The Next Conservative Leader

[jmt18325]

I think those people were mocking his lack of political experience and banking on the name, not his age.  Scheer was the Speaker from 2011-2015.

And Trudeau was an MP and the leader of a party.  I think I might smell some hypocrisy.

 

[Remius]

And Trudeau was an MP and the leader of a party.  I think I might smell some hypocrisy.

I have no doubt that some liberals and their supporters here will attack Andrew Scheer with superficial name calling or some other thing.  Hypocrisy works both ways in politics.

 

[Cdn Blackshirt]

Can anyone give us the rundown of how Scheer pulled this out?

I thought Bernier had it in the bag....

 

[GAP]

He led in 1st 12 ballots but apparently O'Toole supporters came over to Scheer.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Bernier lost Quebec to Scheer when he started taking shots at the marketing boards. I believe, Scheer picked up O'Toole's Quebec support. Bernier needed those few votes.

BTW, it was a virtual dead heat, coming down to a difference in a percentage point and thirteen votes.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Don't know this guy, but I think this is a good outcome overall for the Cons.  Guys like me, who don't trust Maxime's handling of sensitive documents (however long ago) and those on the other side of the spectrum who can't abide Kellie Leach's approach to immigration etc, just might have the middle ground we can all get behind.  Hopefully some Scheer willpower will be able to kick the PM to the side of the HoC he belongs in, the Opposition or better still, back to teaching little kids drama class.

 

[RocketRichard]

I mock the PM because he's a bubble head and a narcissistic idiot as far as I'm concerned , not because of his age.  For me, he'll still probably be a tool at 70 or 80.  Mind you, by then I'll be dirt napping so I won't give a crap.

My my, don't sugar coat your analysis 'bubble head, narcissistic idiot and tool' of the PM. Sigh, this name calling doesn't add to intelligent debate. I hope our youth aren't reading these comments from a person much older and, one would assume much wiser than them.


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[jollyjacktar]

My my, don't sugar coat your analysis 'bubble head, narcissistic idiot and tool' of the PM. Sigh, this name calling doesn't add to intelligent debate. I hope our youth aren't reading these comments from a person much older and, one would assume much wiser than them.


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I was being nice, quite frankly and holding back on how I truly feel.

 

[RocketRichard]

I was being nice, quite frankly and holding back on how I truly feel.

I see. Enjoy the Sunday.


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[jollyjacktar]

And you, as well.

 

[brihard]

And so the CPC have elected another anti-abortion, same-sex-marriage opposing, regressive social conservation as leader. While Scheer's entry into politics is post-merger, nonetheless the CPC has leaned reform instead of PC in this one. He's been an MP since he was 25, and even most of his work experience prior to that was in political/constituency offices... I for one am not inspired by this choice. I was hoping they would elect someone who would bring a forward-thinking platform and give Trudeau a run for his money. I do not see that in this result. Trudeau may have just been handed a second term that he may not deserve.

The CPC needs to be courting my generation better. They failed to do so. The old social-regressive dog just don't hunt anymore with us...

**Staff Edit: Abortion opinions below this post moved to - Abortion Issues - Mega Thread [MERGED]**

 

[SeaKingTacco]

And so the CPC have elected another anti-abortion, same-sex-marriage opposing, regressive social conservation as leader. While Scheer's entry into politics is post-merger, nonetheless the CPC has leaned reform instead of PC in this one. He's been an MP since he was 25, and even most of his work experience prior to that was in political/constituency offices... I for one am not inspired by this choice. I was hoping they would elect someone who would bring a forward-thinking platform and give Trudeau a run for his money. I do not see that in this result. Trudeau may have just been handed a second term that he may not deserve.

The CPC needs to be courting my generation better. They failed to do so. The old social-regressive dog just don't hunt anymore with us...

How about you give him a chance?

 

[Loachman]

And so the CPC have elected another anti-abortion, same-sex-marriage opposing, regressive social conservation as leader.

Would you prefer the Trudeau "my-way-or-else" approach? He was the one who forced all prospective candidates to support unfettered abortion, no exception. Stephen Harper was neither the first control freak nor the last (but certainly much more fiscally responsible than either his predecessor or his successor). MPs should be free to support the wishes of their constituents.

There are plenty of Liberal supporters who don't like abortion, either. I don't agree with it, personally.

Regardless, those issues are herrings of a scarlet hue.

Personal opinions do not necessarily translate into action for a number of reasons. No party is likely to raise abortion as an issue in Parliament simply because it is controversial and divisive. No party is going to revisit gay marriage either.

As for Reform, I was a Reform member before that Party was even officially active in Ontario. I found it refreshing. Policy was developed at the lowest levels. Every member had input. Communication within the Party was always bi-directional rather than top-down only as is the case in every other party, regular, and frequent. Opinions on most issues varied, sometimes dramatically, and everybody was free to speak his or her mind. MPs were bound to represent the wishes of their constituents to the Party, not the wishes of the party to their constituents. Core belief was a small but effective government that respected the constitutionally-specified responsibilities of the three levels of government, minimum waste of people's hard-earned money, and personal freedoms tempered with personal responsibility. That generated interest and motivation, which is why the Party grew so rapidly. Yes, some loose cannons were allowed to flourish, and those, of course, attracted most of the attention in the Liberal-leaning media. Not everybody, by any stretch, was a rabid "social conservative". Many were very libertarian.

 

[Lumber]

This is possibly the most polite, cordial,  Canadian-esque discussion on politics I've ever seen.

Thanks you, and have a nice day.

 

[The Bread Guy]

The issue of late is labelling people as left/right/con/lib etc. I agree with parts of all parties and disagree with others. Come election time vote as one decides (ideology, party, individual, issue etc) using all info available. This whole right vs left stuff is not on.

Or the approach by some (of all team jersey colours) to politics like favourite sports teams:  my team is never wrong, the other team is never right.

A good municipal politician I knew once said this was the main reason he didn't want to go into provincial or federal politics.  At the municipal level, he felt comfortable being conservative about some issues, liberal about others and even socialist on others.  Not so many shades of grey once parties/partisanism get involved.

Circling back to the newly elected Conservative leader, good on him, and I wish him luck.  Even though some have pointed to his social conservatism, I think he's going to find he's going to have to balance more than just that end of the spectrum in the current Conservative party - something about room in the tent for everybody.  The current PM has more than enough soft spots to successfully exploit, so let's see how it goes.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Aaron Hutchins writing for Macleans:

"However, Scheer took a gamble with rock-ribbed social conservatives by saying he’s with them but would continue Harper’s strategy of keeping hot-button issues from gaining prominence.

“I had some concern about his position on abortion and gay marriage,” says Luc Berthold, one of four Quebec MPs who ultimately endorsed Scheer, despite Scheer’s previous pro-life support and attempts to re-open debate on traditional marriage. “He said he has his personal view on that but he’ll respect the position members took at the last convention. That convinced me I could be okay with him.”"

It might be too early to panic over the attack of the So-con Clones.

 

[brihard]

The lot of you raise fair points, and I respect them. I see the social conservatism in the new leader not as a point of concern for policy necessarily- I don't really fear an abortion revisit, and certainly not any attempt to undermine marriage equality. My concern is that Scheer's election, and Trost's concerningly strong showing are a barometer of a sort of ugly undercurrent in the Conservatives. Just as the left has some truly ridiculous champagne socialists and social justice warriors, so too does the right have its front of rednecks, racists, and characters whose social views are more apt to the 1950s.

I have no party loyalty. I voted Conservative in 2006 to throw out the Liberals, and again in 2008, and Liberal in 2011 and 2015 in order to change the diaper again. I want to see a modernize Conservative party that draws strength from the progressive conservative side of the tent. We're there a place I would most naturally fit in our political spectrum, it would probably be that PC section. But I can go either way, and can 'protest vote' elsewhere if I find the options repugnant, as I once did provincially in Ontario.

As someone who falls into the 'millennial' category, so see my generation just now beginning to slowly enter into a more mature political awareness... a lot of us are paying taxes and working professional jobs, our generation has sent a cohort to war of a sort, some are starting to have kids of their own... Demographically we will soon become fairly potent- the 'boom echo' as the baby boomers retire. We're as fragmented as any pet generation on economics, foreign policy, and a myriad of other issues. We lean a bit more in aggregate though, I think, to some of the stuff like abortion, gay marriage, etc that should have been done deals in the 80s or 90s.

Vern- you made a valid point that free votes see members of all parties come out against, for instance, abortion. I do see a distinction between an individual MP having those views, versus one with those views being elected to leadership of the party. Scheer will have a lot of influence in the party's tone, but also just having him there will make it more likely that some issues just won't die as many of us feel they ought to. And it will impact things like foreign aid spending as well.

Anyway- just my thoughts. I'm not impressed. He will have an uphill battle to win my vote absent Trudeau really screwing up. But three years is a long time.

This is possibly the most polite, cordial,  Canadian-esque discussion on politics I've ever seen.

Also a fair concern. Um. Y'all suck. Pound sand or something. Hosers.

 

[The Bread Guy]

... It might be too early to panic over the attack of the So-con Clones.

True dat - the next policy convention will be revealing.

 

[Cdn Blackshirt]

Just my opinion, but I think the Left has successfully rebranded "conservatism" as "racist/bigot/misogynist/etc", which whether honest or not, eliminate the party from consideration from upwards of 65% of voters.

Until they nominate someone who is socially untouchable on the key hot button topics, they have zero chance of winning a national election regardless of how incompetent "Prime Minister Selfie" is.

Whether national or provincial, it's like the party enjoys shooting off its own toes.  :facepalm:

 

[Jed]

Just my opinion, but I think the Left has successfully rebranded "conservatism" as "racist/bigot/misogynist/etc", which whether honest or not, eliminate the party from consideration from upwards of 65% of voters.

Until they nominate someone who is socially untouchable on the key hot button topics, they have zero chance of winning a national election regardless of how incompetent "Prime Minister Selfie" is.

Whether national or provincial, it's like the party enjoys shooting off its own toes.  :facepalm:

Well I hope you are incorrect in your assessment. I will continue to believe that eventually common sense will prevail and that after a few years of witnessing buffoonery exhibited by Mr. selfy et al and some harder living courtesy of piss poor management by government, the duped Millennial generation will adapt and overcome.