Probably the Only Time I Will Agree With Angelo Perischilli–Partially, That Is & Something the Liberals Can Use in an Election Campaign

Oh Gawd! I can’t believe I actually agree with some parts of  his most recent dispatch regarding Iggy and the Liberals.

Yeah, I know he’s not a fan of the Liberals, hates Iggy even more and furthermore, told Beryl Wajsman on CJAD 800Am that he thought that the Liberals cutting health care transfers in the 90s was a good thing.  When one knows all that about him, you get the feeling that like Blatchford, the Kays or Goldstein, they’re not happy unless somebody else is suffering.

No, we can’t forget that his prediction about Iggy being ousted before 2009 ended went very wrong.

All that aside, much of what he said in today’s column resembles much of what I’ve been saying: particularly about Iggy being ousted after he loses an election. Some of the candidates he visualizes taking over the party are  pretty much what I’ve been thinking.

What I do question in Perischilli’s column is about Bob Rae and that the Liberals are probably shooting for a clean slate; younger, fresher candidates. I happen to believe that the old boys network headed by Rae himself won’t allow for it. I think Rae has that much sense of self-entitlement to actually let that one go.  But, then, stranger things have happened.

About those numbers at 25% in the polls: would the Liberals kick Iggy out then? Again, not as sure as Mr Perischilli seems to be.  Honestly, can Bob Rae yield any higher, remember he is, at least, to be perceived as many to have near bankrupted the province of Ontario and was pretty much the screw up as premier. The attack ads from both the Harpercons and the Bloc Quebecois wourld be predictable and effective to say the least.  As deputy leader, Bob Rae would automatically take over for the interim if Iggy were to leave now or anytime before another Liberal leadership convention can be thrown together. With the possibility of a looming election before the year is out, there is no time to throw a convention together. No, to me, it makes no sense to throw Iggy out and replace with Bob Rae even if the numbers hit that magic 25%.

I also agree that the Liberal insiders themselves, along with Peter Donolo are seeing the writing on the wall, hell, one would have to be incredibly stupid not to. No, I think they’re in the prevent Steve from getting his majority mode. To them the next election means not who wins or not, but rather whether or not Steve wins a majority, or yet, another minority.  Perhaps, if I dare to be somewhat more optimistic, a Liberal minority, but then, how long would that last with Steve the bully sitting as leader of the opposition?

Perischilli predicts a few candidates; some completely off the wall, like David or Dalton McGinty or Martha Hall-Findlay. Some actually plausible; some even palatable like Martin Cauchon; he’s young and is experienced. I also believe he can unseat Mulcair in Outremont, particularly if the NDP continues to play indifferent over the long gun registry.  the Ecole Polytechnique is in Outremont.

As for Justin Trudeau, I’m on the fence about him still. He would need support and mentoring to make up for lack of experience.  Maybe Trudeaumania the sequel is needed. However, one has to stop and ask important questions of young Trudeau. We have to remember that he is not his father and he’s from a completely different generation that tends to lean more to the right.   For example; his father  put out the Canada Health Act in 1984, where does Justin stand on that? Where does Justin stand on issues important to Canadians. Stephane Dion did well to make him work for the nomination in the separatist riding of Papineau rather than hand him his father’s seat in Mount Royal. the fact that he beat a popular Bloc incumbent  was nothing short of amazing.

Frank McKenna has refused, but I always believed that if you throw enough things at the wall, something will stick. If McKenna got an offer to run for the leadership race, I would be somewhat frightened due to listening to him talk about how that “mature” discussion about  the future of Canadian health care. I think we’ve all learned that mature and health care system in the same sentence means the Americanization of health care; the end of universal health care. He is too far to the right for me, but he is perceived to have been a fabulous premier for New Brunswick.  Folks generally like that. Another appeal about him, particularly to the Timmy’s crowd is that he is neither from Quebec nor Ontario.

Domenic Leblanc, naturally, would have that same appeal. However, I don’t know much about him to form an opinion. However I have heard those center-right folks on the fence say they would vote Liberal if he led the party. How far to the right does Leblanc lean?

In the end, it doesn’t matter who takes over the Liberal party if most of the corporate media still endorses Steve and the Harpercons. The Liberals are going to have  to concentrate on taking at least some of that media support away from the Harpercons or they’re screwed, no matter who takes over the party.

Here’s a hint for something the LIberals should hit Harpercons over the head with during election campaigns. Steve will no doubt tout himself the hero who saved the economy. However, he inherited a country that was doing ok financially.  The Liberals should make it known that it was thanks to Paul Martin’s refusal to cave into American pressures to deregulate the financial sector that we’re faring the recession better than most.  It is also worth mentioning that if Steve had his majority back then, he would have surely deregulated all.  I, as well as others, I’m sure, that Steve would still deregulate our financial industry if we let him loose with a majority.

The economic safeguards in place under Paul Martin’s watch, the continued legalization of abortion, maintaining universal health care, the unecessary tough on crime bills the Harpercons wish to implement inspite of low crime statistics and the rise of the Christian right being allowed and even encouraged by Steve would be far better items to campaign on than afghan detainee documents or the whole Jaffer/Guergis affair would be a great start.