In the three-ring circus that is the Liberal "leadership" race (that's an oxymoron) we now have at centre stage the collective metaphoric epitome of why the Liberals got tossed from power. It's a shame Ontario couldn't see its way clear to put a stake completely through their cold hearts when they had the chance in January.
We now have everything from a philosopher prince who hasn't lived in Canada for most of my adult working life, to the socialist Premier who nearly bankrupted Ontario, to the goul who "sees dead people" and takes money from children. It's clear this party is still far too ill to simply change managers. In my opinion, this is a directionless gaggle of cynical power seekers completely devoid of a common vision, who do not deserve to be anywhere near the levers of power. They need to be spanked even harder for a good four years before they deserve a serious look. The toilet needs to be flushed at least one more time, and perhaps more.
John Ivison mused on much of this in his Sept. 26, 2006 column in the National Post (A daytime nightmare for the Liberals) with some memorable quotes worth saving.
Before Canadians consider, even for one minute, that Bob (you mean we WON?) Rae might somehow be a credible alternative to Stephen Harper, besides his stellar record as the destroyer of Ontario, they might want to look at one charismatic endorsement he recently attracted. Even one as accustomed to being surrounded by a near total lack of competence as he was in Ontario, Rae must have secretly cringed when Hedy ("crosses are burning as we speak") Fry dropped out to throw her "support" to him.
Ivison referenced an EKOS Research Poll on the weekend which revealed that Hedy Fry "was not chosen as first, second or third choice for leader by any of the 1,000 respondents" . EKOS's Frank Graves marvelled, "She literally got zero. I have never seen that on over 20 years of polling". (That could, of course, be spun by Liberal spin doctors as "unique achievements, unmatched in decades").
But Ivison's quote to remember must be his musings on Joe Volpe, the clear cream of the crop when it comes to an entrenched Liberal attitude of unrepentant entitlement.
When Volpe reportedly complained that "the party establishment was out to get him" and then whined that he "might not be Canadian enough", Ivison hit a home run when he called this "manipulative humbug" and then accurately noted that ...
"The Liberal Party would elect a Klingon as leader if its members thought he could beat Stephen Harper".
Write that one down, because I believe it represents, in one succinct sentence, the raison d'etre of the Liberal Party. Shameless manipulation, a genetic sense of entitlement, and a quiet understanding that the end always justifies the means, is alive and well. Forty+ years of watching them in action has taught me that, to a Liberal, as long as you get and keep power, it's OK to say or do whatever it takes.
Clearly they need more years in the wilderness ... many more.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
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