2012 NDP leadership convention

[Hatman 🍁]

I recognize quite a few people in the audience... Anil Naidoo, Bruce Hyer, Jamie Masse, Pierre Ducasse...

[Hatman 🍁]

The sort of people who might react in horror to the prospect of a party leader with union ties are the sort of people who will not vote for a social democratic party under any circumstances. End of.

I disagree. PEI especially is a place where this is untrue. In PEI a "Social Democrat" is a "really really left-wing person but someone I might stomach if I REALLY have to..." where as a Socialist is a "COMMUNIST OMG STALIN! STALIN!!! ARREST HIM!!!" and a Union Man is a "COMMUNIST OMG, STALIN! OR WAIT IS IT HITLER? OMG"

Almost as bad as the US! 

Were that the case there would be no NDP.

Which is true in PEI.

Anyways, Im against quotas as well, I think the way the party does things now is good.

[Hatman 🍁]

Days until the 2015 federal election: 1403. Stop analyzing useless polls, especially since the second and third parties both haven't even chosen their leaders.

Not to mention linking to that godawful website

[Hatman 🍁]

I don't, but my explanations keep getting deleted by Al.

Feel free to PM me then. I mean not to offend you personally; it was more of an attack at Eric Grenier (who is defenceless as he doesnt post here).

[Hatman 🍁]

I'll post YET AGAIN and hope it does not get deleted:

308 drove me out of business. He killed my website. I was right and he was wrong and I got SO depressed about it, I lost my job.

So, shouldn't you be happy about my comment?

No, because he clearly won the battle of my best VS his best. While I'm begging banks to cash my welfare cheques, he is writing for newspapers.

I'm really confused. But, I'm sorry for offending you, but I will continue to discredit his site. You should do the same.

[Hatman 🍁]

A polling firm needs to buy some membership lists to do some polling. That's what we did at EKOS for the last Liberal leadership race.

[Hatman 🍁]

I don't believe federal NDP membership lists can be bought by third parties. Those lists are only made available to candidates for the leadership.

For the record, we didn't have names, only #s. And we weren't told that they were Liberal members, but I figured it out pretty quickly.

[Hatman 🍁]

For the best, really.

[Hatman 🍁]

I can see Topp as not being considered in the top-tier. Maybe he's the Jon Huntsman of the race?

[Hatman 🍁]

Right now my ballot will be as follows:

1) Paul Dewar
2) Niki Ashton
3) Romeo Saganash
4) Peggy Nash
5) Martin Singh
6) Nathan Cullen
7) Thomas Mulcair
Brian Topp

[Hatman 🍁]

My reasoning:

1) Paul Dewar - My MP, and someone I can see as a good compromise candidate. Will have to pick up his French, though.
2) Niki Ashton - young and attractive, but fairly inexperienced
3) Romeo Saganash - an inspiring choice but too inexperienced
4) Peggy Nash - well respected in the party, but can't seem to give straight answers to questions
5) Martin Singh - I like his platform, but no experience
6) Nathan Cullen - has good environmental credentials but wants to scrap the gun registry. Doesn't inspire me at all.
7) Thomas Mulcair - Heard too many horror stories, and has made one too many gaffes. Has to change his ways if he wants a higher position. Otherwise, he's a great candidate.
Brian Topp - Opportunistic chosen one. I will not support someone who was thrown at us by the party elite. Even if Jack chose him on his death bed. Jack wasn't the greatest at these choices... look at his choice of interim leader.
[/quote]

[Hatman 🍁]

If Mulcair is your first preference, it doesn't matter where you put Topp, of course.

Wait - this is IRV right? Not Condorcet?

It is IRV

Come on, the gun registry is such a non-starter, especially in today's environment.

I know; I intern for an MP who wants to scrap the registry. I had to come up with some excuse as to why Cullen doesn't excite me.

[Hatman 🍁]

New thing I'll be doing: Endorsement maps. Not sure if I'll put it in my blog or not; let me know if I should. Anyways, I'll be posting it here for the mean time. I'll keep updating it as each new endorsement comes in:



Larger version in the gallery, of course.

[Hatman 🍁]

I made a post about it: http://canadianelectionatlas.blogspot.com/2011/12/ndp-leadership-endorsement-map-as-of.html

[Hatman 🍁]

Note to self: the map needs to be updated, as the former PEI ndp leader (the guy who actually won a seat there) has endorsed Mulcair.

[Hatman 🍁]

Map includes Herb Dickieson's endorsement now:

[Hatman 🍁]

He may be the only person from PEI to go on my map. Unless the current  (or other former) leader(s) endorses someone. I'm not putting in past candidates, which would include the former Charlottetown candidate who also endorsed Mulcair.

[Hatman 🍁]

Dewar is endorsed by Mable Elmore, MLA for Vancouver-Kensington. That's his 2nd endorsement from the province (first was former MP Catherine Bell)

Updated map:

[Hatman 🍁]

Are you going to include former provincial candidates, cause, I could endorse somebody!

No "just" candidates of any sort [I know the Ottawa South candidate from 2008 is working on the Mulcair campaign ftr]; And it appears you have already endorsed someone [Mulcair]

[Hatman 🍁]

Would it be possible for you to make a map showing only current MPs? That might be interesting to see.

Look at the coloured ridings

[Hatman 🍁]

Nash endorsed by actress Sarah Polley. Since she's not a politician, the map remains unchanged.

[Hatman 🍁]

Another MP has endorsed Peggy Nash (Mike Sullivan, York South-Weston).

[Hatman 🍁]

New endorsement map:

[Hatman 🍁]

Former Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert endorses Brian Topp

New map:

Note, it's getting squishy in Saskatoon. Calvert's riding was the same as Romanow's.

[Hatman 🍁]

Is that mark in the Battlefords are Len Taylor? He used to be an MP as well.

Nope, Violet Stanger. The mark is actually Lloydminster, not the Battlefords. GEEZ, KNOW YOUR GEOGRAPHY, AL!