Rae Walks To Ignatieff (Or Doesn’t)

184 Replies to “Rae Walks To Ignatieff (Or Doesn’t)”

1. I think we will win a majority gov’t with Dion as leader of the Liberals. It’s a nice bonus to see Bob Rae $800,000 in hock with nothing to show for it. Kind of like how he left Ontario.

2. lloyd,Craig etc.now kissing Cretin’s ass in the booth!What a love-fest,with Duff chiming in about all the warmth in the room..get me a barf bucket.

3. I squirmed when Martin in his speech just before introducing Dion as the new leader, talked about the poor aboriginal people. Who formed the government for the past 12 years, Chretien and Martin that’s who and they want to blame PMSH for the plight of the first nations.
   I’d like to see that debated with Harper.

4. Wow, the final scene on Global as it left the liberal love fest was a picture of Paul Martins smirking face with U2’s “In the name of love” playing. Sickening!

5. And now a documentary about the life of John Turner? , this is blatent sickening propaganda.

6. Iggy might have fooled enough Canadians into thinking he was the second coming of Trudeau to be a threat to PMSH mandate. Rae might have sucked some of the NDP vote back to the Liberals. But Dion…is a gift form the Liberals to the Conservatives. As soon as Dion opens his mouth everyone knows what baggage he comes with. We’re sick of Prime Ministers from Quebec and it ain’t going to happen again for a long time. Bring on the election! The conservatives have nothing to worry about; the MSM is losing their influence; the Canadian voters will vote Conservative!

7. If JEAN CHRÉTIEN can call Stephen Harper “Steve”
   does he call the new liberal leader Stephane Dion
   “Steff” .
   two solitudes , Stephen and Stephane

8. I’ve just popped off another note to the CBC ombusman:
   “7: 12 p.m., Newsworld: CBC’s coverage of the Conservative leadership race describes the Alberta Conservative Party as “diverse and fractured”.
   Funny, I watched the Liberal leadership race for over two hours on the same channel today and recall no such language being used to describe the differences within the federal Liberal Party.
   Is this fair and equitable coverage?”
   Round and round it goes. Where it stops . . . ?
   I hope the CPC wins a majority and gives the elitist, hypocritical CBC just what it deserves.

9. It’s been a very, very long time since I was a Liberal supporter. But, Dion has at least the possibility of being a strong opponent in any upcoming election, assuming, of course, that his party can marshall an effective campaign mechanism. He doesn’t appear to have any noticable baggage (in the scandal sense), he comes across as a reasonably decent guy, he’s obviously bright.
   Funny, in yesterday’s mail I received yet another request for “just one more donation” from CPC. I was going to trash it, on the basis that I sort of felt that I had given more than my share.
   I retrieved it, and contributed some more. I really don’t think that we should under-estimate this guy. No solid definitive reasons for it, just a feeling…

10. Some comic relief…
    coming to an Alberta near you…-
    Newfie Joke:
    DANNY WILLIAMS’ [Newfy Premier] ANTI-HARPER ROAD SHOW
    Danny Williams says he will campaign across Canada against Stephen Harper if the prime minister does not back up a written pledge on equalization made during the last election campaign. (national
    newswatch)
    There are more Newfies drinking/carousing/singing/voting now in Alberta than in any other province. (Stats Newfy)

11. Liberals keep talking about a spring election – is there something I don’t know?

12. Hip, hip, hoorah! This person could not be more delighted. The only doubt I had about Dion, though I had suspected that the murmured approval of the old bankers would still put the fix in for Ignatieff, was whether Dion could handle the personable and friendly stuff that politicians seem to require as an accessory. His acceptance speech put an end to those doubts. You would think he was to the manor born. And he planted his political issue flag dead center with a thump: a sustainable environment.
    The Cons will have to hide their inert Minister in this field, she has no chance against this guy now that the Liberals have a guy with a mandate, hardly any baggage at all, and apparently squeaky clean. Oh, the poor cons. Well, it could not happen to a nicer bunch.
    And I see by the reaction already things to note.I was wondering if this blog was created by some cluster of slaves chained to a desk in the Canwest dungeons, but the devastating rage of the entries on this particular matter show it is very much the work of an individual. What a remarkable amount of work she has produced, and with what steady application. It is to wonder.
    And the followers. There really are such people as one has heard of in Alberta. And I thought it was a sort of folk myth, like mosquitoes the size of small planes in the North.
    Never mind folks, it is true that your hero will be dusted off and sent packing, and soon enough Stephen the Unready will be back to plucking quotes from a 19th Century landlord’s stooge, but look at the good side. We do not go from a zero environment plan to a genuine one by renaming the Cons Clean Air Act as the Healthy Air Act do we? And it is getting clear that we really do need to act, to act rather seriously in fact. So we have to have a government to do it even though every one of us will have cause to curse it for doing what must be done.
    So take heart from the fact we are now surely going to get what we need as a nation. Once again the center is necessary. So medicare will be saved? Yup. And the poor will not be throttled? Nope. And women at work will still have gradually expanding and inforceable rights. Yup. And we will get our people out of that angry boil of a place, Afganistan, now that we know we are the only country dumb enough to die for American policy. Absolutely. And a real environmental plan will come? Absolutely.
    Just one thing. All these countries that have sent some soldiers to that place, with conditions attached (you know, no combat please) do they not have similar conditions attached to their transport. Do we have enough, or any equipment that is Canadian that is available for sure to get out of there quickly? I was wondering if the Cons government might attend to that.
    For the rest, the future looks real good. An election in the Spring, a new government, and to start working our way out of a sea of troubles.
    Like I said: Hip,
    Hip, Hoorah!

13. Danny can start his tour in Alberta with that famous Newfie handshake – both palms up.

14. Yo Garhane – “The Cons will have to hide their inert Minister in this field, she has no chance against this guy now that the Liberals have a guy with a mandate”
    Yeah a mandate that included being recognized as a “fossil” by environmental groups, a mandate that despite being in government for some 10 years, did not manage to do one thing for the “environment” he seems so taken with at present, a mandate that includes, once again, a leader from Quebec, a mandate that includes being part of a party that stole money from Canadians.
    I wouldn’t buy Stephen the bus ticket just yet.

15. Well at the very least, I think the MSM has gotten all of it’s overt, gushing adoration for all things Liberal out of their collective systems, at least for the time being. Now they can go back to the subtle, pervasive support for the Liberals, while claiming impartiality, of course.
    Couple of highlights (low-lights?):
    Repeatedly hearing the Liberal Party refered to as the “natural governing party” not by LPC members, but by representatives of our independant media. It’s some great democracy we have here isn’t it.
    The obvious “paving of the way” for the future corronation of Liberal Party messiah, and Canadian royalty Justin Trudeau.(once again by our impartial MSM representatives) gag
    Oh, and the spit take of the night, Dion’s claim that Bob Rae understands current economics. (Well his understanding of economics couldn’t have gotten any worse, could it)

16. Just after the third ballot, France Chretien Desmarais (Jean’s daughter and Paul Demarais’ daughter-in-law) declared her support for Stephane Dion.
    Who would have known that Power Corp would support Stephane Dion? I guess they just like to back winners and seeing as their two horses in the race lost, they quickly shifted their support to Dion.
    Maybe your feeling, Bruce, that CPC supporters shouldn’t underestimate Dion is more than just a feeling. With Desmarais/Power Corp/Chretien support, there’s a lot that Dion could “accomplish.”
    My neighbours had never heard about Paul Desmarais and Power Corp until I told them the long, sordid story today. If you’re CPC, start spreading the story, start telling your friends, families, and neighbours about this Power Cabal, because the MSM sure as heck isn’t going to.

17. Garhane – what exactly is a “sustainible environment”?
    Dion isn’t so much a leader as he is a “sustainable” drinking game until his English improves.

18. All Danny has to do is to convince out of province Newfies to do like the East Indians here do – send money home (but to the government not to their families).

19. I must admit to a few surprises. I thought Kennedy would go one more round but it seems he and Dion had settled on a price some weeks ago.
    Secondly, I thought the powercorp twins would back one or the other in the end. This leads me to believe that Paul D. is really pissed right now or he had the lib. sense to back the darkhorse too. I suppose if there are any significant connections in that direction it’s only a matter of time before they are exposed.
    Kate rightly notes that the result is all about “the least offensive”. In doing so the Libs have played to their base. I guess nobody was listening too much to Dean eh? Incidently..is this not the crime Harper is guilty of?
    Interesting days ahead.The libs opt for their third consecutive leader from Quebec. Harper is “uncanadian” and Dion is a dually.
    Later tonight we’ll know what Alberta has to offer to this eclectic mix. If Morton wins this country has a chance. If Dinning wins….watch the decimation of the Alberta PC’s in the next election by the Alberta Alliance. If Stelmach wins I’ll be too damn confused to hazard a guess on the sun rising tommorrow.
    God help us!!
    Syncro

20. All supporters of the Conservative Party can now do a happy dance. Merry Christmas, Mr. Harper!
    The Liberals rejected Ignatieff, who would have given the Tories a run for their money, and instead chose a leader who has annoyed Quebeckers by his support for the Clarity Act. As for the rest of Canada, I suspect the typical voter will find Dion to be somewhat less than charismatic.
    For once, the mainstream media got it right. This is how Reuters began their news story:
    “Canada’s opposition Liberals on Saturday unexpectedly chose former Environment Minister Stephane Dion as their new leader, overlooking his political shortcomings that could undermine the party in an election widely expected next year.”

21. More of the same crapola from the Libranos: the old boys will rule by proxy through Dion. Iggy and Rae were not “made men”, so were not allowed to lead the family.
    As Celine Dion would say, “God bless Canada”!

22. Garhane makes a totally inane “observation”: “…the devastating rage of the entries on this particular matter show it is very much the work of an individual. What a remarkable amount of work she has produced, and with what steady application. It is to wonder.”
    What’s to wonder at is this guy’s/gal’s idiocy. Sure, Kate has danced as fast as she can for the past 33 hours to come up with all of this “rage” (about 125 posts worth), while she manages a blog with a lot of other threads on it, her dogs, and her day job.
    Garhane obviously has memory problems; s/he can’t recall M. Dion’s total inaction on the environment–talk doesn’t equal action, the fact that his Librano Party has stolen million$ from Canadian taxpayers that they haven’t bothered to pay back, that Canadians have pretty much had their fill of Francophone PMs (who, for some reason, all seem to be intimately connected with Power Corp), and that M. Dion is a DUAL CITIZEN OF CANADA AND FRANCE.
    There’s no way Dion should ever be considered for the PM’s job as a citizen of another country. The GG had to give her dual citizenship up in order to become GG, so that should be the first thing Dion does as the Leader of the Loyal Oppostion. His loyalties to Canada are remarkably compromised right now.

23. Another message from me to the CBC ombudsman:
    “Don Newman’s just finished his postmortem with Robin Sears, Stephen LeDrew, and Allan Bonner.
    “Where was the Conservative in this cozy little gab-fest?
    “As I said, I’ve been watching for a few hours–about three now–and I’m still waiting to see a bona fida CPC spokesperson.
    “You’ve covered the Liberal leadership convention with my tax dollars. As a proud supporter of the CPC and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, I’d like to know how the CBC has represented my viewpoint today.
    “I look forward to your response.”
    I know the response will be the same dissembling the CBC has always has the audacity to posit. I register my concerns only for a paper trail. Equity and fairness from the CBC? Not on your life.

24. where is the CPC interview.
    I guess they were here and couldnt be interviewed. this is only a step away from the Libs withdrawing their candidate so Joe (Im so slow) Clark could win in Calgary Central
    just in from CTV(tass)
    Tories claim role in getting Rae knocked off
    3w.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061202/liberals_tories_061202/20061202?hub=TopStories

25. Say Garhane,
    If this is an example of your being happy…….another sad-sack lefty

26. I did a great job of ignoring the convention until a family member asked to check things out, right at the pivotal moment as it turned out.
    I though the MSM didn’t approve of national leaders who wern’t fluent in both languages???
    And who was the moronic CBC reporter shouting at Dion right after he won?

27. check out the Rae and Dion picture on this page. Rae has more of a Scooter Brison look.
    http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061202/dion_wins_061202/20061202?hub=TopStories

28. Until Stephan Dion renounces his status as a CITIZEN OF FRANCE he should not be sworn in as leader of HER MAJESTIES LOYAL OPPOSITION.

29. Until Stephan Dion renounces his status as a CITIZEN OF FRANCE he should not be sworn in as leader of HER MAJESTIES LOYAL OPPOSITION.

30. I should have read all the posts….but I just got in from work. So princess Demarais anointed the king eh.
    Garhane you are a funny man/gal. Dion’s record on the environment is abysmal once the rhetorical bullshit is removed.
    But then there is his “decency” to count on right? Check this out from Cherniak:
    I’m standing infront of the Dion box in a throng of people. As I watch the screen, I see the faces of all the people now supporting Dion. Martha, Gerard, Ken, Joe, Justin, Allan.
    Through the central aisle walks the staff of the man who may soon be the leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. Somehow they look much more like security than volunteers now.
    Oddly, I don’t see many of those who have been with Dion from the beginning.
    So Jason (I never met a Liberal I didn’t love and I’m the blogoshpere voice of the Dion campaign) Cherniak and other Dion supporters were left out of the victory march.
    As Jason said himself….”oddly”
    Hhhhmmmmmmmm…..
    Syncro

31. Uh, I can’t understand one thing — why the negativity about Dion and the environment? He only had the profile for two years, not the decade some people seem to have made him out to have had…

32. Kate; Concerned; et.al.
    I’ve been trying to track down an official reference to Dion having dual French + Canadian citizenship. No luck. The guy was born in Canada, and I don’t think that France just hands those things out as party favours. Anybody have the skinny on the how and why of this?

33. Eugene,
    good point.
    In fact Dionne never really did……well……anything.

34. To my understanding, Dion’s French citizenship comes via his mother, who was born in France, and obviously, didn’t become a citizen of Canada. I don’t think he uses or holds a French passport. He’ll probably renounce this ‘by birth’ citizenship or it will be used against him.
    The G-G, on the other hand, applied for French citizenship for her daughter.
    As for Dion and the env’t, he didn’t object to the Kyoto accord, despite his knowing that the levels set by Chretien were purely random, without empirical support and were unreachable.
    Kyoto has nothing to do with emission control; it’s a money laundering scheme to transfer money from the developed to the undeveloped countries – not as loans, but as pure gifts – the undeveloped countries can pollute as much as they want. So can the developed countries; it will just cost them money – and probably far less than it would if they were to rebuild their factories and industries.
    The Liberal Party is now redefining themselves as ‘all about the Environment’ as a metaphor of purity. The corrupt, degenerate, patronage ridden, theft-ridden, stealing-from-the taxpayer party..will become Pure As The Driven Snow. They’ll align themselves with Purity of the Environment. So, their goal will be Purity. Of the Environment. Of course, they’ll continue to be as corrupt politically and economically as usual, but, image-wise – they’ll be All About Purity. That’s why they are Going Environmental.
    To change their image. Will the public be dumb enough to swallow this?

35. One doesn’t get the “least offensive” title by doing anything. Having said that – I think most liberals could have done nothing for two years.

36. Another note from me to the CBC ombusman tonight:
    ” ‘Hope you’ve ENJOYED [emphasis mine] the highlights” of the Liberal leadership convention? Thus said Peter Mansbridge on Newsworld. (I watched and heard this just before 9:00 p.m.)
    I didn’t watch the CBC today in order to ENJOY: Liberals (and the CBC) usually make me feel quite queasy.
    This is REPORTING?
    Please tell me how such a comment by P. Mansbridge serves the CBC’s mandate to be “balanced and fair”.

37. Bring him on.
    This dude can’t hold a candle to Harper.
    I think Dion has too many puppet strings attached. Too many shadowy Librano mobsters… oops!… I mean members… will want favors from him and too many leftist radicals will want him to push their agendae, just as happened with Chretien and Martin. I really don’t think any Librano will tell his own people to feck off- after all, being a Liberal means mandatory reciprocal bum-scratching. Once in, one’s in for life. Favors are given, paid back, owed, traded… Never go against the family, Stephane…
    Stephane will have to abandon his intellect in favor of doing what he’s told.
    That’s the nature of Liberals, after all, and why we don’t want these guys back… ever. Corrupt, crooked, incompetent, uncaring…

38. This morning i googled two globe and mail columnists: simpson’s column was about the liberals in decline and lawrence martin wrote about their critical failure to recognize the west. It was amazing to read two of the Globe’s more prominent columnists being negative on the future of the liberal party in general, regardless of the leader they picked.
    Also, of course, very cheering.
    And i think they were right. Even members of the liberal media are beginning to see the handwriting on the well regarding the future of power in this country. Picking yet another candidate from quebec proves the liberals are stuck on yesterday….when all their troubles seemed so far away…now it seems. etc. etc. arf arf.

39. Garhane, I think that this was despicable:
    ” And we will get our people out of that angry boil of a place, Afganistan, now that we know we are the only country dumb enough to die for American …”
    F’n Liberals finally can do somehting to uphold and promote liberal values: and they want to run away and abandon hope for the people there. And pretend to do somehting: about the “environment” (liars!) about “aboriginals” (in their Liberal-chief run reserves), about ssm (WTF?) abortion (WTF?). You people are unreal. false. plastic posears. ignoble.
    and Dion is gauche.

40. All I can say,is I’m glad this media love-in is over..had to shower,and scrub my eyes and ears with comet to cleanse myself!Can now snuggle up with my doggie,NOT named Kyoto,and watch something more palatable!Anyone notice that since Mr.Dressup died,his puppet Casey now has a new career…HE’S DON NEWMAN!

41. Dion looks like a deer caught in the headlights. As well he might.

42. Bruce at 7:26: I think your advice to “not underestimate Stephane Dion” is right on. Iggy and Bob Bray underestimated him and they, not he, will be gone shortly.
    The Liberano$ have a terrible image to overcome in many parts of the country and, despite his less than charismatic appearance, Dion is able to project an image of sincerity that most of the pathetic Librano bunch can’t. Personally, I don’t care at all for his environmental evangelism, but he still looks better than the rest of that crew.
    He will be a very tough sell in rural Ontario and the West, but he overcame a lot of handicaps to get where he did today. You are still quite right not to underestimate him.

43. Fantastic Day. The Liberals spent a Great deal of money and a lot of work on that famous movie from the 60″70″s. Are you ready for” How The West Was Won”.

44. With all due respect, fc, Dion’s still a Liberal.

45. “With all due respect, fc, Dion’s still a Liberal.”
    And always will be, as Bray will always be a Dipper. And we sure don’t want either of them as PM. I’m just saying, don’t underestimate him, just because he comes across as a bit of a milquetoast.

46. I know, by “misunderestimating” PMSH, his opponents made a very serious error.
    fc, I hear you. However, I don’t think M Dion’s in the same league as PMSH at all. (That doesn’t mean he’s a dead loss. He should be but, in politics, it doesn’t mean he will be.)
    That said, I was quite underwhelmed by Dion’s plastic acceptance speech. Typical Liberal, shallow platitudes.

47. “He will be a very tough sell in rural Ontario and the West, but he overcame a lot of handicaps to get where he did today.”
    Yeah – Ignatieff’s and Rae’s

48. LOL…
    ‘Mr. Anybody But’ – is the new Lieberal leader.
    And this after all the hoopla about Iggy or Rae becoming the new saviour of the POCV (Party of Canadian Values).
    So fitting an end to so much BS.
    This Lieberal/MSM convention was just as many expected – a frantic loony lovefest, aimed at garnering the support of more frantic loonies.
    Keep on truckin’ Mr. Harper. Thank God Canada has you and the Conservatives.

49. Perhaps S. Dion should clear this up.
    Izzy or isn’t he? France? Quebec? Canada? Choose your country, M. Dion.
    Liberal HarperBizarro needs to know, too.
    RSVP.
    …-
    HarperBizarro: Everybody For Dion…three pillars firmly planted
    Does anyone know if it is true that Dion has dual citizenship – Canada and France. I’d like to know – I think it’s important. The GG had to give hers up. …
    harperbizarro.blogspot.com/2006/11/everybody-for-dionthree-pillars-firmly.html

50. “Uh, I can’t understand one thing — why the negativity about Dion and the environment. He only had the profile for two years, not the decade some people seem to have made him out to have had…”
    Uh, Eugene – see, I can’t understand the negativy about the CPC, Ambrose and the environment – they’ve only been in power 10 months.
    Think before you say stupid things.