Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Somewhat Disconcerting Spin

The Dion aide said their team doesn't yet have the "capacity to run a by-election."

posted by calgarygrit at 7:45 p.m.

19 Comments:

  • Um...what?

    Given that the Greens (a party with NO on-the-ground organization to speak of) "had the capacity" to run a pretty darn successful by-election in London-North Centre last year, that's...baffling.

    By Blogger Idealistic Pragmatist, at 9:03 p.m.  

  • Not so much spin I think as a frank, embarrassing and concerning admission.

    If that was an attempt at spin, they really need help. I mean, even more help.

    By Blogger Jeff, at 10:41 p.m.  

  • BCer in TO,

    I'm sorry, that HAS to have been an attempt to avoid admitting that they actually faced a formidable opponent in Thomas Mulcair and the NDP. Because...well, you know I'm no Liberal, but I simply don't believe that they actually don't have the "capacity to run a by-election." By-elections during the parliamentary break period are comparatively trivial. If you don't have a crack local organization, you import it. If you can't fundraise locally in a successful way, you go national. All of the star power in the party is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's how the NDP won. Hell, the Greens managed it in London-North Centre and came in a strong second. If the Liberals really couldn't have managed to run a by-election under those circumstances...yeah, sorry. No way.

    By Blogger Idealistic Pragmatist, at 10:59 p.m.  

  • Dion was on the Téléjournal tonight. He took all the blame, and his reaction was honest, spin-free (which is good, since he'd flirted with it a lot in the past few weeks).

    He is ready to examine himself, he is very realistic, and he was very refreshing. He admits that he hasn't performed well, that his ideas don't work. He says that for the first time in his career, he's ready to put his personality on the line, he wants the Liberals to debate over his person, over who he is and if he's the right man for the job. He says he failed, that he's now more open to appear on talk shows, more open to debate his personality since he's only now realized that it's primordial for a party leader to show his personlity.

    I've honestly never seen a politician do an interview like that. It's gutsy to take the full blame, to admit that your entire strategy has failed, and to publicly reconsider yourself. Is it politically good? I'm not sure. However, I think it's very, very honorable for a man to act that way.

    By Blogger jeagag, at 12:42 a.m.  

  • What leapt out to me:

    "no room for mediocre policies,"

    Liberal policies need to be more substantive.

    "Quebeckers are not buying what we are selling"

    Well, neither are any other Canadians, I'd say. This Omar Khadr thing is just the latest -- yet another issue the Liberals never bothered to lift a finger on, yet now "valiantly" stomp and huff about. It never ends with these guys, I swear.

    There's a lot of room for credible opposition to the government - when are the Liberals going to find it?

    I know it is easy for me to snipe from my living room, but come on already. I know Dion's doing a hard job, but all I can do is shake my head. Huh? What are these idiots talking about day in and out? We expect politicians of any stripe to be double-talking constantly, but this is just insulting our intelligence, over and over and over.

    "As government, we accomplished absolutely nothing we said we would, and broke every promise we ever made, yet we are today appalled by Mister Harper's refusal to do what we neglected year in and out."

    I'm not Einstein, but come on - it can't be that hard to come up with some alternative policies that aren't pie in the sky stupid.

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 1:11 a.m.  

  • I'm sure a grumble-guts tonight....

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 1:14 a.m.  

  • I tend to think Dion is on the right track on a lot of things and jeagag's recap is reasuring. I think the problem might be some of the people around Dion...

    By Blogger calgarygrit, at 1:21 a.m.  

  • I strongly suspect the people around Dion are problematic. Like, entourage-to-Britney-Spears level problematic.

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 1:45 a.m.  

  • Dion is an honorable, but naive, leader... a shame because I think he's so refreshing as a politician.

    6 months in my 'political career' I was running an election in a riding for the Libs. It's definitely not rocket science. Anyone can do it...The problem comes when you get too many people in the room who have 'been there and done that' in terms of the allegedly easy task of knocking on doors and they go out in all directions willy nilly.

    I actually asked a few know it all people never to come back to the campaign office (or sent them off to do important things like coffee runs or ordering pages correctly, which I would proceed to randomize when they were out of sight).

    Seriously... sometimes you just don't need that kinda help (and we ended up winning big in the riding).

    Oh yah... there was also that volunteer that swore at the people he was phone canvassing... that was awesome too (he had many pages to re-order).

    By Blogger Unknown, at 2:03 a.m.  

  • This has been my problem with Dion all along - he doesn't have a clue what he is doing, and is surrounded by fools.

    By Blogger John Murney , at 3:47 a.m.  

  • This comment has been removed by the author.

    By Blogger jeagag, at 11:07 a.m.  

  • By the way, for anyone who understands French and wants to see Dion's interview last night, copy this URL and click on the link next to the camera in the right menu: http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2007/09/19/004-Dion-partielles-defaite.shtml

    (for some reason, the link gets visually cut, but if you select the entire line you shouldn't have a problem)

    By Blogger jeagag, at 11:12 a.m.  

  • Eh, "Dion aide" and the like has taken on a certain notorious fluidity of late. Maybe this was a parliamentary coffee-boy in a pessimistic mood.

    By Blogger Jason Townsend, at 11:36 a.m.  

  • Michael Ignatieff is holding a fundraiser at the Vancouver Aquarium. I spoke to the contact person, Gerry Lenoski. He explained it this way.

    MI’s campaign raised a lot of money, but also spent a lot of money. The campaign’s debts have to be cleared by July. And, we should make a contribution in order to retain leaders of MI’s caliber.

    In the first place, MI wasn’t of such high ‘caliber’. He is a quasi intellectual and rookie politician. The backroom boys would be pulling the strings in his regime. Anyway, I accept Gerry’s explanation and will make a contribution albeit reluctantly.

    The purpose of this post is to remind Liberal Party supporters that the old ways are dead. Canadian politicians tend to be amateurs because the money and power isn’t there. The LPC was able to operate in some opulence as the ruling party.

    The Outremont election gives lie to the claim that the party is ‘election ready’. The party leader certainly isn’t.

    The game has changed because the LPC is in the opposition. The CPC has the treasury and patronage. The LPC has to fight as a grassroots organization. That is, more decentralized, democratic and broad-based. In other words, it has to become a real political party, and not the ‘natural ruling party’.

    And, the LPC has to depend more heavily on ‘soft’ money raised/spent continuously, rather than at election time. Look at the ability of NGOs and the NDP to sustain themselves.

    Justin Trudeau won his nomination because of his passion and willingness to take risks. Justin could have taken Outremont. It’s time for passion, vision and sacrifice. Let’s go back to the basics.

    By Blogger JimTan, at 1:30 p.m.  

  • This comment has been removed by the author.

    By Blogger S.K., at 1:44 p.m.  

  • Can't we all just hug it out?

    By Blogger Raymaker, at 4:47 p.m.  

  • Anyway, I accept Gerry’s explanation and will make a contribution albeit reluctantly.

    The purpose of this post is to remind Liberal Party supporters that the old ways are dead.

    Sorry - aren't these items mutually exclusive? Perhaps I am not understanding properly.

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 11:03 p.m.  

  • A "quasi intellectual" - now there's the pot calling the kettle black!

    By Blogger fair sailing, at 4:25 a.m.  

  • The dude is completely just, and there is no skepticism.

    By Anonymous muebles pozuelo, at 1:48 p.m.  

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