Recent Ipso Reid polls should be good news for Ontario Tory Leader Tim Hudak.
He and his party are up 9 per cent over Ontario Premier Wynne and the Ontario Liberals.
Hudak and the Tories are at 37% of decided Ontario voters; Horwath's NDP at 29% and Wynne and the Liberals at 28%.
Also note 66% of those polled agreed that "it is time for another political party to take over."
This is real bad news for Premier Wynne and her band of less than merry Liberals.
But these polls provide even better news to Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.
Horwath and her party are within striking distance of Hudak and currently ahead of Wynne's Liberals.
Also Andrea Horwath (30%) is statistically tied with Hudak (32%) and Wynne (32%) as to who would be the best premier.
This should be also troubling to Premier Wynne.
Premier Wynne has tried vainly to make Ontario voters forget about the dying days and months of the unpopular Dalton McGuinty government.
Premier Wynne has tried to reach out to Ontario rural voters who had felt neglected by the former McGuinty government. And were also alienated by McGuinty's insensitive push to build wind turbines in their backyards, without their consent. In Dalton's fruitless effort to turn Ontario into a renewal energy superpower.
Talk about Dalton tilting at windmills.
Wynne has also tried to cool the tempers of the thousands of Ontario public school teachers who, only a few months ago, had turned their backs on the Liberal party, for ignoring and abusing their collective bargaining rights. And hitting them in their pocketbooks as well.
Recall these teachers were mighty agitated about the Government eliminating or seriously reducing their sacrosanct banked unused sick days. Which these teachers earned by accumulating unpaid sick days and turning these banked unpaid sick days into cash on retirement.
Sort of like Cold for Cash!! Basinga!
But notwithstanding Wynne's "touchy feely" mode of government. And apple-polishing the teachers.
The Wynne government is still weighed down by past Liberal scandals: eHealth, Ornge and of course the half billion dollar + gas plant cancellations debacle.
Gas plants in Mississauga and Oakville were shut down, and relocated to save the seats of four Liberals, in the last election, at an outrageous cost, over half a billion dollars, bought and paid for by the Ontario taxpayers.
Because Wynne was a senior Cabinet Minister at the time and Co-chair of the Liberal election campaign, she has to wear the gas plant scandals as a badge of dishonor. Her excuse that she was not present at a pivotal meeting, is pathetically lame. It is beneath contempt. It is an insult to the intelligence of Ontario voters. It simply won't fly.
So Horwath has Wynne on the ropes. Wynne is winded, but she is not down yet.
So what must Horwath do?
Does she prop up the Wynne government for another year? Or does she go in for the kill?
I urge Horwath to channel her inner Sheryl Sandberg. Don't fear success.
"Lean in" and put Wynne away, politically.
Don't be swayed by Wynne's promise to reduce car insurance premiums and fund home care.
That is such small beer. It is unworthy of the NDP to be so bought off .
Horwath should also channel her inner Hamilton.
The City of Hamilton has been knocked on its ass. But it is fighting back with grit and backbone.
The town is a survivor . Like local girl Horwath. And Hamilton's number one daughter is the epitome of Steel Town.
She is feisty, gritty, and a bit raunchy. (I really like that in a woman)
With steel for a backbone. And great hair. (nearly as nice as Justin's)
She is a Hamilton Tiger-Cat, through and through, for God sakes!
And they don't come no tougher than Andrea Horwath.
Now is her time. While the memories of the Liberal scandals are still fresh in the voters' minds.
Horwath should not, knock politely on the Premier's door.
She should break the door down, and charge through. Like the famous Hamilton Tiger-Cat, Angelo Mosca.
Oppose the Budget. Force an Election. And throw the Liberal bums for a loss.
And out of office.
Then she should really surprise Ontario by attacking the deficit; taming public union pensions and salaries; tackling our skyrocketing health costs.
And finally building a mass transit system worthy of the great cities of Ontario.
Wouldn't that be a political game changer?
Horwath is the only Ontario political leader with the steel cojones to pull this off.
The question is, "Can she man up?"