Why Stephane Dion is Unfit to Govern

[scribblet]

This is a good editorial, worth a read, IMHO the Liberals made a mistake electing Dion.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.h...86-c776aee4ed92

Why Stephane Dion is unfit to govern

Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen

Published: Tuesday, February 06, 2007

The following column appeared in Sunday's edition of the Ottawa Citizen.

I've just met Liberal leader Stephane Dion for the first time and I have to say, it was a frightening experience. The thought that this fellow could become the prime minister of Canada ought to alarm us.

-snip- You can catch the interview yourself at ottawacitizen.com.

He's snidely un-American, in the way that the Liberal elite so often is. Canada's failure to meet its Kyoto commitments was partly due to the Americans' election of Kyoto-unfriendly George W. Bush, Dion would have us believe. Dion doesn't seem to have learned much from the mistakes of his predecessor, Paul Martin, the man who thought American-bashing would get him re-elected.

Dion is, of course, opposed to an increased private sector role in health care and thinks the federal government would play a useful role by identifying best health care practices, so all the provinces can follow them. Here's a best practice: having enough doctors and nurses. That means having enough money. What's his plan?

Dion tries to tie every issue back to the environment, since it's the one area where he's supposed to be strong. Unfortunately, he's a one-issue candidate with no coherent position on that issue.

Dion can't say often enough how unfortunate it is that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has wasted a year by not immediately enacting the Liberal environmental strategy. That still compares favourably to the seven or eight years the Liberals wasted. Greenhouse gas emissions went up under the Liberals' watch, but now Dion is attacking Harper for not fixing it all at the last minute. That just doesn't make sense.

[Ricki Bobbi]

Wow.

What a great article. Unfortunately he is preaching to the converted in the Citizen and the Post...

[M.Dancer]

He's snidely un-American, in the way that the Liberal elite so often is.

Hell, even the american elite is un american....sort of the way fit people are un-fat

[Ricki Bobbi]

I still believe the snide un-Americanism really hides a massive inferiority complex towards the U.S.

[Argus]

Wow.

What a great article. Unfortunately he is preaching to the converted in the Citizen and the Post...

It's interesting that Denley wrote this column. Those who don't live in Ottawa won't know it, but Denley is a local political affairs columnist, and a very good one. He's very much a straight-shooter in describing the intricacies of local politics.

But I've never seen him write on national politics before. It appears that he was so disturbed after meeting Dion that he insisted on doing his column on the meeting. That says a lot about the impression Dion made there.

[tml12]

I still believe the snide un-Americanism really hides a massive inferiority complex towards the U.S.

Probably true, although among other things it allows Dion to save the Liberal brand from the party's own inability to cut greenhouse gases.

[HistoryBuff44]

Just based on what ive read, it seems hes good at the opposition side of it, but he doesnt seem to have any real plans of his own.

He keeps talking, saying that the cons should have implemented the liberal environment plan.... what plan? if they did have one it sure as hell wasnt working! our emissions went up 25% under their rule.

[jdobbin]

Just based on what ive read, it seems hes good at the opposition side of it, but he doesnt seem to have any real plans of his own.

He keeps talking, saying that the cons should have implemented the liberal environment plan.... what plan? if they did have one it sure as hell wasnt working! our emissions went up 25% under their rule.

Harper wasn't presenting all that much of his platform until the election either.

And don't forget, the role of the Official Opposition is to oppose the government and make them justify their decisions.

[newbie]

Harper wasn't presenting all that much of his platform until the election either.

And don't forget, the role of the Official Opposition is to oppose the government and make them justify their decisions.

It seems to me that when Harper was in opposition he certainly didn't question the Libs much on climate change. Now all of a sudden he's obsessed with saying how much the Libs couldn't meet Kyoto targets. Hypocricy is alive and well on parliament hill.

[apollo19]

I generally think that the article is right on. Dion isn't exactly a well-set person in the political arena, and seems like if he gets roasted in a debate he will run off stage and cry, like he nearly did when Ignatieff debated him. He brings out these "waste disposal" arguments about no nuclear power, yet he likely has no idea whatsoever about the issue and how more nuclear power would help Canada reach it's emissions targets. He has no fire on any issues, and isn't really knowledgable or articulate about any of them (in French as well for that matter).

I think its a pretty sad state with Federal leaders in Canada right now. Dion is a flimsy sociologist/professor, Harper is a lifelong politician cloaked under the appearance of an economist (when was he actually an economist?), and Layton is just your mainstream professor from a left-wing university who will never achieve anything. I'm hoping in the next few years we will get someone better like Charest/Ignatieff/Brison/Kennedy/Cannon/Prentice at the top.

[Canadian Blue]

Personally I'm not impressed with Dion, I think the Liberal's screwed up by not electing Gerard Kennedy.

I think its a pretty sad state with Federal leaders in Canada right now. Dion is a flimsy sociologist/professor, Harper is a lifelong politician cloaked under the appearance of an economist (when was he actually an economist?), and Layton is just your mainstream professor from a left-wing university who will never achieve anything. I'm hoping in the next few years we will get someone better like Charest/Ignatieff/Brison/Kennedy/Cannon/Prentice at the top.

I like that list, Ignatieff, Brison, Charest, Kennedy, Cannon, and Prentice, are all viable candidates, and I hope that I see atleast two of them get elected in my lifetime.

[tml12]

Just based on what ive read, it seems hes good at the opposition side of it, but he doesnt seem to have any real plans of his own.

He keeps talking, saying that the cons should have implemented the liberal environment plan.... what plan? if they did have one it sure as hell wasnt working! our emissions went up 25% under their rule.

Agreed, which is their biggest liability.

[BC_chick]

Paul Martin lost the election because of Adscam, nothing more, nothing less.

As for blaming Bush on not ratifying Kyoto.... PLEASE! That's not an opinion, that's a fact.

May I remind you who the democratic candidate was during the 2000 election.....

[BC_chick]

It seems to me that when Harper was in opposition he certainly didn't question the Libs much on climate change. Now all of a sudden he's obsessed with saying how much the Libs couldn't meet Kyoto targets. Hypocricy is alive and well on parliament hill.

Imagine a court of law where your only defense is someone else's wrong-doing....

Guilty as charged.

PS.... yeah yeah yeah, I know, Dion was Environment Minister for a whole eight months and didn't get anything done.

[Canadian Blue]

Paul Martin lost the election because of Adscam, nothing more, nothing less.

As for blaming Bush on not ratifying Kyoto.... PLEASE! That's not an opinion, that's a fact.

May I remind you who the democratic candidate was during the 2000 election.....

The Democratic candidate actually won the election. It was a joke, however since the supreme court ruled in favour of Bush I'm not sure what else could have been done.

Paul Martin lost the election because of Adscam, nothing more, nothing less.

Plus his stupid comments about changing the constitution to give 100% control to the Supreme Court, and his constant dithering on issues. Remember the whole thing about our troops being armed with guns in Canadian cities. How stupid can you get, is it really that much of a shock that soldiers would have guns.

[BC_chick]

The Democratic candidate actually won the election. It was a joke, however since the supreme court ruled in favour of Bush I'm not sure what else could have been done.

Well, I'm glad you can admit that. Now. Do you remember the part in the article talking about Dion blaming Bush for the US not ratifying Kyoto? Do you see where I'm going with that?

Plus his stupid comments about changing the constitution to give 100% control to the Supreme Court, and his constant dithering on issues. Remember the whole thing about our troops being armed with guns in Canadian cities. How stupid can you get, is it really that much of a shock that soldiers would have guns.

Nah, that's why he was reelected in 2004. Adscam was the nail on the coffin.

[geoffrey]

The Democratic candidate actually won the election. It was a joke, however since the supreme court ruled in favour of Bush I'm not sure what else could have been done.

If Gore won, he'd be President. He didn't even try to protest, obviously the court knew what they were doing.

[August1991]

At the risk of thread drift.

The Democratic candidate actually won the election. It was a joke, however since the supreme court ruled in favour of Bush I'm not sure what else could have been done.

If Gore won, he'd be President. He didn't even try to protest, obviously the court knew what they were doing.

The Americans were very smart in this. It really doesn't matter who is President as long as the decision is made quickly among suitable candidates.

The Palestinians have never understood this and their current argument about who should have power is another indication of (their politicians') missing the point.

For individuals, it of course matters to be a winner. But for society in general, it sometimes matters who wins and it sometimes doesn't matter at all - random is acceptable as long as there's no argument.

Civilized societies resolve these issues properly.

[BayLee]

If Gore won, he'd be President. He didn't even try to protest, obviously the court knew what they were doing.

Gore didnt protest the decision?

What,are you crazy or something?

No one denies that Gore won the election.

A court decided he lost Florida