"Dion Laughs In The Face Of Crisis"
Yesterday, Mr. Dion sounded like the ludicrously optimistic Liberal leadership candidate from last summer who did not appear to be well-informed enough about his own chances to be pessimistic...
Perhaps the reason Mr. Dion is able to keep his head, when all about him are losing theirs, is because he hasn't grasped the dire nature of his predicament.
Ivison questions Dion, for holding a press conference and offering an upbeat demeanor, as though this stance is curious. Apparently, Dion would score points with Ivison if he took to the mic and said, "We're a mess, the PM has us by the throat, I don't know why we bother, we're finished". "Dion Crumbles, Retreats Into Cocoon In Face of Crisis"- that's the better headline.
Dion was actually quite candid yesterday, and acknowledged some difficulties. However, it seems to me that every politician, at every turn, attempts to put a positive spin on every circumstance. Dion is unique in this regard? What exactly does Ivison expect and why does optimism necessarily convert to naivety? Dion's job, like all the other leaders, is to put on a brave face, hardly unique or noteworthy. What a moronic critique when you think about it.
10 comments:
It reminds me of a post done by some idiot hockey fan from Carolina when the Oilers were playing for the Cup. This poster was amazed that, despite the fact the Oilers were down 3 games to 1, they still wanted to win.
It is that whole "kick 'em while they're down" mentality.
Let them. If the throne speech passes (and it probably will) it could be months before there is any confidence vote.
If the liberals are able to get their act together, all this will be forgotten. I have no concerns at all about policy, and the liberal brand. Their problem is the infighting. Once that stops things will move forward.
People, like the media, are fickle...
steve:
I gave up reading the National Post a long time ago because I found it just raised my blood pressure.
As for Mr. Dion being upbeat, I do not believe it is an act. His recent additions of very experienced political operatives to his advisory team is probably providing a stabilizing influence on the whole organization.
They have all been here before and they know that in politics everything is temporary.
They have probably pointed out to him that despite the best efforts of the Conservatives, with the ready assistance of some in the media, Mr. Dion is still in the game. He is battered and bruised for sure but he is still standing and he has indicated that he is not going away.
Of course, that just irks those very same Conservatives and their media allies who wish he would do just that.
It's funny how Ivison used the leadership campaign for reference. You could argue that it was Dion's optimism that kept him in the conversation, when nobody took his campaign seriously. There is no question in my mind that Dion's confident tone was a positive, and ironically enough the media fell in love with him for a time.
Dion was good at his presser yesterday. He must have known or guessed the questions, because his English responses were almost fluent.
People should watch the tape again. It was an impressive performance.
Talk about "damning with faint praise".
anon: "his English responses were almost fluent"
Troll alert.
Gayle said: "...it could be months before there is any confidence vote."
Or, knowing that political memory is a fickle thing, PM SH will throw one after another right at the Liberals from the get go.
Which do you think is real?
Bang, bang, bang. It's the only way to do it and if you don't think the bills aren't already written, you're fooling yourself.
Granted, they'll all probably get dragged into committee, but they'll be in the news and if that isn't "governing" as compared to "obstructing", well, let the chips fall.
Cheers,
lance
Hey Lance, does that mean the Emperor has written a new handbook? No more stall, delay, avoid, but perhaps rush through, ambush, detonate?
What masterful tricks can we expect with this so-called Leader? I guess after he's drawn and quartered Bill Casey, he'll work on pulling a rabbit out of his hat. Oh Bullwinkle...
lance - are you aware that bills go into committee? The committee stage is a very important stage for legislation. Most of us learn that in grade school.
Of course Harper could reintroduce all that legislation that passed last time (you know, the bills he killed by proroguing parliament). No doubt THEY would pass.
But since that might make it a little harder to say the liberals are obstructing his tough on crime agenda, I doubt he will do so.
We can hardly expect him to put the safety of Canadians before his own political fortunes.
lance
There are many ways to slow down votes, regardless if Harper is planning to "bang, bang, bang". It could take months before we see a slew of confidence motions, Gayle is correct. As an aside, how long with the House sit before the Christmas break? 6 weeks?
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