Why political parties choose leaders so poorly…
Though he has many supporters, 51% of Americans do not support Trump as president. He is the first president to reach this poor level of support so quickly. How could the Republicans choose so poorly, a candidate with more opposition than support in only 2 weeks in office. Most leaders have a honeymoon period which last a few weeks. Trump’s collapsed within a couple of weeks.
How do political parties select leaders so poorly?
First, political parties have high hopes, hoping that their selection will “not make the same dumb mistakes” as the previous choice. This hope translates into hoping that this choice will be less ‘political’, a real conservative/socialist/libertarian/progressive than the last leader. That the chosen one will be a man of action rather than simply a talker.
More than a ‘dirty dozen’
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada has 15 candidates campaigning for its leadership, 14 bilingual to various degrees, and 1 completely unable to communicate in one the nation’s official languages.
The PC party membership dreams that they will be led to the promised land by one of the campaigning 15. A pipe dream! The group may have fewer than a half dozen legitimate contenders with the balance standing out in the cold, outside of the ball park.
However, maybe the pundits and politicos who reject Leitch and O’Leary blatantly and decisively should pause for a moment before over reacting too impulsively. Remember Rob Ford? Donald Trump was laughed at as a candidate. Christie Clark of British Columbia had no chance of winning.
The PC leadership list needs closer scrutiny
Though the Conservative Party has chosen women leaders before, Leitch likely has undermined her chances with her immigration policy. However, be reminded of Trump’s position on Mexican and Muslim immigrants.
Kevin O’Leary is the most interesting consideration of the remaining male candidates. His platform lacks anything which should discard him outright. More importantly, the other candidates seem to give him the greatest attention, perhaps believing he has the greatest chance of winning. Such a belief is most likely founded on the premise if the bombastic Trump could do it, why not outspoken, well known Kevin O’Leary. Will the Dragon’s Den translate into an equal success for O’Leary in Canada as The Apprentice did for Trump in the US? Admittedly, a very shallow foundation for predicting the chances of O’Leary winning.
For a closer look at each of the 15 candidates for the PC leadership with a short summary for each, click on the link: The PC candidates
What’s your view regarding Kevin O’Leary’s chances of winning the leadership of the PC Party?
