CLARK REVEALS SHE'S NEITHER OPEN NOR HONEST

Close, as they say, only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. And
while Christy Clark's NDP opponents were taking comfort Wednesday
night on how close they came to "defeating the premier" with their
rookie candidate David Eby and how well run their campaign was, the
fact is they failed.

The stakes were obviously far higher for Clark. Eby can and will live
to fight another day. For Clark, a loss would have been a disaster,
not just for her political career but for her party who gambled that
in picking this relative outsider to lead, they could shed the
negative image left by former premier Gordon Campbell.

Clark's team set a strategy from the outset and never veered away from
it except to increase the intensity of their attacks on Eby in the
final days. Clark avoided debates that would have given Eby headlines
and the opportunity to call her out on any number of issues. She used
her position as premier and the resources of the provincial treasury
to make announcements that would ingratiate her with the constituents
of Vancouver-Point Grey while driving Eby steadily to the left on the
political spectrum. This further allowed her to paint her opposition
into a corner as "out of touch and way too extreme."

As she proceeded down that path, in the last days of the campaign it
allowed a clearer picture of Clark's true nature as a politician.

She's much more that the smiling, charming proponent of "open and
honest government." In fact, she has proved herself to be neither open
nor particularly honest.

As the attacks on Eby intensified, Clark was aided and abetted by her
campaign chair, Colin Hansen, the former minister of finance and
partner with Campbell in the feckless Liberal HST strategy. It's rare
to have campaign chairs make significant political statements during
campaigns; nonetheless, using what little credibility he had
remaining, Hansen charged that Eby's hiring as the executive director
of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association was a signal the organization
was becoming "more radical."

This will come as news to anyone who knows the history of that
venerable organization and that includes members of the association's
board. The BCCLA has never been a shrinking violet in the defence of
civil liberties.

That bit of misinformation from Hansen was followed last Friday when a
Clark campaign leaflet was sent out once again attacking Eby. The top
item states Eby is "in favour of the legalization and regulation of
all currently illicit drugs."

This is just another example that he is "out of touch and way too
extreme." But the allegation displayed a willful ignorance on Clark's
part and was another attempt to win support with a little fear mongering.

The fact is Eby's position on drugs has been the official position of
the City of Vancouver since 2002 when Larry Campbell was mayor.

The policy remained in place during Sam Sullivan's administration and
still is the city's policy with Gregor Robertson. That's three
mayors--a Liberal, a Tory and an NDPer. How's that for extreme?

A few other points: This campaign was a dry run for the upcoming
provincial election. NDP leader Adrian Dix was as much a target as
Eby. Each side was using lines they'll use in the main match. The NDP
will try to tie Clark to Gordon Campbell and her past as education
minister. She will portray her government as new and "change that
works for you."

The byelection was also the first major test of the public response to
the HST, which helped drag the Liberals down and ultimately drive
Gordon Campbell from office.

While the Liberal vote held, the NDP vote did increase significantly
with Eby and that should concern Clark and her crew.

And finally, Clark's win did break a pattern of 30 years where
provincial governments have lost byelections. That gives her bragging
rights.