Why I support Tim Hudak as PC leader
If Ontario’s progressive conservatives want to bring common sense back to Queen’s Park, they will need to vote later this month for Tim Hudak as their next leader.
If Ontario’s progressive conservatives want to bring common sense back to Queen’s Park, they will need to vote later this month for Tim Hudak as their next leader. Why? Because hd has been in both government and opposition since he was first elected in June of 1995. Hudak was also part of the “Common Sense Revolution“, both as a back bencher and a Mike Harris cabinet minister.
While Frank Klees was also in the Mike Harris government, he just doesn’t have the same clout and presence that Hudak has. While I know little about Randy Hillier and I am sure Christine Elliott is a lovely person, neither will have the ingredients to beat the McGuinty Liberals.
Besides, Mike Harris himself is supporting Hudak — and that says a lot!
I know Tim Hudak personally. He was one of the four Niagara caucus MPP’s when I was the Executive Assistant (EA) and Communications Consultant for one of his colleagues. I saw him in action. What I learned was that while he is an extroverted, easy going amiable guy, he understands politics through and through. In fact, I swear politics are in his bones.
For starters, Hudak is fast on his feet and able to clearly articulate what he and the party stands for. For example, had he been PC leader during the last Ontario election, he would have shut down the Liberal nonsense about faith-based funding being divisive by explaining the only thing divisive then and now is having a fully funded system for one religion.
In other words, Tim Hudak would have known how to diffuse the overblown Liberal rhetoric about that issue with facts and it would never have become the defining issue of the campaign that it did. Instead, it would have become an argument for parent choice — something many parents and educators want and which is already happening in several other Canadian provinces.
I also believe Tim Hudak has hit a raw nerve with his recently released education goals — which I wrote about here – that would bring back teaching phonics in the primary grades. In fact, the visceral reaction in the comments of that thread says it all.
In other words, Ontario PC’s need to be careful and vote for the future of the party by using the experience gained in the past. There is no other leadership candidate, to my mind at least, who can win the next Ontario election.
Popularity: 54% [?]
Male, retired and the rest is of little interest to anyone. The site keeps me busy and if it helps others to stay abreast of daily events then my time is well spent.
nomdeblog Says:
I agree Sandy and add that having had some exposure to him in campaigns, Tim Hudak is a very high energy guy and very articulate in a street smart, savvy kind of way.
I like his themes of family values and especially his understanding that “entrepreneurship” will be the key to a successful and competitive Ontario. He is the antithesis of the McGuinty regime which now frighteningly believes, like Obama, that they are the new capitalists … that government is entrepreneurial ( a classic oxymoron) and can pick winners and losers better than the market place.
Having said that, Klees and Elliot are pretty good contenders and this is a real race; not an Iggy-like coronation.
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
CotM Says:
Nomdeblog — I agree that the Ontario PC leadership campaign is a “real” race with a couple of good contenders. I just put up another post at COTM that clearly shows how the McGuinty government is destroying Ontario’s education system — by pushing the high school graduation rates to the exclusion of standards.
Its scary how much more damage they can do without October 2011 still two years away!
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 4:24 pm
UV Says:
“Whodat” is certainly looking good.
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Brian S Says:
I am leaning towards supporting Tim Hudak based solely on the fact that the Toronto Star seems to hate him, which is always a good enough endorsement for me.
Speaking of eduction reform though, I enjoyed this article in the LA Times about three American Indian Public Charter schools in Oakland that completely reject liberal theology with very successful results.
Spitting in the eye of mainstream education http://tinyurl.com/kvnaww
Three no-frills charter schools in Oakland mock liberal orthodoxy, teach strictly to the test — and produce some of the state’s top scores. “We are looking for hard working people who believe in free market capitalism. . . . Multicultural specialists, ultra liberal zealots and college-tainted oppression liberators need not apply.”
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Mac Says:
It’s nice to know there is more than one “good” candidate in this race… and I’m looking forward to seeing some effective opposition sooner rather than later!
Posted on June 4th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Jack Says:
I still haven’t made my mind up because I don’t know enough about the candidates to root for any of them. Truth be told I like them all.
So I will wait and let better informed people make the decision.
Posted on June 6th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Mac Says:
The sooner the new leader is in place and starts putting everything in order, the sooner they’ll be ready to start pushing back against McGuinty and his merry band of lefties…
Posted on June 6th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
MaryT Says:
She’s back, her Blog is up and running again.
Posted on June 21st, 2009 at 8:15 pm