I don’t often quote from columns in the Toronto Star, but today there is an excellent one written by Martin Regg Cohn about current Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak. I like it because it is very insightful and telling. Cohn writes:
“Hudak is nothing if not controlled and controlling, always fearful of someone stepping out of line — notably himself. He is a career politician who was in on every play of the [October 2011] campaign along with his wife, longtime party strategist Deb Hutton.
If there was a misconceived campaign strategy, Hudak was not its victim but its architect and enabler — endlessly repeating his press lines and stump speeches against high taxes, hydro rates and foreign workers. Now [at this weekend's PC meeting in Niagara Falls], he needs to persuade his own partisans that lessons were learned.
Next, he must convince the general public that he has something new to offer.” [My highlighting.]
Now, read the highlighted lines in that quote again: “Hudak is nothing if not controlled and controlling….It’s [referring to the last election's platform] architect and enabler….He must convince the general public that he has something new to offer.”
Bingo! The problems with Hudak’s previous fall 2011 campaign, and his current approach, is all about control and little about a convincing, inspiring vision.
Now, I know Hudak personally. Between 1995 and 1999, I worked for an Ontario PC MPP who was a member of the Niagara caucus with Hudak. I watched him in action. So, I know, that without a doubt, this is a man who is very capable and has what it takes to be Ontario Premier.
However, he has to learn to be spontaneous and loud in a dignified manner — similar to Prime Minister Harper. He also needs to show some righteous anger at what the McGuinty Government is doing to Ontario, as well as convey a few basic key messages about how the Ontario PC Party has what it takes to return Ontario to prosperity and “have” status.
The other thing Hudak has to stop avoiding is the Harris and Eves PC record. Why? Because that is exactly what the Ontario Liberals depend on. Fear and partial truths. For instance, they won’t want average Ontarians to remember:
- The Ontario PCs ruled the Province of Ontario uninterrupted from 1943 to 1985 – a total of 42 years.
- The Mike Harris Government did what had to be done. He reduced income taxes to 34% of the federal portion because they were at 58% under the NDP Rae Government (and are back to that level again).
- Between 1995 and 1999, some 700,000 jobs were created and approximately 100,000 people got off of welfare.
Remember all those press conferences Harris had about welfare fraud. Some were before the spring 1995 Ontario election campaign, while some were during the campaign itself? Well, have those again, except this time, on public property right beside wind farm fields! As one commenter (www.quixoteslandstand.com) told me on another thread, you could start right near the CAW tower at the Family Education Centre in Saugeen Shores.
So, come on Tim, stop being so in control and boring. Get out there and fight. Be heard. Be aggressive. Be loud. Be inspiring. Because, as I wrote not long ago, in “Paging Tim Hudak,” all Ontarians need to hear you and your message loud and clear.
Update: Russ Campbell has a similar post “We need more from Hudak.”
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I agree Tim needs to get out there and get his mojo going. He needs to pick a really big issue and stump on it. I’d start with McGuinty’s folly and big ripoff, windmills.
Lowell Green was on about this and wonders why Hudak hasn’t got Mcliar by the throat figuratively over the green energy and what the auditor general as forecast. One idea would be to go to one of these bird mashers and take photos of dead birds that have flown through these and post them on the internet, there are a lot of things Hudak could be doing but isn’t
Hudak has only one talent……..the ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory
No doubt about it Robert. He should have easily won given McGuinty’s record. But, I don’t consider that just a Hudak talent. The whole campaign team was to blame.
I remember seeing a video clip just after the formal campaign got started. Hudak was meeting with a couple in their house. One of the couple said something to the effect “We need another Mike Harris.” Hudak looked sick and changed the subject. I knew at that very moment, the PCs would lose. He should have mentioned five key accomplishments of the Harris years and said his PCs would be trusted to turn Ontario around. If anyone reminded him about the teacher’s strike or amalgamation, he should have had answers ready.
Sad really. A wasted four years ahead of us.
There is so much wrong with Ontario today.
If he played his cards right, he could have a front page story almost every day, but he simply isn’t doing it. Frankly, I don’t think he will.
Yes Ed, indeed.
I like your blog’s new look, Sandy. Well done.
[...] Posted on February 9, 2012 by The Crux-of-the-Matter blog has an excellent post today titled, ON PC Leader Tim Hudak has to inspire—and soon! I like Sandy’s idea of not avoiding the Mike Harris record. The Common Sense Revolution was sound [...]
Pissedoff::
Hudak could simply highlight news stories almost daily of the abandonment of green energy schemes in Europe and elsewhere. For the rest of the world outside Liberal headquarters, the jig is up; see this story of world’s largest wind energy company:
http://www.cphpost.dk/business/vestas-delivers-terrible-2011-result
Sad to say, I’ve kind of stopped listening to Hudak, and written off the PCs here until the mindset at the party shifts. Honestly, there’s no inspiration for this conservative to take any interest in Ontario politics at all. McGuinty can run Ontario into the ground, and hopefully there will be a real conservative at the helm of the party by that time to pick up the pieces and rebuilt. Or I’ll just go West.
Thanks Russ. It’s called iTheme2. When you look at the bare theme it has an outerspace/night sky look so I was pleasantly surprised how it looked after I changed the background colour and put a grey border around my header image.
Russ — FYI — I tried to leave a comment at your blog at least three times. When I had to pick a profile, I tried wordpress twice and then under “name” once. No luck. Maybe others are having problems too.
If Hudak was such a main component of the PC campaign plan, then he should be replaced. If a head coach had run his team that poorly, he would have been fired by now. His style also was less than motivating to his own party faithful, so there was no way he would have been able to attract the undecided voters.
People will continue to complain about McGuinty, but the reality is that there is not a suitable alternative to McGuinty if Hudak is considered the alternative. Fix the PC House!
I hear you Matt but the argument is that Harris had two chances and so did McGuinty. The problem I think is who do the PCs get to replace him that would be better? Certainly not Frank Klees. However, there are likely some with potential for leadership who don’t want the hassles. One thing is for sure no matter who runs a party, it is a thankless job and you sure have to have a thick skin.
Well I think Tim Hudak has a right to another kick at the can since he improved the seat-count over the last disastrous leader (John Not-a -Real-Tory).
And if he wants some free advice I have lots to offer. Just not going to put it out there on the internet.
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It’s a sad commentary on the Ontario PC that we just can’t seem to get leadership. I helped on the campaign with our local PC candidate, and I was appalled at the lackluster performance of the PC campaign: poor co-ordination, little or no public involvement, rigid control to the point of stifling local voices, and a complete lack of any compelling vision. Hudak showed more fire and d backbone in his conciliation speech than he had all during the campaign!
I had chalked this up to a serious lack of judgment on the part of the provincial campaign team; it’s more disturbing to hear that this was Hudak’s preferred style. He might be capable in the back rooms of politics, but he has to learn to get his message out. People would have voted for a poodle if it snarled at the mention McGuinty’s name – Hudak toned himself down to the point of invisibility. He will do it again, unless he gets a team that can push him out of his comfort zone.
“I helped on the campaign with our local PC candidate, and I was appalled at the lackluster performance of the PC campaign: poor co-ordination, little or no public involvement, rigid control to the point of stifling local voices, and a complete lack of any compelling vision.”
EXACTLY! Welcome to my world. In my region the PC win had more to do with local effort and support than it did on anything coming down the pipe from PCHQ. There were a couple of incumbent PCs who helped out too while juggling their own campaigns.
“Hudak toned himself down to the point of invisibility. He will do it again, unless he gets a team that can push him out of his comfort zone.”
Does this sound familiar Sandy:-) I posted loudly and long about this right here over much of last summer. Thank-you FredR for confirming it all and realizing that we weren’t alone in feeling this way.
I hear you Catherine.
By the way the commenter was FredR not Frank. LOL I made the correction and I am sure Fred doesn’t mind.
The reality is there are just too many of us saying the exact same thing — and we wanted the PCs to win a majority gov’t, not just increase seats! We are not the opposition, so I hope the party listens this weekend. However, I have my doubts, unfortunately.
If I remember, people here complained, a few years ago, about the lack of organization and communication at the PC convention that led to the election of Hudak as party leader. Was this a preview of things to see?
I wonder if the current AGM is going well. Hopefully, discussions focus on internal problems as much as complaining about McGuinty.
Matt — I was a blogger for the PC leadership convention and I don’t recall any disorganization at that time. Regarding complaining about McGuinty at this year’s AGM, I sure hope so because there is plenty to complain about.
However, there won’t be an Ontario election any time soon no matter how bad things get with the McGuinty crew. The PCs owe $6 million dollars, the NDP $5 million and the Liberals around $4 million. Mike Harris single mindedly paid off the debt after 1995 through speaking engagements. People would pay $100 a dinner in 1995 dollars or even $800 for a whole table. Hudak just doesn’t have the same drawing power among community and business leaders. However, he is going to have to get out there and do his best — otherwise having a minority won’t make any difference and the Liberals know it.
New post up critiquing Tim Hudak’s article in the Toronto Sun. Click here.