Tim Hudak, Let Frank Speak!

As we have seen Frank Klees has unearthed a ton of trouble from one Tim Hudak. The Toronto Star recently outlined just a few of his growing list of problems: http://bit.ly/uIKiy4

From the Star:

But Hudak has more trouble than just Klees. Among them:

 • Widespread anger among party supporters for what they deem a blown election by Hudak, who once seemed headed for a solid majority victory. In June, Hudak had a 15-point lead over Dalton McGuinty. That lead vanished during Hudak’s mistake-ridden campaign in which he failed to recognize the economy was the top issue for voters and never really managed to tell voters why he would make a better premier than McGuinty.

 • Growing dissent between progressive conservatives and the right-wing faction on the Queen’s Park backbenches. The split is so divisive that former leader Ernie Eves said on the eve of the election that he’s worried about the direction of the Hudak-led party, warning that some individuals are attempting to bring American Tea Party-style politics to Ontario.

 • Hudak’s failure to rid himself of top advisers, especially campaign manager Mark Spiro and communications director Jason Lietaer, who are blamed for developing the party’s election strategy a year ago, then failing to revise it at all when the shaky economy — not tax cuts — became the big issue in the minds of voters.

 • The appointment of Tom Long, a longtime Conservative strategist from the Mike Harris era, to conduct an internal review of the party’s performance. Long is considered a good friend of Hudak. But Long, who in 2000 ran for the leadership of the former Canadian Alliance, may still harbour dreams of one day leading a political party and could have his own agenda.

 • Circling by potential leadership rivals, led by Jim Flaherty. The federal finance minister is reportedly tired of the heavy international travel required in his job, which keeps him away from his Whitby home for long stretches at a time. Also, Flaherty realizes his boss, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, isn’t likely to step aside until well after the next election in 2015. Flaherty, who finished second to Eves in the 2002 provincial leadership race, has made little secret that he wants to run his own show.

At the same time, Flaherty’s wife, MPP Christine Elliott, who ran and lost against Hudak in 2009 for the party leadership, is said to be tiring of Queen’s Park and would happily step aside for her husband to run in her Whitby-Oshawa riding.

The Conservatives’ constitution requires the party to hold a leadership review vote at the first party convention after an election defeat.

Frank Klees is die hard conservative who would not put his party through such pain lightly. He can see the Landowners (an angry group of hard right US – Tea Party style militants) starting to take over the Ontario Conservatives. And rightly so, Klees wants off this ship.

 

UPDATE: (November 2, 2011)

It appears Tim Hudak has forced Frank Klees to write an apology letter. Frankly Speaking everyone sees through this.

Tim Hudak’s… er Frank Klees’ Apology Letter.