Blogging the Election, Part 3

new democrats ascendant

It was a complete and total rout.

ns2009results

An interactive version of this map is available via CBC.

Before the election — please note this corrects an incorrect tally for Liberal seats in my Part 1:

Party Seats Leader
PC 21 Rodney MacDonald (premier)
NDP 20 Darrell Dexter
LIB 9 Stephen MacNeil
GRN 0 Ryan Watson
IND 1 (Independent)

(1 seat vacant)

Afterward:

Party Seats Leader +/- Vote %
NDP 31 Darrell Dexter (premier) +11 45.26%
LIB 11 Stephen MacNeil +2 27.22%
PC 10 Rodney MacDonald -11 24.52%
GRN 0 Ryan Watson n/a 2.33%
IND 0 (Independent) -1 0.67%

Liberals have gone from “also-ran” to “official opposition party”. NDP has gone from “official opposition party” to “government”. The government itself has gone from minority to majority, majority being 27 seats. PC bled 11 seats, 12 if you count “independent” Fage who’s only independent because he was politically radioactive after his hit-and-run. Plus the vacant seat is now filled, finally.

Expect the Liberals and PC to develop an uneasy alliance in opposition to the majority NDP, and a lot of hand-wringing whether the NDP does a good job or a bad one. Also, like every single political party taking office for the first time, expect them to do a pretty good job at first, then suddenly and sharply hit a wall of some kind, whether of their own design or that of their opposition. How they handle the crisis is paramount. Setting expectations is important for holding a realistic worldview!

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Blogging the Election, Part 3
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5 thoughts on “Blogging the Election, Part 3

  1. 1

    I voted …

    I voted but my candidate did not win. That is the way it goes and while I do not agree with the philosophy of the winning candidate or her party it is what it is. Even though my candidate and party did not win I at least can hold my head high and demand the new MLA and her government live up to their campaign promises, whatever they were. I might have to research and see what they were promising other than a doctor in every pot.

    I watched the very stilted election coverage on ATV with Steve Murphy and listened to the ‘i-desk’ sharing facebook comments of people proudly claiming they did not vote to send a message. The only message that sends is “I don’t give a fuck”. And although as far as I’m concerned “green” is a lifestyle and not a political platform, voting green is at least exercising your rights and ensuring democracy as we know it. While I’m on the subject of the ATV coverage, get a real cam for your remotes – watching a streamed WEB cam interview of Ernie Fage was ludicrous.

    The campaign was disturbing in many ways. The overwhelming ‘negative’ campaigning, bordering on muck slinging, had to have some effect on the outcome. I was heartened when the initial negative ads ceased and their replacements focused on achievements. However the last week’s high rotation ads by the conservatives probably did more to turn the tide from blue to orange than anything in the preceding 30 some days. In my county two long time Conservative incumbents, both members of cabinet went down to defeat at the hands of the New Democrats. Both men gave ten years of their lives to serve the electorate and should be thanked for their sacrifice and work on our behalf. I see their defeat less of a personal one then a reaction to a unpopular leader, anti Rodney not anti Mark or David.

    In closing all I want to say is I voted, my candidate lost but I won by exercising my right and voicing my opinion.

  2. 2

    When it comes right down to it, the local electorate are concerned with potholes and civic taxes, and that’s about it.  Any political party can handle those demands.  On the wider scale, the politicians are charged with supporting the government’s overarching concerns.  If your political leader makes unpopular decisions or total blunders, it’s only natural that the animosity will bleed down. 

    Volunteering to serve as a part of the government is an absolutely noble goal, on one condition — that you’re not doing it out of some personal quest for power.  If you’re doing it because you honestly feel that you could better represent the will of the people, then you deserve every praise.  If you honestly feel that only you are qualified to make decisions for everyone because your ideas are best, then you’re way too egocentric for your own good.  Arguably all politicians are way too egotistical for their own good.

  3. 3

    I agree wholeheartedly with voting being important and the only way you win — again, wholeheartedly.  It upsets me seeing people who don’t care.  Turnout was 59%, down 2% from last election cycle.  Early voters were up 17% but the overall was down.  That’s a combination of an energized leftist base and a demoralized rightist base.

    I’m a bit concerned by your saying that you both disagree with the local candidate and her party’s position, and that you don’t know what that position is outside of one single campaign promise (which you boiled down from “let’s try to encourage more doctors to stick around” down into the absurd “doctor in every pot”).  Go back to my Part 1 and read the linked campaign platform, and if you have legitimate problems with any of it, let’s discuss.  Differences of opinion can be overcome, if your opinion is informed.

  4. 4

    While I too wish that more people had voted I find it interesting that the ‘non-voters’ made it publicly known that they were doing it (or not doing it rather) in protest as opposed to just sitting home and saying ‘fuck that’. Perhaps if more people are vocal about why they think our political parties are lacking, the parties will try harder and also work more on a ‘get out the vote’ campaign. People need to be encouraged to vote, from a young age especially, instead of just being told ‘don’t vote, don’t bitch, fuck off’.

    And as for the NDP…… well they might do a good job, they might not, but that’s about all I expected from any of them. I’m not attached to any of our political parties so it’s not going to bother me if the people I voted for do a crap job, at least we gave them a shot.

  5. 5

    It would be really nice if we could channel that anger into something more productive than apathy — which I see way too often at work.  It almost seems like I’m the only one excited to get out and vote on election day, like, ever.

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