Québec solidaire's Amir Khadir is 2nd most popular politician

Submitted by Unionist on June 17, 2010 - 9:53am.

Story in French from Le Devoir

Based on a Léger Marketing poll sponsored jointly by Le Devoir and the Montreal Gazette, Khadir, sole elected member of QS, with a 50% approval rating, placed second only to PQ MNA Pierre Curzi, who is a well-known former actor, with 52%. Pauline Marois ran 4th with 42%, while Jean Charest's rating plummeted to 24%. And QS's co-leader Françoise David ranked 8th among PQ voters.

My translation:

Quote:

"Khadir has become a star of Québec politics. That's amazing, for a party which has only one MNA and very little speaking time in the National Assembly. But he's very good at getting his message across on TV and radio. He is single-handedly becoming the second official opposition!" said Christian Bourque [for the polling company].

Submitted by Catchfire on June 17, 2010 - 10:26am.

It's amazing what being intellectually honest, principled and courageous can get you in parliament! I wonder if there's a lesson in this for anyone in the ROC...

Submitted by Unionist on December 13, 2010 - 9:31am.

Sorry, the thread title is no longer accurate:

Amir Khadir is now the most popular politician in Québec

Too bad polls like these never translate into votes for the party, though.

Submitted by KenS on December 13, 2010 - 9:46am.

There is an existing example in the rest of Canada.

Alexa McDonough was for years as leader of the NS NDP, the most popular politician in Nova Scotia. For much the same reasons as Amir is liked. ["It's amazing what being intellectually honest, principled and courageous can get you in parliament!']

Contrary to what people think Alexa did not step down as leader so that she could run for leadership of the federal party, or even so that she could be in the position to do so. She had been thinking harder of stepping down as leader ever since the 1993 provinical election- her second major dissapointment in a row as the solidly popular leader that was expected to lead her party to gains.

Alexa wasnt tired. She still didnt know tired back then. And everyone around her could not coneive of the party without her as leader. But she had a gut sense that despite all of that, maybe she was holding the NDP back from going further. That plus the fact she had other things she would be happy to do. So she resigned.

Submitted by Aristotleded24 on December 13, 2010 - 3:46pm.

Excellent news! Amir Khadir pour premier ministre du Canada!

Submitted by Debater on December 13, 2010 - 4:14pm.

Where does Gilles Duceppe rank? Or was it just a poll of provincial level politicians?

Submitted by Unionist on December 13, 2010 - 4:27pm.

Provincial politicians only, Debater - more detail on Radio-Canada.

... and the full poll report is here (in PDF format) [8].

What's really cute is the last page of the report. Among self-declared PQ voters, Amir Khadir ranks 3rd, with 67% approval and 8% disapproval. Pauline Marois is 1st, with 78% approval and 13% disapproval.

Submitted by bekayne on December 13, 2010 - 5:33pm.

Debater wrote:

Where does Gilles Duceppe rank? Or was it just a poll of provincial level politicians?

There was a CROP (I think) poll of a couple of weeks ago showing he would win a landslide as PQ leader

Submitted by Unionist on December 13, 2010 - 6:22pm.

bekayne wrote:

Debater wrote:

Where does Gilles Duceppe rank? Or was it just a poll of provincial level politicians?

There was a CROP (I think) poll of a couple of weeks ago showing he would win a landslide as PQ leader

Correct:

Why Charest should be thankful he's not facing Duceppe

Quote:

With Mr. Duceppe at the helm of the PQ, Crop found that fully 49 per cent of Quebeckers would lend him their support. The Liberals would be reduced to only 21 per cent, while the ADQ would see its vote drop to 11 per cent.

If these numbers held firm on election night, Mr. Duceppe would be handed a massive majority of 101 seats in the 125-seat National Assembly. It would be the Parti Québécois’s greatest electoral victory, one only surpassed in Quebec’s political history by Robert Bourassa’s Liberals in 1973.

Defeated in his own riding, Mr. Charest would lead his party to a tiny opposition of 15 MNAs, 12 of them elected on the island of Montreal. The ADQ would likely win seven seats in and around Quebec City while Québec Solidaire would take two.

Submitted by Unionist on December 22, 2010 - 6:45pm.

Would some mod please change the title to "Amir Khadir is the most popular politician"? I'm lookin' at you, OG and JR!

Meanwhile, you should all learn French just to be able to read this wonderful op-ed piece in Le Devoir. I'll translate the last two paras:

Quote:

We are no specialists in political communication, thank goodness, but let us simply try out the following hypothesis: Amir comes off well because he speaks loud and true. He is in sync with the people who want real change. He isn't afraid of calling a spade a spade, whether he's confronting the white-collar thieves who claim they are running our institutions or selling off our natural resources, or when he's lending his support to the struggles and demands of Mr. and Ms. Everybody.

Amir speaks not only "on behalf of", but side by side with, the movements and the resistances. Alongside Amir, we find the social leaders, intellectuals, scientists, artists, as well as a small army of left-wing militants, who are - you must admit - discreet, modest, persistent - and who, every day and every hour, fight for people's rights and for the construction of a different Québec.

Submitted by laine lowe on December 22, 2010 - 8:33pm.

From the comments in Le Devoir:

Quote:

Oui, Amir Khadir parle vrai et fort.

We could use a whole LOT of that federally.

Québec solidaire's Amir Khadir is 2nd most popular politician

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