Strategic Voting

 
Damn.

The Canadian election is tomorrow and I had almost made up my mind to vote for the Liberal candidate in my riding. He's a man I can respect and he will be a much better member of parliament than the Conservative candidate.

Up until last week I was considering a vote for the New Democratic Party because their policies are close to my personal position. Also, I wanted to send a message to Stéphane Dion, who I don't think is up to the job as leader of the Liberal party. I realized that my vote might result in the election of the Conservative candidate in my riding since the race between the Conservative challenger and Liberal incumbent is very close. That risk was worth it, in my opinion, because Stéphane Dion needed to lose in order to resign from the leadership.

The latest poll results indicate that the Conservatives might win a majority and I don't want that to happen. So I decided to vote Liberal, hoping that the events of the election campaign would be enough for Stéphane Dion. When he loses tomorrow he will resign.

At least that's what I thought until I read this morning's newspapers [The Canadian Press].

"I will never quit. I will stay for my country," the Liberal leader said Sunday during a last swing through southeastern Ontario before flying off on a frenetic coast-to-coast tour seeking the NDP and Green votes he desperately needs.

"But I'm working hard now. We're working all of us for a victory, for a progressive government. This is what is at stake."

When pressed on how he would respond if Liberal rivals push to oust him, a chippy Dion raised his voice.

"I'm the leader! I am the leader. And I'm working to win. I'm not a quitter."

...

Dion's strident tone may raise eyebrows in Liberal circles where private reaction to his campaign performance has typically ranged from tepid praise to hand wringing. Dion, a political scientist and former professor of public administration, has a reputation for tenacity and a mile-wide stubborn streak.

He is set to face a Liberal party leadership review next spring.

That's it for me. I'm voting NDP and I'm going to tell my Liberal candidate exactly why I'm doing it. If the only way to save the Liberal party is for Dion to quit ASAP and if the only way that will happen is if he's kicked out, then it looks like the Liberals are going to have to lose a lot of seats before they get the message.

I'll suffer the short term pain for the long term gain.

---