Volpe Stays In, Fry Drops out
Well as we all expected, Joe Volpe was going to confirm today whether he would stay in or drop out. Unfortunately he has chosen to stay in. I believe this is an unfortunate case, however I hope we don't hear anything more from Volpe since everytime he makes news, it seems to always be damaging to the party.
The other news is Hedy Fry has dropped out and endorsed Bob Rae. Considering how few delegates she had, I am not the least bit surprised she dropped out. I am also not surprised she endorsed Bob Rae either, although considering he has picked up all three candidates who have dropped out, I have wondered whether it is his willingness to keep in contact with other camps or is it the Desmerais and other powerbrokers promising to pay off the others debts in return for support. I hope the former is the case. Unlike Maurizio Bevilacqua and Carolyn Bennett's support, which was a huge boost for Bob Rae, I am not so sure Hedy Fry will be. According to the poll amongst Liberals by the Strategic Counsel (it should be viewed with great Scepticism)her and Volpe have the highest negatives. So this might actually be a drawback to Bob Rae. Also she has very few delegates to begin with. Now the question is will any others drop out. Martha Hall Findlay is the only other one who might, but I hope she stays on since whoever she goes to after the first ballot will get a huge moral boost.
The other news is Hedy Fry has dropped out and endorsed Bob Rae. Considering how few delegates she had, I am not the least bit surprised she dropped out. I am also not surprised she endorsed Bob Rae either, although considering he has picked up all three candidates who have dropped out, I have wondered whether it is his willingness to keep in contact with other camps or is it the Desmerais and other powerbrokers promising to pay off the others debts in return for support. I hope the former is the case. Unlike Maurizio Bevilacqua and Carolyn Bennett's support, which was a huge boost for Bob Rae, I am not so sure Hedy Fry will be. According to the poll amongst Liberals by the Strategic Counsel (it should be viewed with great Scepticism)her and Volpe have the highest negatives. So this might actually be a drawback to Bob Rae. Also she has very few delegates to begin with. Now the question is will any others drop out. Martha Hall Findlay is the only other one who might, but I hope she stays on since whoever she goes to after the first ballot will get a huge moral boost.
posted by Monkey Loves to Fight at 10:24 AM
4 Comments:
I wouldn't be popping the champagne corks yet. There is no guarantee Rae will win and also he is quite popular in Quebec so I see him being more of an asset than liability there. Ontario is a whole different story off course. However, while I have a tough time imagining Rae winning, I never thought Harper had a chance until this January so who knows what will happen.
Good point Miles.
I would also point out that Mr. Rae is a seasoned and relaxed campaigner. Head-to-head against Stephen Harper, he would more than be able to hold his own.
The same is more than true with Mr. Layton and Mr. Duceppe.
I also believe that many are overstating Mr. Rae's lack of electibility in Ontario. He has been working very hard since his defeat to rehabilitate his image and it has worked quite well. His high standing in the Liberal leadership race should be testament to that. Remember, most party members do not live and breath politics like us bloggers so if he is able to garner the support he has amongst Ontario Liberals it will probably translate well with the broader Ontario population.
Ottlib - I think if Bob Rae wins, he will pick up a substantial amount of NDP votes, however I worry he may lose some Liberal votes. My worry is primarily the 905 belt where the Liberal support is a lot softer than the 416. Lets remember Mike Harris didn't just win there in 1995, he also did well there in 1999 and even in 2003 Ernie Eves still came a very close second in most of those ridings.
I think he has done a lot to overcome his problems in Ontario, however my worry is when the Tories roll out their attack ads, this could hurt him. Whether they will work or not is anyone's guess, whereas I think Dion or Kennedy would be safer bets for Ontario.
Ghostbusters - Thanks for the info. I am not sure who the ghosts were, but I thought it was quite humourous. Anyways Volpe is getting what he deserves. If he wants to avoid dividing the party and humiliating it more, he should drop out now. Most of us Liberals who truly care about the party are sick and tired of his backrooms tactics.
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