So, Michael Ignatieff’s name is being bandied about as a possible Liberal leader to replace Paul Martin after the current prime minister leaves or is pushed. Dan asked me for my thoughts, so here they are:
There is no doubt that the man is intelligent and cerebral, but his supporters are touting him as a reincarnation of Trudeau (despite his significantly more right-wing leanings). My parents are impressed, so I have to weigh that in his favour, but still…
Remember when I said that the great problem of the Conservatives is that they’re under the misimpression that all it would take is the right leader and the right message as opposed to the right policies to win the day? Remember when I said that Preston Manning could have been prime minister if the Reform Party hadn’t gotten impatient and turned their lonely eyes to Stockwell Day?
Michael Ignatieff has zero political experience. Even Trudeau spent over a year learning the ropes as Justice Minister. And the intensity of the draft-Michael movement suggests a desperation within the Liberal Party that in and of itself should be setting off alarm bells. You do not win elections through rash, desperate decisions. You do not waste your time looking for Messiahs.
You win elections by getting down to some hard slogging work, sticking to your agenda, and spending the time to communicate it to the electorate. All indications suggest that Ignatieff, if drafted in a hurry, would just be window dressing, and he wouldn’t necessarily provide the fix the Liberals so desperately need to shake off their corruption and become relevant again.
And that’s all I’m going to say about Ignatieff until the situation changes.
Another Weird Google Search
Somebody actually found me on “how can i get 2 backstage passes to the doctor who program”.
The answer is, I suspect, signing a piece of paper in blood giving up your first born son as well as your immortal soul to Russell T. Davies.
In more disturbing news, I’m number seven in the search for “he only eats fast food”.