06.08.2012 08:51 AM

Iggy staffer on Rae: predictable results, worthwhile reading

Here.

It’s wonderfully written (what is “brine” in this context, anyway?) by the Liberal Party’s leading gold-plated, jet-setting Tweeter.  He’s a total pain in the ass, he behaved very badly during the Grits’ Vikileaks self-immolation, but I very much like how he writes.

His lack of enthusiasm for Rae needs to be seen through the prism of who he is: former Iggy staffer, somewhat embittered, who remained in the bunker with the future/former Harvard professor to the grim end, etc. etc.  But worth a read, nonetheless.

17 Comments

  1. Ed says:

    Sometimes, those with an axe to grind can make the best opposing case. I thought that despite Adam’s former loyalties, this piece was written perfectly. I don’t think another pundit could have done better.

    p.s. the “brined in cynicism” line was the best of the article! I have a feeling that is because I have brined my own food, though.

  2. Dan says:

    “To Ottawa’s beleaguered press corps, Liberal leadership speculation is an easy distraction – a quick story to write and rewrite and write again. Mr. Rae has kept himself in the headlines, but pushed his party below the fold. The medium has swallowed the message. A year of coverage that could have begun to redefine the Liberal Party was spent instead on its greatest pastime: leadership intrigue.”

    Hey guys, look, a shiny object!

  3. Np says:

    “Mr. Rae has kept himself in the headlines, but pushed his party below the fold.”

    Perhaps his biggest sin.

    Question: Why the hell would a man as intelligent and likeable as him even want to run for office? The beginning of the article outlines all the respect and honor that one can immediately loose by choosing to run for office (and I agree with those sentiments), so why run? I know he’s a smart guy, musician, thinker, I’m sure the soundtrack in his brain in a quite room is probably pretty interesting. So why run? Why not just retire to a more interesting job/life and speak only when there’s something to say?

    His leadership bid risks coming off kind of contrived and pretentious. He runs the risk of not saying anything we haven’t heard before, which is sad given how smart a guy he is. He will loose it all trying to find it again. Bob, don’t loose touch.

  4. fred says:

    “But, to those of us who are not yet brined by cynicism, neither explanation seems adequate.”

    I doubt that the Iggy speechwriter isn’t brined by cynicism, or tickled by Mr. Rae’s pickled pucker.

  5. Derek says:

    I didn’t like the tone of it. This is akin to the Purser in The Poseidon Adventure coming back to deliver a meaningful lecture on ship safety.

    I wouldn’t listen to anyone from the Iggy crowd doling out pedantic lectures on the future of the Liberal Party.

  6. !o! says:

    but WHY is he running? I can’t even fathom why he thinks this is remotely a good idea? All the ‘more of the same’ arguments notwithstanding, the poster above me (NP) hits the nail exactly on the head– his bid comes off as contrived, pretentious, and the flip-flopping leaves him so very vulnerable to attacks on honesty etc. He’s an asset to the party and he pulls a lot of weight and influence but running comes off as a complete misuse of his talents.

    • Np says:

      Glad you liked my post. However, I can’t take credit for the words I chose. The sentiments are mainly from this song:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9iTNNi8Gh0

      One of Wk’s fav bands (at one time any way…)

    • kenn2 says:

      I share your (and Np’s) opinion of Rae. I’m a bit baffled too.

      Only noble thing I can think of is that Rae recognizes that none of the current pack are yet PM material, and the party’s still a mess, and by dropping the ‘interim’ handle, he’s committing to stay on the job (if asked) until such time as there’s a real fired-up bunch of PM-quality contenders nipping at his ankles. Even if it takes an election cycle or two…

  7. Self-confessed Raelian says:

    I see from the latest Nanos poll that the Liberals popularity has increased somewhat to 24.9%……perhaps after reaching our nadir, the party will start to see increases with the coming Lib leadership race…..
    I still support Mr. Rae, until someone better waiting in the wings comes along…….but I do hope whoever wins the leadership, will help develop a more grass roots driven party…..something that the party claims to be doing…..but which I see damn little evidence of……”Titleitis” I believe is how Mr. Rae described it recenty in a speech to the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party.

  8. Tired of it All says:

    Like brining a turkey: left to soak in a bucket of cynicism. Great imagery. Great article. Thanks.

  9. Gpeter says:

    I believe in keeping your word. I’m a Liberal who’s always voted Liberal (I’ve missed a few elections for various reasons, but I’ve never cast a ballot for any other party) and if the party elects a leader who doesn’t it’s not a party to which I need to belong.

  10. Joey Rapaport says:

    Kinda disastrous if he would win… Unlikely though, TRUDEAU 4 PM!

    • Danny says:

      Please tell me that you are not serious about Trudeau . I am not certain if he has ever run so much as a lemonade stand. I thinks the Cons would shred him. And the NDP too.

  11. Ryan says:

    Here’s the thing about Bob Rae… and there’s really no getting around this. He’s incredibly talented. He’s funny. He’s brilliant. I truly believe that, despite his ambition (which isn’t a bad thing) or his desire to be the top dog, he believes in Canada and making things better.

    In a perfect world, he’d be a better PM than Mr. Harper.

    But, he won’t be PM. As someone who was born and raised in the exact small-town Ontario riding that we need to win (back) if we want to have any hope of forming a government, let me tell you: he’s toast. The record in Ontario is just too much. And he’ll get annihilated by Tory attack ads. We know this already.\

    And he promised not to run for the permanent leadership. Now, he’s doing just that. It’s objectively shady. And it’s exactly the ‘I’m next’ kind of leadership that Grits need to get away from.

    Let’s just be honest with ourselves.

    Further, he’s well into his 60s. It’s time to turn the page and perhaps admit to ourselves that there probably won’t be a Liberal PM just because we want one. Timing is important. We need to go younger. We’re not winning the next election but let’s imagine there’s a minority government and another shot at the crown before 2020.

    Let’s get serious.

    I’m not sure what the answer is. Maybe it’s Garneau. Maybe it’s Trudeau. Maybe it’s someone we haven’t thought of yet. But, as much as it pains me to say, it’s not Bob Rae.

    The ship has sailed. The horses have left the barn. Let’s not go to war over this.

  12. Bill From Willowdale says:

    I’ve voted Conservative, Green and Liberal but never NDP. If Bob Rae wins the Liberal leadership then I am voting NDP next time. My intention will be to send a message to the Liberals, “you had a chance to merge the Left and you didn’t.”

    • Pat says:

      Merging the left would be a terrible idea. If you want polarized politics, if you want everything to be black and white, go to the states. All we have to do is look south of the border to see how a two party system leads to deadlock and terrible policy.

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