Angry in the Great White North

When I wrote about Liberal Helpings, I pointed out that the money spent on throwing the party would be considered a donation.

Some of my reader thought I was dead wrong.  Some of my readers are Liberals.

The logic of your post evaporates after the words "sounds like a good idea".

Is these kind of weak inventions the kind of mud that the Conservatives are paying for these days??? It's their money I guess.

Two things wrong about Ted's comment.  First, I don't get paid.  Second, it is a donation!

From the guide for Liberal Helpings hosts as provided by the Liberal Party of Canada:

Fundraising Details:

*Please note that the Liberal Party is unable to reimburse hosts for any expenses incurred during Liberal Helpings. If you expect the expenses to exceed $200, you must contact Carly Erickson via helpings@liberal.ca.

Of course, $200 is the threshold at which a donation must a reported to Elections Canada along with the name and address of the donor.

So Ted, I think it's fair to say that I was right.  Go ahead, say it. The cost of hosting a party counts as a donation!

Moving on.

So what is the current status of Liberal Helpings, according to Liberal Party National Director Rocco Rossi?

March 27th is fast approaching and we would like you to join us at one of over 90 Liberal Helpings events in more than 70 ridings held across Canada. In fact, why not add to the ranks and host your own?

I went to the website and worked my way through the list.    There are only 30 parties listed, meaning two-thirds of the 90 parties are closed affairs.  Nothing wrong with that, of course.  But plotting the listed parties on a map shows something quite interesting:

See how the Liberal Helpings are clustered in southern Ontario?

Here is an excerpt from the original Rocco Rossi email from February 23:

The greatest strength of the Liberal Party has always been the people who come together under its banner. On March 27th, host or join us at one of the hundreds of Liberal Helpings events held around the country and help build the Liberal momentum.

Liberal Helpings is an exciting, grassroots fundraising initiative, where Liberals from all across the country get together in living rooms, kitchens, and halls on the same night. The next Liberal Helpings takes place on Friday, March 27th, and we need dedicated supporters like you to host events.

"Hundreds" of Liberal Helpings from coast to coast.

Now look again the current email:

Is there a Liberal Helpings event with your name on it?

March 27th is fast approaching and we would like you to join us at one of over 90 Liberal Helpings events in more than 70 ridings held across Canada. In fact, why not add to the ranks and host your own?

Hundreds?  Not even one hundred.  How does that "help build Liberal momentum"?

There are 77 Liberal-held ridings in Canada.  You might think these 70 parties are lining up with Liberal ridings, but you'd be wrong.  Here is a list of the ridings and MPs in which these fundraisers are being held:

So we've got a 30% sample size, which is huge, and what do we see?  Interest is centered geographically, focused almost entirely in southern Ontario.  There is no clear correlation with whether the riding is held by the Liberals, in Ontario or anywhere else in the country.

Liberals in other ridings across the country just don't seem be engaged in this, even if the riding association is backing a sitting Liberal MP.  It looks like the Liberals under Michael Ignatieff still aren't connecting with their supporters outside of their Ontario-based strongholds.

I get a sense that they were hoping for over two parties for every three ridings.  Instead, the Liberals haven't gotten even one party for every three ridings, closer to one for every four.  That's not good news for fundraising, or for building a base to grow the party outside of Ontario.

The data suggests that Liberals outside of Ontario just aren't any more excited about Michael Ignatieff than they were about Stephane Dion.

Momentum for building the party?  Still not there.

So if you are planning to go to one of these parties, have a good time.  And if you are one of the few hosting such a party, just remember to track your expenses and report them to the Liberal Party as donations.  Don't listen to Ted.  Ever.