By slighting local party members, Stéphane Dion was angering potential doorknockers, volunteers, donors, fundraisers, future young Liberals and others in the riding who wanted to see someone of their own choosing represent them in the House of Commons. Angering these people may not have made them vote Conservative, but it certainly convinced a lot of Liberals to stay home. The point is patent. If you mess with your base, you not only lose their vote, you lose your campaign team and eventually, the election.
Vancouver Quadra was a riding in which the Conservative nomination was hotly contested. While Conservative Party elites didn't force a candidate, it was obvious who they wanted to run. One of the nominees, Mary McNeil, had the endorsement of John Reynolds, 2006 Conservative national campaign co-chair and my former MP. A fierce nomination contest ensued in which a woman named Deb Meredith emerged the winner. Conservative members had not been told who to choose and the nomination process had galvanized supporters, resulting in the raising of funds and the mobilization of volunteers.
This strong grassroots support allowed Meredith to inspire thousands of Vancouverites to vote for her, draining significantly from Liberal ranks. I remember meeting Meredith late last year in Harrison Hot Springs. My immediate impression was that Deb had an unusually loyal team behind her and that she would be giving her opponent hell. She did-and you can look for her to win the riding in the next general election. The message? Leave the grassroots to function freely and the campaign will find itself in a stronger tactical position.
The most significant point from last week's by-elections is not that the Liberals lost a seat or that the Conservatives gained one. It's not that Martha Hall Findlay and a slightly less socialist Bob Rae are now in the House of Commons. Rather, the moral of the story is that nomination races-while messy and divisive-lead to electrified grass-roots members that are fired up and ready to win elections. Stop ignoring the grassroots for the sake of party discipline, Stéphane-it will be your undoing.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Alex
posted 3/26/08 @ 9:03 PM EST
"Stop ignoring the grassroots for the sake of party discipline"
That's pretty rich, coming from a Harper advocate. Mr. Mak, these musings may one day come back to haunt you should your ambition ever grow from columnist to candidate. (Continued…)
Post a Comment