Ross Rebagliatti- Liberal Hopeful, Space Cadet

[M.Dancer]

Is this the best they can come up with?

From a recent interview in German magazine.

'Good luck,' former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau wrote in a napkin for Rebagliati back in 1990.

The two men had chatted at the sushi restaurant where Rebagliati worked as a waiter. Rebagliati, who is now 38, soon lost the small treasure, but he always remembered what Trudeau told him of his dream to become a professional snowboarder: 'Do it.

Nothing like an apocryphal endorsement from a dead man.

Only an arrogant man can play The Beatles on the piano wearing a tuxedo,' Rebagliati says, recalling a controversial performance by Harper.

I guess in the hemp fabric world of Rebagliatti, trhis qualifies as a Tux...

http://unambig.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/harper_with_yo_y_261481artw.jpg

A candidate for the Liberal Party, which leads the opposition in Canada, the snowboarder was recently invited to dinner at the home of the party's leader, the historian and political scientist Michael Ignatieff.

'And I gave a speech before the Liberals at the Ottawa parliament without being an MP. That is something that had never happened in history, I'm like a star,' says Rebagliati, who undoubtedly has a good opinion of himself.

Goodness gracious!

He is quick to give his own opinions, and he says that having Queen Elizabeth II as Canadian head of state is something of the past.

'Don't know what the official position is, but I think the Commonwealth is over. We have to move forward. To have the Queen apointing a governor general... I don't know'.

Indeed Ross, you do not know.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/sport/olympics2008/features/article_1534074.php/Rebagliati-s-incredible-spin-from-slopes-to-parliament-Feature

Edited February 17, 2010 by M.Dancer

[waldo]

Is this the best they can come up with?

speaking of the best they can come up with... would you swap a nicklebagliatti for a Pierre Poilievre... or even for the man who walks with dinosaurs

[M.Dancer]

speaking of the best they can come up with... would you swap a nicklebagliatti for a Pierre Poilievre... or even for the man who walks with dinosaurs

Are you saying they don't value our constututional monarchy either?

[waldo]

Are you saying they don't value our constututional monarchy either?

did not know you were such a staunch monarchist ... in any case, on that point, from the heart of the Okanagan-Coquihalla riding where Rebagliati's snowboard will be going up against Stockwell Day's jet ski

Royal Family has lost its relevance

perhaps, according to that Canwest article, Rebagliati is simply projecting upon the views of the majority of Canadians - particularly younger Canadians

either it's a slow news day or all the Blogging Tories are out in force rallying the cause against Rebagliati... apparently, they have concerns over the supposed safe riding and Stockwell Day's ability to hold onto it - go figure.

[Smallc]

did not know you were such a staunch monarchist ... in any case, on that point, from the heart of the Okanagan-Coquihalla riding where Rebagliati's snowboard will be going up against Stockwell Day's jet ski

Royal Family has lost its relevance

So is it the position of the Liberals now that the Constitution should be opened in order to change to a republic? Oh goody....we can go to a system that's no better and probably significantly worse tearing the country apart in the process.

People don't connect with the monarchy because they don't bother to study and understand our political system. People love to bitch and moan about things that they know nothing about, and this is one of those times.

Edited February 17, 2010 by Smallc

[M.Dancer]

did not know you were such a staunch monarchist ... in any case, on that point, from the heart of the Okanagan-Coquihalla riding where Rebagliati's snowboard will be going up against Stockwell Day's jet ski

You had me worried for a sec...I though Dimebagliatti might have had a chance.

Edited February 17, 2010 by M.Dancer

[sharkman]

Ross will be washed up before he even begins.

I bet I know what happened to that napkin with Trudeau's sacred scrawl, Ross probably ran out of rolling papers one night.

[Oleg Bach]

ONE might assume that people like Ignateif and Layton are insiders...especially Iggy, but it is a fact that they were never taken aside and given the big briefing that Harper got. Canadian politics has never been so centralized. Power has gone to a few un-elected officals. You might have noticed that we have just suffered a coup re-named prorougegation. Good luck Canada and never let the bastards get you down- chin up and march forward. We had better make the best of this new dictatorial rule. It is our choice- stand or fall- or continue to debate a form of government that will never return.

[capricorn]

Golden boy's Liberal muzzle goes up in smoke

Candidate vowed not to bring the issue up, but Ross Rebagliati can't resist pushing for legalized marijuana

---

Despite the imposition of a code of silence on Mr. Rebagliati by the federal Liberal Party, for whom he plans to run in the next election, the former Olympian spoke openly about his desire to see marijuana legalized.

"Prohibition didn't work; this isn't working," he said after running with the torch, which some have even said resembles a giant joint. "You look at the numbers; it's not helping by throwing people in jail. I think the thing we can focus on is helping people with addictions, taking a proactive view. How can we help people rather than throw them in jail?" Mr. Rebagliati was jubilant in his post-skateboard moment, and either forgot about his party's edict that he not speak to the news media, or chose to ignore it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/golden-boys-liberal-muzzle-goes-up-in-smoke/article1443928/

Plenty of other gems will flow freely from those loose lips. The media will have a field day with this pothead.

[Moonbox]

You never know. California did elect the Terminator.

I'd have a good laugh over it.

[g_bambino]

Indeed Ross, you do not know.

No kidding.

It's an all-too-common occurrence, though; people opening their mouths to bash the monarchy while knowing absolutely nothing about it. It's an easy smear that has emotional appeal to far lefties, but no substantive matter behind it; perfect for a Liberal candidate these days, unfortunately.

[Argus]

Royal Family has lost its relevance

perhaps, according to that Canwest article, Rebagliati is simply projecting upon the views of the majority of Canadians - particularly younger ignorant Canadians

Fixed that for ya.

[g_bambino]

Fixed that for ya.

Well done!

[Wild Bill]

No kidding.

It's an all-too-common occurrence, though; people opening their mouths to bash the monarchy while knowing absolutely nothing about it. It's an easy smear that has emotional appeal to far lefties, but no substantive matter behind it; perfect for a Liberal candidate these days, unfortunately.

Agreed. What strikes me as particularly dumb is that they never consider the possibility of any backlash! Millions of Canadians are strong supporters of the monarchy, particularly those of British ancestry. Often those railing against the monarchy are of non-British extraction. This can't help but make many monarchist Canadians wonder why we had such a welcoming immigration system. It may not be right, but it's human nature.

At least at this point in time, I would think that the Liberal party would not like to be branded as against the monarchy. It would likely cost them far more votes than it would gain.

Even Bouchard was a monarchist! He wanted to dump Canada but had no problems with keeping the Queen!

[waldo]

c'mon Conservative faithful buddies, just because the non-elected Rebagliatti isn't high on the monarchy ... why would you presume to extend that to an official party position?

(note to self: watch for Harper Conservatives to launch their election campaign around a theme of protecting traditions like... the Senate... like the monarchy - oops!)

[g_bambino]

[J]ust because the non-elected Rebagliatti isn't high on the monarchy... why would you presume to extend that to an official party position?

Since the backlash in the 1970s, from both politicians and the public alike, to Trudeau's prposed sweeping changes to the Crown and it's role in government, no subsequent government, either Liberal or Conservative, until the present one, has been open and honest about its position on the monarchy. Hence, we've seen the Liberal Party take no official stance against the Crown, yet also Liberal MPs like John Manley, Brian Tobin, and Herb Dhaliwal, along with staffers like Peter Donolo, engaging in stealth republicanism without interference from other government members. So, with a tradition of reclkess iconoclasm like that, Rebagliatti might be a perfect addition to the Liberal ranks.

[Smallc]

c'mon Conservative faithful buddies, just because the non-elected Rebagliatti isn't high on the monarchy ... why would you presume to extend that to an official party position?

I was asking a serious question. There seems to be a lot of republican sentiment flooding into the Liberal Party of Canada. As a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, I find that disturbing.

[waldo]

... engaging in stealth republicanism...

The Reform party is very much a modern manifestation of the Republican movement in Western Canada; the U.S. Republicans started in the western United States

The Reform party is much closer to what you would call conservative Republican.

now, now, now... it would appear that one man's stealth is another man's open engagement

[ToadBrother]

Agreed. What strikes me as particularly dumb is that they never consider the possibility of any backlash! Millions of Canadians are strong supporters of the monarchy, particularly those of British ancestry. Often those railing against the monarchy are of non-British extraction. This can't help but make many monarchist Canadians wonder why we had such a welcoming immigration system. It may not be right, but it's human nature.

At least at this point in time, I would think that the Liberal party would not like to be branded as against the monarchy. It would likely cost them far more votes than it would gain.

Even Bouchard was a monarchist! He wanted to dump Canada but had no problems with keeping the Queen!

What these guys never seem to realize is that if attempts at altering the constitution for what should have been relatively straightforward things like an elected senate blew up in everyone's face and fueled renewed Sovereigntist sentiments in Quebec in the 1990s (and left us with the Bloc Quebecois, thank you very much), what sane leader at this juncture would go "Oh, I know, let's get rid of the Queen!" as if somehow going after what amounts to the constitutional bedrock of the Crown is just sort of a thing you'd do as a matter of course.

I've frequently stated that I'm no dyed-in-the-wool monarchist. If people want a republic, I'm not necessarily against it. But people should know just how much is at stake everytime we talk about opening the constitution. The minute we talk about that degree of alteration, we're going to see everything we have and hold dear sucked in the bottomless vortice of regionalism; Quebec will want out or at least some new constitutional settlement, the West will want to punish Quebec and Ontario for being the historical center of gravity. If the chaos surrounding the rather practical and unambitious changes put forward during the Meech Lake-Charlottetown proposals is any indication, there wouldn't be much of a Canada left to worry about.

I'm an atheist and no monarchist, but, considering what could happen, I say God Save the Queen. Our system ain't perfect, but we've had generations of productive and stable government, and only a moron or a madman would want to bugger that up just because they don't like the Queen.

[ToadBrother]

I was asking a serious question. There seems to be a lot of republican sentiment flooding into the Liberal Party of Canada. As a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, I find that disturbing.

There has long been a semi-hidden republican wing of the Liberal Party. The closest it ever got to any kind of coherent expression was during Trudeau's "middle years". But all of that made clear that Upper Canada, in particular, is a land still occupied by the descendants of the Empire Loyalists.

As that wonderful movie; The Queen pointed out, everyone goes gaga for the Queen. Even Trudeau somewhat grudgingly admitted her wisdom and worth during the patriation, and guys like Chretien are pretty clearly unabashed monarchist. It wouldn't surprise me if there were even a few nominal republicans in the Tory ranks, though obviously the Conservative Party since before there was a Canada has always been more the home of what I'd call strong monarchists.

[g_bambino]

t would appear that one man's stealth is another man's open engagement.

Yes, I'm aware of the Reform Party's creeds. However, Reform no longer exists, and it's written into the Conservative Party's policy book that the group upholds "a belief in our constitutional monarchy..." Since the present government was appointed, much has been done to improve the stature of the Crown again, despite Harper's sometimes sad misunderstanding of its function.

[waldo]

What these guys never seem to realize is that if attempts at altering the constitution for what should have been relatively straightforward things like an elected senate blew up in everyone's face and fueled renewed Sovereigntist sentiments in Quebec in the 1990s (and left us with the Bloc Quebecois, thank you very much), what sane leader at this juncture would go "Oh, I know, let's get rid of the Queen!" as if somehow going after what amounts to the constitutional bedrock of the Crown is just sort of a thing you'd do as a matter of course.

exactly - it's a complete non-starter... but don't let that stop Dancer from pumping this up as a formal party denigration of the monarchy

[g_bambino]

[W]e've had generations of productive and stable government, and only a moron or a madman would want to bugger that up just because they don't like the Queen.

Enter Peter Donolo, now the Liberal Party leader's chief of staff and a member of the vapid Citizens for a Canadian Republic. His reasoning for turning the constitution inside out? He says the Queen is foreign.

His attitude is what unfortunately turns me off of the Liberals, for the most part; arrogant, presumptuous, and reckless in pursuit of their own preferred imagery and feelings over reality and tangible improvement. Donolo's speech to CCR is thus an inside view of thinking in the Liberal head offices these days:

sp

Edited February 19, 2010 by g_bambino

[ToadBrother]

Enter Peter Donolo, now the Liberal Party leader's chief of staff and a member of the vapid Citizens for a Canadian Republic. His reasoning for turning the constitution inside out? He says the Queen is foreign.

His attitude is what unfortunately turns me off of the Liberals, for the most part; arrogant, presumptuous, and reckless in pursuit of their own preferred imagery and feelings over reality and tangible improvement. Donolo's speech to CCR is thus an inside view of thinking in the Liberal head offices these days:

I'm not going to lose sleep over it. Iggy isn't going to implement the republic if he gets in. He's going to be like every other Prime Minister since Mulroney got his lashings and leave the constitution alone. If a Liberal majority under a strongman leader like Trudeau in the end reiterated on paper the Monarchy's place in the constitution, I'm not going to worry about any modern day Liberal drive to a republic.

[M.Dancer]

I'm not going to worry about any modern day Liberal drive to a republic.

True, but interesting they would pander to those voters on one hand, and offer nothing with the other...