Sunday, November 16, 2008

why are There no More MPs at this Exec Meeting

Dom: Chretien used to have an attendance record. The leader should emphasize the attendance at these exec meetings.

Iggy: should be mandated by the leader. Acknowledgement and standing ovation for Carolyn Bennett.


Question on attack ads. Iggy's not Canadian and Dom has zero name recognition.

Iggy: stephen Harper doesn't get to choose who is a Canadian. He's Canadian alllllllll the way down.

DOM: we allowed Dion to be defined and we didn't respond. We should have responded. We have no choice. We cannot evacuate the battlefield. Naturally I haven't the name recognition because I haven't run for leadership before. Elected 4 times in eight years.

Question on Afghanistan:

Dom: voted against first extention. Uncomfortable with nature. Voted for recent extetion. Went to Afghanistan as parliamentary secretary. He would serve notice that we are leaving in 2011. Redeploy in a more traditional role.

Iggy: voted for first extention. Voted for second extention. Wanted to change the mission. We're there to train our replacement. Intensely proud of what we've done. Can't defend that place forever. We should come home in 2011.

Question: what "change" are they bringing to the party.

Dom: country wants the Liberal party to change. Less central control. Mechanisms of our party have broken down. 308 riding campaign. Less time in Ottawa more time in the ridings.

Iggy: he agrees with Dom. Have to change what's in our head. Was with Pearson. Flew with Trudeau. Cdns don't wanna hear about the past. They wanna hear about the future. Core battle is that the Conservative now wants to be the natural governing party. Cdns are frightened. God damn it we have to fight for these people.

Question on climate change:

Iggy: proud of Stephane's leadership on it. (Should be he wanted a carbon tax shift). Must remain faithful about enviromental sustainability. Gotta get the retail politics of this issue. Gotta figure out how to sell it. Has to work in the air, on the land on the sea where deisel fuels are used. We have to listen to cdns.

Dom: proud of Dion. The green shift was a hurdle to our candidates across the nation. Green shift opened us to an impossible attack. Robust climate change than Cons and better than the NDP. Consult Mcguinty and Godfrey. Carbon market.

Question about Canada in the world and Iraq and middle east.

Dom: unique opportunity with new US administration. Voted against Canada's participation in the Iraq war. Will decline invitation to participate in Iraq. Canada's face has to be more than military. Must be with our artists, our creative people, our young people in NGOs. Must change our face in the world.

Iggy: should have central plank to make Canadians have an easier time doing public work abroad. Let us pause and note the Harper govt's interference in the Ohio election. Dumb stupid malicious on the part of Harper. Got to clean up that mess. No engagement in Iraq. Sudan and Darfur if we can figure out a solution. His dad worked with Pearson. We're having the Norwegians eating our lunch as negotiators and peacekeepers. We have to articluate who it is to be a Canadian

5 comments:

Ti-Guy said...

"Iggy: stephen Harper doesn't get to choose who is a Canadian. He's Canadian alllllllll the way down."

I'd call that a gaffe. Iggy seems out-of-touch when he believes appealing to people's rationality is all that's necessary. Conservatives will believe whatever the Party and/or the teevee tells them.

S.K. said...

And what do we say to the inevitable attack ads against Iggy as "Not a Canadian"

Well he only lived outside the country for 37 years and he's been back for two years now.

Yeah that will work. Unfortunately for the Liberal Party, if we are foolish enough to elect this man, the people who drink at Tim Horton's will decide if that's Canadian enough to be PM. And I think I know what they will decide.

Mala Fides said...

SK,

I sure do hope that the Reformers start off the campaign attacking Ignatieff for not being in the country for 37 years or for however long he was away.

Let them run ad after ad after ad on the subject.

How do you think this will resonate with all of the new Canadians that have come from China, India, and from around the world?

The message that this sends to me is that if you aren't a white guy, who drives a pick-up truck and goes to the evangelical church three times a week, then you aren't a real Canadian.

Hey, bring it on!!!

That kind of campaign suits the Liberal Party just fine.

It kinda makes me think about just what kind of people would make these commericals and what do they really think of me, a person who's second language is English, whose skin is a little darker than a "real Canadian's" skin, someone who is apparently not as worthy of becoming involved in the politics of my new country despite the two degrees I hold and the taxes I pay.

Bring that kind of garbage on!!!!

SK, I am not going to come to Iggy's defence about much, but this kind of attack will move me to call it out as being completely wrong-headed and potentially racist.

I just hope SK, that you don't actually believe that this is a legitimate complaint about Ignatieff.

Do you?

Ted Betts said...

SK, if you insist on being nothing but a negative and divisive commenter again during this leadership race like last time, with never anything positive to add about the party or any other candidate - which, I add, is entirely your right - then I respectfully request that you at the very least be factual. And in particular, factual about how long he has been away from the country and how long he has been back.

Really, I would prefer it if we chose to support a candidate for what they are, what they say their priorities are, or if there are issues, baggage you can't support, then that is fine too.

But when all you do is comment telling us what the Conservatives are going to attack him on and so we shouldn't support this clearly loyal and hard-working Liberal, you are really not helping the party. In fact, it is an elitist, quasi-racist (as mala fides points out), attack designed to keep the party split in factions.

Criticisms are fine, attacks even are fine. But when that is all you do and you do it constantly and with personal smears? That's the kind of internal division that has given Harper ever increasing number of seats. Maybe that's your intent.

Ted Betts said...

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