Election Night Reflection

Tonight tensions were high as the Progressive Conservative Party awaited the results from the poles. As I stood there and observed the scene around me I was at first intimidated and then invigorated. Although the night got off to a slow start, various campaign workers started to pour in. Feeling that there was no time like the present, I quickly got out my notepad and went to work. I had the chance to interview Ron Dancey who was the Co-Campaign Manager for Dan McCreary. He was very opinionated on the matter of the Referendum. He truly does not believe that the public is ready for it. He believes that John Tory is either “ahead or behind the public” in regard to introducing the Referendum.

As we watched, the results of the campaign began to filter in. Quickly we discovered that not only had Dan McCreary lost in Brant, but that John Tory was unsuccessful in unseating Premier Dalton McGuinty. McGuinty showed considerable strength at the poling stations as he won in his riding and began to win elsewhere, including Brant.

At one point, it seemed as if John Tory would have trouble simply winning in his own riding. Truly, the Conservatives seemed to be on a downward spiral most of the night. As Dan McCreary entered Moose Winooski’s at around 11:00 pm he told everyone that he was very proud of the people that had worked with him on the campaign and that “ we could not have done any better” although, “we went down in flames all throughout Ontario.” With a grin McCreary optimistically told the crowd that “Nothing bodes better for PC than four more years of McGuinty.” This, I thought, was exactly the optimistic attitude that was needed to end off a disappointing night for McCreary.

Overall I found election night invigorating. It truly forced me to jump out of my comfort zone. Usually I am a very outgoing person, but the election seemed to intimidate me. Knowing that I had to quickly overcome this fear in order to be successful and complete the task set before me, I began to pull more people aside. As I spoke to people the illusion of intimidation that I had set for myself began to melt away. The questions flowed and the pleasant manner in which people greeted my questions helped me to open up journalistically.

I know that not all reporting will be pleasant and that in being a reporter one must ask the hard questions and be ready for the rude responses, but perhaps that is part of the allure of the profession. As journalists we have the ability to formulate informed questions and demand answers from the people that count. Tonight was a very eye-opening experience for me. I learned that being a journalist means not being afraid to get your hands dirty, there is no time to be shy, or the opportunities will just pass you by.