Ignatieff and Rae Battle Baggage
As they begin their bids for the Liberal leadership, both Michael Ignatieff and finally-a-Liberal-Bob Rae are trying to get past the considerable baggage both bring to the contest.
Rae's dismal term as Ontario's first, and potentially last, NDP premier continues to haunt him. Ontario remembers all too well his record of fiscal mismanagement and government
incompetence. Couple that with absolutely no affiliation to the Liberal Party and it starts to look like a battle that perhaps even Eddie Goldenberg can't win.Ignatieff's challenge is no less difficult. His writings and teachings at Harvard's Kennedy School have put scrutiny on his support for the War in Iraq, deeply unpopular with Canadians, his seeming support for some forms of torture and the fact he hasn't lived in Canada, or been a member of the Liberal Party, for more than 30 years.
So how will Rae and Ignatieff try to move beyond this baggage? With the Keith Davey strategy of getting the bad news out first, using the media's superficiality to their advantage. Time will tell if this will work.
Meanwhile, Martha Hall-Findlay says she has no baggage.
posted by Who's Next? @ 9:08 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
The irony is that the one candidate who has experience in both the Martin and Chretien cabinets is the one who has no baggage, ie. Stephane Dion. Unless you think standing up to the separatists and negotiating an international agreement on greenhouse gases are "baggage." The other candidate with little or no "baggage" is Godfrey. Unless you think the New Deal for Cities was "baggage".
It's funny that the "fresh, new Liberals" are the ones with all the baggage.
Nice pic. ;)
Ignatieff needs more experience before I'll allow him to run my country.
I agree with the previous comments. No experience, all of his writings about US poltics, spent about 2 of the last 35 years in Canada. You cant seemingly find Canada unacceptable to live and work in and then expect to be crowned as its leader (or, I guess you can expect that - Ignatieff seems to).
Dion may not be perfect (esp his charisma) but he has merit, experience, intelligence and passion.
no go on Iggy.
Ignatieff's writings aren't all about US politics, we've just chosen for some reason here to let that be all we focus on. The Rights Revolution is an entire book about Canadian politics. Blood and Belonging is worldwide not the US and includes a great deal on Quebec. So let's quarrel about his residence but not his academic focus.
Bob Rae is the best guy for the job.
He has proven he is a true leader, not just a popularity craver and is the Liberal parties only hope for true leadership.
Lets get over the decade old recession ndp stuff. Without Bob raes leadership in Ontario then, alot of people wouldnt be around to enjoy the good times today. He did what had to be done, and that is the sign of a true leader.
The Liberal party tendency for the past 15-20 years has been to talk about what needs to be done and thats as far as it got.
With a true leader who does what he sets out to do, the Liberal party with Bob Rae in charge definately has a bright future.
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