Buzz cuts

In a sense, it's a plus for the NDP's image to be linked to more than just large unions...but that doesn't mean there's any benefit for the party or the union in Buzz Hargrove's willingness to side with PMPM...even if Hargrove's words weren't quite as harmful as his actions:

Earlier, Martin received a ringing endorsement from CAW boss Buzz Hargrove, who said the record of the minority Liberal government in just 17 months shows they should be returned to Ottawa with even more seats, even though the CAW has officially endorsed the New Democrats.

Hargrove explained he'd like to see a Liberal minority with a strong NDP opposition, and said CAW members should vote Liberal if the local New Democrat candidate doesn't stand a good chance of winning.

Harper "doesn't deserve a chance" to undo Liberal initiatives such as same-sex marriage legislation, Hargrove said.

Now, it's hard to see Hargrove's comments as a particularly strong endorsement in any event. After all, his best-case scenario would essentially be the same as the NDP's, but would be a slightly disappointing result for Libs who presumably have their eyes on a majority. Those semantics aside, Hargrove's action is still problematic on many levels.

Part of the problem comes in Hargrove's apparent failure to mention the flip side to his anti-Harper argument: i.e. that to produce his desired end result, voters in weak Liberal ridings would similarly have a strong motivation to vote NDP. More important than Hargrove's words, however, is his willingness to appear at Martin's side and tacitly endorse a wrongheaded Martin speech - particularly in light of the union's official endorsement of the NDP.

I'm not entirely sure how the body which made that endorsement relates to those who decided to invite Martin to the meeting. But it seems fairly contradictory for a union which has endorsed the NDP to now be used as a platform for a Martin attempt to pretend the left side of the political spectrum doesn't exist. And if Hargrove's action was contrary to the will of the bulk of his members, then PMPM is now a contributor to a democratic deficit within the CAW as well as to the one in Canada at large.

Of course, maybe the union has outright turned toward the Liberals, as the article does suggest that PMPM got a standing ovation. If so, then Layton may be forced to turn far more attention than he'd like toward Ontario in an effort to bring the unions back in the fold. But if that's true, then it'll simply direct NDP attention away from ridings across the country where they'd otherwise have been able to challenge the Cons, and thereby help the Cons' chance of getting toward government. Needless to say, it's tough to see that as a win for the CAW either.

We'll find out shortly whether Buzz has pushed the NDP light-years behind their planned standing in the campaign. But either way, it looks like his willingness to help the Libs may be a loss for both his traditional allies and his members.