Monday, October 13, 2008

Strategic Voting

This is a call to you people that live in those places where there is a 2 horse race. The People in Durham Riding, the people in Muskoka-Parry Sound, the residents of Barrie. It time to swallow your pride if you are a progressive and vote for the party that best represents a better Canada. In most of these swing ridings I would urge you to vote Liberal. Do you want more of this? Seriously? In Ridings where the Liberals are a distant third, well you might want to trade your vote with someone else in another part of the country.

Voting Strategically has its place, and the ridings I just gave as examples are ridings where the Liberals finish second due to the vote split. In areas where the Liberals are a distant third, I would suggest voting for a party besides the Liberals and not the Conservatives.

Elizabeth May said it best, she wants what is best for the country. Not what is best for her own ambition, she called Jack Layton out, and I agree with her that Jack Layton is obsessed with power, at the cost of the country. A vote for the NDP in most of these battleground Ontario ridings outside of Toronto will be a vote for the Conservatives.

The importance of this election and the candour with which May seems to understand show that she is my choice in the Riding of Central Nova. I hope she unseats Peter McKay who has only acted like Harper's lackey since the merger of the PC's and Reform Party.

So think hard, and visit the prediction and voting sites if you are an undecided voter. Vote with your mind, not your heart. We must get rid of these neo-conservatives tomorrow!

8 comments:

susansmith said...

I don't see Durham Riding as listed as one. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/v5/content/election2008/battleground-ridings.html

Anonymous said...

Was Dion obsessed with power when he was campaigning for PM and the libs were in the early twenties?

Layton is the leader of a party and as such runs to win JUST like the other parties. EMay should never have become the leader of the Greens and lots of Greens now feel that way after her antics.

Don't whine at Layton or the NDP for doing their job. If the Liberal Party doesn't do well this election they have only themselves to blame.

Anonymous said...

The question for Greens and Dippers is whether they truly believe their party represents anything substantively different than the Liberals.

If they are basically the same, then go ahead and vote Liberal. But forget about ever seeing the Green Party or NDP truly making a difference on the national stage. They will be forever fringe parties.

For the Greens, they will likely never rise to national prominence again if they retreat to Liberal candidates this election. Never again will the networks and other political parties support having their leader in the debates. The general public will be wary the next time too!

Trick me once, shame on you; trick me twice, shame on me!

Anonymous said...

I must say I was a bit concern when I read that Layton is repeating Harper's line that Dion is weak. Does not matter anymore. I am now sold on strategic voting for all three parties. I.e. NDP, Liberal and Green. As long as there is no close race between the three.

Jamie Callingham said...

Durham Riding has no NDP candidate officially. It was Andrew Mckeever, so the Liberals have a shot to take it.

susansmith said...

What about the Greens? I'm just saying that Durham was not listed, so it is not one of the battleground ridings.

Take note that Layton's new democrats won the online poll on which party had the best election campaign and leader - Jack won hands down, in a Globe and Mail poll, no less!

Liberals being bitter and twisted won't change that "award."

Finally, Liberals have never learned (and nor May who is leader of the Greens) that bashing progressive opponents and by extension their voters ends up having the opposite effect as one intends - both liberals and Greens went down in the polls. Taking the high road works.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

The question for Greens and Dippers is whether they truly believe their party represents anything substantively different than the Liberals.


As a gay canadian there are a number of Liberal candidates I couldn't vote for. People like Liberal MP Dan McTeague.

Last I saw the NDP were within 5 pts of the Libs. That means about 1 in 5 Canadians will vote NDP and about 1 in 4 will vote Lib. Thats not a big difference. Just wait till the election law changes, its coming...

Anonymous said...

Jack is crooked, there is a reason why the NDP doesn't win any seats in Toronto besides his and his wives. It's because Torontonians know him as that politician who lived in subsidized housing for a decade, while making six figures. That and his crazy spending at city hall show his true colours