Can Carole James win the next election is the question

Lou Arab wrote:

Yes, expanding the vote among those who don't vote is an important part of political strategy these days - I don't disagree.  But I don't for a minute believe that anyone else among the NDP would have (or will do) better.

The NDP vote has grown over Carole's leadership.  It's moving in the right direction.  If she lost a bunch of seats last time, I might agree she needs to go.  But it's remarkable how well the party has done over her tenure.

I can't believe that energy spent trying to trigger a leadership war wouldn't be better spent gearing up for the election, or working on recall campaigns.

Exactly, and the "get her out"  chorus is either those who are NO friends of the NDP, or are too sexist and/or racist to think critically.

NorthReport wrote:

Mushroom cloud of doom settles over B.C. politics

She acknowledged that this week, in an interview conducted inside her legislative office suite. "There are always critics," she said. The current ones represent just "a small group." She called them "a distraction," adding that NDPers are "better than anyone at infighting."

Her and her team proved that in spades in the nomination battles in the lead up to the last election.  In fighting is definitely the problem with the party.  After awhile the red baiting that her and her team and their supporters on this site regularly engage in is counter productive.  I think they really need to read what people like Simpson are saying.  Standing around waiting for a corrupt government to implode is a marginal strategy for one election it is disaster for two.  Yes Carole ran a good first campaign and I supported her because she was effective. Then came four years of playing nice with evil corrupt back room bullies.  Who the fuck wants to support a party that can't even fight the most corrupt government in a hundred years. 

Ask Kevin Falcon how you damage a good governments reputation, he was a master at it during the last couple of years of Glen's government. Well funded slick and in your face nasty.  Bumpers sticker about leaving the province etc etc.  In opposition the BC NDP has chosen to reply with lets all share in the sandbox.  It doesn't seem to be getting a lot of traction.  Note the traction the Zalm is getting by calling Gordo out as the lying asshole he is.  Lots of time for Carole and the party to start acting like an opposition to thieves not giving them the room to paint themselves as good government. 

Remind, today's Mustel poll shows the NDP leading the Libs by only 5%. Carole James only has a 33% approval rating but a much larger disapproval rating at 45%. Carole has big negatives.

With all of the crap that the Libs have dished out, do you really believe that 2013 is still a slam dunk with Carole at the helm with these numbers? You do want to win, don't you?

http://www.mustelgroup.com/pdf/20101119.pdf

Either of the Corrigans would do better as leader and that is just from the centre of the party.

ya, like they are known throughout the province to take us to win without levelling the playing field any much further for the BC Liars Party....you know people really need to get out of the golden triangle mentality.

remind wrote:

her negatives are being exaggerated and  fostered by the BCNDP male egos themselves.

You can't blame it on male egos anymore. Katrine Conroy has resigned as caucus whip and had the support of Jenny Kwan, Lana Popham and Claire Trevena at her press conference. None of these four MLA's would comment when asked if they support Carole.

I do know for a fact that Claire and Lana stopped supporting Carole ever since Bob was kicked out of caucus.

Brian White wrote:

A key to politics is to listen.  If they vote one way and she acts in the opposing direction (as she did in pro rep) they will say "fuck it"  and this is the voter intensity thing.  She even scolded them. She even said 59% was a failure the first time.  (It got more than she did in her own riding.)

And several NDP  MP's interviened to ask her to support pro rep. Do not forget that.  So she basically threw the national party back into the fptp hole forever.

And that plays into the hands of NDP detractors, who claim that the NDP prefers whichever voting system gives it the most power. That means FPTP in BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia, while pro-rep federally and the other provinces.

remind wrote:

It has been a pissing match between the men of the party for far too long, and it is 'the men' who are the top dogs now, who would not take on the leadership back when we were down to 2 seats. And it is 'these men' who want the leadership now.

The male egos at work in the past and currently, are fine examples of systemic patriarchy at work. Which is why I have noted it is sexism at work, on the parts of some.

They are not even recognizing their male hubris and how destructive it is. They have only themselves to blame and not Carole, for the ills of the party.

Parachuting Moe Sihota into the party executive, with all his baggage ( and secret Union-paid stipend) won't endear the NDP to the public. Since women are a significant portion of the party, why can't they wrestle control away from the men?

Seems to me that Carole James has supporters and detractors of both genders. Can't we just assess her performance on the merits? I, for one, am getting pretty tired of this 'everyone who criticizes Carole James is a sexist' line of argument. (ETA: Which has now apparently been expanded to include 'racist' too. See post #53.)

I should also say I'm heartened by most of the comments here, but I will add that a leadership "review", as the constitution use to call for regularly (until it was altered by...you know who) isn't quite the same as a leadership convention.  A leadership convention would require them to impliment a One Member-One Vote.  A mere review would not.   That is what they are really afraid of, actual democracy breaking out.    

That's easy, Rick Perry. All of the candidates have significant flaws. Werner can't win, no one has heard of him. Bell is the political equivalent of a democratic robot. Bell has the personality of a dish rag. Strayhorn, because of her switching to an independent status...

BodyQuick

Pogo wrote:

Unfortunately things look bad for James.  She has had 1/2  a decade to build a loyal team and she hasn't failed.  If she is forced to resign the blame is mostly hers.

I most strenuously disagree, Pogo.  If Jim Sinclair and his union cabal had provided Carol with the resources they evidently lavish on Moe Sihota as party president rather than setting her up to fail (at the appropriate moment, of course), the BC NDP would be poised to win.

Instead, we have the same backroom plotters conniving a return to power for.....themselves. BC needs politicians like Carol, not self-servers like Moe and Jim et al.

GingerGoodone wrote:

This coming from David Schreck: (and this coming from me)

 

"BC politics need to change; we are all in the same lifeboat. (sure we are)  Just because James talks to the business community, doesn't mean that she would break union contracts or weaken the labour code. (but it will mean unprotected labour and the unemployed will be screwed again)  We need to get away from the idea of guilt by association. The BC business community deserves to be "at the table" just as much as the organizations and people that the Campbell government has shunned for ten years.

(oh yes, and are we now supposed to believe that they will allow others an equal seat at the lunch table?)

We need to work together to create the wealth that is necessary to pay for social programs. (classic neo-con line -followed closely by classic neo-con downsizing if accepted)  Some leaders of BC business associations have demonstrated that they will support Liberal deficits and criticize NDP deficits; they will go further and support virtually anything the anti-NDP forces do even though they may gag on it. James recognizes they don't speak for all their members and an NDP government must work with all elements of BC society, even if their leaders may be hypocrites. She should be congratulated for that.

(yes, and I'm sure we would all be rewarded by those few hypocrites, unlike every other time the NDP backed into office.  But thanks for implying it's actually the James critics who are in cahoots with those few bad apples)

The NDP's finances and membership are a problem just as they are for the BC Liberals. With a BC Liberal leadership vote set for February 26th, we'll see financial disclosure statements filed with Elections BC by early June which will show just how hard done by the Liberals are. The fighting within the NDP can't possibly help with membership recruitment and fundraising drives. Those who want to push back need to open their cheque books or go online and make a donation.

(and of course the old 'shut your mouths and open your wallets' mantra; sorry but the reverse seems to be working better now thanks)

I can't remember a time in my 40 years of activism in the NDP when the party had such an enormous opportunity and pushed it away with such incredible internal bickering. The people who support the NDP and expect it to champion their issues deserve better. Private health care, overcrowded classrooms, homelessness, poverty, abused children, environmental degradation and economic chaos are a few of the issues that could be addressed by a stable NDP government.

(but won't be as long as the NDP also subscribes to the same neo-conservative economics that all the other mainstream parties now do. But hey, thanks for evoking the poor and the homeless again, it sounds more convincing than ever coming from a party that now refuses to even consider raising income taxes or running deficits)

Campbell was described by Bennett as foul-mouthed and abusive. We don't need another alpha-male; it's time for a change! "

(this from the oldest of alpha NDP males)

Very true. Don't let the party regress. BC needs change, not a return to the adversarial politics that benefit the same few over the rest of the province.

From Wikipedia, you can get strikes against Moe

"He served in several cabinet posts under the New Democratic governments of Mike Harcourt, Glen Clark and Ujjal Dosanjh, but was forced to resign from cabinet several times due to scandal.

In 1998, he resigned for making a phone call to the Motor Carrier Commission, a quasi-judicial body, on behalf of a friend who was seeking a limousine license."

I only ever spoke to Moe once.  He seems a nice enough guy.  But, if you rebuild the NDP, you need a brand spanking new image.  Not a mirror  image of BC Lib scandal! 

Anyway, I though he had gone into real estate in a big way a few years back. Did that not work out?  I remember something he was building burnt down.  But that raises eyebrows too.

So the slogan  (sorry Moe) is "Moe has to go". The past is the past and I think it is too ugly to become the future.

Someone with no baggage is needed. And no puppet masters in the background either.

I supported Carol James when she ran for the leadership.  A key issue in the campaign was changing the way we did politics.  James record as a school trustee backed up her promise to bring a more civilized approach to politics.

I think that BC would be better served if we had a more civilized political climate and if Carol James was elected it would go a long ways to improving things.  If she is forced to quit it will be a long time before we get a political leader willing to push for change in our political culture.

Unfortunately things look bad for James.  She has had 1/2  a decade to build a loyal team and she has failed.  If she is forced to resign the blame is mostly hers.

Can Carol James win the next election?  I felt she stood a really good chance but unless you have a crystal ball or are very intuitive it is all just guess work especially with an election two years away?

Can James be trusted?  Will she make a good leader?  Does she have the support of her caucus? Will there be an early election?

Does she spit in your face and turn into a real bully when James dosen't get her own way?

Will she sell out to corporations? Or has James already? I doubt it very much.

I hear comments about the NDP president being the one behind the controversay maybe Moe should be the one to go?

James is meeting with party members today to come to some kind of consensus and all this talk about winning the big one as did the Liberals and look at the winners voters are today.

Why did Simpson leave the Liberals and did he ever comment publicly on Campbell about the premier when he was a Liberal MLA because he sure gave him plenty to talk about especially since he was mistaken and he is really an NDP who knows how to lead the party better than Carol James.  Do you think he wants her job? 

What is in the future for British Colombians?  Your markets are bear,dollar is at parity, consumers in debt way over their heads, prices continue to rise, homes are 50% more than the average American home so something has to give.  Harper is moving toward social reform and the provinces are going to have to get along on their own as the price of oil continues to drive the dollar up.  "Stagflation"

Roscoe wrote:

Pogo wrote:

Unfortunately things look bad for James.  She has had 1/2  a decade to build a loyal team and she hasn't failed.  If she is forced to resign the blame is mostly hers.

I most strenuously disagree, Pogo.  If Jim Sinclair and his union cabal had provided Carol with the resources they evidently lavish on Moe Sihota as party president rather than setting her up to fail (at the appropriate moment, of course), the BC NDP would be poised to win.

Instead, we have the same backroom plotters conniving a return to power for.....themselves. BC needs politicians like Carol, not self-servers like Moe and Jim et al.

There are always going to be backroom connivers.  When the NDP is in power it is going to be up against even more powerful backroom connivers.  I want leadership that can affect change, not a sob story about how the other side isn't playing fair.

Pogo wrote:

Roscoe wrote:

Pogo wrote:

Unfortunately things look bad for James.  She has had 1/2  a decade to build a loyal team and she hasn't failed.  If she is forced to resign the blame is mostly hers.

I most strenuously disagree, Pogo.  If Jim Sinclair and his union cabal had provided Carol with the resources they evidently lavish on Moe Sihota as party president rather than setting her up to fail (at the appropriate moment, of course), the BC NDP would be poised to win.

Instead, we have the same backroom plotters conniving a return to power for.....themselves. BC needs politicians like Carol, not self-servers like Moe and Jim et al.

There are always going to be backroom connivers.  When the NDP is in power it is going to be up against even more powerful backroom connivers.  I want leadership that can affect change, not a sob story about how the other side isn't playing fair.

Ah! You don't like 'sob stories'. The problem with your desires, Pogo, is that "the other side" isn't supposed to be "the other side".  I also want leadership that can affect change  - the issue with the party connivers and malcontents is that they are not interested in "change" as much as they are interested in "change" that benefits themselves.

Carol is effecting "change" by reaching out to stakeholders rather than attempting to force-feed party dogma to the voter and many hard core ideologues are threatened by that. Are you one?

Tell us more about the "change" you wish to see, Pogo. Does your definition of change include a hard left turn or does it contemplate a conversation with other stakeholders leading toward a better society?

The idea of us all getting along or "working together" is just what the establishment programs when it feels power might slip from its grasp even momentarily.   When they feel secure again they pat us on the head and go right back to ruthless class warfare.  Or they go totally fascist like they are in the States.  Luckily for them our present oh-so polite middleclass have backed them in a way probably not seen since the Victorian era.  And the working class, such as it still exists, is more passive than at anytime since.  Neither is really aware of it anymore, which makes their power all the more secure. 

James and Moe are on the exact same page, even if there may be some personal rivalries between them. That's still allowed, as it helps maintain the illusion we still live in some kind of liberal democracy. 

The most important thing is that we must never again have a choice outside those who actively destroy whatever social contract is left, and those who politely consolidate the destruction by refusing to do anything to reverse it.  "Staying the course" is the official buzzword for it.