Friday, December 17, 2010

Is a Tory majority even possible?

After months of stagnation, Conservative gains in some polls released over the last few weeks have again raised the possibility of a Tory majority. But an analysis of the ridings the Conservatives might target to attain or surpass the elusive 155-seat mark needed shows just how difficult it will be for Stephen Harper to reach his goal.

The rest of the article can be read on The Globe and Mail website.

I've written a couple of articles lately showing how dire things are for the Liberals and Michael Ignatieff. I thought it would be a good idea to look at the other side of the coin.

I get a kick (actually, I just get depressed at what it says about people) that in those earlier articles I was called a Conservative hack and part of The Globe and Mail's mission to keep Stephen Harper in power. This article has been up for less than an hour, and already the comments are filled with people saying I'm a Liberal and part of the MSM liberal agenda. I guess they didn't read my earlier pieces.

It happens here, too, though thankfully not directed at me too often. Polls good for the Conservatives are lampooned by some commenters, and polls good for the Liberals are rejected by others. They always tend to be the same people.

What is at the root of the driving need to comment on these sorts of things with nothing but partisan spin, especially when it isn't the person's job? There's an unhealthy obsession in some parts with the "bias" or "agenda" of a media outlet or polling firm. Opposing arguments are ignored or discarded based solely on who is making them. I'm sure it has always been like this, but in the internet age it has never been so public or so rampant.

I will have a post on yesterday's EKOS poll later this afternoon. There should be a projection update on Monday both here and on The Globe and Mail website as well.