The best the Liberals can offer?

[Telly Savalas]

I haven't been following the leadership race too closely, but from what I've seen it looks like top Liberal Party officials have placed large bets on a Tory victory in the next election and are actively working to put in the fix. One need look no further than the 3 most high profile leadership candidates:

1. Iggy: His support of Bush's war in Iraq and his "nuanced" positions on torture offer the worst possible strategy for stopping the bleeding of Liberal support on the left.

2. Bob Rae: Granted I moved here during the Harris debacle, so I didn't witness the guy in action first hand, but is there anybody who thinks he did a good job as premier of Ontario?

3. Joe Volpe: I'm convinced this guy is a Conservative operative who's running for the sole purpose of smearing the Liberal Party. Anybody who thinks that the Liberals can shed their image of being corrupt by choosing a guy who openly accepts donations from children as a means of getting around campaign finance laws should win a free subscription to "What the Fuck are You Thinking" magazine.

Somebody please tell me I'm missing the whole picture here. I know I'm on the record at DU as being an avid NDP supporter, but I do recognize that the next non-Conservative Prime Minister will almost certainly be a Liberal. Hence I sincerely want them to choose a leader who (i) can put the Tories out of power in the next election and (ii) not be an embarassment when they assume power themself. There are a lot of bright and talented people in the Liberal Party. Surely they can do better than these clowns. Do Dryden or Kennedy still have a shot?

[MrPrax]

1. Agreed...

The fact that high ticket items like Tobin, McKenna, Stronach etc have been put back into the stockroom should warn anyone off this Gigantic 'Just In Time For' Christmas sale.

We shoppers are suppose to think that all the discounted candles and 'soap on a rope' gift packs vying for whatever 'mad money' wealthy Liberals from Ontario might want to throw at them, is actually a well-stocked diverse department store.

It looks more like a dumpster diver's blanket wares a week before Welfare Wednesday...a parody of shopping;an act of charity done for appearances. It makes you feel good about democracy -- but it really has little do

I think your right...the fix is that the ruling classes figure they can chance putting 'Team B' into the mix and get movement on 'deep integration'; the Yanks NEED our liquidity.

I've thought this since the Spring and nothing has convinced me otherwise.

If anything Harper and his thugs seem to have an extra jauntiness in their step as they realize they have no opposition, no shortage of support in the media, and a green light.

Add to this 'fix' scenario of yours:

-high level defections like Schwartz and Riesman
-Goldenburg out trashing the Liberals on the talkshow circuit with a new book
-no coherent Liberal message or issue from their leadership pantomine
-no effort on the liberals to articulate the need for a leader that can WIN an election as opposed to leadership coverage that is mostly an exercise in 'profile raising'; all new people, few sitting members in the race
-no urgency on issues, candidates or platforms especially the Afghanistan war, softwood lumber, environment, Arar, etc
-no inkling of a 'shadow budget' by the libs in the house
-a huge amount of unCanadian off the shelf 'non-issues' like Senate reform, gun control, law and order BS, patriotism, military spending, which are meant for distraction

etc etc...

I'd like to think that old Gilles Duceppe and his timely outrages on the English-speaking news might actually translate into some other than media sound bytes, but I've given up on his schtick as well. The New Dems are a write off...they got no support and have to wait until the Liberals get a leader.