Whose boy is you?

The reaction to the decision of Brad Cabana to enter the PC leadership race has been lamentably predictable.

“He’s not even one of the Newfoundland Cabanas.”

To wit, some comments from CBC’s coverage:

Spudss wrote:
Posted 2011/01/10 at 1:01 PM ET
What in God's name is a Brad Cabana from Ramia ? We have had our share of nut-bars from the mainland mudelling in our politics...now, because of this clown, the province has to stagger around without leadership until this convention is over...what a bloody nusence this guy is!!!!

BigHeddy wrote:
Posted 2011/01/10 at 4:55 PM ET
This gent isnt even a Newfoundlander,its clear that the PC members want miss Dunderdale to leed them into 2011,Take them to court will you Mr.Cabana.How much respect or support do you think you will gain by doing such a foolish thing.Its like a schoolyard bully,Let me play with you ,or i'll beat you up.

From comments on VOCM’s coverage:

Wasting his time Said:
Awww, how sweet. Not only does he love Danny, he wants to be him. What part of NL did the Cabana's settle in anyway? Never heard of that name, could he be a mainlander?

Darrell Said:
Another CFA looking to take a hi paying position away from a true Newfoundlander we already had one at Eastern Health

PB Said:
He is not even a NATIVE Newfoundlander... Good luck with your political aspirations,,,in ALBERTA....

From comments on VOCM’s Question of the Day on Tuesday:

Central Said:
if it was a newfoundlander yes but not someone from another province, its no difference he won,t get a look in

Townie Said:
This guy is a joke and he isn't from NL. The big joke of 2011

Gord Said:
The guy from Saskatchewan don't stand a chance

Paul Said:
Why this Brad Cabana from Saskatchewan, and who the heck is he?

Lou Lou Said:
I am all for a competition, however, as soon as I heard Mr. Cabana speak I was sure he wouldn't get my vote.
-He appears to be oblivious to process
-He is a Mainlander

NFONE Said:
He's a no body go back to the mainland

And from comments on the Telegram’s web coverage:

HARVEY - January 10th, 2011 at 11:20:39
Mr. Cabana...a mainlander becoming the first Newfie joke of the year!!!

mary - January 11th, 2011 at 08:31:55
This guy was the mayor of a community of 96 people, this is not exactly experience He is a self proclaimed political scientist - in other words, he says he is one. He has lived in NL for less than 2 years and he claims to have roots here some 200 years back. Methinks that this is a CFA who thinks NLers are suckers and/or needs a CFA to help them.

And:

is this a joke - January 11th, 2011 at 10:50:21
This must be a joke, go back to Saskatchewan.

Looking across Canada — you are allowed to do that — Premier Greg Selinger of Manitoba is originally from, um, Saskatchewan. Yukon Premier Denis Fentie is from Alberta. David Alward, champion of New Brunswick and Newfoundland Tories alike, at least for now, was born in Massachusetts.

Historically, ten of the pre-Confederation Prime Ministers of Newfoundland weren’t “native”. The first, Philip Francis Little, was born in PEI. Kent, Monroe, and Alderdice were from Ireland; Charles Fox Bennett, the great anti-Confederate nationalist hero, was English, as were Whiteway, Goodridge, and Lloyd. Thorburn was Scottish, as was the father of representative government, William Carson.

Historically, Irish Newfoundlanders named John Cannon and William Power were both active in 19th-century politics in Lower Canada, now Quebec, and were among the founding generations of prominent political families there. (John Cannon, yes, is one of those Cannons.)

At the federal level, Carbonear native William Duff was elected MP in Nova Scotia; Harbour Grace’s Sir Thomas Roddick in Quebec; St. Georges’ John Albert Messervy in PEI; and Saul Bonnell in B.C.

More recently, Gull Island (Newfoundland) native Louise Feltham was a one-term PC MP from Alberta, Placentia native Harry Verran was a one-term Liberal MP from Nova Scotia, and current Conservative MP Rob Moore from New Brunswick was born in Gander.

Not only does New Brunswick has a Premier who was born south of the border and an MP from Newfoundland, its governing caucus has a multiple-term MLA and cabinet minister, Margaret-Ann Blaney, who comes from… Corner Brook. The one in Newfoundland.

Another recovering Corner Brookster, Derek Wells, served as a Nova Scotia MP and is still active in provincial and federal Liberal politics in that province.

A bookish man from Grand Bank became Senator Eugene Forsey of Ontario.

A Townie named Jim Armour is vice-chair of the North Grenville Public Library Board in eastern Ontario, for crying out loud, among his better-known partisan political backroom activity.

And out on the left coast, an expat Newfoundlander of some prominence, who now lives in the beautiful mid-Island, is now actively helping to organize a revival of the long-defunct Conservative Party of British Columbia.

There may (or may not) be some technical reason, internal to the PC Party of Newfoundland and its shoddy constitution, why Brad Cabana shouldn’t be allowed to run for his party’s leadership.

There may or may not be some reason why Brad Cabana should not meet with the approval of either eligible PC Party voters or the general electorate.

His birth certificate is not one of those reasons.