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They don’t call us backroomers for nothin’.

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This is about as close as I’m getting to McGuinty tonight, I think!

Those chairs? They’re for Oprah. She’s supporting Pupatello, too.

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Rob Ford wins his appeal, so my earlier prediction was wrong.

But the Divisional Court is wrong, too.

By accepting the notion that a politician can set up a private fundraising vehicle – and direct lobbyists to donate to it, and control how it spends money – the judges have created the opening the Right wing have been lusting after for years: US-style PACs to get around spending limits. Political slush funds, now cheerfully sanctioned by the Divisional Court.

If the Right does it (and they will), then we progressives will have no choice but to do likewise. PACs will be everywhere.

The significance of today’s decision isn’t simply that a bumbling boor remains in office. Its broader significance is that one of the rules of democracy has been changed.

And in a way that none of us want.

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My take?

Rob Ford’s chances are bad. Sandra Pupatello’s are good.

What’s yours?

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…on CBC Radio just now.

• “@sandrapupatello has been in economic portfolios and has a great heart, and a great sense of compassion.”
• “I share your high view of @sandrapupatello.”
• “There’s no way the next Premier wins by being obsequious.” (Peterson dismissing criticism of feisty @sandrapupatello)

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Paulo Senra and I were there, too.  Our dedication is evidenced by the fact that it is ONE MILLION BELOW ZERO here in Tee Dot.

Here’s Paulo’s pic.  It’s cool (literally).

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• “MAKE PUPATELLO OUR NEXT PREMIER… when this newspaper’s editorial board looks closely at each candidate, we conclude that Pupatello is the candidate we must enthusiastically endorse. She is far and away the best person to become Ontario’s next premier because she has the skill and fortitude to deal with what ails this province…more than any other candidate, with her sterling public and private sector credentials she exhibits the awareness that a dynamic, expanding economy is the foundation for a just and equitable society.” – Kitchener Waterloo Record, January 24, 2013
• “Pupatello is a political force of nature, sucking up all the oxygen in the room. Funny. Quick. Flattering. Self-deprecating. And not a bad listener… Her astonishing comeback – she is on the cusp of claiming power as the presumed front-runner in the Liberal leadership race – is a testament to her political will and force of personality. Pupatello has surged ahead of her rivals by reinventing herself as a political winner with a winning personality.” – Martin Regg Cohn, Toronto Star, January 24, 2013
• “…we favour Sandra Pupatello. Of all the candidates, she stands out as the one with the energy, personality and message that will give her party the best chance to hold on to power in what promises to be a closely fought contest with Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives and Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats. After a year of lurching from one crisis to another, the Liberals badly need to change the channel with a new leader and a new approach. Going with Pupatello would be the most convincing way to do that.” – Toronto Star, January 22, 2013
• “Ontario is facing long-term economic challenges, and of the provincial Liberal leadership candidates with a serious chance of succeeding Dalton McGuinty as Premier, Sandra Pupatello understands that best.” – The Globe and Mail, January 24, 2013
• “Sandra Pupatello is best placed to give the party a new face and energetic new leadership – while keeping it true to the values that make it distinct.” – Toronto Star, January 22, 2013
• “Having spent a lot of time as economic development minister, Pupatello is pretty authoritative on trade file.” – Adam Radwanski, Globe and Mail, January 22, 2013
• “Ms. Pupatello speaks with knowledge and conviction about jobs and the economy… Ms. Pupatello has another advantage over her opponents, and not just in the Liberal leadership race but among opposition parties as well: She is an effective communicator, exuding a personal warmth that may help her sell the inevitably tough fiscal medicine Ontarians will have to take in the years ahead.” – Globe and Mail, January 24, 2013

 

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Ontario is facing long-term economic challenges, and of the provincial Liberal leadership candidates with a serious chance of succeeding Dalton McGuinty as Premier, Sandra Pupatello understands that best.

Ms. Pupatello speaks with knowledge and conviction about jobs and the economy. In her former role as minister of economic development and innovation, she worked closely with business and industry.

Of the other candidates, only Harinder Takhar has demonstrated a similar focus. It is the overarching issue facing the next premier. As they meet this weekend, Liberal delegates should reflect on what the economist Don Drummond tried to drill home in his report issued less than one year ago: “We can no longer assume a resumption of Ontario’s traditionally strong economic growth and the continued prosperity on which the province has built its public services. Nor can we count on steady, dependable revenue growth to finance government programs.”

It is all well and good to do as Kathleen Wynne, the other leading Liberal leadership contender, and some of the other candidates have done in this campaign, and emphasize social issues. Ms. Pupatello would doubtless also like to live in an idyllic society, but she understands that what is required first is economic and fiscal leadership.

Again from the Drummond report: “Unless policy-makers act swiftly and boldly … Ontario faces a series of deficits that would undermine the province’s economic and social future.”

Ms. Wynne is a tenacious and earnest competitor. But her strategy is flawed. Offering herself up as the conscience of the party might appeal to some delegates who equate Liberal values with leftish activism.

In fact, that is what the NDP already does, and the idea that Wynne-led Liberals would hive off support from the social democrats is a stretch. It could just as well work the other way.

Under Mr. McGuinty, Ontario started to adjust to its immense fiscal challenges, including confronting public-sector pay demands, even at the risk of alienating the Liberals’ base. Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced this week a glimmer of light, that Ontario’s deficit is $3-billion lower than projected, thanks in part to some of these difficult decisions.

Ms. Pupatello seems to understand that deeper deficit financing is not the answer, and that this is the start, not the end, of what is required. Yet she is not endorsing anything more radical than a better managed version of the status quo.

If elected, she may yet have to follow some more of Mr. Drummond’s advice and pursue more aggressive change: “Do not hang onto public assets or public service delivery when better options exist. Consider privatizing assets and moving to the private delivery of services wherever feasible.”

Ms. Pupatello has another advantage over her opponents, and not just in the Liberal leadership race but among opposition parties as well: She is an effective communicator, exuding a personal warmth that may help her sell the inevitably tough fiscal medicine Ontarians will have to take in the years ahead.

The Liberals have not really recovered since winning the last election with a minority. Mr. McGuinty failed to adjust to the party’s reduced circumstances, and allowed the opposition to define the political agenda.

Ms. Pupatello was out of politics during this shambolic interlude, and is largely untarnished by it.

With Sandra Pupatello, the Liberals will have focused and energetic leadership to make up for lost time and lost credibility. She is the best choice for Liberals.

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