+_+
And the BC Liberals elect as Premier........
MLA van Dongen flags possible exit from Clark-led BC Liberal caucus
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/mla-van-do...
BC Liberal leadership vote too close to call: insiders
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110226/bc_panel_on_li...
While we're waiting
Amateur Liberals not ready for 2011 general election
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/gary_mason...
Will the Libs elect a radical Trotskyist as their next leader?
[img]http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/6361/christyclark.png[/img]
Mike Farnworth was just interviewed on Global. Although he refused to give a definitive answer to who the NDP would prefer to run against, he certainly seemed to be of the view that Abbott would be the toughest of the front-runners for the NDP to face in an election.
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Based upon the question of who would be easiest to run against, right-wing candidate Kevin Falcon is who the NDP want. Not sure if it would be worth the 2.5 years of his government though.
ghoris,
That's correct
NDP would least like Abbott
NDP want Clark to win.
So what are the percentages just announced for the 1st ballot?
Mike De Jong 1st ballot supporters may not decide this with their 2nd choice.
First Ballot
Clark - 38%
Falcon - 28%
Abbott - 25%
Deyong - 9%
1st ballot
De Jong - 789
Clark - 3209
Abbott - 2,091 only
Falcon - 2,411
Total votes 8,500
Required to win 4,250
Looks like Falcon will win OMG
I think Clark has it.
2nd Ballot:
Clark - 42% (+4%)
Falcon - 30% (+2%)
Abbott - 28% (+3%)
IMHO Abbott's 2nd choices will mostly go to Clark.
Looks like Falcon will win. Big money usually does.
Looks like Falcon will win. Big money usually does.
Money can't beat votes.
Clark's got it. Abbott may have endorsed Falcon but I'd guess at least a third of his supporters will go to Christy and put her over the top.
If Abbott had finished second he would have won. A Clark-Falcon final ballot means a Clark victory.
Looks like Falcon will win. Big money usually does.
Money can't beat votes.
Abbott endorsed Falcon
It looks like it'll be a squeaker.
Either way the NDP wins here.
Agreed, good for NDP, Falcon is best case scenario.
Clark is short 675 votes actually, and Abbott and Falcon previously cut a deal.
Huge win for the NDP if Falcon wins.
He looks like Campbell's twin.
Everyone knew Clark would be on the final ballot but.....
Abbott's poor showing coupled with Falcon's strong showing indicates that these voters are pretty right-wing.
Gordon Campbell is definitely not in my heart. He's somewhere lower.
Final Ballot:
Clark - 52%
Falcon - 48%
Clark wins the pennant! Clark wins the penant! Clark wins the penant!
Geez, Clark won. I guess Falcon was a little right-wing even for that crowd. Clark is good for the NDP in that this will deeply divide the Liberals.
On balance, I think this is good for the NDP. Clark was elected by instant members. The party is badly split and right-wingers/federal Tories will stay at home or vote B.C. Conservative. Clark is a flake who will flame out in the heat of a general election campaign.
If Abbott had finished second he would have won. A Clark-Falcon final ballot means a Clark victory.
Exactly.
It will be interesting to see if the BC Conservatives gain steam. CTV news is commenting on how quiet the Liberals are.
The NDP should not underestimate her.
I wonder how impartial CKNW will be covering the Clark administration....
I don't think Clark would have won if James was still NDP leader. One of Clark's strengths is that she might reverse the gender gap. That might be behind some of the thinking the Liberals have electing her.
I wonder what Cabinet position Harry Bloy will be getting?
"The NDP should not underestimate her."
Yeah, don't make the same mistake as the Liberals
Christy Clark means the NDP can count on a right-wing split. Perfect conditions for an NDP campaign that focusses on getting out the core, rather than desperately clutching away at the middle.
The media are already fawning all over Clark. One of Baldrey or Palmer forcefully rejected the suggestion that Clark is another Vander Zalm (I had the TV on in the background and didn't see who said it).
I'll say this - she hit all the right "dog-whistle" notes in her speech (let's present a more moderate image, it's time for change, we need party unity, I love Stephen Harper).
Christy Clark means the NDP can count on a right-wing split. Perfect conditions for an NDP campaign that focusses on getting out the core, rather than desperately clutching away at the middle.
I'm not so sure. Wasn't Clark the only one to suggest reversing course on the right's bete noire, the HST?
According to CBC, only 57K out of 92K Liberals voted. I wonder how that impacted the outcome. Were disinterested people pressured into signing up? How many were fake members? Are the Liberals unable to even motivate their core support?
Will the NDP do better?
That struck me as odd too that the Liberals were crowing about a 62% turnout. Sure it compares well to turnout in the last two provincial elections, but it strikes me as awfully low for a leadership contest.
I have a feeling we're in for a few days of 'process stories' about how some people were disenfranchised, couldn't vote, had problems accessing the system, etc.
Here's some discussion of the potential for fracture that comes with Clark victory.
The media are already fawning all over Clark. One of Baldrey or Palmer forcefully rejected the suggestion that Clark is another Vander Zalm (I had the TV on in the background and didn't see who said it).
I'll say this - she hit all the right "dog-whistle" notes in her speech (let's present a more moderate image, it's time for change, we need party unity, I love Stephen Harper).
That was Vaughn Palmer - "I knew Bill Vander Zalm and Christy Clark is no Bill Vander Zalm". We all know where that narrative is going. But yeah, the speech was better than I would have expected.
If you look at both the 1st and 2nd ballot riding results, Clark won most (or all) currently NDP held ridings, most of Vancouver Island, most of inner urban and suburban Metro Vancouver, as well as some in the southern, central, and NE/NW interior.
http://www.bcliberals.com/results
So, here's my question. What will our new premier, who forcefully supported STV, do with PR?
So, here's my question. What will our new premier, who forcefully supported STV, do with PR?
This is good news for the BC NDP. Dix will probably win now (Farnworth second). He will attack Clark very hard. She has a lot of skeletons, a consummate backroomer, elements of flakiness, this will be classic bareknuckle BC politics until the next election is called. ETA: Check out the last question in this video clip.
Clark winning probably hurts Dix's chances and helps Farnworth and Horgan out the most.
Dix has skeletons in his closet too, so its difficult to see him capatalizing on Clark's skeletons.
So, here's my question. What will our new premier, who forcefully supported STV, do with PR?
If the BC Conservatives and/or the BC First Party become factors in BC politics, the BC Liberals might opt for electoral reform, probably in the form of AV. If that happens the NDP should push for MMP or STV.