Thursday, April 16, 2009

The UpSide And DownSide Of The Tories Moving Right

...and going all SoCon, and etc.

The Upside:

"Harper's approval rating is in the 90s for Conservative supporters,' Graves said. 'There's a vivid gap between the Conservative base, who are very happy with the general direction of the country, and everyone else.'"

The Downside:

Asked which party they would support if an election were held tomorrow, 36.7 opted for the Liberals while 30.2 per cent chose the Conservatives. About 15.5 per cent supported the NDP, while the Green party was the choice of 8.1 per cent and the Bloc Québécois was backed by 9.4 per cent.

Tory supporters sound like they are eager to become the Official Opposition, again. Unless they've figured out how to vote twice.

PS. 36%/30% seems a very important ratio the last couple of elections, being more or less what the range of what Libs/Tories have earned over the last decade or so (since Martin's first Gov.). Makes me wonder if most of the changeable minds in Canada change from Lib. to Tory and vice-versa. Have I, as a Lefty Lib arguing for an outreach to NDP/Green voters, been barking up the wrong tree all my adult life?

6 comments:

Adam M said...

I agree that most people see themselves going between the two "main" parties.

There's nothing wrong with going after NDP and Green voters... going after Liberal voters has certainly worked for the NDP in the past but I think the "mainstream" or "average" Canadians the parties always talk about how much they understand really see themselves with a choice of two options.

Ti-Guy said...

Makes me wonder if most of the changeable minds in Canada change from Lib. to Tory and vice-versa. Have I, as a Lefty Lib arguing for an outreach to NDP/Green voters, been barking up the wrong tree all my adult life?I don't think it's that simple. Depends on the times, the issues and the location.

We have to talk about issues, not polls.

T said...

"Have I, as a Lefty Lib arguing for an outreach to NDP/Green voters, been barking up the wrong tree all my adult life?"

Nope, it's just that the Liberals have moved more towards the centre and the Tories way to the right, the bleed from the more centrist Tories supporters makes sense when you consider the Evangelical hyper-partisan nature of the current CPC. They really need to clean house and start over.

Dante said...

The Tories have been anything but right.

The Liberals are everything and nothing including and excluding right. If that is confusing to you, then don't tell me that you understand what the fuck Ignatief is yammering about every time he opens his mouth.

T said...

Dante said...

"The Tories have been anything but right."

---

You're damn straight, they've screwed up everything they've touched, they're just plain wrong all the time.

Scott MacNeil said...

"Have I, as a Lefty Lib arguing for an outreach to NDP/Green voters, been barking up the wrong tree all my adult life?"

No, you have not been barking up the wrong tree. it is the righteous tree. Problem is the keepers of its waffling leftist soil have not tended to their own needs and best interests - i.e. meaningful collaboration with the LPC. Until that happens we will continue to live by the Con-Lib yoyo that leaves us with a political center that nets neither results nor equity.

Leftist voices are needed within the Lib's to keep them from believing that pablum is the way to progress. Let Red Tory's come back to the Lib's - but don't forget the LPC also needs a strong conscience. One that eschews accommodating the elite.