Dion

[madmax]

In an effort to totally destroy his rising credibility, Dion is about to learn a hard political lesson.

CBC news

Federal Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion came under fire Wednesday after suggesting that the party might welcome back at least one person who was ousted over the sponsorship scandal.

Dion was responding to a question about whether the party should allow back Marc Yvan Coté, one of 10 Liberals expelled from the party while Paul Martin was prime minister for their role in the sponsorship scandal.

"We can't sideline people who make mistakes forever," Dion told the Quebec newspaper Le Soleil.

The scandal — in which ad executives admitted paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to the Liberals' Quebec wing in return for lucrative federal sponsorship contracts — devastated the party in Quebec and ultimately helped drive the Liberals out of power in the 2006 election.

Coté admitted he distributed $120,000 in cash to some Liberal campaigns in Quebec in the 1997 federal election, while Jean Chrétien was prime minister.

[cybercoma]

Talk about committing political suicide. Dion admits Cote did something wrong in his reasoning for letting Cote back.

Wow.

[jdobbin]

The Liberal party is not about to rescind Martin's directive.

[August1991]

Yet another thread on this?

Some people confuse quantity for quality.

[tml12]

The Liberal party is not about to rescind Martin's directive.

Of course not...Liberal government, though, and you've got a whole new situation.

[jdobbin]

Of course not...Liberal government, though, and you've got a whole new situation.

I doubt that very much too.

[tml12]

Of course not...Liberal government, though, and you've got a whole new situation.

I doubt that very much too.

You've really got to be kidding. I've talked to Liberal organizers in Quebec and they've told me that Martin went too far and that the party needs to bring back some of its old organizers.

[jdobbin]

You've really got to be kidding. I've talked to Liberal organizers in Quebec and they've told me that Martin went too far and that the party needs to bring back some of its old organizers.

What some Liberal organizers say and what the party overall does are two different things. Most in the party supported Martin's decision.

[tml12]

You've really got to be kidding. I've talked to Liberal organizers in Quebec and they've told me that Martin went too far and that the party needs to bring back some of its old organizers.

What some Liberal organizers say and what the party overall does are two different things. Most in the party supported Martin's decision.

Of course they did...it was the morally correct and politically smart thing to do.

[madmax]

Yet another thread on this?

Some people confuse quantity for quality.

Yeah, My apologies, I overlooked the other thread.

That said, It really doesn't matter whether this guy has a criminal record, or anything. It is public perception and his actions that matter most. Talking about people that learned to accept corruption as a means to enrich the party is not a way to win the hearts and minds of Canadians.

Dions Fresh Face weaving through the potholes of politics, just drove off the road.

The intent is to put the scandal behind them, not put it on the front page. Their are no good talking points about participants in the scandal. And while it may be an intellectual argument about how long someone is punished for by the party.....

In the world of politics, this is attempted suicide.

[BC_chick]

It's a little early to write-off Dion over something like this. Hey, I thought nobody could support Harper after the income-trust debacle, but never under-estimate the tenacity of a political party's base. Sad, but true.