Tories in a Tizzy on $5M Cap
March, 2016. A few of the CPC potential leadership candidates.
Canadian Press Background
It’s refreshing to see that even when out of office the Tories continue their efforts to cap spending as demonstrated in the current leadership race. Some party members argued the $5,000,000 cap might prevent erstwhile contenders from challenging for the leadership.
While that cap is five times higher than $1M limit set by the Liberals for their 2011 race and ten times what the NDP allowed in 2012, it is double that which the Conservatives set when Harper took over in 2004. Party insiders don’t think five million is enough money to stage a leadership race.
Well, they are the ‘free enterprise’ party, so why do they even want a limit? Let the potential leaders spend away and if the contender can buy the leadership through attacks such as Harper staged on his way to control of the party, why not let others? (Michael Harris, Party of One)
Party insiders pushing for higher limits argue that creating the dozens of attack ads and media buys needed to sideline competitors has ballooned in recent years so they are just keeping up with inflation. The higher figures are based on what the party spent on similar strategies in the past few elections.
Poster (Web Source): These ads are small sample of the successful ‘attack ads’ created by Arthur Finkelstien. Just think of the material he could develop when the targets were other Conservatives. It would be better than waiting for the Super Bowl commercials.
Also, any potential leader wanting to hire an effective strategist such as Finkelstien, the Merchant of Venom, who so effectively managed the Conservative comeback ten years ago, does not come cheap.
Tory leadership potentials must learn to effectively use these tactics and what better place to practice than within their own leadership race. Digging up dirt and presenting it in an effective manner is expensive and if no dirt can found, it is even more expensive to build that dirt from scratch.
In order to achieve an open and fair free-market system in selecting their leader, some
Conservatives think the US Super Pac (independent expenditure-only committees) is ideal. This provides wealthy independent Conservative backers and big business, a reasonable opportunity to get their man (perhaps a woman – this is 2016) in place. As these PAC’s operate 
outside party control, they can be extremely effective in targeting political opponents both inside and outside the party.
Web (Photo) What earthly use is it to have earned all this money and then not able to spend it in helping to get people you like elected?
While a few suggested Robo-Calls is much less expensive and can be used to good effective, the party Executive thinks the tactic should be reserved for general elections.
From an outsiders viewpoint, it would be a lot easier and less expensive to just let the public and press jog the memberships memory of how some of those men and woman handled their jobs over the past 12 years.
In any case, many of the leadership hopefuls will find it different walking into a public meeting or standing in front a camera where they have to think for themselves rather than being fed every word by their party leader.
Harold
(89)
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