Although all these candidates have problems, the ones that bother me most are the ones who take credit for initiatives that happened when they were in the room, or perhaps down the hall, but they didn't start, write, advocate or sometimes even argue for.
For example, Gerard Kennedy makes a very big deal about his background with a food bank. It wasn't until after he left it that it turned into a massive leadership job managing 10s of millions of dollars nationally. The food bank did not develop at all while he was there.
Rae, conversely, should take all the credit for the so-called Social Contract he instituted in Ontario during that recession, ripping up collective agreements and making unions bend over like no right wing conservative premier had done since the time unions were created.
And conversely again, Stephane Dion is credited with the Clarity Act proposal even though it was a Chretien inspired invention. He may be a good champion for unity, still.
At least Ignatieff can't be blamed for Canada's problems for the last 30 years. But he also can't take credit for anything positive except getting elected as an MP. It would be nice to know he can manage something other than a campaign, but that may be his upper limit.
So I'm kind of on the fence here. As for which speech was best, it's just a matter of degree. When one of them wins, let's hope the best speechwriters come aboard, if they aren't already there.
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Here's what Ipsos found. Like I have said for the past year... bring it...
- If the Liberals are led by Michael Ignatieff, the Conservatives under Harper would get the support of 38 per cent of voters, while the Liberals would stand at 25 per cent, the NDP under Jack Layton would get 18 per cent, the Bloc Quebecois led by Gilles Duceppe would have nine per cent, the Green party under Elizabeth May would have six per cent, while four per cent don't know how they'd vote.
- If the Liberals are led by Bob Rae, the standings would be as follows: Conservatives (38 per cent), Liberals (27 per cent); NDP (18 per cent); Bloc (nine per cent); Greens (four per cent); Don't know (four per cent).
- If the Liberals are led by Stephane Dion, the results would be: Conservatives (35 per cent); Liberals (27 per cent); NDP (19 per cent); Bloc (nine per cent); Greens (seven per cent); Don't know (four per cent).
- If the Liberals are led by Gerard Kennedy, the results would be: Conservatives (37 per cent); Liberals (25 per cent); NDP (18 per cent); Bloc (11 per cent); Greens (five per cent); Don't know (five per cent).
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"This party will not take its position based on public opinion polls. We will not take a stand based on focus groups. We will not take a stand based on phone-in shows or householder surveys or any other vagaries of pubic opinion."
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My take of the convention so far is that the Liberals have been too focused on Harper. The Liberal Party is very divided at the moment and their convention should bring the party back together and formulate real policy rather than focus on electioneering. Saying that everything is a priority isn't policy. Do we need another Paul Martin?
I think the Liberals are doomed for failure under Rae or Iggy. They should elect somebody like Kennedy who is a little younger and can run in at least a couple elections. If Rae or Iggy don't win, they will get tossed to the side and the rebuilding will start fresh again.
I think the next Liberal majority is many years away and I have a feeling it will be Trudeau.
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"This party will not take its position based on public opinion polls. We will not take a stand based on focus groups. We will not take a stand based on phone-in shows or householder surveys or any other vagaries of pubic opinion."
For sale:
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