Harper set to triumph as Stronach falls short - Globe and Mail

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040311.wconse0312/BNStory/Front/

Stephen Harper appears on the edge of a first-ballot victory in the race for Conservative leader, according to sources familiar with the party's bursting membership rolls and the recruitment drives of the three candidates.

Sources said yesterday that former auto executive Belinda Stronach has come up short in her effort to recruit the 50,000 to 100,000 members that her campaigners said they needed to tilt the race in their candidate's favour. A party document released yesterday showed that the Stronach campaign sold 20,000 direct memberships, a number officials say is not enough to overtake the lead of Mr. Harper.

Sources also said the Harper campaign has produced an internal poll of party members that shows 57 per cent would choose the former Canadian Alliance leader.

Supporters of Mr. Harper are quietly predicting their candidate will achieve between 45 per cent and 55 per cent of the vote on the first ballot.

-Good. A Harper victory will drive at least 75% of the old PC vote leftward. I'm satisfied with this. It's a pity we couldn't get Belinda, though, that would have been hilarious.

and the worst choice for the rest of us, would be Tony Clement. He has the ability to bridge the Alliance-PC divide, has okay French and is quite sharp.

Clearly when Belinda's camp said they wanted to postpone the vote they knew they didn't have the numbers. Too bad. That would have meant an instant 10-point drop for the Conservatives.

This secures the hold we've developed over the old PC vote. The other side of the argument is that the Alliance base will be more solid than it would under the other two. Still, this means gains in the west for us in the NDP. Who knows what it means for the Grits?, maybe one our Liberal posters has a theory on it.

A solid Alliance base is unelectable. Freeper-wannabes simply do not understand the mindset enjoyed by the majority of Canadians.

I'm much more worried about the NDP splitting the left and Martin alienating everybody (including me).

Pal, we is the left! :evilgrin:

as leader of the Alliance because, in truth, he will be the leader of the Alliance, which the party still is, imo, they just did a name change yet again.

I figure he will win too, was hoping he would, he brings nothing new which is good news for anyone anti Alliance.

We don't even know what Harper can do in an election. Electorally, Stock Day was six percentage points more successful than Preston Manning (25.5 - 19.5), and Harper always strikes me as being in the dour theoritician mould of Manning.

half the disaffected Liberal voters would have went there and half to the NDP, I am not sure what will happen now other than they won't go Alliance (I refuse to use the faux name, New Conservatives, it was a takeover, plain and simple)

When Harper wins, what will be interesting is where disaffected true Conservative voters will go. They don't like Harper or Alliance policies.

http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id=DE8BF519-9272-4B6B-961B-4C7805072601

Elected officials and staff of the Gespeg First Nation in Quebec whose names turned up on a list of new Conservative members recruited by Belinda Stronach's leadership campaign say they never agreed to join the party.

Names of almost the entire office staff and several elected band councillors in the tiny Mi'kmaq community near the town of Gaspé were included on a confidential membership list obtained by the National Post. Interviewed by phone yesterday, the purported members expressed surprise and anger.

"Taking all the names of the office staff and signing them up for the Conservative Party, that's not right," said Nancy Element, the band secretary. "We were never contacted to be members, and we never signed anything to say we were members of Conservative Party."

Geoff Norquay, a spokesperson for the Stronach campaign, initially said the 12 members, all of whom listed the band council as their address, were recruited by Stronach organizers. Informed that many of the recruits denied any affiliation with the party, he said, "Isn't that interesting. Well, I'll have to get back to you about that."

I'm shocked, I tells ya. Shocked.

Do you think she'll storm out of the party in a huff when she loses, back to her lucrative CEO job?

Maybe she'll come to wish she hadn't, if she wins and sits as merely an opposition MP. Strikes me that wouldn't satisfy her, though she's done nothing in her own right to demonstrate she deserves even that.

Even worst than Fake Liberal Memberships in BC!!

Is there no decency among these people...

Go Harper Go!!!

Actually it is apparant that egotism is the one big thing holding back the Tory nutbar caravan...Manning, Stockboy, now Harpy!! All egos the size of a SK wheat silo!!!

Harper's arrogance is as apparent as ever. I watched the debates (I know, I know, but I am sadly a political junkie) and Harper is so offputting with his sneers. Come to think of it he reminds me of a Connecticut Yankee in Texas!

Oh you traitor!!

Actually I never miss a political convention or debates!! even if it is the Tories...

I even watch them from other provinces! LOL-

(I should probably go to rehab for this junkie thing)

that I watched it too. I never realized until now, what bugs me most about Harper. He's just like the smirking Chimp. Has anyone gone to his website? He looks positively evil in the picture. Nasty, mean eyes.

I was thinking 'Come on, Tony, get Harper', then I thought 'what the hell do I care?'. It's like sports, you can't help but get drawn in.

Jeez, If I had that kind of money, I'd have signed up all of Montreal by now.

the price is right, of course.

You could vote for Belinda. Sabotage the party from the inside! Subversion is so much fun.

On edit - What I mean is that she's cheating by putting people on the list without consent. So why not cheat big if you're going to cheat?

$50.00.Seems a lot of money for a prank.

Or at least, they pay your membership.

oh, maybe that's why she can't sign many up! To me, aligning herself with Mulroney is a negative not a positive, the other parties would have had a heyday reminding Canadians of Mulroney's "legacy".

• the Clark legacy
  
• the Mulrooney legacy
  
• the Stock legacy
  
• the Harper legacy
  

it just never ends.

Harper is seen as arrogant, especially in the east and I think in Québec, too. And, it reinforces the regional (Alberta) based image of the party.
I didn't think Stronach had a serious chance, given what the old guard thinks of women leaders; look at Kim Campbell!

NDP rules!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

we're very ready for Harper. In fact Martin began laying the groundwork in Ontario last week. This an Alliance takeover, and worse for the Cons....take a look at who is winning their nominations. This is a SoCon takeover of the right, and there will be defections after Harper wins. He foolishly released some policy last week that continues his firewall campaign. Take a look.
<https://www.oneconservativevoice.ca/english/issues/Federalism_E.doc>
He actually wants to re-open the constitution. LOL..what an idiot.
He also said in an interview that "he" won't introduce abortion or capital punishment, but he will allow private members bills and allow a free vote. Sneaking it in the back door seems to be his plan. And he has all the personality of a piece of wood. I'm dying to know "who" Joe Clark will support after Harper wins. This is going to get interesting.
Tony Clement could have been a problem in Ontario, despite his Harris/Eves baggage. Harper will never get seats in Quebec and you can't, and shouldn't govern this country without doing so.

Welcome Canuckistani..I believe that I've enjoyed you tormenting the war mongers on another site (if this is you). We need to get Nowhereman over here.