Despite a barrage of Liberal attack ads over the last five days, the Conservative party's lead over the Liberals continues to slowly grow, says a new poll.(link)(via)
Although SES' tracking poll does show some slight movement up for the Liberalismos, it's well within the margin of error. This poll seems to show that the momevement is just statiscal variation if anything.
Seven days is an eternity in an election campaign. I don't want to speculate about what will happen over the next week... But I hope Ralph Klein keeps the duct tape on his mouth until then.
But there is an interesting problem that will plague the party when it gets in parliament... Same Sex Marriage.
Conservative star candidate John Baird running a tight race against a Liberal incumbent in Ottawa West Nepean riding is receiving a gruelling fight, not from his Liberal opponent, but from a young independent candidate who is ensuring that Baird's stand in support of homosexual 'marriage' is known to the public.
Meet John Pacheco, familiar to social conservatives in the area and abroad as the man who organized the 15,000-strong March for Marriage on Parliament Hill last summer - the event at which Conservative Leader Stephen Harper spoke. Pacheco is running against Baird as an independent with the sole purpose of pointing out that Baird is betraying conservatives with his strong anti-family views.(link)(via)
A large chunk of Harper's support no doubt comes from those against SSM. I've met people who had a seething hatred for Brian Mulroney and Mike Harris but are now voting for Harper just because of that one single issue - and more than just one.
It's incredible really. This coalition is nothing like Mulroney's in 1984. This coalition includes social conservatives that are fiscally liberal. Harper's biggest challenge will be keeping this coalition together. How will this jive with MP's like John Baird who is fiscally conservative and socially liberal?
Civil wars start over less in political parties. Though, I doubt there is a better person more fitted to the job of keeping the family together than Stephen Harper... My guess is that this at most will lead to some interesting caucus and cabinet meetings.
Harper's no fool, that much is certain. Its much easier to keep a government caucus together than an opposition one where half are extreme right wing, and the other half old-school conservative. The same-sex marriage issue won't be a big one, it'll be inside caucus, and look for Harper's cabinet to be firmly behind their leader, despite only 4 cabinet ministers actually being from Alberta.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, don't worry about Klein, CTV offered him an hour long special to just sit there and talk about the federal election, he turned it down. He's also turned down over 40 other requests, 39 of them from Ontario. Plus, he's fishing up in Northern Alberta with some friends, so he's on the sidelines until election night.