The Target Demographic Bails Out

I went to visit my great aunt recently, and she looked troubled. Finally she said, "I just can't do it."

I waited.

"I've voted Conservative all my life," she said. "But I can't do it any more." She shook her head, and I could see it tore at her. I saw her parents and grandparents standing behind her, a whole ghostly crowd of deeply conservative people who worked hard, gave to the needy, saved for big purchases instead of using hire-purchase, and were mortified if a cheque didn't clear.

They were never a wealthy family, but careful with every penny -- loyal, thoughtful, polite and quiet. "Conservative" is the underlying bedrock of her family, and she's finally convinced that the Conservatives aren't conservative.

She made her decision grieving, but she made it. She can't bear to vote this year for the Canadian Conservatives.

Another example: a family dear to me is the archetypal conservative family, so rare these days. They could be filmed as a documentary example of an endangered species.


Dad works, mom stays home, the kids do their homework, the daily life is ordered and predictable, supper is made from scratch every night, money is budgeted years in advance. This isn't even the 50s -- go back to the late 30s for a comparison.

They do not actually spit at the mention of the Conservative party, but they might if they were outdoors. They tell me they will vote this year, as for the past few elections, for the NDP.

This leads to a question: if my thoughtful and archetypally conservative friends cannot abide the Conservatives, then who actually supports them? And why?

Noni