Good article on NDP meltdown

Smyth: Awkward, arrogant Dix gave Liberals victory


Brian Topp, the NDP guru who steered the party’s disastrous election crash-and-burn Tuesday night, is the same guy who guided the late Jack Layton’s federal breakthrough in 2011.

That’s why Adrian Dix imported Topp from Toronto to serve as NDP campaign manager. Dix wanted him to work a little Layton-style magic right here in B.C.

Just one problem: Adrian Dix is no Jack Layton. While Layton was friendly and engaging on the campaign trail, Dix was about as warm and fuzzy as a porcupine in an ice bath.

Dix’s dour and distant persona is a reason the Liberals were secretly pleased he won the NDP leadership. And even when he opened a large lead in the polls, the Liberals still believed Dix was their ace in the hole.

The Liberals knew Christy Clark would outshine Dix once the campaign began — especially under the unforgiving glare of television lights.

“I’m not running against perfection,” Clark declared. “I’m running against Adrian Dix.”

True that. The Liberals knew voters would not take a close look at Dix until the campaign started. They were confident voters wouldn’t like what they saw when they did. And they were right.

Dix was awkward, nervous and slump-shouldered during the TV debate. And he handed the Liberals a campaign gift when he explained his notorious memo-to-file transgression as a mistake committed when “I was 35 years old.”

The Liberals turned the cringe-worthy excuse into a YouTube commercial. Then the NDP officially complained that the Libs broke copyright rules by using the debate clip, drawing even more attention and online hits to the ad!

Blunder upon blunder. And it didn’t end there.

For example: The Liberals were dumbfounded by Dix’s early decision to campaign in Liberal fortresses like the Okanagan and the Fraser Valley.

“Why the hell is he going into our stronghold ridings?” a Liberal war-room worker confided.

“We can’t believe he’s not fighting in the suburban swing seats he really needs to win — in Coquitlam and Surrey and Maple Ridge.”

The reason Dix did it? Hubris. Brazen over-confidence. He believed the pollsters and his own press clippings, thought he could run the table and win a massive landslide victory.

It was all a fantasy. While Dix tilted at windmills on the home turf of unbeatable Liberal cabinet ministers, the NDP were setting themselves up for a disastrous fall in the suburbs of Metro Vancouver.

The NDP got creamed in the ’burbs Tuesday night. And one of the reasons for that was yet another crucial campaign miscue.

For over a year, Dix insisted he was “neutral” on the proposed $5-billion Kinder-Morgan pipeline. His energy critic, John Horgan, praised the company’s track record and said it was a “myth” the NDP opposed the oil industry.

Then, out of nowhere, Dix threw the company under the bus, and declared he was against the project.

His moderate, business-friendly mask was slipping. And I believe hard-working, middle-class, suburban voters took note and fled to the Liberals.

Ironically, Dix’s pipeline flip-flop may have helped him only in posh, upper-class ridings like Vancouver-Point Grey, where wealthy and educated voters can pooh-pooh tacky, dirty things like pipelines.

In Point Grey, NDP candidate David Eby wore out his knuckles knocking on doors and managed to beat Christy Clark. She will now simply run in a byelection after some co-operative Liberal — Ralph Sultan? — steps aside.

Dix, I’m afraid, won’t have such a soft landing. He is a flawed leader who ran a seriously flawed election campaign. He did worse than Carole James, the previously flawed leader he replaced. And he is not going to get any more popular in the future.

His biggest mistake? Arrogantly refusing to say where he stood on a long list of critical issues: the labour code, private schools, the carbon tax, fracking, bridge tolls, ferry subsidies, transit funding, raw-log exports, deficits.

Did he really think he could get away with his elect-me-now-I’ll-explain-later kiss-off to voters?

Apparently he did. And it will cost him.

I said in Tuesday’s column that Dix might hang around as Opposition leader. Cancel that. I’m already hearing caucus grumbling.

Get the marmalade ready. He’s toast.

twitter.com/MikeSmythNews

msmyth@theprovince.com

It was unfortunate to hear, when I went into my voting centre late at 7pm, that I was the only 18 year old they had seen all day. I know for a fact there are a lot of idiots in my age group, however, I also know plenty that are intelligent and did go out to vote.

I say this because I overheard a few adults today speaking about kids my age not knowing jackshit (it was actually a heated exchange; didn't take part) about our political system, and it really does irk me when the "new" generation is being constantly blamed for not being more involved. How about blaming age groups of my brother (late 20s) and his friends who all decided not to go vote because they were simply disinterested? How about my soccer teammates (most 30+) who simply shrugged and laughed when they saw how serious I was?

oh snap :lawl:

that made the article

Oh! I just remembered...didn't the teachers only sign a 1 year contract thinking there would be a new boss in the office for the next negotiation?

Do you just walk in and say, "remember me?"

Doesn't the NDP get it?

Get a leader in that is relatively good looking/confident in front of the cameras. Adrian Dix's public debate had cringe worthy moments. You expect people to vote for someone they cringe to?

They want a leader when things go array. Someone who doesn't look like they will have a breakdown.

I know Adrian Dix is likely a well-capable and strong individual away from the cameras but when you are in the face of the public, you need to be.

Let's see examples, gregor robertson, christy, gordon campbell, glenn clark, harper, etc (heck, jack layton drastically increased the NDP's success in the federal),

If the NDP expects to be the majority or win in 2017, they need to kick out Adrian Dix.

The common theme? Relatively good looking people who could appear confident/well-spoken on Camera. At least the liberals (federal) finally got it, with the move to Justin Trudeau as their leader.

Damn straight.

Funny thing is, pretty much all the pundits leading up to the election said the same thing when asked about it: don't expect the NDP to deal with the teachers any differently than the Liberals did.

ISTR that Susan Lambert was stepping down though, and the BCTF will have a new leader... if they're lucky it will be someone who's not more interested in butting heads with the Ministry than they are in representing their members.

Because really, that's a unions job: representing THEIR MEMBERS. Not the kids, not the parents, not the schools... THEIR MEMBERS. Despite all the bullshit, they still only have THEIR MEMBERS' interests at heart.

Last week my political conversation "Christy Clark has big tits right?"
"Hell yeahs"
"So why do people hate her?"

I'm waiting to see the voting demographics from this election, but the last one in 2009, the 18/19 year-olds were over 55% I believe. Much more than age groups just above it (21-35). which was interesting.

wow I can't believe it thought I would be coming back to an NDP led province instead it seems like people bought the Christys sauce

Id like to say I hope she pays some attention to social programs in the coming years but I really doubt it

And I hope she'll stray away from controversies but let's get real ;)

Oh well the only consolation is that she didn't win her riding :D

I think that's the take away from the whole thing. People will "accept" the liberals over the NDP, but don't like Christy Clark.

I am hopeful, that now as we have the election taken care of, and she actually does premier things, maybe she'll tone it down a bit and actually be premier....representing a riding TBD.

My god...I'm not crazy about David Eby the person, but I love that he beat her.

The thing is people didn't really vote for Christy Clark, people voted so the NDP doesn't get in.. a lot of people I have spoken with don't like her at all but it's way better then the alternative which really scared them.

I believe the NDP are going to go through some big changes. In, effectively, a 2 party system, they need to claim the space that is center-left. That needs to be theirs. If they need to push the liberals right to take it, so be it.

If you walk away from this election thinking that the NDP need to tweak their game plan, as opposed to throwing it away, then they will never take more than 35-40 seats, and always sit in second place.

-Get rid of anyone that had anything to do with the NDP in the 90's. Gone.
-Make sure that the hardcore lefties keep their damned mouths shut. Just as scary as the religious righties.
-Their theme should be something in the lines of "Economic Growth with a Conscience" or something to that effect. People do NOT believe they can run the economy. They really proved that this election. I'm telling you, their numbers were bullshit.
-Gotta get game. Mobilizing people should be as instinctive to the NDP as the Liberals in a business oriented fund-raiser. Not to leave the unions behind, but put the people first. Get people going door to door. Know who you are looking for! There should be TEAMS and HOARDES of people going up and down the streets of the working class neighborhoods. We need you! Every vote counts. We don't want to just win, we want to blow them away!

-Choose an every man leader with some charm. Jack Layton kicked ass last federal election. Why? Well, I don't like NDP policy, but I liked Jack Layton. He didn't seem like a politician to me. He actually bled orange. He believed it. I didn't always like what he believed, but I respected that he was genuine about what HE believed.

Ironically, the federal NDP are going to have the same problem. They are expecting to form the next government, but I suspect they are going to go back to their 40-45 seats in 2015. You watch, they'll have the same sense of hubris. Everyone that couldn't go with the liberals, will feel free to go home with Trudeau.

Totally with you on that - I could have voted for Layton as well. I had kind of the same feeling about Jane Sterk - yeah, most of the Green policies either frustrate, infuriate, or scare the shit out of me... but I respected that they HAD solid policies and stood by them - definitely the polar opposite of Dix.

I wonder if Christy Clark is feeling like Johnny Drama right now. :eek5r:






Premier Christy Clark wins Westside-Kelowna | News1130

Not surprising, unfortunately. Kelowna has been a Liberal stronghold for some time now.

Hardly a surprising outcome. But still disappointing.

Disappointing and unfortunate because democracy works the way it's supposed to and the voters of Westside Kelowna got what they wanted? :okay:

Yep. They absolutely got the MLA that they voted for during the election. :badpokerface:


That having been said, a point's a point.

Adrian Dix stepped down(upon choosing a new leader).

Adrian Dix resigns as B.C. NDP Leader - The Globe and Mail

They should totally put Carole James back in charge.

I think even the NDP supporters need to agree that Dix wasn't a stellar choice, but do they have any stellar choices left? If the NDP lost seats in the last election with the track record they were running against...I hate to be blunt, but...do they even bother at this point?

I can see a few names that will be interested, but no one that really appeals to a broader base.

Kwon, Horgon and fuddy duddy farnworth would be the traditional choices.

Eby is new and way left...this kid looks like a go getter.

Spencer Chandra Herbert, MLA Vancouver-West End

Hell, run through the list and pick who you want to see on the news for the next 4 years. It's slim pickins

BC NDP Caucus Team | BC NDP

Remember back at the end of 2010 when it looked like the BCLibs were on the verge of collapse?

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/FWsd7ai6IMY/maxresdefault.jpg
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__...0/01/Taris.jpg

Nerd time...that is either a photo of the romulan captain from the episode that introduced the Iconians OR the captain in "Face of the Enemy" where Troi is changed to look like a romulan to help underground members escape.

I don't think it matters as they were both played by the same woman, but I want to say the Iconia episode.

Sweet! right on both counts. Carolyn Seymour(which I should have known)

Good riddance on Dix. He is exactly that.

http://cyberfaust.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/kirk.jpg

And I'll up the nerd factor: she was also in a second-season episode of Space: 1999 :badpokerface: