Friday, August 15, 2008

ORCHARD WINS NOMINATION - NEXT STOP OTTAWA

And all the doubts are put to sleep. In a fair nomination, David Orchard once again proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has the ability to organize people better than most I know. Now to kick the pants out of some Conservative prairie dogs!!!

31 comments:

Stephen said...

Do you have any numbers?

Blogging Horse said...

Hmmm. What does this mean for the Liberal Party's enthusiastic support of NAFTA? Ralph Goodale for comment please!

Lore_Weaver said...

Wow, the Liberal "Star" candidate that's anti-free trade, anti-nuclear, known for being political, yet never having been elected to parliament.

Rob Clarke can debate him as the candidate of experience.

I have my doubts on his ability to win. Rob Clarke is very well liked in the Northern Saskatchewan riding.

James Curran said...

Um. He beat the appointed "star" candidate. Rob Clarke? Canddidate of experience? Smoke some more! I'll take your bet.

Who cares if he's anti-NAFTA, Ya think he's alone on that one? And it was Mulroney that sponsored NAFTA. And what is wrong with being anti-nuclear? Ya think there might be a few other anti-nuclear people in Canada?

James Curran said...

Of course I have numbers Stephen.

Sinestra said...

Great news! Can you send me the numbers? I - among many others - are very pleased.

James Curran said...

Sinestra, long time no hear or see. Check yahoo.

Joan Tintor said...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Karen said...

Rob Clarke can debate him as the candidate of experience.

Now, that's funny!

Sean S. said...

checked yahoo, couldn't find anything..could you post a link?

James Curran said...

suffice to say it was a substantial plurality Sean. The numbers get destroyed and are not reported publicly.

RuralSandi said...

Hope he's all what you crack him up to be....he has committed himself to be a Liberal - he better remember that.

This isn't about Orchard - it's about the party.

Clarke experienced? What a few months with parliamentary breaks during those months?

Ti-Guy said...

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

I see Joan Tintor's no longer hiding the fact that she's lost her mind.

Anonymous said...

Clarke may not have a strong argument as being the candidate of experience but he still will have the benefit of being the incumbent. Also, Clarke has a good reputation in the riding and an excellent work ethic so it is not the best idea to downplay the ability that Rob Clarke can have in running a campaign and winning.

Personally, I think this will be a great race to watch. Two hard working individuals running against each other both seem to have some connections to both parts of the riding so it may come down to who can will have the better organization come election day.

RuralSandi said...

Clarke - good reputation, with ethic, etc. The problem is "is he allowed to be himself?" or, what Harper tells him to be.

Anonymous said...

In a riding like that, most voters do not wonder if Clarke is allowed to be himself or is he what the PMO wans their MPs to be like. Most voters take what they see in Clarke and any candidate at face value. Most people in the riding do not spend time wondering about the control the PMO has but is the government working hard for Canada and is their Member of Parliament working hard and doing their best to represent them.

The last two Conservative candidates to win in this riding didn't win because they had big name recognition but because they worked hard and voters liked that. Certainly, some events helped give the edge to the Conservative candidates but quality of candidate seems to be more important in this riding then in other ridings. In part, I would link this to much of the riding being disconnected from the national scene. People in this riding care about national issues but they are also busy earning a living to help support their families and loved ones. Many in this riding may still have only one or two channels on television and rely on the radio or local community newspapers for their news which is largely local news.

I simply think it is in the best interest that the ability of Rob Clarke to win is not downplayed but to take him seriously. I think Orchard has a good shot at winning this riding but it is important to understand that Clarke also has a strong chance because of his reputation that he is creating in the riding and his work ethic. That is why I believe the organization in the riding for each of the candidates may be one of the major factors in who wins the race.

leftdog said...

LOL!

I am sure glad that he picked YOUR party to join and NOT mine! You are welcome to him .... and remember (for future reference when Libs everywhere are ready to turf him) ... that there was a time when you actually 'wanted' him!

wilson said...

David Orchard will make the next Liberal leadership race verrrrry interesting.
He will be a contender.
Sweet revenge will be his.

James Curran said...

Dog, I sure wasn't glad when Ms. Beatty picked my party instead of yours. I guess you can have her back now.

Wilson, I don't know if David will want to run for leadership when he's 70 years old.

WesternGrit said...

The nice thing about being Liberals is that we are open to diverse opinions in our caucus, and our membership. We have some anti-choice people in our midst (a very small number, but still, they are there), we have those that favor the war in Afghanistan, we have other detractors of NAFTA.

I won't agree on everything Mr. Orchard stands for, but I sure as heck love our chances of winning that riding back from the Cons!!!

We are not a "close-minded" or "narrow-minded" party, and one only needs to visit a caucus event, or a convention to see the open discussion of issues from differing perspectives... Unlike the party of the left, or the party of the right, we aren't driven by how "right" or how "left" we can be (and if you're not far enough, you're just not cool)...

Anonymous said...

The Liberal Party of Canada renewal project in Western Canada begins today.

We will have a party that the grassroots will love. One that seeks to roll back twenty years of free market, conservative policies and make the role of government important in the lives of rural voters.

Mulroney, Martin, and Harper have done nothing to the rural poor. David Orchard will.

James Curran said...

Yes Mush, you are correct. He is a strong voice for native rights and the environment as well. Great fit for rural Canada where the Liberals have been behind in for soooo long.

huffb1 said...

LOL! Hope you guys enjoy having him.

Peter Puck said...

James,

The only party that won here was the Conservative Party of Canada.

Peter Puck said...

Mushroon, you've had one too many of your name sake if you actually think this is a sign of a renewal of the Liberal party in the west.

Anonymous said...

Puck,

We will have to start somewhere. In rural Western Canada, you are talking more than twenty years. More like sixty, when Tommy Douglas led the CCF Western Canada revival. Through Orchard, we are re-capturing the ground that Jack Layton's NDP has abandoned.

John Murney said...

"Next step Ottawa"
Next stop, the nuthouse!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

D said...

The only party that could realistically take the Conservatives on in Western Canada are the Greens. Orchard's weak brand of Red Toryism isn't going to win over anyone who has voted for the CPC. He'll maybe take away some NDP voters and perhaps a Green or two, but he won't dent the support for Harper in Saskatchewan or Alberta.

No candidate other than maybe Ralph Klein would be able to give the federal Liberals any hope of gaining momentum in the West. The May-Dion deal shouldn't have been limited to just Central Nova, it should have been a general swap West for Atlantic Canada where chances of Greens and Liberals winning were near impossibilities.

Long story short: Orchard won't win and his failure will be seen by the media as proof that Red Toryism is no longer electable in Canada. One only hopes that Orchard would let his political ambitions die already so that he'd stop embarrassing true conservatism by wearing liberal red.

James Curran said...

I'll take that bet any day. David will win. And your reform alliance party is not your daddy's true conservatism.

D said...

"And your reform alliance party is not yoru daddy's true conservatism"

You're right! And it's not mine either. My uncomfortableness with Orchard is exactly because I'm a Red Tory and it pains me to see someone who brings BNA Conservatism (which this country needs) back into the political spotlight attaching himself to the LPC.

See my blog post on the issue at RCI for further analysis of my position and, more importantly, clarification. Don't mistake me for a Harperite.

James Curran said...

Pain? Take some aspirin. Orchard is here to stay...I suspect an agricultural portfolio of some nature after we win the next election.