A Breathe of Fresh Air

[geoffrey]

Maurizio Bevilacqua announced yesterday his candidacy for the Liberal leadership. While seen by some as a Chretien loyalist (despite supporting Martin in 1990), he is the first right of centre candidate to run for leadership.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/20...cqua060419.html

His initial statement was: "I urge Liberals, don't panic, stay focused, stick to your principles, and let's dispense with the unite-the-left rhetoric."

Good to see that there is a chance that we might have a right-wing leader in the opposition chair while Harper is in power. Oh the great things that could be accomplished.

This guy gets my vote. There would clearly be more co-operation between a right-wing economic minded guy like Bevilacqua and Harper, then there ever would be between the other candidates. He's a strong believer in tax cuts.

Being the only non-socialist candidate, I think he will have appeal to the Toronto businessman types and any Liberals that aren't in the major centres. He may be a longshot, but I give him better odds than your Brison or Rae.

[Hicksey]

Precisely because of all the "unite the left" rhetoric we can guarantee this guy will not only be vilified by the media, but decimated if he makes it to crunch time.

Like the left in the states the Liberals are making a mistake in assuming that they were ousted from office because they weren't liberal enough. Moving left will only help the right. I don't know if they have noticed, but the party left of the Liberals is the NDP and they never get more than 1/5 of the vote. If people wanted to start moving the country farther left I think the NDP would be showing significantly better than they are. I think that the majority of Canadians are center, center left, and center right. Moving farther left will only alienate voters that vote for the Liberals partly because they think the NDP is too far out there. If the Liberals move left, I predict a strong CPC majority next time around.

[geoffrey]

Hence why this guy is a good choice for the party and the country.

[Hicksey]

Hence why this guy is a good choice for the party and the country.

Just the opposite. If they go NDP-Left with their next leader, the conservatives will score a really big majority--a Mulroney size one. I'm for the kookiest lib they can find. I'll even donate to help him win.

[Nocrap]

Hence why this guy is a good choice for the party and the country.

Just the opposite. If they go NDP-Left with their next leader, the conservatives will score a really big majority--a Mulroney size one. I'm for the kookiest lib they can find. I'll even donate to help him win.

They are right when they say he's a longshot. I've never heard of him.

""He's not seen as a strong candidate, but if he's the only one on the right, that will give him some support from all the Liberals who want a [right of centre] candidate."

What Liberals want a right of centre candidate? I'm sure it is only a very few. And if he's right of centre, why isn't he joining the CPC who could use a few members closer to centre to offset those so far right they are poised to tip off the scale.

Besides, if Harper supporters want a Harper clone, wouldn't they be afraid that he would be able to take Right Wing votes away from him?

[Guest Warwick Green]

Maurizio Bevilacqua announced yesterday his candidacy for the Liberal leadership. While seen by some as a Chretien loyalist (despite supporting Martin in 1990), he is the first right of centre candidate to run for leadership.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/20...cqua060419.html

His initial statement was: "I urge Liberals, don't panic, stay focused, stick to your principles, and let's dispense with the unite-the-left rhetoric."

Good to see that there is a chance that we might have a right-wing leader in the opposition chair while Harper is in power. Oh the great things that could be accomplished.

This guy gets my vote. There would clearly be more co-operation between a right-wing economic minded guy like Bevilacqua and Harper, then there ever would be between the other candidates. He's a strong believer in tax cuts.

Being the only non-socialist candidate, I think he will have appeal to the Toronto businessman types and any Liberals that aren't in the major centres. He may be a longshot, but I give him better odds than your Brison or Rae.

I agree with the breath of fresh air. Turns my crank a lot more than the "re-made" Bob Rae, the ex-pat academic claiming he is a Canadian and the re-tread Tory.

[scribblet]

Maurizio Bevilacqua announced yesterday his candidacy for the Liberal leadership. While seen by some as a Chretien loyalist (despite supporting Martin in 1990), he is the first right of centre candidate to run for leadership.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/20...cqua060419.html

His initial statement was: "I urge Liberals, don't panic, stay focused, stick to your principles, and let's dispense with the unite-the-left rhetoric."

Good to see that there is a chance that we might have a right-wing leader in the opposition chair while Harper is in power. Oh the great things that could be accomplished.

This guy gets my vote. There would clearly be more co-operation between a right-wing economic minded guy like Bevilacqua and Harper, then there ever would be between the other candidates. He's a strong believer in tax cuts.

Being the only non-socialist candidate, I think he will have appeal to the Toronto businessman types and any Liberals that aren't in the major centres. He may be a longshot, but I give him better odds than your Brison or Rae.

I agree with the breath of fresh air. Turns my crank a lot more than the "re-made" Bob Rae, the ex-pat academic claiming he is a Canadian and the re-tread Tory.

Me too, if I were liberal, but in the long run Bob Rae would probably send more over to the CPC.

[lost&outofcontrol]

Being the only non-socialist candidate....

There are no socialist candidates in the running, all capitalists.

From Wikipedia:

Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people.

One day, people might learn the difference...one day.

[Black Dog]

Maurizio Bevilacqua announced yesterday his candidacy for the Liberal leadership. While seen by some as a Chretien loyalist (despite supporting Martin in 1990), he is the first right of centre candidate to run for leadership.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/20...cqua060419.html

His initial statement was: "I urge Liberals, don't panic, stay focused, stick to your principles, and let's dispense with the unite-the-left rhetoric."

Good to see that there is a chance that we might have a right-wing leader in the opposition chair while Harper is in power. Oh the great things that could be accomplished.

This guy gets my vote. There would clearly be more co-operation between a right-wing economic minded guy like Bevilacqua and Harper, then there ever would be between the other candidates. He's a strong believer in tax cuts.

Being the only non-socialist candidate, I think he will have appeal to the Toronto businessman types and any Liberals that aren't in the major centres. He may be a longshot, but I give him better odds than your Brison or Rae.

Why would anyone vote for a blue Tory in Liberal red when they could just vote for the genuine article?

Like the left in the states the Liberals are making a mistake in assuming that they were ousted from office because they weren't liberal enough. Moving left will only help the right. I don't know if they have noticed, but the party left of the Liberals is the NDP and they never get more than 1/5 of the vote. If people wanted to start moving the country farther left I think the NDP would be showing significantly better than they are. I think that the majority of Canadians are center, center left, and center right. Moving farther left will only alienate voters that vote for the Liberals partly because they think the NDP is too far out there. If the Liberals move left, I predict a strong CPC majority next time around.

I love conventional wisdom: moving left will help the right and moving right ensures a right-wing government no matter who wins, so...uh...if you want a centr eleft government, you're fucked. It's the same self-defeating bullcrap so-called "insiders" (who, incidentally always seem to have a vested interest in perpetual right-wing governments) on both sides of the border peddle, completely unsupported by facts.

[shoop]

Paul Martin did win a minority governemnt. Which goes to prove that people will vote for a Blue Tory in Liberal Red. Thankfully not enough for him to win a second term though...

Why would anyone vote for a blue Tory in Liberal red when they could just vote for the genuine article?

[geoffrey]

What Liberals want a right of centre candidate? I'm sure it is only a very few.

The money in the Liberal party comes from big city businessmen. There is a lot of right-wing influence in the Liberal party, maybe more than left-wing.

--

Lost&outta,

My apologies. I'll now refer to them as pseudosocialists.

[Hicksey]

Maurizio Bevilacqua announced yesterday his candidacy for the Liberal leadership. While seen by some as a Chretien loyalist (despite supporting Martin in 1990), he is the first right of centre candidate to run for leadership.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/20...cqua060419.html

His initial statement was: "I urge Liberals, don't panic, stay focused, stick to your principles, and let's dispense with the unite-the-left rhetoric."

Good to see that there is a chance that we might have a right-wing leader in the opposition chair while Harper is in power. Oh the great things that could be accomplished.

This guy gets my vote. There would clearly be more co-operation between a right-wing economic minded guy like Bevilacqua and Harper, then there ever would be between the other candidates. He's a strong believer in tax cuts.

Being the only non-socialist candidate, I think he will have appeal to the Toronto businessman types and any Liberals that aren't in the major centres. He may be a longshot, but I give him better odds than your Brison or Rae.

Why would anyone vote for a blue Tory in Liberal red when they could just vote for the genuine article?

Considering all the floor crossing going on these days you have to keep a score card just to make sure. I think the average joe doesn't really care. It's only people like you and I that follow politics that really know or care about these things.

[lost&outofcontrol]

Lost&outta,

My apologies. I'll now refer to them as pseudosocialists.

I just don't want people to give socialism a bad name by associating it with Liberal candidates

[Hicksey]

Lost&outta,

My apologies. I'll now refer to them as pseudosocialists.

I just don't want people to give socialism a bad name by associating it with Liberal candidates

Socialism didn't need the Liberals to achieve that.