THE OBAMA EFFECT?:

Federal Tories pull away in new poll (Bruce Campion-Smith, 9/26/09, Toronto Star)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is outshining rival Michael Ignatieff and putting the Conservatives on track for a possible majority in the next election, a new Angus Reid Strategies/Toronto Star poll has found.

While party numbers remain static, Harper outscores Ignatieff on key questions of leadership that stand to give him a vital competitive edge among voters, said Jodi Shanoff, vice-president of public affairs for Angus Reid Strategies.

"This is not good news for Michael Ignatieff. ... Stephen Harper should be emboldened by numbers like these. They are pretty encouraging for him," she said yesterday.

Not that he deserves any, but it's impressive that Mr. Harper is avoiding any blame for the recent economic unpleasantness (it obviously helps that Canada is outperforming 6-7 peers).

One wonders if having President Obama and Congressional Democrats so nearby hasn't discredited a party of the Left as a viable alternative.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 26, 2009 6:52 AM