Categories for Musings

Now that the Liberal Party of Canada’s leadership race is officially underway — and that the party is moving up dramatically in various public opinion polls — here’s what some of the leadership candidates need to do.

Drop out.

We live in one of the world’s great democracies, and it goes without saying that any citizen should be able to run for any post he or she desires. The Liberal Party, too, should be open to the ambitions of any Canadian who shares its views.

But just because you can run for something doesn’t mean that you should.

Just because you want to be a leader of a political party doesn’t mean that everyone else thinks so, too.

It gives me no pleasure to say this, but Deborah Coyne, David Bertschi and Martha Hall-Findlay need to seriously reconsider their bids to lead the Liberal Party of Canada. They need to call it a day.

I’ve met Coyne, and have known David and Martha for a long time.

All of them are the kind of people the Liberal Party needs.

All of them are the kind of people we need more of in Parliament.

Smart, decent, hard-working and dedicated to public service.

But they shouldn’t be running for leader of the Liberal Party.

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…are jerks.

What adult cheers when a young boy gets really hit, hard?

Time for some public shaming, I think.

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From Carl T. At carlgen@gmail.com:

You And People Like You Live In This Country Will Not Fight Or Die To Protect It. Then You Claim That They Are The Only Ones Who Believe In Peace.  And They Want To It Do On Tax Payers Dollars.   If You Have Children I Hope They Get To Know  About Real  Life. Not Some Racial Liberal

 Hoping You Remembered.  November 11. And Could Look At Yourself. In A mirror. C.T.  

Sent from Carl’s iPad.

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Check out this vile little missive, here. When I read that, it didn’t sound like it was a letter from your average citizen. Along with being total bullshit, it had a decidedly phony feel to it.

An impressive young Liberal I know felt similarly. He started digging. And look what he found: “Scott spends a great deal of his time volunteering and working with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and has acted as Secretary of Essex Progressive Conservative Riding Association.” There’s more on this guy. Lots more. Bottom line: he’s a Hudak hack.

Not only would it have been helpful if he’d disclosed that to the Windsor Star – it would have told the rest of us that, when they look at the field of Ontario Liberal leadership candidates, there is one candidate the PCs (and NDs) fear the most.

And that candidate is Sandra Pupatello.

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When I was in Calgary to promote Fight The Right, the impressive Calgary Centre Liberal candidate showed up at my speech thing – and a lot of Greens, too. They were all so hungry to win, you could tell they could taste it. It was awesome.

Some of them asked me for advice. “Keep doing what you’re already doing,” I said. “You’ve got a centrist Calgary mayor and a centrist Premier, both of whom beat the Right. You guys are already doing what you need to be doing.”

Calgary Centre! Tonight, can you hear that sound? That’s the sound of Messrs, Harper, Kenney et al. starting to shit their pants.

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I strongly support Israel, and Israelis.  I always have. I don’t support the current leadership of CIJA, who have effectively become a communications/lobby arm of the Conservative Party of Canada – and who have thereby diminished the voice of Jewish community when (not if) there is a change in government.

I met Shimon Peres when I was in Israel, years ago. What a great man! What a legend! I can tell you he is also far more moderate, and far more strategic, than the erstwhile “leaders” found in organizations like CIJA. I have faith in him, and the difficult decisions he and others must make in the coming days.

Our aim is not to start a war and we are all hopeful that the operation doesn’t last a moment longer than necessary. #israelunderfire

— PresidentPeres (@PresidentPeres) November 16, 2012

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First Glen Murray was making them, now Kathleen Wynne.

Anyone else using them? I’m curious.

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We’ll be raising more funds for Pussy Riot’s defence fund – so show your support for free speech, political Ottawa!

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Live! Right here!

Oh, and here she is with some guy from Toronto this afternoon:

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Well-attended event last night at U. of T. – and Son Three was there to sell Fight The Right! (We sold out, too.)

Most interesting thing, from my perspective: that’s an A.Y. Jackson over my head.  I tried to pry it off the wall, but the U. of T. Liberals and Organizing For Progress told me they’d get in trouble.  So I left it behind.

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