Sunday, March 08, 2009

They're Just Not That Into You

The safest PC seats in Ontario, based on their 2007 margin of victory:

Haldimand—Norfolk +38.7%
Renfrew—Nipissing—Pebroke +37.6%
Leeds-Grenville +27.5%
Simcoe—Grey +24.6%
Niagara West—Glanbrook +21.0%
Parry Sound—Muskoka +20.5%
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock +20.5%

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9 Comments:

  • Hi CG Your data show the magnitude of Tory's failure.
    John Tory never missed an opportunity (esp in his parting press conference) to tell everyone how he was much better, smarter and more principled than anyone else in politics. In fact he said in effect that one had to be a slime-bag to win in politics.
    JT denigrated the Premier, Rick Johnson, K Wynne and virtually every other politician to justify why he lost.
    I would have some empathy for the man if he had said here is what I did wrong and ....I am sorry.
    Can't understand why the press is giving him a free ride in light of his colossal poor judgment

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:43 a.m.  

  • CG

    Based on the voter turn-out it would seem there was no interest in the bye-bye election OR a whole lot of Tories sat on their hands.
    If it is the former we have a serious problem with voter engegement / apathy in Ontario.
    If the latter, it seems to me that the explanation is that voters are much more astute, than the press in their evaluation and assessment of Tory, than the fauning MSM's infatuation with the seriously flawed Tory whose ego is exceeded only by his ( and his cheering sections') lack of introspection.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:17 a.m.  

  • I wonder how long before it surfaces that Harper played a part in the 'putting down their weapons' of the missing CON supporters? Apparently, he was neither a big Tory 'middle-of-the-road' fan and is eager to ditch one meglomaniac minister...

    By Blogger burlivespipe, at 2:49 a.m.  

  • JT denigrated the Premier

    Seems like most candidates denigrate the incumbent, though. McGuinty sure did, when he first ran.

    John Tory always seemed like a well-meaning and nice enough guy to me.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:51 a.m.  

  • By elections always get low turn-out.

    And, if should be noted, a 20 point swing in a by election isn't a complete shock...I'm sure there have been more. But it does show the degree local voters rejected John Tory.

    By Blogger calgarygrit, at 9:39 a.m.  

  • John Tory should have been better prepared for this, as there are many cases of this sort of local backlash.

    Eves actually faced a bigger backlash in Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey. Tilson won by 36 points in 1999, while Eves only won by 11 in 2002 (he did better in the general).

    Chretien faced a swing of 7 points against the Liberals in Beausejour, even though the Tories did not field a candidate.

    However, the most famous example of this kind of backlash was York South with Meighen. The CCF went from 15% to 57% (the Liberals did not field a candidate, so it was a 2-party race).

    I personally think the leader of opposition (or PM) should be given a non-voting seat in parliament up until such a point that they win a seat. The absence of a PM or opposition leader is bad for the country and easily dealt with.

    By Blogger french wedding cat, at 1:37 a.m.  

  • "Seems like most candidates denigrate the incumbent, though. McGuinty sure did, when he first ran.

    John Tory always seemed like a well-meaning and nice enough guy to me."

    Yes, they often do while campaigning. But did you see his press conference? That was just cringe-inducing sore loser-ship. "I guess may I'm just too honest for politics". You find that likeable?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:09 p.m.  

  • Hi CG
    Couldn't resist returning to this posting after seeing the John Tory homage in the TS today (Mar 12) by Baronski and Gordon.

    No one seems to want to acknowledge that JT is anything but perfect and the "greatest premier we never had". Let's talk about 2 salient incidents that describe the real JT...'I will do anything to win... NO No I am too principled for that...everyone else does the bad stuff. Not me..'
    Everyone points to the religious school funding issue as the (one) nail in his political coffin.
    We all should recall that JT adopted that policy for the sole reason of defeating Jim Flaherty in the PC leadership race. He did it to win the race and then found himself trapped (forced) to carry the policy into the campaign (with the help of Klees.
    Next he saw a fight with the far right of the political spectrum with the insurrection potential of the far-right Lanarck Landowners (Randy the plumber) So what did he do? Invited randy into the tent to quelch the dissent. And what did it get him other than next to total desertion of progressives in the party and solidified the hesitancy of the Any "reds" to believe anything he said.
    He failed and he deserved his fate note because his principles were better than anyone else He failed to demonstrate any integrity.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:20 p.m.  

  • This will not have effect in fact, that's exactly what I suppose.

    By Anonymous www.tapicerias.nom.es, at 3:20 p.m.  

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