Cowering

Needless to say, the Edmonton Journal's article on the Cons' funnelling of money from Calgary to other ridings (and fondness for extremists like Rob Anders for their contribution to the effort) is worth a read. But perhaps the most interesting bit of information is that even a Con candidate who's trying to pretend to be connected to voters is in fact no less bubble-wrapped than the most controversial socons paraded out under the Cons' banner:

(Ryan) Hastman, who was born and raised in Edmonton and attended the University of Alberta business department, declined to return The Journal's phone calls.

The Conservative Party office in Edmonton also declined to provide a phone number for Hastman or any names of constituency officials. That's private information, they said. Hastman's various phone numbers, provided on websites, end up in voice mail.

Now, it's worth noting that it's patently wrong to claim that information about constituency officials is "private information", considering that it's available through Elections Canada's public database of riding associations.

But leaving aside that the Cons are dead wrong in fact, what's more important is the principle behind their actions. Rather than offering any direct connection to the public, they're in fact pushing new limits in refusing to talk to anybody other than on their own terms. And apparently that rule now applies to seemingly bland candidates like Hastman no less than inflammatory candidates along the lines of Gloria Kovach - which either suggests that the strategy is being extended, or that there's more to the likes of Hastman than the Cons are willing to make public.

Of course, they're presumably counting on being able to paper over that glaring weakness with paid blasts of advertising along with the numerous dubious photo-ops they've given to Hastman as an unelected non-representative. But this looks to be just one more indication that Edmonton-Strathcona voters can count on being served poorly if at all by Hastman - and all the more incentive to put their effort behind a positive alternative.

Edit: Fixed link; comments deleted on request.