpopular leader in the province. He is regularly pilloried by the media. His chief advisors are enmeshed in scandal, in Ottawa and Toronto. And, under his watch, his once-great political party has been reduced to a rural rump.

Above is a sad-looking sign for his “star” candidate in the Vaughan by-election. It’s across the road from the rink where Son Two is goal tending this morning. Two weeks later, the PCs signs are still up all over riding, where the Ontario Liberal candidate pulverized his PC opponent.

How did it all come to this? How did the former golden boy of the Ontario Conservatives fall so far?

A variety of reasons, I think. He’s allowed his party to be taken over by rural extremists like the OLA. He’s alienated “foreigners,” when we’re a nation of foreigners. He’s been hurt by his close ties to the likes of Rob Ford and Stephen Harper – and particularly by the fact that voters don’t want the same gang of right-wingers running all three levels of government.

Most of all, however, I think it’s him. As I write in my new book, he comes across as a smirking frat boy, and he seems as deep as a puddle. He’s that guy in high school who nobody liked.

Do we Ontario Liberals want to keep him around?

You’re damn right we do.

11 Comments

  1. Cromwell says:

    If the Kitchener-Waterloo result is reproduced in enough ridings across the province, Hudak will be the least of your worries.

  2. Paul says:

    I agree 100% that Hudak a douche. It’s really too bad for the people of Ontario that it has come down no having no choice except to elect the lesser of three evils, however.

    Nobody in their right mind would argue that this province is better off after a decade of McGuinty rule: the eHealth fiasco, Green Energy Act, crooked “smart” meters, manufacturing gutted and the demotion to “have-not” status, HST, all-day kindergarten when we are already balls-deep in debt and running a deficit, buying a seat in the last election with taxpayer money via the cancellation of the power plant in Mississauga… The list goes on and on.

    • Dan says:

      So we had a Liberal disaster, after a Conservative disaster. Seems like it’s the NDP’s turn again. Hopefully Horwath isn’t a Liberal in NDP clothing, or else we’ll have another Bob Rae instead of its own Gary Doer.

    • Justin says:

      I really tire of this so called “have not” bullshit, what a stupid petty asinine indicator of how well a people live. There has to be more to life than just consuming, producing and sleeping. FYI, Ontario isn’t the only place where manufacturing is suffering, unless you live in a place where labour laws are non existent bordering on slavery.

  3. frmr disgruntled Con now Happy Lib says:

    I do have to admit to a certain amount of schadenfreude in regards to fratboy Tim……He epitomizes everything I dont like about Conservatives…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZKLCJBoBYw

  4. Philippe says:

    Seems the biggest problem has become the dippers.

  5. Dan says:

    Liberals love Tim Hudak almost as much as New Democrats love Tim Hudak and Dalton McGuinty.

  6. David says:

    Liberals have a reason to be happy.If ‘Howdy Doody’ was head of the provincial Conservatives he would be premier now.

  7. Tom_limns says:

    With Harper firmly ensconced in Ottawa with his majority, I’m not sure it would matter who was leader of the Ontario PC Party. Middle of the road voters are going to vote to keep a balance. Though it is worth noting that Hudak did better in the last election than John Tory who is a Red Tory.

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