Second Thots

Will protests to Emerson's defection move beyond some of his campaign workers?

I was watching Terry Milewski's report on CBC's National Friday night. The thing that convinced me that this phenomenon is probably one of the most blown up stories in recent memory was one item in particular. Basically, Liberal volunteers in Emerson's riding are starting a recall campaign to force him into running in a byelection -- as a Conservative candidate this time, of course.

Why do I think this will probably kill this story? I think this will kill the story because for the first time during this controversy we'll be able to compare actual voter reaction, especially when all the dust settles, to the reaction of the few and the loud that we're seeing and reading about in the media right now.

I am not at all convinced that Canadians are as outraged at the Emerson floor-crossing as are:

a) Andrew Coyne and Paul Wells

b) Belinda. Yes, I repeat, Belinda is outraged at EMERSON'S floor-crossing. I'm not making this up. On our streets. In Canada. (Well, I'm not tired of that gag yet. So there.)

c) The Liberal Party of Canada. Yes, the Liberal Party of Canada is outraged at a floor-crossing. Again, not making this up. In Canada.

d) Conservative MP Garth Turner, who has become the new go-to man of the press corps when they're in 'Bash Harper' mode.

d) The media

e) The NDP, who stopped one of their own members from sitting with them in Parliament because she dissented on gay marriage. Why wasn't there a byelection on that one, Jack?

That'll be all -- for now.

Oh wait. I almost forgot. There exist online petitions asking for the recall of David Emerson.

This one has about 12,500 signatures. In a country of 30 million Canadians, the outrage that exists over Emerson's extraordinary crime amounts to something my computer's calculator can't even tell me with normal numbers -- I think it's telling me .04%. An utter tidal wave, I tell 'ya.

This petition has 38 signatures.

This petition won't even tell you how many signatures it has. So you just know it's some incredibly astronomical number the petitioner just can't wait to unleash on the rest of us. Probably .05%.

Now THAT'LL be all for now. I think. I'm not making this up. Well, maybe I am. In Canada. You get the picture.

Oh, wait a minute, I was making it up. Before finishing this post I stumbled across this poll from Ipsos Reid. In fact, it confirms just about everything I wrote above. Canadians aren't as stunned by the Harper cabinet picks as the above mentioned suspects have been. I'm not making this up. In Canada. Still not tired of the gag. Maybe I'll never be.

Link posted by Dennis (Second Thots) @ 12:43 PM