Who do you want to become Liberal Party leader?

[Cascadian]

Now that Paul Martin has decided to move aside, who is out there who would be able to revive the Liberals back to prominence and vision? Any notable names?

My hope is that the Liberal Party does not continue the "Tory Lite" act. They ought to come up with a person who will be able to bring back people who normally would have voted for them. Somebody to "dazzle" the voters and get the job done effectively. Also, somebody who is not going to kiss Bush's backside.



John

[Canadian_moderate]

1. We already have the NDP

We don't need two parties left of centre.

Frank McKenna might be a good choice.

[jackbourassa]

2. I say Brian Tobin, or someone new all together

I don't like McKenna.

Part of the reason the Liberals lost was because they bled support to the NDP.

[Mother Jones]

5. Agreed

Brian Tobin is my pick too......No McKenna, or Ignatieff or Stronach(not that she's seriously in the running), if the Liberals are really serious about getting back to the glory days.


Still holding out hope for Justin Trudeau, at some point in the near future...we'll see.

[elare]

18. I agree

I keep thinking Justin Trudeau. I don't think Tobin will go for it ... can't think of anyone who really overwhelmingly impresses me.

[V. Kid]

24. Not really...

...maybe in Ontario, but people seemed to vote more tactically in BC. The Liberals lost support to the Conservatives in places like the 905, and other key areas. Not to mention getting their butts kicked in Quebec.

[daleo]

3. If there was no Liberal Party, the NDP would move toward the centre

Thus, just recapitulating the current alignment. Granted, the new "left" party might be a smidgen more left of centre than the Liberal, but not much.

[Spazito]

14. Well said, I totally agree with your analysis n/t

[Spazito]

9. Frank McKenna, a member of the Carlyle Group, not a chance!

He was a director in the infamous Carlyle Group before being appointed Ambassador and that little goodie was brought into the public eye during the debate over his appointment.

[V. Kid]

23. Oh, Frank McKenna would be good if they want to completely...

...copy what the Conservatives do. I say occupy the same space as the Conservatives, it'll give the NDP room to grow.

[SidDithers]

4. As deadly dull as he is, Ken Dryden might be an option...

Canadian icon, intelligent, bilingual (I think?). 6 Stanley cups for Les Canadiens might carry some weight in Quebec, too.

I don't need flashy.

Sid

[Mother Jones]

6. You sound like my husband

He feels the same way....and yes, Dryden is very fluent in French.

[IntravenousDemilo]

17. I should hope he's fluent in French,

after all those years in Montreal.

[Roho]

11. DING DING DING

Dryden isn't boring at all.

He was just laying low imo while the sponsorship scandal blew through town.

As an avid NDP'r I'd even like to see him as PM.

[Telly Savalas]

19. I saw a talking head on TV last week suggest him as an option

All I really know about the guy is that he's behind the child care plan which is a big plus for him.

[glarius]

7. Call me crazy, but I like Stephane Dion as a possibility .

I find him to be a bright, informed, compassionate person. He just impresses me. I also like Brian Tobin.

[HEyHEY]

8. Anyone but Stronach

Or a Quebecois. Only because Stronach would be easy picking sin the character assassination department and it can't be a Quebecois because now we have a Western PM, something the west has wanted for a long time (Kim Campbell doesn't count)and if they hoist up another Quebecois to be the Pm, they'll be a bit of a backlash.

[Minstrel Boy]

10. I think McKenna will be packaged as a "left" candidate

which is pretty funny. But Martin aside, they're unusually good at packaging.

[Mother Jones]

13. I think that's doubtful

but I could be wrong.

If the Liberals want to go for the George-Bush-Fear-Factor again, particularly after Harper starts currying favour down there, there's no way they would pick McKenna....as was mentioned, his ties to Carlyle will backfire on the libs. We could then have, in theory, 2 neo-cons in a race.....hardly a good way to rebuild your base OR try to steal votes from the cons.

[IntravenousDemilo]

12. How about Scott Brison? n/m

[jackbourassa]

15. I just hope the Liberals don't go in the other direction

And turn into DLC type Democrats - arguing that "this is the only way to win." IF so, the resurrgence of the NDP may grow by leaps and bounds.

[Sticky]

16. The first gay Prime Minister

Hell yeah!

On a serious note, Scott does a lot for the people of this community and he's well loved and respected by this rural riding.

[Manix]

20. Prior to Frank McKenna's appointment, it was reported that

Brian Mulroney vouched for him to the Bush Administration. Enough said!

[daleo]

21. How about Justin Trudeau?

Ah, maybe in ten years.

My wife says Anne McLellan will be the one. Someone at work wondered about Jean Charest.

[iverglas]

22. hold on there

Who do you want to become Liberal Party leader?

Now that Paul Martin has decided to move aside, who is out there who would be able to revive the Liberals back to prominence and vision?

Those are two completely unrelated questions.

If they were merged into one --

Who do you want to become the Liberal Party leader who would be able to revive the Liberals back to prominence and vision?

-- I'd have to answer "mu", because it would be a loaded question: loaded with the premise that I want someone to become the Liberal Party leader who would bring that party back to prominence and vision.

Come to think about it, the premise itself is loaded with another premise: that the Liberal Party ever had vision.

Any vision the Liberal Party ever had is not one I'm interested in, and anyone I want to become its leader is not someone who would bring it back to prominence.

So hmm. I guess I'd have to say Belinda Stronach. A little rottenly rich girl devoid of any moral compass who is thick as two planks. Sounds just the ticket.

[iverglas]

25. I can't believe this "Justin Trudeau" crap

I really can't. I really can't think of much more to say.

Wills has to do his time at Sandhurst; surely we should expect our own boys to put in theirs at RMC or something.

I begin to wonder whether the more obnoxious and, I thought, uninformed of our neighbours to the south, always yammering about Canadians tugging our forelocks and curtsying, haven't got it right.

[IntravenousDemilo]

26. Thing is,

...our more uninformed and anti-democratic neighbours to the south also think nothing of political "dynasties" (Kennedys, Bushes, etc, way back to the Adamses), and as a strict egalitarian I think that's a horrid notion. Let's not try to set up people as "saviours" just because their parents also were politicians, shall we? We've already had a taste of the Martin "dynasty" and its scion who thought he had a divine right to the keys to 24 Sussex. What's next, a bunch more little MacKays running for high office? Peter's dad was a politician as well (mind you, so was Jack Layton's). So you're right, this Justin Trudeau crap is just that -- crap. Once we've exhasted all other families in Canada, then maybe we can get back to the Trudeau family.

We have one royal family -- one -- and that one is resident in London. We don't need to anoint another, no matter how "magical' the surname might be.

[Mother Jones]

27. hey now, you two....

I didn't mean to suggest him out of any allegiance to a dynasty!

Goodness, I would go so far as to say that we should scrap this royal family nonsense too. Sorry, not a fan.


I happen to like Justin's environmental activism. He also does alot of work with youths, and I'd like to see someone like him expand their influence to that end, across our country.