I have often posted on the similar situations in which American Democrats and Canadian Conservatives have found themselves. The Toronto Sun ponders the same point today and offers this advice.
...Today, Canadian Conservatives face the same hard questions as American Democrats. Specifically, how could they have lost last year's federal election to a fat, arrogant, complacent and scandal-plagued Liberal government, weighed down by 11 years of baggage, led by a rookie prime minister who failed to rise to expectations?
The easy thing to do -- as too many Conservatives do in private -- is to blame Canadian voters for being sheep.
The much harder, but more useful exercise, is to conduct a ruthless self-examination about why conservative ideas in this country, and the way they are advocated by Conservatives, aren't connecting with enough voters.
It's either that or follow the dubious example of smug American Democrats happily marching to the beat of their own drum -- into what may well be political oblivion.
This "discussion" has been going on over at the Shotgun for weeks now and Norman Spector made an excellent point in this regard yesterday.
The people are never wrong. Some need more information, or to be persuaded or whatever. The Conservatives need a better campaign and the Liberals should be attacked for their lies, etc. But the people are always right
