bill objects the word "sucks" is one I dislike very much. It seems quite likely that it originated in an activity that is not party talk.

yah, boo! (as shanks would say.)
that may be a logical assumption to draw, bill, but the OED traces it differently; to wit:

15f. To be contemptible or disgusting. slang. Cf. suck n.1 12.
1971 It 2–16 June 3/2 Polaroid sucks! For some time the Polaroid Corporation has been supplying the South African government with large photo systems+to use for photographing blacks for the passbooks+every black must carry. 1976 G. V. Higgins Judgment of Deke Hunter vi. 59, I had a lousy summer.+ I thought it sucked, and I bet next summer'll suck too. 1978 M. Gordon Final Payments xi. 193 All the hotels have the same pictures. The last one, the food sucked.

and so we dutifully follow along to the noun.1 12:

12. Canad. slang. A worthless or contemptible person. Cf. suck v. 15f; suck-hole* s.v. suck-.
1974 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 8 Mar. 1/6 The teachers are copping out. They're now saying, if we can't have our way, then we're going to be sucks and refuse to work. 1975 Citizen (Ottawa) 28 Oct. 1/1 A neighbor described Rob as ‘a quiet guy who was always getting put down a lot. Lots of people used to call him a suck.+ He didn't do much socially or in the way of sports.’

...but this also regresses to n.1.11:
11. pl. as int. Used as an expression of contempt, chiefly by children. Also in phr. sucks to you and varr. slang.
1913 C. Mackenzie Sinister Street I. i. vii. 98 This kid's in our army, so sucks! 1922 F. Hamilton P.J.: Secret Service Boy iv. 178 ‘S’, he announced, ‘u,c,k,s,t,o,y,o,u.’ 1935 N. Mitchison We have been Warned i. 28 Brian is a baby. Oh sucks, oh sucks on Brian. 1945 E. Waugh Brideshead Revisited ii. v. 287 It's great sucks to Bridey. 1952 ‘C. Brand’ London Particular xv. 191 A most regretable air of sucks to you. 1968 Melody Maker 30 Nov. 24/5 This is a rotten record—yah boo and sucks. 1974 Times 4 Mar. 9/5 Sucks boo, then, with acting like this, to that new National Theatre down the road. 1978 ‘J. Lymington’ Waking of Stone ii. 45 ‘Sucks to you!’ she said+tossing her head so her pigtails swung. 1983 Listener 19 May 11/1 The council treated the urbane Mr Cook to the politician's equivalent of ‘Yah, boo, sucks’.

I sincerely hope that explication didn't suck too much.

*suck-hole - [n] a whirlpool [v] to toady [he won't suck-hole to anyone]