Bob Rae Liberal Interim Leader

So does that mean that he’s it for the next 18 to 24 months?

How effective of a leader will he be for the Liberal Party, but perhaps more importantly, how will he bring the Liberals back from extinction?  Can they be competitive in the next Federal Election, or will they be the party that disappears, as Harper pushes us towards a two party system?

The arguement of not funding the political parties, publicly, is that it will allow the people to choose which party is worthy of their cash, but that is theory.  Reality is, a political party not publicly funded, will need to align itself with some special interest group, that has the money to bankroll their efforts.

That simply doesn’t bode well for people. It transfers power from us, to special interest groups, and let’s be honest. Those groups will support a party, providing they get what they want. In short, it is a SELL OFF.  It doesn’t weaken the political parties, but strengthens big business interests. It weakens, the ability of those disadvantaged, from having a clear voice.

It does weaken the system, not enhance it.

Bob Rae, a former NDP Premier, has his job cut out for him. He has to provide a public face, to a party in disarray, that has left its roots over the last five or so years. Paul Martin did a huge disservice to the Liberal Party, by being its leader.

The Liberal Party was a blend of business and people. It was a middle of the road Party, that appealed to many Canadians, not because it was only for this, or opposed to that, but because it was willing to reach a middle ground.  It was that spirit that gave us National Health, and that alone has helped set this country apart, from our giant neighbour to the south.

We are facing tough economic times ahead, and the so called Global Market concept, endorsed by our Prime Minister and his mentor Brian Mulroney, and his hero George W. Bush, is not working. It has led to several world recessions, that is far from over.

Both Bob Rae and Jack Layton have a huge task ahead of them. There is little that can keep Harper in check now, which means that in four years or so, we will be facing a totally different Country, than we have had since Confederation. Our rights, as individuals are already being trampled on, and it will only get worse, so what will Bob Rae do?

Or does it even matter?

The die has been cast, so does it really matter what us poor folks, us Middle Class people think, as we have lost the war against Corporate Control? Are we moving to a society like depicted in the Dune Series, where Corporate Rule dominated the Galaxies?

Prices are rising, and our Government has no problem with that. To Harper, the Market determines the price, and if we can’t afford it, well, we are just shit out of luck. Can Bob Rae bring any leverage to bear, to curtail or slow down the Conservative Agenda?

Be interesting to see, as well it be interesting to see who steps up, to try and take the golden ring, and become the Next Liberal Permanent Leader?   Justin Trudeau? Someone else? Ken Dryden?

Bob Rae Wants 2 Years as Interim Leader

Well, actually he’d like 18 months to 24 months, to be the Interim Leader, rather than a shorter time frame.  In some ways, it kind of makes sense too.  Plus, it also means that he isn’t seeking the Permanent Leadership, to lead the party into the next election, or is he?

I do agree with the reasoning, of expecting the job to be for a bit longer than a few months. I mean, they do need to rebuild, and they shouldn’t be rushing to get a new leader, before they decide on some of the other issues.  Like exactly what has gone wrong since Jean Chretien was forced out by Paul Martin.

In addition, it does give potential new leaders, an opportunity to formulate their own plans, to put their own vision into focus, so they can present to the Liberal Party Membership, what they see as the future for the Party.

All that makes sense, but the kicker is, do I believe that Bob Rae really is not going to seek the permanent job? I mean think about it, IF he does a decent job of holding the Party together, becomes an effective opposition critic of the Harper Regime, will he really just fade away?

Or is he hoping that in two years of his interim leadership, the Party will come to him, asking HIM to be their leader against Harper?

Is he perhaps hoping that polls will show him a clear choice to fight Harper, in a two year span?

Smart politics, IF he can pull it off.  Question is, Can He?

Some Liberals Upset at Interim Rules

Well, you know what I’d say to them, that are complaining about the two big stipulations?

TOUGH SHIT, LIVE WITH IT.

Honestly, it actually makes sense for the Interim Leader NOT be a possible candidate for the Permanent Leader, nor that they be allowed to discuss a MERGER with any other Political Party.

To begin with, the whole MERGER BS leaves me cold on the Liberal Party.  It comes across as merely an attempt to re-invent themselves as something different, without actually making any changes.  It also comes across as being a POWER GRAB.

Secondly, the idea that the Interim Leader is not going to be a contender for top spot, allows for more fairness. I mean, as Interim Leader, he/she could put themselves into a better spot, to win that leadership vote.  I mean come on, just look at all the behind the scenes drama the Alliance Party went through, when they finally dumped that racist Day.

So if Bob Rae is worried about that, then perhaps he should go back to the NDP?

After all, he is in the RED corner, not the ORANGE anymore.  I just don’t think he ever was out of the Orange, and I lay the blame for all this confusion on Paul Martin, who was so desperate to be Prime Minister, he stuffed the party with anyone who he thought could win, and help him stay on as PM.   IT DIDN’T WORK, NOW DID IT?

IF the Liberal Party hopes to regain its past glory, it needs to be clearly different than the ruling Conservatives, or even the NDP.  People wanted change, they didn’t want Harper, and thanks to the way the Liberal Party conducted itself, the only choice they had, was the NDP.

Leaders MUST BE ACCESSIBLE to the elected members, to the candidates, and to the supporters.  Otherwise, well, you wind up with just THIRTY FOUR SEATS. You can’t run a party, from behind closed doors. You have to be out there, be seen.  Something Michael Ignatieff did NOT do.

He may be a nice guy, may be smart, may even have been a great Prime Minister, but he was too closed off. Least he gave me that perception. ( funny how that word keeps showing up, isn’t it? ) When the Attack Ads kept showing up before the actual election call, there was no response, no counter measures. It left the impression that what those ads said, was true.  Or at least more true than not.

And you can’t win elections with that baggage.

Whoever is chosen, must be seen as a Real Leader, who has to BE OUT THERE, not hiding behind some closed door, or off on some secretive strategy meetings.  Doing anything but being 100% TRANSPARENT will only give Harper another election win.

AND THAT WOULD SPELL THE END OF A MULTY PARTY CANADA.

Liberals, Mergers, Non Contender

I was wondering why Jean Chretien was pushing for Bob Rae to be the Interim Leader of the Liberals.  Gotta give him credit, he is still a shrewd cookie.  Seems that there is a memo, going around in which the Interim Leader for the Liberals would have some serious limitations put on whoever it is.

1. The Interim Leader can’t enter into negotiations for a merger of the Liberal Party with another party, most notably the NDP.

And like that is a bad thing? Hell, for me, that should be a no-brainer, because let’s be honest here. Mergers are what Power Traders want, to grab more control, to grab more of the elusive power.  Only need to look at Stephen Harper to see how wrong that is, in a long term.

( yeah okay, he traded in the Reform Party/Alliance Party to snare the Conservative Party, and now he’s got himself a majority, but in the long term, it won’t be good news. After all, what is the Conservative Party today, is far afield from what a true conservative is. )

2. The Interim Leader can’t seek the Leadership.

Now that makes sense on why Chretien would push Bob Rae.  It would prevent him from seeking the nomination, which frankly is a good thing. I mean come on, the guy was an NDP Premier, and not a very good one.  Hell, there are still people in Ontario that cringe at his name.

No one asked me, but then hell I am not a Liberal Party Member, but IF they want a return to the Glory Days, then perhaps they need to get back to what made them that, under Chretien, Under Trudeay, Pearson.

The change in direction, created by Paul Martin, has left them a shadow of their former selfs. That change has not been able to connect with the VOTERS, simply because it is undefined. It is a mix of this and that, which simply doesn’t mesh together.

Stephane Dion came close, but had no actual support from the rest of the Party. That spelled his defeat, and from what I’ve seen, Michael Ignatieff could have done more, to support Dion.  The result, is the Liberals are sitting with only 30 seats.  Something I think Jean Chretien recognized, and why perhaps he’s pushing for Rae to be Interim Leader. ( given the stipulations ).  After all, many consider Rae the front runner for the Leader’s job.

And at what price to a future return of the Liberal Party?

Election Perception – Michael Ignatieff

Join the Big Red Tent, but it seemed, a lot of people decided to not step inside. Other than Gilles Duceppe, I think Michael Ignatieff was one of the biggest losers of the night, as far as politicians went.  In all honesty, I think the biggest loser on May 2, was Canada.

So how did the Liberals go from being in Opposition, to being a distant 3rd?

Hindsight is damn good, but you know, I honestly think that the Liberals have lost part of their charm, part of their charisma, that made them so popular over the years. And no, Ad Scam wasn’t really all that bad of a screw up.  Problem really was, that Paul Martin couldn’t get past it. I doubt if he really tried even, as he tried to mold the Liberal Party into something of his own, rather than what it was.

Neither Stephane Dion or Michael Ignatieff could get past what Paul Martin did to the Liberal Party.  Too many so called  ‘Star Candidates’ which was never something associated with the Liberals. It watered down the true meaning of being a Liberal. It blurred the lines for many who looked to them, for leadership.

Instead we got NDP cast offs, like an ex BC Premier, and ex Ontario Premier, who is now poised to perhaps become the next leader of them.  I know, people switch parties, but let’s be honest here.  You can’t make such a big shift, or can you?

The other big difference, or change, was the support of the Leader, irrespective of who it was. Stephane Dion had little, if any true support from the big wigs in the Party, like Ignatieff, like Rae, or Dojanii.  Instead he was left in the wind, alone to fend off the Harper attacks.

Yet despite that, despite his poor English, he held the Party together. He did what was right, and who knows, had he stayed, things might be a lot different today. With a bit of real support, from people like Ignatieff, like Rae, he might be our Prime Minister today, not Stephen Harper.

And there perhaps, is what went wrong for Michael Ignatieff Monday.