Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Flailing Like Angry Midget Fails To Lift Layton's NDP

You look at Jack Layton and are reminded of a steam kettle with its spout blocked: something very hot and under extreme pressure, waiting to explode...except that the kettle is a little taller.
But it looks like his "perpetually outraged" schtick isn't working even with NDP supporters, because it looks like, in directing that anger at the Liberals, he has chosen the wrong target. From the guts of the new Strategic Council poll:

The poll confirms previous findings that the Liberals are the natural beneficiaries when the Conservatives hit a bump in the road – the Liberals have made some modest gains at the expense of the NDP. Clearly, the Liberals have an opportunity to consolidate their position as the anti-Harper default party. The NDP should be concerned about how to position itself as the Liberals go on the offense in attacking the Government – its numbers are down 7 points from 19% in June to 12% now. Our August poll found that NDP voters are the most virulent anti-Harper segment in the country and would be inclined to move to the Liberals if they had opportunity to defeat the Harper Government.

If your supporters hate the government in power, why attack the official opposition party?

In fact, the news is bad all over for the NDP. Elizabeth May's Green Party actually outpolls them (13% vs. 12%). Sure its within the margin and all that, but (as one of Red Tory's commenter's pointed out), its still the first time.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

polls mixed up again...this is strategic poll not ses....big difference...one cheats the other doesnot

Wheatsheaf said...

As much as you may want to bash the NDP at every opportunity, it is best to check your sources. It was a Strategic Counsel poll, not SES. Strategic Counsel has generally had the NDP in the lower range and over estimated the Green Party.
Also, to quote a former Liberal backroom boy like Peter Donolo saying that the Liberals are the bomb and the NDP should watch out, is like quoting George Bush in support of the theory that Dick Cheney is the best VP ever.

bigcitylib said...

Whoopsie! You caught me! Ref corrected.

Anonymous said...

People are finally seeing what a hateful, illogical, irrational, taxgrabbing power hungry little dictator Layton is.

And those are his GOOD qualities.

Anonymous said...

Remember when SC had Harper over 40% in the last election? Always trust SES. BTW, how's Dion doing?

bigcitylib said...

Anon 12:10,

Dion is doing fine. Thanks for asking. Pray tell why is the Sun promoting the leadership rather than horse-race numbers?

Sean S. said...

such insightful thoughts anon @1121am...care to back that up with, I don't know, facts?

What this does show is that the NDPs strategy of completely ignoring the Green Party needs to end. Time to disspell the myth that they are an alternative to the NDP in policy and substance. That being said, I doubt that come election day the Green's could hold onto such lofty numbers when it comes time to turf Harper and Co.

Anonymous said...

Way to position yourself as 'anti-Harper'. It'll be so easy to manipulate you doorknobs.

Anonymous said...

"Pray tell why is the Sun promoting the leadership rather than horse-race numbers?"

Probably because that's what SES research gave them. If you care to look at the actual poll it's on the SES website. Not everything is an anti-Liberal media conspiracy.

Still, if Dion is doing just fine, then why has SES, the most reliable polling firm out there, have him at 13% and having dropped 10 points in the last 3 months and 4 points behind Jack Layton?

Dion's at the point where SES should probably just start tracking Ignatieff's leadership numbers.

Ti-Guy said...

I love the anony-tards. They're the best.

Anonymous said...

I am APPALLED at their lack of commitment to progressive social issues, and saving the environment, and raising taxes, and lack of respect for the ethnics, and their lack of enthusiasm in harassing gun owners, and their ability to get so much more grassroots support is just so, so, UNFAIR!!!

Anonymous said...

"I love the anony-tards. They're the best."

Nah, the nod still goes to Liberal supporters who are trying to convince people (mostly themselves) their party is fine and dandy and ready to take out Harper even as their MPs sit in their seats, terrified at the prospect of an election. Baghdad Bob would be proud.

Ti-Guy said...

Anony-tard...this post is about the declining fortunes of the NDP.

Do I have to get out the flash-cards and finger-puppets?

Anonymous said...

Why hasn't the gov't-funded propaganda arm of the LPC either been shut down or completely converted to the Conservative propaganda arm?

Who needs the CBC anyway? Answer: Socialists.

Wheatsheaf said...

ti-guy - I think that last response was a yes to finger puppets. Maybe a dunce cap as well.

Ti-Guy said...

...and maybe the universal translator from Star Trek. I doubt seriously that that comment was in any known human language.

Anonymous said...

"Anony-tard...this post is about the declining fortunes of the NDP."

The declining fortunes where their leader is still more popular than the Liberal leader? Those declining fortunes? Or how about the other inconvenient truth that the NDP are actually actively opposing the Conservative agenda while the Liberals do ... well, whatever it is they're doing?

Perhaps you can explain why the NDP should attack the Conservatives all the time if the Liberals are not holding up their end of the bargain? If Liberals are all okay with the continuation of this Harper government, why should the Liberals not be criticized by parties that don't support their decision? You may be fine with the Liberals propping up Harper but that doesn't mean the NDP has to be as well.

Still, don't you just hate how the NDP has been trying to remove Harper from government? If it has resulted in a drop in NDP support, then I wonder what would happen if the Liberals tried it? I have my doubts that we're ever going to find out, though.

Anonymous said...

without a google assist name one policy plank from the Green Party ??

Support for greenies is a mile wide and a millimeter deep, all motherhood & apple pie crap.

Soon as anyone reads their policies they realize they are just a whack job of a party, over dosed on granola and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out to lunch on the economy.

Raging Ranter said...

Well, Jolly Green is right about that. The Greens, last time I looked (admittedly it hasn't been lately) favour a "no-growth economy". I'm not kidding. How they plan to bring about any positive change at all, let alone pay for it, if they intentionally aim for zero economic growth is the million dollar question. They are obviously subscribing to the old "limits to growth" theory, that pushes the idea that the earth's resources will no longer support economic growth. David Suzuki pushes much the same thing.

Ti-Guy said...

The declining fortunes where their leader is still more popular than the Liberal leader? Those declining fortunes? Or how about the other inconvenient truth that the NDP are actually actively opposing the Conservative agenda while the Liberals do ... well, whatever it is they're doing?

Perhaps you can explain why the NDP should attack the Conservatives all the time if the Liberals are not holding up their end of the bargain? If Liberals are all okay with the continuation of this Harper government, why should the Liberals not be criticized by parties that don't support their decision? You may be fine with the Liberals propping up Harper but that doesn't mean the NDP has to be as well.

Still, don't you just hate how the NDP has been trying to remove Harper from government? If it has resulted in a drop in NDP support, then I wonder what would happen if the Liberals tried it? I have my doubts that we're ever going to find out, though.


Calm down...you're frothing.

Anonymous said...

You know its a good time to be a conservative when hyper partisan liberal bloggers are celebrating when a single poll show the Libs not getting blown away.

Funny how Dion, after gaining the leadership and promptly promising to bring the Libs back into power as soon as possible, still thinks that its not in "Canadians'" interests to go into an election now. Wonder what those Lib internals are showing eh???