repolitics
Political News, Discussion Forums and In-depth Features on Political Institutions
by Jared Wesley on
Stephen Harper has been courting hockey dads ever since he became leader. (His sponsorship of a CASCAR, book on hockey history, and photo-ops at Canadian Tires and Tim Horton’s are evidence enough.) Who knew the plan would include – or perhaps, lure – several high-profile sports personalities to run under the Conservative Party banner?
[Read more…] about Intramural Politics: Star Athletes as Candidates
by Jared Wesley on
Some have suggested that Barack Obama has the potential to affect this fall’s federal election. A recent Harris-Decima poll pegged the Democrat’s popularity in Canada in the 70 percent range. (Even on the Prairies, the country’s bastion of conservatism, Obama has the hypothetical support of two in three Canadians.) Whether it be his message of "change" or "hope", or simply his charismatic style, Obama’s brand of politics is said to be contagious, leaving Canadian voters yearning for an equivalent north of the border.
by Jared Wesley on
by Jared Wesley on
Establishing expectations are key to a party’s success in any election. George Bush’s “surprising” performance as an “underdog” in the 2000 U.S. Presidential campaign is only the most prominent example. (In that case, Karl Rove’s ability to downgrade people’s expectations of the soon-to-be-president’s oratory skills gave Bush the pivotal post-debate bounce that carried him to the White House.)
by Royce Koop on
A new vote-swapping project has been fired up on Facebook, in the hope that non-Conservative voters can coordinate their votes across ridings.
Aside from the enormous complexity of these sorts of projects, the paradox is that the people who are informed and committed enough to engage in vote-swapping are probably partisans who may balk at the prospect of voting insincerely and, once alone in the voting booth, destroy the honour system that this project depends on.
by Royce Koop on
Rick Bell has written a glowing political obituary for Monte Solberg, one of the three senior cabinet ministers that won’t be running for re-election.
First elected in 1993 as a Reform Party MP, Solberg was probably the most entertaining MP in the House throughout the 1990s. He was certainly one of the most effective oppostion critics I’ve ever seen (the other being Diane Ablonczy, although the two of them employ radically different styles). While complaining about tax increases, Solberg once asked Paul Martin in Question Period: