What's the future for the Conservative Party?

[ShonTron]

Sigh. Patrick Brown hasn’t been a great mayor – the CAO appointment and later termination was a debacle, and his commitment to a 0% property tax increase will cause problems down the road à la Mississauga – but he did manage to do a decent job getting council working again and being a vocal proponent of the city. If he could stick to that, he might even become a very good mayor.

At first I saw him as a carpetbagger, setting in for mayor of Brampton after he suddenly lost the PC leadership and had his bid for being the first elected chair of Peel Region quashed by Doug Ford’s municipal election tampering. His mayoralty had me change my mind. But now?

 

[Jonny5]

Oh wow.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown — who is expected to announce his bid Sunday — and former Quebec premier Jean Charest — who launches his candidacy Thursday — have forged a pact, sources familiar with the strategy tell the Star. Could it lead the party to elect a more moderate leader? The men have been friends for more than 25 years. Brown credits his involvement with the Conservatives to Charest, whom he met as a teenager while visiting his aunt, Charest’s next-door neighbour in North Hatley, Que.

The two have spoken at length about the leadership race. I’m told to expect neither will say a bad word about the other — a non-aggression pact, if you will — and that they will “publicly” help one another.

Althia Raj: Patrick Brown and Jean Charest have a deal that could make one of them the next Conservative leader

Brampton’s mayor and the former Quebec premier have forged a pact in the federal Conservative leadership race, sources say.

www.thestar.com

 

[christiesplits]

While it seems like the party will shift further to the right, I wouldn’t discount Patrick Brown. He was a big underdog in the Ontario PC leadership race and won. He also won the Mayoral race in Brampton despite not even in living on the city! He is a very strong organizer and could surprise, especially with an extended race.

 

[PinkLucy]

And then there is this guy. Who thought this was a good idea? This isn’t from The Beaverton

https://www.reddit.com/r/onguardforthee/comments/tbx7rr

 

[DSC]

pierremp.ca brings up (only) THIS message:

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[Jonny5]

MacKay makes it official he is not running.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1502809586830651392

 

[ShonTron]

View attachment 385052And then there is this guy. Who thought this was a good idea? This isn’t from The Beaverton

https://www.reddit.com/r/onguardforthee/comments/tbx7rr

“He is risen” is a common religious greeting at Easter time among mainstream Protestant and Catholic churches, and politicians often send out and post paid greetings for ethnocultural and religious celebrations.

It’s crass because he has to put his ugly mug front and centre on it, but if he just put “happy Easter from your MP” with this name and office phone, it’d be typical.

 

[PinkLucy]

Agreed. It’s not that it’s an Easter greeting. It’s how it’s done. I was raised in and practiced Christianity for many years, and this makes me absolutely cringe. It borders on the sacrilegious. The placement of PP’s photo on this deeply religious message is offensive. Although if he is trying to appeal to the right wing “Christians”, it might work since they are so far gone from Christianity.

 

[ShonTron]

Ugh.

I really wish Brown could have stuck to one job.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1506310831675432972

 

[DirectionNorth]

Ugh.

I really wish Brown could have stuck to one job.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1506310831675432972

View attachment 387163

Is he making the mistake that Error the Tool made?

 

[Northern Light]

Is he making the mistake that Error the Tool made?

I think he's making multiple mistakes here, but the 1st is to repeat one of his own.

Brown is somewhat notorious for running in whatever contest (MP nomination, provincial PC leadership etc) in a way that will get a wedge motivated contingency to back him.

Invariably, when he achieves whatever office and finds that narrow position no longer serves his political ambition he abandons it for a new position.
He once played footsie w/the anti-abortion set

A fresh-faced Patrick Brown hopes to seduce Ontario’s Tories: Cohn

Federal backbencher boasts of prior abstinence from provincial politics. But does the pro-life candidate have what it takes to lead the PCs?

www.thestar.com

He also sold himself as opposed to same-sex marriage at one point:

Brown privately said he opposed same-sex marriage: Christian leaders

Jack Fonseca and Charles McVety say Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown told them privately he was against abortion and same sex marriage

www.theglobeandmail.com

On top of which he ran against the idea of a carbon tax or similar.

***

Then, when in a position of having to face the general electorate as PC leader claimed to be pro- all of the above.

He's one who less speaks his mind than what a given audience wants to hear.

But he seems not to have caught on to cell phones, records of social media and people not particularly liking feeling betrayed (though usually in his case that's not a bad thing)....yet....he
also scares off others because they just don't trust him.

 

[ShonTron]

The thing is he exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations as mayor of Brampton. If he could have focused on that for another few years, getting past the unfortunate senior manager hires and made a name for himself, outlasting some of his nemeses like Ford.

 

[Towered]

I think he's making multiple mistakes here, but the 1st is to repeat one of his own.

Brown is somewhat notorious for running in whatever contest (MP nomination, provincial PC leadership etc) in a way that will get a wedge motivated contingency to back him.

Invariably, when he achieves whatever office and finds that narrow position no longer serves his political ambition he abandons it for a new position.
He once played footsie w/the anti-abortion set

A fresh-faced Patrick Brown hopes to seduce Ontario’s Tories: Cohn

Federal backbencher boasts of prior abstinence from provincial politics. But does the pro-life candidate have what it takes to lead the PCs?

www.thestar.com

He also sold himself as opposed to same-sex marriage at one point:

Brown privately said he opposed same-sex marriage: Christian leaders

Jack Fonseca and Charles McVety say Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown told them privately he was against abortion and same sex marriage

www.theglobeandmail.com

On top of which he ran against the idea of a carbon tax or similar.

***

Then, when in a position of having to face the general electorate as PC leader claimed to be pro- all of the above.

He's one who less speaks his mind than what a given audience wants to hear.

But he seems not to have caught on to cell phones, records of social media and people not particularly liking feeling betrayed (though usually in his case that's not a bad thing)....yet....he
also scares off others because they just don't trust him.

He's a very clear two-faced political opportunist. It seemed obvious from day 1 that his mayoralty of Brampton was merely a filler stop-gap position to keep himself in the public eye until a bigger opportunity arose, and here we are. At least John Tory shows genuine passion for Toronto.

Also, how exactly does he plan to "stop" the Liberal-NDP if he were to become CPC leader? It's an insultingly dumb statement to make.

 

[lenaitch]

Ugh.

I really wish Brown could have stuck to one job.

There's a good chance so does he!

 

[John_Dee]

I'm hardly part of Patrick Brown's constituency - if the man can even be said to personally have such a thing - and I can't say I'd ever imagine voting for him...nevertheless, I found myself sympathising with Brown when he was unceremoniously turfed from his former leadership position over a completely phony sex scandal, and all to facilitate the rise of a certain bull-necked thug. It was a slimy, underhanded, dishonorable way of taking him out of commission, and totally in keeping with Thug Ford's typical scumbag political tactics. And that's the case whether Ford was the one pulling the strings there, or if he was only along for the ride.

But my sympathy was short-lived. I soon found my usual cynicism returning when Brown took to social media after Ford won (although it might be more accurate to say Kathleen Wynne lost) to openly gloat about the Cons' victory. I found myself thinking, "Um, dude, didn't these people, like, betray you? And didn't they rather spectacularly fuck you over in the process? Didn't they publicly humiliate you? What exactly are you crowing about here? Do you have any self-respect at all?" Add in how Ford went out of his way to continue making trouble for Brown in the election's aftermath, and it's difficult to not see Patrick Brown as some groveling, whipped cur returning to the same source for further helpings of pain after he's already suffered considerable abuse. It's kinda creepy. And totally in keeping with the case several of you make above for him being a shallow, shameless opportunist.