Omnibus: Conservative Leadership Race

IdRatherBeSkiing

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May 28, 2007
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If that is indeed the reality, don't that make Charest the best choice for Tories?
Most likely. But I doubt he would get the support of the Tory party. They are in a catch-22 scenario. They want to be right leaning but they can't win with that leader. Harper was successful because he was able to virtually ignore the social conservatives in his party. Nobody since has been able to do that. Until they solve this catch-22 we are stuck with TrueDope.
 

Nick Danger

Council Member
Jul 21, 2013
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Yup we should have never merged Reform with the remains of the Conservative Party . Big mistake letting them swallow the movement .
And those ideological differences remain to this day, and the problem remains that none of the internal factions within the CPC have the strength to mount a challenge to Trudeau on their own. Look at the front runners for CPC leadership right now, you've got Charest going the moderate route, Lewis going the social conservative route, and Poiliever on the far right, each with their own flavour of conservatism to peddle. For each new vote these contenders attract they risk alienating two others. This has been the way of things for a while within the CPC, and voters outside the party may just see any temporary internal truce as nothing more than an election ploy, which would be correct. There is precious little common ground within the party other than "get Trudeau!".
 
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petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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And those ideological differences remain to this day, and the problem remains that none of the internal factions within the CPC have the strength to mount a challenge to Trudeau on their own. Look at the front runners for CPC leadership right now, you've got Charest going the moderate route, Lewis going the social conservative route, and Poiliever on the far right, each with their own flavour of conservatism to peddle. For each new vote these contenders attract they risk alienating two others. This has been the way of things for a while within the CPC, and voters outside the party may just see any temporary internal truce as nothing more than an election ploy, which would be correct. There is precious little common ground within the party other than "get Trudeau!".
Lewis is the logical choice.
 

Serryah

Executive Branch Member
Dec 3, 2008
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And those ideological differences remain to this day, and the problem remains that none of the internal factions within the CPC have the strength to mount a challenge to Trudeau on their own. Look at the front runners for CPC leadership right now, you've got Charest going the moderate route, Lewis going the social conservative route, and Poiliever on the far right, each with their own flavour of conservatism to peddle. For each new vote these contenders attract they risk alienating two others. This has been the way of things for a while within the CPC, and voters outside the party may just see any temporary internal truce as nothing more than an election ploy, which would be correct. There is precious little common ground within the party other than "get Trudeau!".

What Cons seem to miss most of the time is that while even Libs might be okay with fiscal Conservativism, they REALLY want Liberal social views. I think there's a belief that Libs are more 'right giving' and Cons are 'right taking' and until they somehow fix that appearance, you won't get a Conservative Government.
 
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mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
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Here's a notion. . .

Is it possible that electing a "Liberal Lite" Tory would help smooth a path to a more Tory Tory? That's the promise.

Of course, the risk would be that the Tories could get locked into "Lib Lite."

You have about 15% of Conservatives who are super racist but wealthy. They're the ones holding back the party. Otherwise this wouldn't even be a controversial decision.

The fact that they are rejecting a fiscal conservative just goes to show how far off the path these nutbars have strayed because all they care about is punishing the Liberals lol
 
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pgs

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 29, 2008
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Funny Nick Danger , Serryah and Mentalfloss telling conservatives who to nominate . None have ever voted for Conservatives , nor would they ever consider doing so . But they know what the Conservatives need to win .
 

Nick Danger

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Funny Nick Danger , Serryah and Mentalfloss telling conservatives who to nominate . None have ever voted for Conservatives , nor would they ever consider doing so . But they know what the Conservatives need to win .
You're right that I would likely never vote Conservative, but that doens't mean I can't see what their problems are. The CPC is a mish-mash of different political ideologies trying to show a united face to voters, and the voters they need to win haven't swallowed their shtick for the last two times at bat.
 
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Serryah

Executive Branch Member
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You're right that I would likely never vote Conservative, but that doens't mean I can't see what their problems are. The CPC is a mish-mash of different political ideologies trying to show a united face to voters, and the voters they need to win haven't swallowed their shtick for the last two times at bat.

After the last election I pointed out that the only way the Cons will win is if they a)dump the extreme right wing of their party and b) actually start listening to people about what they really want to see in their leadership.

And if b leads to an extremist right wing leadership then they will never win, because the rest of Canada won't tolerate their BS.
 

Nick Danger

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After the last election I pointed out that the only way the Cons will win is if they a)dump the extreme right wing of their party...
But that's a big part of their base, and they're really easy to fool. Just give them something to get mad at and they'll do exactly whatever you want.
 
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gerryh

Time Out
Nov 21, 2004
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But that's a big part of their base, and they're really easy to fool. Just give them something to get mad at and they'll do exactly whatever you want.

If that was a big part of the conservative base then Maxime Bernier would be leader of the conservative party. The fact is we have elected more centrist leaders rather than right wing leaders the last 2 times. Problem was scheer was not vetted properly and O'Toole couldn't stop himself from flip flopping if his life depended on it.

As a whole, Canada is more centrist than left or right wing. We need a party to fill that gap, and if there was a party to do that it would win handily against trudeaus liberals. The Liberal Party used to be that party. That is untill trudeau got his grubby hands on it. So if the Libs are willing to forgo that position, then the cons should fill it.
 
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pgs

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You're right that I would likely never vote Conservative, but that doens't mean I can't see what their problems are. The CPC is a mish-mash of different political ideologies trying to show a united face to voters, and the voters they need to win haven't swallowed their shtick for the last two times at bat.
Hard to swallow the shtick when the leader changes direction like the wind , last weeks talking points no longer apply . If we want liberal we will vote liberal . When I say we I haven’t voted Conservative since Harper .
 

pgs

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After the last election I pointed out that the only way the Cons will win is if they a)dump the extreme right wing of their party and b) actually start listening to people about what they really want to see in their leadership.

And if b leads to an extremist right wing leadership then they will never win, because the rest of Canada won't tolerate their BS.
I thought the extreme right all followed Bernier out the door .Andrew Scheer was far from extreme . O’Toole was almost to the left of Trudeau , and Harper had a majority and enacted no extreme right legislation . Didn’t even touch the abortion issue . Unlike Trudeau he believed in your body your choice .
 
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pgs

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If that was a big part of the conservative base then Maxime Bernier would be leader of the conservative party. The fact is we have elected more centrist leaders rather than right wing leaders the last 2 times. Problem was scheer was not vetted properly and O'Toole couldn't stop himself from flip flopping if his life depended on it.

As a whole, Canada is more centrist than left or right wing. We need a party to fill that gap, and if there was a party to do that it would win handily against trudeaus liberals. The Liberal Party used to be that party. That is untill trudeau got his grubby hands on it. So if the Libs are willing to forgo that position, then the cons should fill it.
You ain’t going anywhere trying to out liberal the Liberals .
 
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Nick Danger

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The fact is we have elected more centrist leaders rather than right wing leaders the last 2 times.
What is right/center/left depends on where you are holding the dumb end of the tape. I still look at the Liberals as center, and the Conservatives and NDP as right and left respectively.
 

gerryh

Time Out
Nov 21, 2004
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What is right/center/left depends on where you are holding the dumb end of the tape. I still look at the Liberals as center, and the Conservatives and NDP as right and left respectively.
That's the way it used to be, and even the the cons were not that far off center.
 
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Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
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What Cons seem to miss most of the time is that while even Libs might be okay with fiscal Conservativism, they REALLY want Liberal social views. I think there's a belief that Libs are more 'right giving' and Cons are 'right taking' and until they somehow fix that appearance, you won't get a Conservative Government.
What other seem to miss is that the last few elections the conservatives have consistently gotten more votes than the liberals (in a one person one vote sorta thing) or any other single party in Canada, but come up with way less seats, ‘cuz that’s just the way it is.

I think for the most part in the half of the country that I reside in that the Libs are seen as corrupt Larentian Elitist snobs that hold their nose when forced to acknowledge that Western Canada exists, but when they do we must be Hillbilly’s & Rednecks who are misogynistic racists who have to rape Mother Earth to scratch out a living, and yes, Vancouver is technically in Western Canada, and yes, Vancouver votes liberal and is acknowledged as actually existing outside of the perception of the rest of Western Canada.

I think there’s a belief that Cons give and Libs take, perspective from the cheap seats out here, and to try to be more like Liberals who have consistently gotten less votes recently is defeatist unto itself, as there’s the Liberals and NDP and Greens and Bloc standing there with their hands out already, patting each other on the backs, and congratulating each other on not being Conservatives.

“If you want a voice and say in the country that we all reside in and contribute to, then just stop being you and start being me?” is a weird piece of guidance and a jagged pill, but don’t get me wrong and I know where you’re coming from and I know your guidance is well meant, and that your heart is in the right place. The alienation is real, and some of those doing it don’t even realize that it’s happening or why.

Maybe the Conservatives, or Western Canadians (much like the LGBTQ-etc…) just want to be who they and not be told who and what they should be, or should be like, and not be second class citizens for wanting that.

Don’t think I’m attacking you ‘cuz I’m not, and it’s a offering a different perspective on being told we (Western Canadians, or Conservatives, or what have you) have to be more like Justin & his ilk to have a voice in our country. It’s a free country for the most part, and each of us has a right to vote for or against whomever tickles our fancy regardless of their level of corruption or shear volume of ethics scandals or their contempt of the inhabitants of the region of our nation that you happen to reside in.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Same here. I call it America Between the Mountains (the usually conservative, usually Republican interior between the Appalachians and the Rockies) and America Between the Mountains and the Sea (both coasts, usually liberal and Democratic). Each is about 50% of the population.
 
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