Christian Conservative Christian "Independent"

I'm an evangelical Christian, member of the CPC, but presently & unjustly exiled to wander the political wilderness.
All opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Friday, May 30, 2008

The problem with some right-leaning voters

I see it with this Section 13 fight, I see it in my own riding, I see it in some of the Blogging Tories... some conservative supporters want Mr. Harper and the CPC to deal with their pet issues NOW, regardless of the political fallout.

On the one hand, you've got to love their passion for whatever issue is dear to them... on the other hand, you have to just shake your head, because they have no idea whatsoever that they're actually hurting their chances of seeing real progress on their issue. All to often, you'll hear comments from them like, "Deal with this issue now, or I won't donate anymore, or vote for you next time."

Erza posted some excerpts from a letter today, written in regards to the Human Rights Commissions, where the writer says this:
"I have always voted Conservative federally. Always... But, unless I see concrete evidence before the next election that the Conservative Government is taking concrete steps to rectify the many problems endemic to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, I will not be voting Conservative in the next election. I will be encouraging others to follow my lead."
What else can I say? I find this from time to time with my fellow conservatives (small case "c")... they know exactly what they want, but they don't have a clue about the political niceties required to move the ball down the field. Some of them I've met, or in this case, read about, just go for broke, and want to see their issue's agenda moved forward.

Makes you want to cry sometimes... to see all that passion just wasted.

The problem with supporters like this is that if you don't move on the file, they'll vote with their feet... and stay at home the next time around. Which then means we lose seats... which then means we don't win and remain in power... which then means the other guys win, and their issue falls right off the table. You see how this could be somewhat counterproductive to the cause of conservatism in general, and to these pet issues in particular?

Anyway, that's my rant for today.

Labels:

posted by Christian Conservative @ 8:47 a.m.  

14 Comments:

  • At Fri May 30, 09:27:00 a.m. EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I hear this kind of thinking a lot from the income trust fanatics.

     

  • At Fri May 30, 09:30:00 a.m. EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I hate pragmatism!

    People like to say there is more Grey in the world than there is.

    There is right and wrong and there is good and evil. Excessive government is wrong and evil.

    libertarianism is right and good.

    Call it a pet issue all you like but reducing the intrusiveness of government in our lives is the ONLY reason I get up in the morning. It is the only justification for my existence on this planet of ours. Nothing else matters.

    Mike Wisniewski

     

  • At Fri May 30, 09:37:00 a.m. EDT, Blogger Nicol DuMoulin said…

    ...and an excellent rant it is. I disagree with much of John Tory's agenda but at the end of the day cast a vote for him.

    Clint Eastwood is right. Conservatives can be very masochistic some times.

     

  • At Fri May 30, 09:37:00 a.m. EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Couldn't agree more. e all have our own burning issues, & don't always agree with the direction the government is going, but that's why we have MP's to talk to.
    Remember, while we may not all agree on Afghanistan,gun control abortion,senate reform,or a myriad of other issues, the bottom line is consider the alternative. Another 13 years of socialism in the nanny state!

     

  • At Fri May 30, 09:47:00 a.m. EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I understand where you are coming from I too was of the same opinion some time ago, however seeing as the Cons have adopted false propaganda over hard facts makes me wonder if the whole conservative movement is dead and our party has been otttawashed.
    Global warming, tax on tax, CHRC, CBC, forced biligualism, growing government....hardly Conservative.
    Cabinet ministers picked by region rather than talent just like the libs.
    Where is Jason Kenny? the brightest of all in Ottawa and wasted.
    Dido for James Moore.
    Harper is still talking global warming and CO2 while he must know that in 2010 right here in Canada a couple miles under ground we will prove the sun is the whole picture in climate change.
    We already know that for thousands of years the climate relates exactly to sun spot activity, yet still the propaganda instead of fact.
    Harper still has my vote but only because the Libs are far more dangerous to Canada. I am finding it hard to be supportive when the message has changed.

     

  • At Fri May 30, 09:52:00 a.m. EDT, Blogger William Joseph said…

    If the issues people care about aren't even on the table for the CPC, why would you care if another party is elected? If you need a majority to do the things you want passed, well then they should call and election and try to convince Canadians of their ideas. If every CPC majority means you have to wait 4 years to have a chance at a government you actually like, then count me out.

     

  • At Fri May 30, 10:04:00 a.m. EDT, Blogger Christian Conservative said…

    Ken, that's not what I'm saying at all... I'm talking about the folks who say "Deal with my issue now or else", without taking thought to the political climate.

    We don't need a majority, what we do need is for certian supporters to learn a little patience, and political savvy.

     

  • At Fri May 30, 10:08:00 a.m. EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Up until recently, I would have agreed with your assertion that people are being politically naive in demanding action on their pet projects. But, with this present government's inaction on any conservative (small 'c' or big 'C' conservative) issues, you can understand the overwhelming frustration from their supporters.

    To be quite honest, I think Harper et al have wasted a unique opportunity. They know that the Liberals won't vote them down, which gives them the chance to float a few token conservative issues under confidence votes to stake out their corner of the political field. Instead, they have just done populist garbage issues, one after the other, or made great efforts to hide the more conservative issues deep within budgets so that not even the Opposition is seeing it half the time. This does nothing to distinguish them enough from the Liberals and is designed to just keep them in power. In so doing, they have not addressed any issues their base has asked them repeatedly to address.

    So, it really does become a matter of, why vote at all if you're going to get a Liberal Party clone in office anyhow?

    The HRC issues are another grand opportunity for the CPC to distinguish itself. But what is it doing? It's taking it's cues from the Liberal Party. In effect, Harper et al are not leading... they are following. So, why should anybody want to vote back in a party that does nothing pro-active?

    I voted for the Conservatives in the past 2 elections. But, unless they start to distinguish themselves and get the bureaucratic mess that is Ottawa under control, as well as distinguish themselves from the "everything populist" stance that is the Liberals (bending with the wind instead of leading) I am just as likely to move out of this God forsaken country as vote in the next election.

    Look around... don't you see our industries dying, our standard of living falling behind our neighbor to the South, our tax system out of control, our justice system becoming a wrist slapping and breast feeding industry, and now our freedoms of speech and expression being tossed under the bus? The question is, who out there is going to do anything about it.

    I haven't seen the Conservatives step up. So, why should we extend our support to them if they won't extend their support to us? It's a fair question. And it's the right question.

     

  • At Fri May 30, 10:14:00 a.m. EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Life is unfortunately full of compromises. People that adopt all or nothing attitudes normally wind up with nothing.

    I'm certainly a Libertarian as well (well, Objectivist to be precise), but at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself,"would I rather make a point, or make a difference?"

     

  • At Fri May 30, 11:17:00 a.m. EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    True enough. Except that "difference" implies something "different".

    How have the Conservatives truly "differentiated" themselves from the Liberals? Not by much. Sure, they have made accomplishments, but those accomplishments are not of the type that would distinguish themselves from the Liberals.

    Unfortunately, in Canada, the Liberals are the political party to beat. And if you can't make your party stand out from them, people are going to fall back into pattern of voting Liberal. Why wouldn't they? If you have two parties that are doing pretty much the same, wouldn't you vote with the one party you're used to voting for?

    Humans are lazy. And unless they are inspired to do something new, they will always do what they are comfortable with. In Canada, that means voting Liberal. I have several friends who vote Liberals because it's what they're used to. That is very common. If the Conservatives want to inspire these people to vote, they have to do something inspiring. Right now, they are taste of the decade bland, and it's going to come up and bite them in the rear real soon if they aren't careful.

     

  • At Fri May 30, 11:27:00 a.m. EDT, Blogger rabbit said…

    What nonsense.

    I'm not into blind partisanship. My support for a party rests solely on how well they reflect my beliefs on what Canada should be.

    I don't demand a perfect correlation between my political leanings and the party I vote for. Freedom of speech, however, is so important, so fundamental to everything, that I can not ignore it come election time.

    You, CPC, may believe that this attitude is self defeating. In the short run it may well be. In the long run, however, an electorate who won't compromise on democracy and individual freedom will result in a nation that does the same.

     

  • At Fri May 30, 03:56:00 p.m. EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I'm one of those conservatives you're talking about, and yes I want something done about the HRC's an now. Thing is I could be patient and wait for a majority govt and see what happens then but the crux of this matter for me is I've written 4 letters, 3 to the PM and 1 to Nicholson. Reasonable letters too and ya know what?? No response. They keep sending me emails and snail mails and telemarketers calling me for more money however if I received one letter in response to my concerns well I could be patient. Not one letter in return so there you have it. It's insulting and I'm just not sure what I'll do with my vote and money next time.

     

  • At Sun Jun 01, 02:10:00 p.m. EDT, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hey Rick

    I know what you're saying. In November, I faxed a concern into party HQ in Ottawa, hoping for a resolution. It wasn't until April that I got a reply and it wasn't even a good reply. All it was was a recognition that the letter was received, 2 paragraphs about how the party is holier than thou and one paragraph about how weak Dion is. Way to cover up an issue guys!

    Mike Wisniewski

     

  • At Tue Jun 03, 07:19:00 p.m. EDT, Blogger Möbius said…

    You, CPC, may believe that this attitude is self defeating. In the short run it may well be. In the long run, however, an electorate who won't compromise on democracy and individual freedom will result in a nation that does the same

    The problem is, your opponents are willing to compromise their ethics to vote for a corrupt party. What to do? Hold yourself to a higher standard, and let them win?

     

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