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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Edward Greenspon: Ignatieff needs Liberals to come home (in the Toronto Star)

"Post-election research suggested that some 700,000 Liberals sat out 2008 but did not drop out. They neither supported their party nor defected; they still self-identify as Liberals. Their absence produced several anomalies. The Conservatives, for instance, gained 11 additional seats in Ontario with just 35,000 extra votes — from 1,985,000 to 2,020,000. It was the disappearance of 500,000 Liberal supporters in the province that put the Conservatives over the top (and cost the Liberals 16 seats).

"Therefore, Ignatieff’s first significant task, after demonstrating he’s not a foreign alien, has been to give these discouraged Liberals reason to come home. His performance, so far, can only help in tight ridings around Kitchener, London, the outskirts of Toronto and in Northern Ontario (although the Conservatives have not been asleep at the switch themselves).

"Next the Liberal leader has to hold his own with Harper in the debates tonight and tomorrow [English debate tonight, Tues. Apr. 12, and French, Wed. Apr. 13] and maintain his energy level through the faster tempo of the final weeks. Finally, his organizationally atrophied party will need to find a ground game and get out its vote."

Full article: Greenspon: Ignatieff needs Liberals to come home.

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