Be wary of public opinion polls; all sorts of variables can cloud their meaning. In short, skepticism is warranted. 

A carbon tax is not necessarily a bad idea, but for a conservative politician, supporting it is bad politics. Simply put, to keep his base happy, Erin O’Toole can’t be seen as pro-tax. 

A common enemy might unite us, but only temporarily. Plus, there’s another factor to consider: it’s even more difficult to keep a society united against a common enemy, when that common enemy seems to be unbeatable. 

For the NDP to be successful, the Conservatives must have a leader who doesn’t overly spook progressives. 

Erin O’Toole’s main job as leader will be to figure out how he can win over new supporters to his cause without alienating elements of his already existing base. 

Too often politicians get so caught up in their personal echo chambers that they sometimes come to believe that if something is popular within their own socio-economic class it will also be popular across the board. 

There’s an old axiom in politics, 'if you’re denying your dying.' In other words, using negative language when defending yourself is rarely persuasive.  

My sense is, it’s going to be a tight race. So, get ready to batten the hatches, things south of the border will likely get mighty interesting. 

With a federal election possibly in the offing, I guarantee you the Liberals, Conservatives, and New Democrats are all polling the electorate like crazy right now.

It’s plausible that an election is near and that plausibility is all political fundraisers need to inject their pitches with a sense of urgency. And believe me, urgency is a key part of any fundraising message. 

Erin O'Toole's military background will lead voters to draw positive conclusions about his leadership chops.

Erin O'Toole has to prove he can unify conservative factions and lead pragmatically if he wants to move the Conservative Party past the ghost of Stephen Harper.

Government polling can serve a real purpose for the electorate, not just the politicians at the helm.

Never before in our history have political tea-leaf readers had to contend with so many unstable variables, so many unknowns, so many constantly shifting narratives, and so many unprecedented situations. 

The Liberals have managed to stealthily degrade the NDP’s brand without anybody seeing it happen. 

The Liberals always spin Trudeau's scandals into something positive: SNC-Lavalin was about saving jobs, the blackface embarrassment was a 'learning opportunity,' the WE Charity scandal was about helping young people.

It’s extremely easy for the Conservative leadership race to get lost in the sauce. Indeed, sometimes the Conservatives even managed to sabotage their own news cycle. 

How do the Conservatives and New Democrats take the 'We Charity' controversy, with all its facets and all its variables and forge it into a simple narrative that fits into a 30-second TV attack ad? 

The creation of Maxime Bernier's People's Party inspired similar words of alarm, but had little impact on the last election.

If the Canadian flag itself becomes an object of controversy, then the Conservatives have a clear opening to defend it.  

This particular American presidential race promises to be one of the nastiest and most vicious campaigns in living memory, as each team will do its best to demonize the other side.

If you listened to Erin O’Toole’s political opponents, you’d think he had committed something akin to high treason. 

Voters grow disillusioned with politicians who pledge to either move the clock forward or back. 

If you’re a politician, you don’t have to like the media, but you shouldn’t go out of your way to antagonize journalists, since that usually doesn’t end well.