Monday, June 16, 2014

The Campaign Platform Tim Hudak Should Have Ran On....

 With some days now passed since the Epic Fail by the PCPO in the 2014 election, it's glaringly obvious what went wrong, and the reason Kathleen Wynne's Liberals now have majority government. Let me state for the record I think Tim Hudak is a decent guy, but probably not leadership material. There have been many other political leaders who have had distinguished careers, only to feel the wrath of voters as they are unable to appeal to the masses. Preston Manning, Michael Ignatieff, Stockwell Day and Preston Manning are the most recent examples.

Hudak's biggest failure was his 100,000 job cuts mantra. Notice I said cuts? That's because that's what every attack ad stated, regardless if they were to be done through attrition. This was met by candidates and canvassers every day throughout the campaign. At the door, on the phone, via email and text, at local debates, that was what gave Wynne her majority. The other part of the failure was the fact that during a 40-day campaign, Hudak and his war room continued to run this as their main campaign plank. Not really smart politics. When they are bashing you over the head with a bat, why keep giving them a heavier bat?

 In my opinion, this election was easily winnable, with a PC majority a very real possibility. During the campaign I did a BLOG POST in the form of advice to Hudak and the war room that was basically ignored while sticking with the million jobs, 100,000 cuts mantra. I received more positive comments on this one blog post  than any I had ever done in the past, including one of my FIRST BLOGPOSTS way back in 2009 challenging the CAW and their refusal to accept concessions to gain government bail-outs to keep Canadian Chrysler and GM workers jobs from being lost. The pressure put on the CAW made them accept those concessions, saving thousands of Canadian jobs in the process.

 Given the Liberal's record of governing since 2003, there was a virtual Pandora's Box of botched government decisions combined with scandal that should have been enough for the PC campaign team to put together a cohesive and effective platform that would have been a resounding success in voters minds. And here it is:


  • Removal of HST on heating and electricity bills (rather than a 10% personal income tax cut, connects much easier with voters)
  • Elimination of Drive Clean (promised by Hudak and well received by voters)
  • Improving the youth unemployment crisis (which should have been announced hand in hand wth CoT elimination. Instead CoT was another union rallying cry)
  • Slowing of public sector hiring ( sounds a lot nicer than 100,000 job cuts, no?)
  • Convening a round table of the heads of the auto manufacturers together with reps from Unifor on what can be done to get auto sector back to pre 2003 levels. ( takes any attacks from Unifor off the table, and also puts them in the position of either fighting against good paying union jobs or supporting Working Families Coalition)
  • A jobs plan that mentions increase in hiring, noting average yearly jobs created prior to 2003 and the average in 11 years of McGuinty/Wynne. (rather than sticking the 1 million number on it, which might as well have been a bullseye)
  • Highlighting the scandals with the accumulated costs ($7+ billion )
  • Reinstating physiotherapy, eye exams and chiropractor care (in conjunction with a balanced budget, which would have left Wynne vulnerable on two fronts)
 The fact is given the Liberals record of doubled debt and ongoing massive deficits, combined with Ontario voters outraged over sky-high electricity bills and youth unemployment near or at the top of Canada, a narrow direct and focused campaign was all that was needed for victory. Given that fact and the election results, it's time for the PC Party to do a massive purging of those involved in the campaign  platforms of this and the past 4 elections, as mistakes made have not led to lessons learned. Otherwise you might as well get used to Wynne and the Liberals chanting 4 more years all over again in 2018.

11 comments:

Martin said...

I agree with you, just as I agreed with the suggested platform you posted. With so many Liberal mistakes to choose from, how did Hudak and his job program become the defining campaign issue? Four days after the disaster, and clearly that is what it was, no one except Hudak is offering to step down. I doubt very much if Tim Hidak all by himself dreamed up the 100,000 job reduction. Whoever did, should own up and resign, along with some other head office people. Simply getting a new leader, a better communicator, a woman, more/less conservative etc. is not going to cut it, if it is the program that is unsaleable. There is no need for a rush for a new leader, some basic policy and political strategies have to be thought through first. We will have 4 long years to think about it.

paulsstuff said...

Agree 100% Martin. They had a treasure trove of stuff to pick from and instead went with the 100,000, even after the previous two election debacles of Hudak and Tory.

Unknown said...

Sorry I disagree...Hudak my be a nice guy and all but he is NOT leader ship material. Why we did not keep hammering on the corruption, lies and deceit the liberals subjected us to is beyond me. I am sick and tired of hearing how we should move more to the centre to win over libs.NDP'rs and libertarians. For once can we not say proudly that we are Conservatives and what we believe in and back it up with examples. Why are we afraid to call a lying Liberal just that A LYING LIBERAL!!!As long as we are afraid, ashamed or just plain scared to prove who and how we can fix this problem we will forever be stick in second place. (rant off) have a nice day...Steve O

paulsstuff said...

That's actually what I said. Hudak is a nice guy but not a leader. As for my pretend platform most items have the effect of exposing Liberal scandal and incompetence, such as green energy and health care. For the most part it looks like we agree 100%.

paulsstuff said...

That's actually what I said. Hudak is a nice guy but not a leader. As for my pretend platform most items have the effect of exposing Liberal scandal and incompetence, such as green energy and health care. For the most part it looks like we agree 100%.

Unknown said...

"...but he is NOT leadership material."

That's what Paul said too, didn't you read his post?

Sorry for not agreeing with you Unknown, but I'm not proud to be a conservative in Ontario. Haven't been for a while. Why? There's a sense of entitlement among some of those who Paul identifies within the party ranks that need to get gone.

For a party like the PCs that's been calling for an election for well over a year our leader and team should have been much better prepared.

Martin said...

Unknown: Hudak went backwards this round, although starting from a good base. Are you implying that he could have done better had he sounded more conservative? One can argue that, but looking at the returns for urban Ont, to suggest that the PCs need a really right leaning leader seems to fly in the face of reality. If that is the direction the party moves to, we are in for many more nights like last Thur.

Northern Ontario Tory said...

Being a Conservative in Northern Ontario, you can imagine how devastating this most recent election loss was. For too long my riding has been either red or orange. It hasn't been blue since before I was old enough to vote (which is close to 30 years). Having been a candidate in municipal elections, and being part of a provincial campaign, I have long understood the KISS concept. The last few elections have resulted in my no longer financially contributing to the party, and I no longer actively participate in campaigns. Until such a time as ALL the pointy heads who have "advised" the last few campaigns are purged, I simply cannot imagine ever doing more for the party than voting. Having felt like my voice and others like me has been ignored, I won't even renew my membership unless a candidate for leadership comes along that I truly believe in and can support.

Unknown said...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/hudaks-downfall-was-abandoning-traditional-ontario-conservatism/article19184880/

Unknown said...

"I won't even renew my membership unless a candidate for leadership comes along that I truly believe in and can support."

I feel the same way from rural Ontario too.

I also do NOT want a leader who feels entitled to the position instead of having earned and earned respect by members.

The chain of communication between riding assns. and PCHQ over the past 3 elections needs to be much better.

Unknown said...

http://www.draftlisa.ca/