By Klaus Rohrich
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Gosh, politics can be fun; particularly when Canada's "natural governing party" publicly dukes it out down and dirty. It's beginning to look like my friend arthur Weinreb is going to get his wish of Bob Rae leading the Liberal Party of Canada to its next defeat, as the party that hasn't had an original idea since Pierre Trudeau omitted property rights from the Charter is running a full array of lightweight contenders.
Michael Ignatieff, the current front runner, who was the Party's Great White Hope, appears to be in full self destruct mode as he is quickly running out of feet to put in his mouth. First he "isn't losing any sleep" over Israel's bombing of southern Lebanon, then he's claiming that Israel is guilty of war crimes, which is in keeping with the grand old Liberal tradition of firmly coming down on both sides of an issue. Next he shoots off his mouth about Quebec becoming a "nation", as if we hadn't been down this road before. and to what end would Iggy make such an idiotic suggestion? To bolster the Party's miserable fortune in la Belle Province by pandering to the separatists that have defected to the BQ? Fat chance.
I actually thought at one time that maybe a guy like Ignatieff, being a Harvard prof and all, would make a difference in the Liberal Party, as apparently did many Liberals. But I suspect the obverse is true. The Party made a difference in Michael Ignatieff and he's now adopted all the traits that have made the Liberals so despicable.
Then there's Bob Rae. The guy's now asking Canadians for a second chance, freely admitting that he really blew it as Premier of Ontario. During his five-year tenure there he turned Canada's wealthiest province into a third-world basket case. Now he wants a shot at Canada. That's kind of like a heart surgeon asking for a second chance after flubbing a simple by-pass procedure and losing his patient. Bob has gone to great lengths to show that he has a human side to the point of going skinny-dipping with Canada's least funny comedian, Rick Mercer. But then there is a kind of karmic balance in Canada's smarmiest politician associating with Canada's smarmiest celebrity.
Stphane Dion, who appears to be Canada's version of Ichabod Crane, has a long and checkered history in Quebec. a distinguished scholar with a doctorate from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris, Dion started out as a separatist who appeared to change his mind about separatism during an all-night drinking binge. Now he wants to lead the country. There are many in the natural governing party who think Dion should be made Party leader because he's from Quebec and we all know that Liberal Prime Ministers have to be from Quebec. I suppose it's okay, so long as someone makes sure Dion keeps off the booze, or he might change his mind and become a separatist again.
Gerard Kennedy, who is also considered a front runner (!), leads the Party's kiddy wing. Having spent his entire working career heading up food banks, Kennedy doesn't actually have any work experience, save and except for politics. When Dalton McGuinty's Liberals became the government of Ontario, Kennedy was made Minister of Education. He took immediate action by caving in to the various teachers' unions' demand for higher wages and less work. He is considered to be just to the left of Mao Dsedung (which is still far to the right of Jack Layton). There's no real reason why Kennedy is a front-runner, given the fact that he never bothered finishing university and hasn't actually achieved anything of note in his entire career, except for signing up a lot of new Liberals that are committed to voting for him. I suppose that would qualify him as a front-runner.
These four are the supposed leaders, all of whom, according to the Ottawa pundits, have a good chance of winning. There are four other candidates who have for various reasons been pronounced "unelectable" by all those in the know.
Ken Dryden, the former star hockey goalie, is trailing in support because he appears to have the personality of an ice floe. His speaking style, it is said, is more like that of a somnambulist than a politician.
Joe Vlpe, who was Minister of Immigration in a previous Liberal government has been at center of a number of say, less than savory events, not the least of which is that dead people have voted for him and 11-year old children of pharmaceutical company executives contributed a total of $27,000 to his campaign. Vlpe claims there's nothing wrong with that and he's only being picked on because of his Danish heritage.
Scott Brison, a neo-Lib who is almost at the bottom of the barrel of Liberal leadership hopefuls is having an identity crisis. The only openly gay candidate in the race was once a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party. When he didn't make it he jumped ship to the Libs. He believes he can attract the "progressive wing" of the Liberal Party, which I think is somewhat to the left of Jack Layton.
Finally, there's Martha Hall Findlay, who in my opinion is probably the best-qualified candidate to lead the Liberals. Only trouble is she's a woman and the Liberal Party is famous for paying lip service to women and then leaving them out in the cold. Findlay, a successful businesswoman, almost beat Belinda Stronach, the infamous political switch-hitter, when Stronach ran as a Conservative.
One wonders why the heavy hitters in the Liberal Party have chosen to sit this one out. Where are the Frank McKennas, Brian Tobins and allan Rocks? Do they know something the rest of the Liberals don't?
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