Conservative: Code Phrase For Assumed Idiocy?

I'm beginning to think that the political parties in this country that bear the name Conservative in their title are either populated by idiots, or they assume that the electorate are idiots.

First off, we have Ralph Klein using advertising dollars to convince Alberta voters that his "dividend" cheques are a "good thing"(tm)

Like anybody else, I'm not going to scream too loudly when a few hundred dollars that I didn't plan on makes its way into my pocket. However, having said that, Ralph's "buy your vote routine" is past old and into the truly insulting. Wasting more of my money to convince me that "it's a good thing"(tm) is the height of arrogance. I can't quite decide which is stupider - the voters of Alberta for continuously returning this goon to office, or Klein for being so full of his own BS that he seems to actually believe that Alberta voters need "convincing". (hmm - shades of the old Soviet propaganda machine, perhaps?)

Then we have this article that talks about the grip that former Prime Minister Mulroney apparently retains over the Conservative party. Newsflash for Conservatives - when Mulroney left office, he held the unique distinction of the lowest polling numbers of any Prime Minister in history. Really people, don't you learn from your mistakes? Mulroney hasn't exactly grown in stature since he left office - his "greatest achievement" - NAFTA - is in tatters today, and outside of Tory circles, I have yet to hear anyone speak of the man with anything resembling reverence.

What is it with "Conservatives"? Don't they learn from their past mistakes? Or is it that they are so anchored in their past that they cannot recognize the good and bad bits of their past? Trust me boys, you won't win an election based on resurrecting Brian Mulroney from the dead. Worshipping at his altar is just stupid. As for Alberta's Ralph Klein - he's simply turned into a third rate dictator with an idiot problem. It's time for him to step aside.