An interesting comparison

The pundits at Bluedraft made an interesting and yet legitimate criticism of the media today concerning the bid of Belinda Stronach for the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Just compare Belinda Stronach’s treatment at the hands of the national press to another famous kid with a rich daddy.

When Justin Trudeau makes a speech, he’s not described as a tasty little piece of beefcake, but as “the heir to the Trudeau legacy.” Media outlets line up to write breathless profiles of him, slavering at the prospect that he will run for public office. “It’s a question of when, not if,” they intone. Trudeau’s qualifications, thin though they might be, are overlooked in the rush to resurrect Trudeaumania.

Stronach, who’s actually accomplished something in her life, runs for office and she’s instantly dismissed as “the It girl.” Because she’s blonde and attractive, she qualifies for descriptors such as “hot,” “bodacious” and the press reports on what she’s wearing as if she were Queen Elizabeth.

I don’t know what causes this cynicism it the media and this attitude unfortunately filters down to some Canadians. Is there an agenda or does this invective petty attitude actually sell newspapers?

Happy Family

It’s good to see that the first Conservative Party of Canada caucus meeting went very well today. Today’s meeting represented the final step for the merging/reunification of both Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative caucuses and the first step of working together as one united front against Paul Martin’s liberals.

It seems as though much of the same had been discussed separately but now we are seeing conservative coordination concerning policy and House strategy.

Glad to see it.

Belinda Stronach!

Today I watched Belinda Stronach jump into the leadership frenzy while I was on campus. Her announcement speech was very good and she handled the following press conference very well.

I must admit, I am very excited about Belinda Stronach’s bid. As a political rookie she brings a fresh approach, face, and sense of trust to the contest for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Many observers had been concerned that as new face, Stronach would be shy on policy and people wouldn’t know where she stands on many political issues. In her announcement, and in her subsequent news conference, she came on strong. There are two fundamental issues for which she will fight: to make Canada into a competitive economic force worldwide (as it should be yet we have much ground to recover) and to get youth involved in the political process (that’s me).

Stronach explained that she believes that policy doesn’t go from the leader-down, it comes from the grassroots-up. Belinda is a believer in grassroots politics! The 37 year-old mother of two is also progressive yet strictly conservative on issues such as keeping marijuana criminalized and handing down tougher sentences on criminals who commit their crimes with guns. So, she’s pro-duck hunter and anti-gun violence… what a concept!

While I consider myself an avid follower of political news and a supporter of the political party, many Canadians do not consider themselves as such. Belinda Stronach brings the much needed flair and electricity to our new party and she’ll cause a lot of people to pay attention. A fellow student, who happened to be watching the announcement on television beside me exclaimed numerous times about how impressed she was with this woman and what she has accomplished. Resigning a lucrative job to serve one’s country is indeed an impressive act.

I believe that she’s got a great shot at the leadership race; her campaign has exploded out of the gates with her jazzy online presence @ belinda.ca. Her website features a section where you can become a Belinda recruiter and keep track of your successes in recruiting for her campaign. Also of note, another example her campaign’s superior web savviness is her placement of google searchword advertisements; type “Belinda” into Google and her ad shows right up!

Combine incredible business success, progressive conservatism, and great media presence and you’ve got Belinda Stronach. She is an ideal candidate to represent many Ontario conservatives.

This will be one to watch…