Second-Tier Politics: The Liberal Leadership Race

This is getting just a little sad. Today Brian Tobin, undoubtedly the front-runner in the race following Frank McKenna’s departure, bowed out of the race.

It’s becoming obvious that Liberal big-wigs doubt their own ability to win an election following the defeat of Harper’s minority government in 2-3 years, and that a Conservative majority following that defeat is all but inevitable. I personally doubt that Ignatieff will go for the leadership this time; the Liberal “crown” will go to a caretaker.

In the meantime, we will be subjected to Bill Graham as interim leader and leader of the opposition. Graham’s selection should probably not be interpreted as an attempt by the Liberal Party to reach out to family values types.

Ken Dryden: No Place for Liberty

With Frank McKenna and John Manley out of the race for Liberal Party leadership, the names most often mentioned as possible contenders are Michael Ignatieff, Belinda Stronach, Scott Brison, and Ken Dryden. Via Paul Wells, here’s a snippet from an email that Ken Dryden sent his constituents before the election, detailing his “vision for Canada”:

Our country was built on great national endeavours – the joining of two great languages and cultures, the railroad, Medicare, the education system, the Charter of Rights. It’s what Macdonald, Pearson, Trudeau – what our greatest leaders – understood.

I don’t think Mr. Harper thinks in terms of “great national endeavours.” I don’t think that’s part of his understanding of Canada. I don’t think that’s what’s in his bones.

Their announcements on child care, public transit, persons with disabilities – so limited. So limiting. He tells us to: “Stand Up for Canada” — but what Canada are we to stand up for?

To Mr. Harper, it’s about what’s in my pocket, in my backyard, people having the chance to choose for themselves, the collective good emerging out of that.
…
What if, 100 years ago, government put $50 in every family’s pocket and told us to build a school system – if that’s where we’d like to put our money. What if, 40 years ago – here’s $100 for a health care system, if that’s where you want to spend it. Where would we be today? Just because our schools and health care aren’t all we’d like them to be – imagine where we’d be without them.

The railroad, Medicare, the education system, the Charter of Rights – Canada is a great national endeavour. We’re a country whose greatest national endeavours are still ahead. I want big things for Canada. I don’t want anything less.

For Dryden, the common good means that which government provides. Civil society is a meaningless term for him, as suggested by his daycare plan that became a cornerstone for the Liberal Party in the last election.

I would suggest one can conceive of the common good independently and prior to government action.

As for his rhetorical question speculating if the government had simply doled out $100 to people 100 years ago, one can respond by speculating what society will look like when government has taken over all aspects of Canadian society. For instance, 3 million Canadians, about 10% of the total population, work for one level of government (including federal, provincial, and municipal). Having so many “pensioners” (Edmund Burke’s term) is bad for society because it makes for dependence and stifles dissent (who’d criticize government if their job was on the line?). Moreover, means Canada has a sizeable faction directly interested in the expansion of government.

Dryden’s vision for Canada, while apparently mainstream in the Liberal Party, is statist and allows for no freedom of the individual nor for civil associations (except as plenipotentiary power derived from the state), nor for provinces.

You can read more of Dryden’s vision here by clicking on “A Great National Trainwreck Endeavour”.

Too bad Dryden, one of the greatest NHL goalies of all time, didn’t do what most former athletes do: own a bar or become a color commentator.

The Shallow Liberal Talent Pool

Frank McKenna took himself out of the running for the Liberal leadership today, a major suprise given that he abandoned his post as US ambassador a day-and-a-half following Paul Martin’s resignation as leader. Together with Manley’s announcement, it’s becoming clear that leading Liberals are reluctant to take on the task of rebuilding the broken Liberal party. Or, as Robert Fife put it tonight: “The Liberals are spooked by Stephen Harper. They think he’s going to pull a John Diefenbaker.”

It says something that two candidates have announced that they will not seek the leadership before anyone has announced that they will (with the exception of Hedy Fry). Watch for Fry to be joined by fellow second-tierers Stronach and Brison. Others have noticed that McKenna’s departure signals a precipitous decline in the quality of the Liberal leadership pool:

“Former Deputy Prime Minister John Manley has already said he won’t run. That leaves such stellar candidates as, wait for it … Belinda Stronach, Scott Brison, Allan Rock and Martin Cauchon.”

The question is whether candidates with more potential like Dion, Ignatieff, and Tobin are willing to take the position of opposition leader indefinitely.

UPDATE: And I’m not the only one who thinks so:

“It makes it a wide-open race but it will be a race of the second tier,” a long-time Liberal said about Mr. McKenna’s decision, which came only days after another heavyweight, former deputy prime minister John Manley, also decided against running, for personal reasons.

WMD in Iraq: He Said, He Said

Saddam Hussein’s former #2 man in the air force, Georges Sada, claims Iraq loaded up the WMDs into hollowed out airplanes and sent them to Syria before the invasion.

As Powerline observes, we need the “ocular proof” of this – which may come out (or we’ll get closer to it coming out) when Sada meets soon with various Senate committees.

H/t: Andrew Coyne

Some background here.

Harper’s Conservative Consensus?

A very astute analysis of the conservative coalition Harper has and its prospects, by the Work Research Foundation.

More later.

Gore, Moore and O’Donnell – Doing Conservatives a Favour

You just know you’re on the right side of the debate when crack-pot lefties like Al Gore, Michael Moore and Rosie O’Donnell are suddenly spitting piss and vinegar in your direction. Rosie claims a Harper Conservative victory is just an example of Canadians “voting in a George W. Bush into the north;” Al Gore spits out this gem,

“The election in Canada was partly about the tar sands projects in Alberta,” Gore said Wednesday while attending the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

“And the financial interests behind the tar sands project poured a lot of money and support behind an ultra-conservative leader in order to win the election . . . and to protect their interests.”

And finally, the epitome of pinko fantasy peddlers, Michael Moore had this to say,

These are no ordinary times, and as you go to the polls on Monday, you do so while a man running the nation to the south of you is hoping you can lend him a hand by picking Stephen Harper because he’s a man who shares his world view. Do you want to help George Bush by turning Canada into his latest conquest? Is that how you want millions of us down here to see you from now on? The next notch in the cowboy belt? C’mon, where’s your Canadian pride? I mean, if you’re going to reduce Canada to a cheap download of Bush & Co., then at least don’t surrender so easily. Can’t you wait until he threatens to bomb Regina? Make him work for it, for Pete’s sake.

Keep it up boys and girls, nothing mobilizes the conservative vote better than having out-of-touch loony left celebrities opposing your beliefs.

Update: M.K. Braaten agrees and Kate points out a huge mistake in the original article,

Gore warned that Harper wants to remove Canada from the Kyoto accord, which the United States signed under former president Bill Clinton, but has refused to ratify under President George W. Bush.

Kate correctly points out,

Clinton signed Kyoto, knowing full well that it would be rejected by the Senate – which they did, voting against it unanimously – 3 full years before Bush came into office.

Hamas wins landslide victory in Palestinian elections

Terrorist group Hamas has won an unexpected landslide victory in the Palestinian elections, claiming 76 of 132 seats. Hamas is officially recognised as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the USA, Israel and Canada, but this win has given it a new legitimacy. Although terrorists are not permitted to run for political office in Palestine, fear of a lack of international support and a failure to take the threat of a Hamas win seriously held Israel back from taking serious action to prevent this.

The trouble with terrorists who control a State is that they do not stop being terrorists, rather, they expand their terror and brutality. Such was the case with groups of terrorists and gangsters who gained control over the Russian State in 1917, the German State in 1933, China in 1949, Syria and Iraq in 1963, Cambodia in 1976, and many more. The terror of none was mitigated, but rather hugely amplified and spread after a rise to official, State power.

The ascendancy of Hamas is likely to have dire consequences not only for Israel, but for the Palestinians, and whatever small freedoms they may have enjoyed under Fatah are in grave jeopardy now.

Bush on Brokeback Mountain

Hear yea! Hear yea! George Bush has not seen Brokeback Mountain.

Lee Harris, who praises the manliness of the two main characters and has contempt for “gay culture,” explains the movie’s tragic eloquence and why it cannot be portrayed as a “gay polemic.”

Advice For Stephen Harper

As an addendum to my earlier post predicting a 2 year limit to the Conservative minority government, I direct your attention to this advice for Stephen Harper written by James C. Bennett at Albion’s Seedlings. (h/t Instapundit)

Predicting The Duration of the Conservative Minority

As we saw during the election campaign, the Liberal Party has no problem smearing Stephen Harper and the Conservatives as a northern extension of the Bush administration. For the duration of this minority government, look for the Liberals, the NDP and their big media sympathizers to continue pushing this meme at every possible opportunity, even when the circumstances make such labelling ridiculous.

In a country that has been educated to fear American Republicans (and the Bush administration particularly) this will be their most potent “criticism” of the Conservative agenda. As such, it is in their best interest to try to force an election before the Bush presidency has been concluded, even if the Liberals are still too disarrayed to fight an effective campaign. Arguing that Prime Minister Stephen is too much like President Hillary won’t have the same impact. Expect a no-confidence motion to pass sometime in early 2008.

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