Thursday, September 25, 2008

No worries here...but some hard work left.

When the campaign started I said no problem with MacAulay and Murphy, closer in Malpeque and a race in Egmont. Thanks to the Tory Minister's faux pas on Wayne Easter and the smart way Wayne handled it that race is over in favour of Wayne. The race in Egmont is still close but I understand Keith is working hard and it is interesting that the most recent Provincial poll showed strong Liberal Provincial support in the West and this may carry over for the Liberals. This seat will be decided on what voters really think the inevitable results will be Nationally and if they smell a Tory majority for Harper then the seat may go blue. Big name visits won't really make any difference here on PEI but hard work will... best of luck to all the candidates..
Lack of big names not worrying P.E.I. Liberals
TERESA WRIGHT
The Guardian
Although P.E.I. hasn’t seen any big-name Liberals since the federal election was called, the Island’s four Liberal candidates aren’t worried. For one thing, some big names are on their way.Former Liberal leadership hopeful and hockey great Ken Dryden is set to come to the Island next Tuesday, and leader Stéphane Dion is also supposed to visit next week, party officials say. But in the three weeks since the election was called, the Conservatives have already sent a steady parade of national candidates to P.E.I.Government House Leader Peter Van Loan and former Environment Minister Rona Ambrose have come to rally support for local candidates. Industry Minister Jim Prentice is scheduled to visit Friday. Even Prime Minister Stephen Harper came for a night — and is rumoured to be back again in the final week of the campaign. But Malpeque MP Wayne Easter says the fact Harper didn’t take questions from the media or the public while here took all virtue out of his visit. “Why did he bother coming? Does he think Prince Edward Islanders haven’t got questions for him?” And other national Conservatives brought here to glad-hand with local Tory hopefuls over the past few weeks are unknown to Islanders, Easter added. “Most of them are cabinet ministers, but who’s ever heard of them before?”Charlottetown Liberal MP Shawn Murphy agreed. “The Conservatives might be bringing people here, but no one here knows who they are,” Murphy said.Nonetheless, the fact that more high-profile Liberal candidates haven’t been here has been making a number of coffee shop speculators curious.It’s simply due to scheduling difficulties and does not mean P.E.I. is being ignored by the national party, local party organizers told The Guardian. For example, Dion was scheduled to fly into P.E.I. last Monday. But when former premier Bennett Campbell’s funeral occurred on the same day, Dion’s tour to the Island’s wind turbines was cancelled. But even with the impending national visits, all four local Liberals say they’re not looking to the big names to get themselves elected. They’re focusing on the doorsteps. “Certainly they’re welcome to come and I appreciate that they give us that effort, but I always to get to as many doors as I can and that’s always the No. 1 priority,” said Egmont Liberal candidate Keith Milligan. “Things like rallies and gatherings are secondary in importance on the campaign trail because people want to see you, they want to talk to you and they want to discuss the issues.” Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay agreed, adding the practice of flying well-known candidates around the country is relatively new. “What I have to do in an election is campaign on what I did and what I hope to be able to do — they’re voting for me, not them.” “Besides,” Murphy joked, “we’re high-profile enough, don’t you think?”

1 comment:

darcya said...

Please review the following link about a issue that may be of concern to Islanders. Tim, is it too late to stop it?