2012 NDP leadership convention

[Hatman 🍁]

..... I've finally got the chance to work on updating my endorsement map. A lot to catch up on. I'm going to need to make some insets for Victoria and Halifax...

Some interesting endorsements I've stumbled upon,

Topp got an endorsement from a former Liberal MNA in Quebec. (only former MNA to make an endorsement, unless you count Mulcair lol). Bonus points if you know who it was.

No endorsements from Ashton... in fact Topp got an endorsement from Churchill's former MP!

Cullen finally got some endorsements from outside of BC (MP Brian Masse and former MP Lynn MacDonald)

Nash got a bunch of municipal councillor endorsements which are pretty cool.

Saskatchewan is Topp land, lots of little orange triangles as a bunch of MLAs of yesteryear endorsed him.

Only one more endorsement from Alberta, as an MLA went for Topp.

The Territories finally got an endorser, as MP Dennis Bevington endorsed Dewar.

[MaxQue]

I don't know if you noted it, but Phil Edmunston endorsed Mulcair.

[RogueBeaver]

I don't know if you noted it, but Phil Edmunston endorsed Mulcair.

Total surprise.

[Hatman 🍁]

I don't know if you noted it, but Phil Edmunston endorsed Mulcair.

That was a long time ago, I think.

[Hatman 🍁]

Before I post the NDP endorsement map, I wrote up a post about the membership (with maps!) http://canadianelectionatlas.blogspot.com/2012/03/ndp-membership-maps.html

[RogueBeaver]

Mulcair still in the hotseat. Here's the debate for those who didn't see it.

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Politics/20120311/ndp-leadership-debate-120311/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/03/11/ndp-debate-vancouver.html

[Hatman 🍁]

Endorsement map is more or less updated:



Let me know if I missed any. Note, I added a Victoria inset, but decided against a Halifax inset (choosing instead to make a box indicating support from the Dartmouth-Cole Harbour MP, Robert Chisholm). Smid doesn't appear to have a provincial map of N.S., so I couldn't make a quick inset for now.

[MaxQue]

Got my ballot (even if I can't mail it and must vote online)!

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Will be interesting to see how voting patterns match up with that map.

[MaxQue]

Will be interesting to see how voting patterns match up with that map.

NDP doesn't publish detailed results, usually.

[RogueBeaver]

Funke will update again tomorrow. Hopefully Cullenmentum is continuing.

[MaxQue]

Cullen? Isn't he even more right-wing than Mulcair?

[Peter the Lefty]

Cullen? Isn't he even more right-wing than Mulcair?

He's left of Mulcair, it would seem, on most issues, unless you consider his co-operation proposal right wing Mulcair opposes it, but Cullen is proposing raising taxes to a low 30's rate (wasn't quite specific) on Canadians over $300,000-which is right of Topp's proposals, which are a rate of 35% on everyone getting more than $250,000 a year, but it's also left of Mulcair, who refuses to even talk about income taxes. 

Cullen is the third most right wing candidate, if you include Singh.

[Hatman 🍁]

I also got my ballot, but I'll be voting at the convention. Anyone else going?

[RogueBeaver]

Stating the obvious.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-canadienne/201203/14/01-4505473-npd-singh-invite-ses-partisans-a-appuyer-mulcair.php

[Linus Van Pelt]

A few subplots have developed in the second half of the campaign.

One is that there has been a significant effort on the part of certain strategic-voting groups to get people to sign up for the party to vote for Nathan Cullen on account of his candidate-sharing scheme. In mid-February both the Canadian branch of Avaaz.org and some non-partisan progressive advocacy group called "leadnow.ca" publicized campaigns online to this effect. It's hard to know how many of these people there are, but the Pundits Guide reported that Cullen suddenly went into the top tier of fundraising with Mulcair and Topp after this, so it doesn't seem totally negligible. Presumably these people are mostly Mulcair on the second round.

Second, pretty much the entire South Asian elected establishment in B.C. is supporting Topp - he has the endoresements of Jinny Sims, Jasbir Sandhu, Harry Lali, Harry Bains & Raj Chouhan. One assumes this crowd is not so pleased with the emergence of Martin Singh, who is not only himself Sikh but also devote essentially 100% of his campaign to the Sikh community since he isn't a serious national candidate. This is part of the background to Singh's recent bizarre attacks on Topp. So there is some question how the South Asian vote will go.

Third, it's obviously rare for an elected politician to offer a secondary endorsement to the rival of your guy, and yet recently I saw the following remarkable combination of quotes in Macleans. Françoise Boivin, MP for Gatineau, Topp endorser: "It has to be either Brian or Thomas. I feel we have better odds of forming the next government with Brian Topp, but I don’t think we’d do badly with Thomas Mulcair." Meanwhile, Tarik Brahmi, MP for Saint-Jean, endorser of Mulcair: "I'm behind Thomas Mulcair. However, I’d prefer if the winner were Brian Topp instead of everyone’s second choice.” The prospect of one of these random Anglo boy scouts winning just makes the Quebec wing of the party terrified.

[RogueBeaver]

It might have something to do with the NDP getting wiped from our (Quebec's) electoral map if anyone but Mulcair wins. As for Cullen, things like that happen in all parties- most infamously Clark v. Mulroney in '83.

[Hatman 🍁]

Bruce Hyer, the MP I intern for also listed his preferences in his endorsement for Cullen:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[RogueBeaver]

Broadbent blasts Mulcair by name and the party right more generally, praises Topp.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/broadbent-blasts-mulcair-warns-against-pushing-ndp-toward-centre/article2370305/

[RogueBeaver]

Stuff like this doesn't help Mulcair.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/03/15/pol-martin-singh-fine.html

[RogueBeaver]

Base won't let him do anything like that.

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/03/15/is-mulcair-canadas-tony-blair/

Who else are they going to vote for? Rae's Purple Liberals? Elizabeth May?

http://www.canada.com/Dewar%2Bsays%2BMulcair%2Brisks%2Balienating%2Bordinary%2BCanadian%2Bbase/6308474/story.html

[lilTommy]

Classy Ed, Classy... seems like the membership hasn't liked your annointed choice Topp and now you look desperate. I love the guy, but Jeez Ed for a guy who doesn't want to be the liberals this sure is a liberal thing to do.

[Hatman 🍁]

Ed Broadbent getting senile? Angy old man syndrome?

It's sad to see such a great man go down this path.

[Holmes]

Whoa, what a badass. I'm sorry we're not drinking your kool-aid and we're actually choosing a candidate with the experience and credentials, not some backroom strategist that you're totally in love with.

I got a letter from him pleading me to vote for Topp, too. The request was denied.

[RogueBeaver]

Whoa, Mulcair gets the Gerry Caplan endorsement. Talk about Rabble street cred.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/second-reading/gerald-caplan/why-mulcair-should-be-the-next-ndp-leader/article2371280/