Liberal leadership

[Topaz]

Deb Coyne is runing for the leader of the liberals. I don't know her and maybe most of Canadians don't so she will have to put herself out there for voters to make their minds up. I also didn't know Trudeau had a daughter. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/deborah-coyne-entering-liberal-leadership-race/article4373408/

[Moonbox]

Justin Trudeau would probably be the best choice for the Liberals. I'd never vote for him, because his father was Canada's worst PM ever as far as I'm concerned, but I bet he could single-handedly throw the NDP back 15 years in the polls and get young people to vote for him.

[capricorn]

Deb Coyne is runing for the leader of the liberals.

I saw a few articles about Coyne running for leader. Not one had a picture of Coyne along with the article. That seems unusual to me.

[capricorn]

Finally, an article posted at 11:20 this morning showing Coyne's picture.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/06/27/pol-cp-coyne-trudeau-liberal-leadership.html

[August1991]

Deb Coyne is runing for the leader of the liberals. I don't know her and maybe most of Canadians don't so she will have to put herself out there for voters to make their minds up. I also didn't know Trudeau had a daughter.

Deborah Coyne is the cousin of Andrew and the niece of James Coyne, a onetime governor at the Bank of Canada (fired by Diefenbaker).

She had an affair with Pierre Trudeau and the result was a daughter, now a university student in the US.

-----

The federal Liberal Party is not only officially dead; it is now starting to smell funny.

[August1991]

Justin Trudeau would probably be the best choice for the Liberals. I'd never vote for him, because his father was Canada's worst PM ever as far as I'm concerned, but I bet he could single-handedly throw the NDP back 15 years in the polls and get young people to vote for him.

If Justin Trudeau were the federal Liberal leader, it would probably draw enough votes away from the NDP in Ontario and the Maritimes to ensure that Harper will keep his majority. I don't think Justin is as politically inept as Joe Clark (who returned to lead the PCs) but one never knows. Political vanity has its own logic.

[Newfoundlander]

Justin Trudeau would probably be the best choice for the Liberals. I'd never vote for him, because his father was Canada's worst PM ever as far as I'm concerned, but I bet he could single-handedly throw the NDP back 15 years in the polls and get young people to vote for him.

That's a smart way to cast a vote, good for you!

[Newfoundlander]

Trudeau now has a team put together for a potential leadership bid, which includes Gerald Butts who was fairly prominent in McGuinty's office.

http://www.ipolitics.ca/2012/07/20/lawrence-martin-trudeaus-team-takes-shape/

[Moonbox]

He'll win the leadership bid for sure. I know next to nothing about his politics though. Maybe he's more responsible than his father. That would be nice. I'd like an alternative to Harper croneyism.

[madmax]

He'll win the leadership bid for sure. I know next to nothing about his politics though. Maybe he's more responsible than his father. That would be nice. I'd like an alternative to Harper croneyism.

I bet, being as you are in Guelph and its a solid Liberal Riding. And My humble guess is that the Conservatives are going to drop to 3rd or 4th in the next Election in that riding. Down to their base support as they have burned their credibility in that riding.

[WWWTT]

If Justin Trudeau were the federal Liberal leader, it would probably draw enough votes away from the NDP in Ontario and the Maritimes to ensure that Harper will keep his majority. I don't think Justin is as politically inept as Joe Clark (who returned to lead the PCs) but one never knows. Political vanity has its own logic.

Something tells me you're wrong!

I have never heard/seen Justin doing well when speaking against someone who was competent in public debate.(maybe there is something out there I missed?)

And this is probably for a good reason.

In fact I think Justin is more like Ignatieff instead of Pierre!

HAHA from now on I am going to call him Ignatieff Jr.

WWWTT

[Newfoundlander]

Something tells me you're wrong!

I have never heard/seen Justin doing well when speaking against someone who was competent in public debate.(maybe there is something out there I missed?)

And this is probably for a good reason.

In fact I think Justin is more like Ignatieff instead of Pierre!

HAHA from now on I am going to call him Ignatieff Jr.

WWWTT

This from someone who supports Mulcair.

[WWWTT]

This from someone who supports Mulcair.

You are welcome to prove me wrong at any time.

WWWTT

[Argus]

He'll win the leadership bid for sure. I know next to nothing about his politics though. Maybe he's more responsible than his father. That would be nice. I'd like an alternative to Harper croneyism.

From what I know of him he has very little in the way of political experience, no supervisory experience whatsoever, unless you count being a schoolteacher, which I don't, very little discipline, in that he regularly gets into trouble by shooting off his mouth about something poorly thought out, and is very much on the left side of his party. In fact, he'd fit comfortably in the NDP.

[Evening Star]

This from someone who supports Mulcair.

? Even people who dislike him usually acknowledge Mulcair's debating skills.

Edited July 21, 2012 by Evening Star

[Newfoundlander]

? Even people who dislike him usually acknowledge Mulcair's debating skills.

Why? I never saw no great performances by him, though his debates were much better then that pitiful speech he gave at the convention.

[August1991]

Something tells me you're wrong!

I have never heard/seen Justin doing well when speaking against someone who was competent in public debate.(maybe there is something out there I missed?)

And this is probably for a good reason.

In fact I think Justin is more like Ignatieff instead of Pierre!

HAHA from now on I am going to call him Ignatieff Jr.

Precisely my point. If Trudeau Jnr becomes federal Liberal leader, he'll split the vote and Harper will win his majority again.

From what I know of him he has very little in the way of political experience, no supervisory experience whatsoever, unless you count being a schoolteacher, which I don't, very little discipline, in that he regularly gets into trouble by shooting off his mouth about something poorly thought out, and is very much on the left side of his party. In fact, he'd fit comfortably in the NDP.

Argus, I think that it's correct to say that you would vote for Tom Cruise before Justin Trudeau or Thomas Mulcair. Edited July 21, 2012 by August1991

[WWWTT]

Precisely my point. If Trudeau Jnr becomes federal Liberal leader, he'll split the vote and Harper will win his majority again.

You mean Ignatief jr,right?

Anyways I do not believe the NDP are that concerned with the liberals splitting the vote between the conservatives AND liberals giving them the run up the middle!

Sounds like you are stuck in 1996 politics.

WWWTT

[TheNewTeddy]

We really need to stop thinking of our party as a left-wing party. The Liberals need to go to the centre to win.

[bleeding heart]

We really need to stop thinking of our party as a left-wing party. The Liberals need to go to the centre to win.

Personally, I don't especially consider the Liberals to be a left wing party.

And leaving aside the possibility of my own leftish bias on this subject, I think it would be good for people to define "left," "right," and "centre," as soberly and thoughtfully as possible.

And I assume we'd come up with two dozen different answers for the three positions under scrutiny.

[Newfoundlander]

Personally, I don't especially consider the Liberals to be a left wing party.

And leaving aside the possibility of my own leftish bias on this subject, I think it would be good for people to define "left," "right," and "centre," as soberly and thoughtfully as possible.

And I assume we'd come up with two dozen different answers for the three positions under scrutiny.

Well seeing they ran on the NDPs former platform last election I think it's safe to say they became a left wing party in recent years. Maybe they're not as big of socialists as the NDP but if they continue on the course they've been on in recent years they might as well decide to put socialist in their constitution.

[Wild Bill]

Well seeing they ran on the NDPs former platform last election I think it's safe to say they became a left wing party in recent years. Maybe they're not as big of socialists as the NDP but if they continue on the course they've been on in recent years they might as well decide to put socialist in their constitution.

My friend, since I was small I have watched the Liberals switch from the left to the right and back again. They have NO fixed principles - not since the days of Lester Pearson!

This was always their biggest strength at election time. They were like a DJ at a wedding, switching his music genres to suit the taste of the crowd at the time.

So the definitions of left and right have not changed, just the parties who have claimed to represent those philosophies.

The Liberals always seek to be the alternative to the party in power. If the Tories ever moved more to the "pink tory" side of the spectrum the Liberals would immediately become more Harris than Harris!

I'm almost ashamed to admit it but the Liberals too are Utilitarians. "Whatever works!" has always been their motto. It has been very successful for them in the past and likely will be again.

[Newfoundlander]

My friend, since I was small I have watched the Liberals switch from the left to the right and back again. They have NO fixed principles - not since the days of Lester Pearson!

This was always their biggest strength at election time. They were like a DJ at a wedding, switching his music genres to suit the taste of the crowd at the time.

So the definitions of left and right have not changed, just the parties who have claimed to represent those philosophies.

The Liberals always seek to be the alternative to the party in power. If the Tories ever moved more to the "pink tory" side of the spectrum the Liberals would immediately become more Harris than Harris!

I'm almost ashamed to admit it but the Liberals too are Utilitarians. "Whatever works!" has always been their motto. It has been very successful for them in the past and likely will be again.

I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with being a party that can move to the right or the left depending on the mood of the public. However, I think they've abandoned their more centrist approach to that idea. The economy has been a huge issue and the Liberals had little about it in their last platform, their big thing was increasing taxes to fund social programs. The Liberals plan has seemed to be to move to the left and squeeze out the NDP, and it failed miserably.

[bleeding heart]

This was always their biggest strength at election time. They were like a DJ at a wedding, switching his music genres to suit the taste of the crowd at the time.

....

The Liberals always seek to be the alternative to the party in power. If the Tories ever moved more to the "pink tory" side of the spectrum the Liberals would immediately become more Harris than Harris!

Nice.

[punked]

I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with being a party that can move to the right or the left depending on the mood of the public. However, I think they've abandoned their more centrist approach to that idea. The economy has been a huge issue and the Liberals had little about it in their last platform, their big thing was increasing taxes to fund social programs. The Liberals plan has seemed to be to move to the left and squeeze out the NDP, and it failed miserably.

Yah at no time have the Liberals had tax increases in their platform. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news they wanted to freeze the tax rates where they were at before another yearly cut happened.