Sunday, January 08, 2006

Strategic Voting that DOESN'T harm the NDP?

We've all heard about the legendary gullibility of the soft-NDP voter, strategic voting for Liberals to keep out the Conservative (even when they have NO chance of winning).

Well, in her Hot or Not election notebook, Jane Taber reports a novel concept: Conservatives strategic voting for the NDP to keep out the Liberal! And where might this happen? In Trinity-Spadina, no less, where the Conservative vote is tiny.

Hot: Strategic voting. CAW leader Buzz Hargrove is encouraging strategic voting to keep the Liberals in office, and now right-wingers are thinking about it to help the Conservatives. Tasha Kheiriddin, the Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, told Macleans.ca (Maclean's magazine's website) that she is voting for the NDP. The CTF is considered a right-wing organization but Ms. Kheiriddin figures the only hope for the Tories in her riding of Trinity-Spadina is to vote for the NDP's Olivia Chow, who she believes has a shot at defeating Liberal junior cabinet minister Tony Ianno. "Normally, this would send my right-of-centre soul into convulsions," she wrote. "Electing her would deny the Liberals the riding -- thereby bringing the Conservatives one seat closer to government."
Globe&Mail, Saturday Jan.8, 2006

The question remains, is the number of Conservatives willing to sacrifice their principles and vote NDP larger or smaller than the number of NDPers willing to sacrifice theirs and vote Liberal? I'm thinking smaller...oh those principled Conservatives!

1 comment:

Mike B said...

In the last election, the Tories were hoping for a majority. Now that a minority is the goal, a Liberal defeated is one more seat advantage for the Tories.

Given that Olivia Chow lost by 800 ballots last time, a smart Conservative vote would be for her, if they really want a Tory minority.