Iggy and Rae Should Perhaps Take a Cue From Gordon Brown–Perhaps Time for The Ol’ Boys Club To Groom a Youngster

Well, so rare have we seen a politician think of the good of his party before his own interests, not to mention, expediting the inevitable. Gordon Brown had his faults as PM, but in the end does the right thing for Labour; resigning to that they can have a chance at forming the government.

Peter Donolo, take notes. An interesting question here? Do you work for Michael Ignatieff or the Liberal Party? Either or, take notes.

Iggy and yes, you too,  Bob Rae, should take a cue from Gordon Brown.   Steve is dangerously close to his majority. A theocratic totalitarian regime, no less.

Iggy, I see that you’re trying to make an effort, and I realize it ain’t easy when the main stream media outlets are currently owned by Harpercon cheerleaders who can’t even report basic news without it being slanted to the right. But, you do see the writing on the wall, doncha?  You’re putting off the inevitable. Your consistant low numbers in the polls of all stripes reflect this. I realize your party isn’t going to throw you out until you actually lose an election.  And we know that will happen under you, unfortunately: the NDP won’t be your buddies anymore; they have made that clear with their events as of late.

Many of us realize that it probably took some doing and much soul searching for you to give up the life of academia you once knew and loved, no doubt.  You gave it the old college try, but now, we’re in emergency mode. Steve can win his majority, thus bringing us back to darkness, probably even to the days where if anyone says the world is not flat would be subject to some insidious consequences.  Women would be forced into a life of being incubators without rights; baby factories; preferably white babies.   A Harpercon majority is a very real possibility, especially when the right slanted corporate media will make sure that happens.  For whatever reason, he remains like teflon.

Now, we know that, given the considerable effort the Liberals must have put into convincing you to uproot and basically change your life, we know they want to save face and not get rid of you until you lose a federal election.  Unfortunately for us, that also means yet another Harpercon win and this time, a bonafide King Steve and King McVety totalitarian regime.  Is hanging on by a thread to where you’re not wanted worth subjecting us to this terrifying outcome?  Please, if you really have any feelings of alliance to this country whatsoever, you would resign with class and dignity. Many might view the move as heroic even, thus maybe even help jack  up Liberal numbers before the next leader is selected.

Hell, it would put to rest any fears you might have of Bob Rae and the Liberal ol’ boys club going behind your back to trounce on you just as your fan base kicked your predecessor, a leader with integrity and some heart like Stephane Dion to the curb.

Bob, don’t get so giddy, I have a bone to pick with you too. You also must go for the good of the Liberal Party, and by extension, Canada.    You have to answer some hard  questions asked of you a few years back wondering if you deserved a shot at leading the Liberals. Four years later after that article, you still haven’t answered those important questions to any degree of satisfaction.

Bob, I know that somehow, you think you’re actually entitled to a kick at this can, but you’ve proven to be a failure as a premier. Yes, you did some good things for Ontario during your tenure and yes, you did the best you could, I ‘m sure with one of the worst recessions Ontario had ever seen, but  the fact is, Canadians, including Ontarians outside of Toronto haven’t forgiven you. Nor are they in a forgiving mood for that matter. Keep in mind, rural Ontarians are just part of a larger conservative group who still hold fast to ADSCAM,  more than likely will only remember your disasters as premier and for those who don’t: I can just see those Harpercon attack ads they’re infamous for, and they would be quite successful for the average working class dude at Timmy’s who think that Starbucks is just too sophisticated of a place for them. Guess what? The Bloc Quebecois will put out those same attack ads: “Do you want Bob Rae to do to Canada what he did to Ontario?” For the Bloc, think of those ads in French and exchange the word Canada for Quebec.

Glad we brought up Quebec: Bob, you can’t win Quebec or Ontario outside of Toronto.  I imagine that even a French speaking leader from Quebec would be disliked by French Quebecers, but sovereignty is on the rise anyhow and this is really nothing new. A leader, after all, only needs one of either Quebec or Ontario to win a federal election. Jean Chretien did it  without Quebec. No Bob, I don’t see you taking either Ontario due to your failures that will overshadow any successes you’ve achieved as premier of Ontario.

Also, if an ol’ boy such as yourself still can’t stand up to media veterans like Craig Oliver, then you shouldn’t lead any party, let alone Canada. I’ve noticed, you have difficulties on other such political shows and on talk radio with far less seasoned hosts, pundits and reporters. It’s painful to watch you fluster at every turn. It makes you look like you don’t have confidence in yourself. If Canadians; both Timmy’s and Starbuck’s crowds see that same lack of confidance and lack of conviction that I see, then they will ask, how can we give him confidence to run Canada?

So, now, to the Liberal Party, clearly, Iggy is not your next Pierre E Trudeau. If  the ‘next Trudeau’ is what you’re seeking, and not a bad idea at that, really,  pick a real Trudeau. In this case, Justin. Only Justin can be a Trudeau, for obvious reasons. Can he drive another Trudeaumania? Perhaps.   Trudeau to the Liberals and to Canadian politics is more than a name, it would seem; it’s a brand that had been successful in the past. Could it be successful again?  That would all depend on a number of factors.  He’s young, good looking and has his father’s personality on many levels,  can be a winning combination for party fund raising.  I know that many of my coworkers and aquaintances who were ardent Liberal supporters once upon a time until that whole Paul Martin fiasco, told me they would go back to volunteering  and/or donating and even renewing their memberships if Justin were at the helm, in spite of his young age and lack of experience.

He did, after all, win Papineau riding from a popular Bloc Quebecois incumbent, Vivienne Barbot. For those who don’t know, Papineau is largely made up of immigrants and hardened French speaking separatists; many old ones who still view his father as a traitor to Quebec. Hell, they even took to the streets to protest his nomination.  He still won. I even lost bets on that: I don’t make any wagers unless I’m sure to win.

Due to his young age and having been a teacher, he could, perhaps, get Canadian youth more enthusiastic about their democracy and politics.

Potential downside?  His lack of experience for one.  He has even less experience than President Obama did when he took office.  Ordinarily, this lack of experience is no match for Steve the master tactician; not without some serious help and support.  That’s already a given.

Already, he has shown to have a bit of a hot head. I remembered him screaming and constantly talking over Harpercon MP Shelley Glover during a panel with Jane Taber on Question Period.  Jane looked pretty perterbed. I know, Jane is insignificant, but think of how many viewers of any stripe this behavior would have put off.  A major problem with Canadian voters is they have a distaste for that sort of petty bickering. Anybody who remembers that episode would notice that he really had no reason to behave this way, that he should have let her talk; she isn’t that bright. He should have left her the rope to hang herself.  An example of  inexperience.  If he expects to go any further, he’s going to have to behave better on political panels before any media outlet.

Could he still succeed? Well, if my aquaintances’ wishes are of any indication of what other Canadians might think, perhaps.  He would need guidance and support that only the old party hands can offer him. However, can they put their sense of self entitlement away for the benefit of the party long enough to put aside their ambitions and help the young Trudeau? I find it doubtful, given their display after trampling on Stephane Dion.

I guess only time will tell and odds are, none of them even read blogs so  they wouldn’t head our advice. A cry in shame, really, as we bloggers and citizens probably have a better head for strategy than the actual pundits or party staff.

Again, kudos to Gordon Brown for taking the high road here.  I can only hope that Iggy and Rae can take his cue for not only the good of the Liberals but to give us a better chance of preventing the unthtinkable.