Liberals think 9/11 Victims a 'Side Show"

[scribblet]

I am utterly appalled at the insensitive, disgraceful and tacky comments of Michael Ignatieff. How on God's green earth does anyone get away with calling the presence of the families of the 9-11 victims at parliament a

"side show", for Pete's sake and why does Dion have this guy as his deputy - 9/11 victims - a side show !!

How low can you get?! Ignatieff is a disgrace - but maybe he is representative of Dion et al.

from the http://www.thestar.com/News/article/186476

A vote against the terror bill knowing it closes the lid on an investigation is unthinkable.

[B. Max]

How low can you get?! Ignatieff is a disgrace - but maybe he is representative of Dion et al.

One has to wonder what he thinks would be the main attraction. It's representative of liberals in general and stems from the fact that they are weak on defense.

[madmax]

Ignatieff has come off insensitive a number of times.

[myata]

Should I point out the obvious, that Ignatieff making a particular comment doesn't mean his opionion is that of the party, nor that it's shared by all party members. Your choice of the title for this topic is misguided.

[sideshow]

I agree with the last poster. I have to laugh at the stupid things said by members of all parties, and then watch the damage control later.

[Remiel]

I read that article, and basically all he said was an unnecessarily harsh version of the truth.

At a news conference before the vote, Maureen Basnicki, whose husband Ken was among 24 Canadian victims of the 9/11 Al Qaeda attacks on New York, urged MPs to "stop playing politics" and to "vote with their conscience and not with their party."

Why does everyone assume it is just Liberals who " vote with their party instead of with their conscience " ? Who is to say how many Conservatives might have voted against renewing the clauses, but didn't because of pressure from their fellows? Of course they aren't going to say anything, because it might be a bad political move for them. In other words, they were doing exactly what Mrs. Basnicki asked them not to.

[Keepitsimple]

That comment is a microcosm of what's wrong with the Liberals. They have lost their way.The leadership campaign had Ignatieff on the extreme right Bob Rae on the extreme left. Neither one satisfied the delegates to the tune of 50% and that's why Dion won. Chretien, love him or hate him, had tremendous "party" leadership skills. He knew that you had to make it look like you cared about the Left (Environment, Poverty, Social Programs) but in reality, he just wandered down the middle of the road, read the polls, and made some adjustments on the fly, unopposed by a divided Right. That's why political commentators say he "campaigned from the Left but governed from the Right".

Dion is demonstrating that he does not have the leadership skills to bring together the Left and Right in the Liberal party to create a coherant centrist message. I believe his recent decision on the sunset provisions was made so that he could continue to fight the losing proposition of the last election - that the Conservatives are a party that will take away your rights and Liberals are the protector of the Charter. That would just be part of the old "scary, scary" stuff and it just won't wash like it once did. Bad decision.

When you try to satisfy the various political stripes within your own party, you need exceptional leadership skills to develop and communicate effective policy - and to sell those policies to your own members. In reality, you can't be everything to everybody, especially when you've got somebody as clever as Harper who will corner you into saying what you stand for or failing that - making it clear that you don't have a stand. Some people view that as devisive but many people are starting to see that it's not such a bad thing - hiding behind generalities like the Liberals have done for years is now harder to do...ending Poverty by 2000, fixing Healthcare for a generation, signing Kyoto and pretending to be a world-leader, champions of the immigrant - it goes on and on. Grand plans, much talk, very little action.

Perhaps I'm wong about Stephan Dion - maybe he'll somehow pull everyone together. I can't really see it though.....he has to fight off some massive egos in Ignatiff and Rae as well as the back-room powers that are certain to be furious at losing their entitlements.

Buckle down Stephane, there's lots of work to do.

[Canuck E Stan]

Some people view that as devisive but many people are starting to see that it's not such a bad thing - hiding behind generalities like the Liberals have done for years is now harder to do...ending Poverty by 2000, fixing Healthcare for a generation, signing Kyoto and pretending to be a world-leader, champions of the immigrant - it goes on and on. Grand plans, much talk, very little action.

I believe this is why more and more people are cynical about the Liberals, we've seen too many issues as you have stated with much talk and little action, or action that came too late. Add to your list National Daycare,geting tough on crime,eliminating the GST and renewed Military funding.

Also the lack of any direction of their policies and the flip flopping.

Dion definitely has his work cut out for the Liberal party.I don't believe he will be the one to do it.

[BubberMiley]

Perhaps he was referring to parties that display 9/11 victims to advance their political agenda. In that case, yes, it's a sideshow.

Fortunately, I think most people can see through Republicans/CPCers tendency to use these people as props so that they can extend their own power. And they can especially see through their bizarre attempts to pretend they are somehow holier-than-thou by their exploitation of them.

Sadly, it's very typical of conservatives to do something slimy like this, and when called on it, they try, like Scriblett has, to deflect the sliminess back. When called on it further, they always disappear.

[BC_chick]

Why does everyone assume it is just Liberals who " vote with their party instead of with their conscience " ? Who is to say how many Conservatives might have voted against renewing the clauses, but didn't because of pressure from their fellows?

Exactly.

Also this from the article....

"The Liberal party chose internal caucus politics over the national security of Canadians," said Harper, stopping briefly as he exited the Commons.

Um, why is the party whose policy differed from the other three singling out one of the other three to shift the blame on to?

[geoffrey]

Also this from the article....

"The Liberal party chose internal caucus politics over the national security of Canadians," said Harper, stopping briefly as he exited the Commons.

Um, why is the party whose policy differed from the other three singling out one of the other three to shift the blame on to?

The rational Canadians still had some hope left in the Liberals... the others, well, they were written out of relevance from the outset.

[sideshow]

Its all rather comical really. Liberals bring in a terror bill. Conservatives try to extend it. Liberals oppose.

Conservatives bring in GST. Liberals say they will get rid of it. Conservatives cut it. Liberals oppose.

If it wasn't so funny watching the antics I would have to cry. The only thing more funny would be Jack Layton's mustache on Stockwell Day while he skidoo'd up to that news conference a few years ago.....