Liberal Leadership Debate in Montreal

[Biblio Bibuli]

Do you, Paul Wells, actually believe that Harper will put down the music that is so pleasant to George's ears?

Well, do you?

[August1991]

I think unfortunately Igg will now win. I just don't see people rallying around Rae because I think they now realize his NDP record is just too big to ignore. A betting man would have thought Dion would have gone over to Rae or vice versa but it is now clear Dion despises Rae as much as he does Igg and is a wild card and may just release his people to go there merry way if Rae's people don't go to him. I just don't see Rae's people going over to Dion. They are after all Liberals sensing they need an Anglophone to win.

Excepting the vulgarity of your expressions, I tend to agree.

Something else. Ignatieff's Quebec delegates will make it to the convention to vote but Rae's BC delegates have a long trip to make.

I'm not sure that Dion/Rae share a mutual dislike as much as you suggest and it's still an open question if Dion/Rae would support the other or no one if forced to leave the ballot. I will give Dion and Rae points for being honest rather than expedient on the issue of recognition of Quebec's nationhood - whatever that means.

Auger said this about Dion:

Stéphane Dion a profité du Conseil général du Parti libéral du Canada, section Québec, pour prouver qu’il n’a pas ce qu’il faut pour être Premier ministre.

I disagree with Auger's analysis and his argument that we are importing American political practices is just plain wrong. Dion has written plenty over the years, Bob Rae too. It is only Ignatieff who is obviously all over the map in his writings - for the obvious reason that Ignatieff is all over the map in his thoughts.

And I also think the hard federal Liberals exist in Quebec outside of the West Island.

But Ignatieff would be an easier sell to ordinary Quebec voters.

The Liberals have boxed themselves into a corner with the three choices they have and it appears that they amount to two mutually exclusive choices.

PM PM tried reforming the Liberal Party and got nowhere. God knows if Ignatieff would succeed.

And lastly, it would be ironic if Ignatieff won by claiming that he is the second-coming of Pierre Trudeau: if Ignatieff won now, Trudeau would roll in his crypt.

[geoffrey]

Dion is perceived as a Trudeau type Liberal, another "anti-Quebec nationalist" Franco-phone and quite frankly Canada's been there and done that time and time again with the Liberals and no one is in the mood for another Canadian who doesn't speak English very well and is very brittle and arrogant and just can't come down from his ivory tower for average Canadians to indentify.

Gerard Kennedy has shown he can not speak French and aside from some feel good buzz phrases isball hot air and no substance and does not have the intellectual capability of understanding the economy and should have stayed in provincial politics.

It was between Rae , Ignatieff and Dion, but Iggy pulled out the old suck and blow with Quebec, showed he would go down on and perform oral sex on Quebec and that Quebec as a society was not hard for him to swallow if you excuse the pun.

It's rather interesting that you Rue, an English Canadian, consider Kennedy's French (which I'll say is slightly better than Dion's English, at least Kennedy can comprehend, Dion doesn't even know what some of the questions are asking) more of a determent to his potential than Dion's English. This is essientially why the Liberals will be unlikely to regain power. They have little interest in anything other than Quebec.

Kennedy stood up to Iggy on the carbon tax, Rae has stretched out a branch to BC. These candidates are real national candidates (despite my 100% dislike of Mr. Rae's intervention obsessed policies). Dion is a Quebec whore, and will always be. Do you really want another decade of Chretien like governing? It won't win a majority let alone a minority.

Could Dion pick up a BC or Alberta seat? Not a hope in hell. An Ontario seat? Unlikely. Kennedy can pick up seats in all three. Rae in BC. Iggy in Ontario maybe (I don't see Iggy that appealing to Ontario voters). Dion is the 4th man in on this in my opinion. This is between Iggy and the anyone but Iggy contender... Rae or Kennedy. Who will Dion's supporters go to? More likely Rae unfortunately IMO... and most disgustingly because of Kennedy's French.

[cybercoma]

Ignatieff's talents are wasted on the Liberals. He should cross the floor in Belinda-esque fashion on the eve of a critical vote.

[geoffrey]

Ignatieff's talents are wasted on the Liberals. He should cross the floor in Belinda-esque fashion on the eve of a critical vote.

I hope the CPC wouldn't take a man that admires Trudeau and his tax and spend mentality.

[normanchateau]

Ignatieff's talents are wasted on the Liberals. He should cross the floor in Belinda-esque fashion on the eve of a critical vote.

Yes, his talent in getting us deeper and deeper into the quagmire that is Afghanistan shows he's another dud like Stephen Harper and floor crosser David Emerson.