Blog

Harper vs. Ignatieff

Today Stephen Harper raised the possibility that he would be open to a one-on-one debate with Liberal leader Michael ignatieff. Of course this won’t happen in our multiparty system but it’s an interesting hypothetical to ponder. The simple fact of having less participants would increase the possibility of there being a dramatic moment that defines the campaign.

From National Post
“We could also have a debate between Mr. Ignatieff and myself, since, after all, the real choice in this election is a choice between a Conservative government or an Ignatieff-led government that all of these other parties will support.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Everyone talks about the Mulroney Turner face-off in 1984 as the quintessential example where momentum in a campaign can shift on a dime . Although it be nice to see our leaders square off against each other more often, Politics as in life is the art of the possible and you cannot always get what you want.

March 30, 2011
Tory Nation

I know social media is not top of mind for everyone however it is becoming an increasingly integral part of any modern political campaign. Now there is a website devoted to the intersection of social media and politics I encourage you to check it out.

From The Canadian Election + Social Media

The Conservative Party of Canada launched the Tory Nation volunteer tool which takes a page from Obama’s online campaign playbook to offer volunteers the ability to get active on their own time.

Anyone can sign up to have access to a number of functions, including organizing an event, raising money and spreading the word to their friends. The dashboard features a leaderboard, where activists can earn points for various activities. No word on what happens with the points, though.

The dashboard is clean and intuitive and does provide the basic tools for riding-level activists to quickly deepen their involvement.

March 30, 2011
Conservatives Still Out in Front

In the latest Nanos daily tracking poll the Tories lead by nearly 10 points over their nearest rivals the Liberals. More importantly the Conservatives are commandingly out in front in the key battleground of Ontario’s Rust Belt. If this trend keeps up through the campaign we might even see university towns like Guelph turn Tory blue.

From Nanos

Canada (n=939 committed voters)
Conservative 38.4% (-0.2)
Liberal 28.7% (+1.1 )
NDP 19.6% (-0.3)
Bloc Quebecois 9.1% (-1.0 )
Green 4.1% (+0.3)
Undecided 21.7% (-0.3)

March 30, 2011