High Ho it's off to the polls we go.

[Goober]

Why would you think I would have an opinion on this, Goober? This is an obscure story, I haven’t read it. I don’t have any opinion on it. If Iggy has been heavy handed in selection of a candidate, he is not the first party leader to do so, and he won’t be the last.

SJP

And the Coderre –Cauchon story is nothing – read the links – appears Coderre is on the move. This story has legs and it will run well.
Again Iggy does the 2 step shuffle in full retreat – His moves are clearly Dionesque – Ah Stephane you really left an impression on Iggy and retreat – Your legacy lives on.


Kelly McParland: Liberals do the Iggy Shuffle on sales tax - Full Comment

Appears that Coderre is on a hunt and kill mission in Quebec. The purges are beginning

L. Ian MacDonald: Liberal facade shows cracks in Quebec - Full Comment

 

[Goober]

Why would you think I would have an opinion on this, Goober? This is an obscure story, I haven’t read it. I don’t have any opinion on it. If Iggy has been heavy handed in selection of a candidate, he is not the first party leader to do so, and he won’t be the last.

SJP

Just to provide balance as you would never consider anything from the NP to be other than tripe.
Iggy doing a fancy 2 step again – He should be careful at his age – Hip problems and the waiting list are long.
But he does not have to be concerned about an invite to dancing with the Stars as his moves are disjointed and without symmetry.

And you stated this story was obscure – HHMMM wrong again eh.

Outremont feud puts Ignatieff in bind - The Globe and Mail

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is coming under intense pressure to reverse a decision that blocks Martin Cauchon's political comeback in the prized Quebec riding of Outremont.
Party insiders say discussions between emissaries for the former justice minister and the leader's office are taking place in a bid to find a “win-win solution” to the controversy.
Mr. Ignatieff sparked a backlash within the party when he confirmed Monday that he's decided to appoint a woman as the Liberal candidate in Outremont, a Montreal riding held by Mr. Cauchon for 11 years before his retirement from politics in 2004.

 

[Goober]

Quebecois will do what they want, Goober. They move in mysterious ways.

SJP

Have not heard from you in a while – Appears the article I posted regarding the Politician who goes by his Aboriginal name of Mouth walking on 2 legs has had his balls handed to him by Cauchon –

Small but crunchy I would guess –

Cauchon wins party struggle for Montreal nomination - The Globe and Mail
But as the fight generated a series of headlines, Mr. Ignatieff also managed to bring attention to his own leadership skills. In public and through official spokespeople, he solidly supported Mr. Coderre's call to appoint Ms. Le Prohon in Outremont, only to buckle under internal pressure Friday and allow Mr. Cauchon to run against NDP MP Thomas Mulcair.

Peter Donolo, a pollster and political analyst with the Strategic Counsel, said the episode leaves an impression that Mr. Ignatieff can't control jockeying in his ranks, lacks political skills and “makes a decision and can't stick with it.”
“It should have never come to a showdown between [Mr. Coderre and Mr. Cauchon],” Mr. Donolo said.
Liberal officials insisted Friday that Mr. Ignatieff found the best possible solution, even after he had defended his decision to bypass an open nomination and appoint Ms. Le Prohon in Outremont.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

Sorry Goober, but I just cannot get interested in internal workings of Quebec politics. As I said before, I don’t know if Ignatieff was heavy handed or not, but if he was, then he was behaving like a typical party leader, they all behave the same way.

 

[Goober]

Sorry Goober, but I just cannot get interested in internal workings of Quebec politics. As I said before, I don’t know if Ignatieff was heavy handed or not, but if he was, then he was behaving like a typical party leader, they all behave the same way.

SJP – Would you agree that Coderre as Quebec Lieutenant was and is a poor choice when you have others that have earned respect. And respect is not what Coderre commands, he demands – typical little tyrant – must have been a holy terror as a child - – He demands and was set on a purge of a few Liberal MP’s.

Iggy came of looking as always – changing positions –

As to what Iggy’s real positions are – Only the Shadow knows for sure.

 

[Goober]

Sorry Goober, but I just cannot get interested in internal workings of Quebec politics. As I said before, I don’t know if Ignatieff was heavy handed or not, but if he was, then he was behaving like a typical party leader, they all behave the same way.

SJP

Just had time to read the news after my post to you –

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/09/28/jeff-jedras-coderre-s-departure-does-ignatieff-a-favour.aspx

Man known by his new Aboriginal name – “Eats his own small Nuts”
Coderre was an embarrassment as defence critic, unloved and running his own agenda as Quebec lieutenant, and his departure from both positions will be a positive for the party. Instead of someone who has been dividing Quebec Liberals, trying to muscle aside rivals, trying to push out incumbents, we can have someone working to build a more open and inclusive party in the province, someone who will work to build the organization and find the best candidates, period.

This is all very inside baseball. Canadians don’t care who the Liberal Party’s Quebec lieutenant is. The pundits will bray, but it’s just white noise and they’ll move on soon enough. Internally, however, a divisive force has been removed from the equation and that will result in a stronger Quebec organization, better able to fight the next election.

In the long game, this is a good day for the Liberal Party. And I know very few Liberals who would disagree.

Au revoir, Denis. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

National Post

A Liberal blogger and activist from the left coast who now reluctantly calls Toronto home, Jeff Jedras blogs as A BCer in Toronto.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/liberals-lose-quebec-lieutenant/article1303808/
But his efforts were dealt a blow with the abrupt resignation of his Quebec lieutenant, Denis Coderre, who is frustrated he was overruled in selecting a candidate for a key Montreal riding.
Mr. Coderre said he realized “lacked moral authority” to do his job, though he maintains he “has confidence” in Mr. Ignatieff.
The veteran MP had found a strong female candidate for Outremont but his decision was overturned Friday by Mr. Ignatieff. Martin Cauchon, a former justice minister under Jean Chrétien and potential rival to Mr. Coderre, will now seek the nomination.
Mr. Coderre said Mr. Ignatieff needs changes to his inner circle. He said you can't run politics in Quebec from Toronto – a shot at the coterie of Toronto strategists around the Liberal Leader. They include chief of staff Ian Davey, principal adviser Dan Brock, communications director Jill Fairbrother, director of operations Sachin Aggarwal and party president Alf Apps.

 

[Tonington]

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Though I have to object to illustrating lemmings in such a manner.

 

[VanIsle]

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Though I have to object to illustrating lemmings in such a manner.

Not gonna happen. NDP says they are going to prop up the Conservatives. It's good. We do not need the expense of another un-necessary election.

 

[Goober]

VI

Don Martin's column stated that The Mustache would bend like a pretzel - quite the contortionist - or extortionist - and support the Cons -

 

[Goober]

Sorry Goober, but I just cannot get interested in internal workings of Quebec politics. As I said before, I don’t know if Ignatieff was heavy handed or not, but if he was, then he was behaving like a typical party leader, they all behave the same way.

SJP

Where have you gone to?? This so called non story is blowing up in King Igg’s face –


Love this from the paper you dislike of course the NP

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/tags/Full+Comment+Canadian+politics/default.aspx

Ignatieff to discipline Coderre. If Toronto approves
Posted: October 01, 2009, 3:55 PM by NP Editor
Kelly McParland, Full Comment Canadian politics
The Toronto Star reports:
Ignatieff: Coderre will face 'consequences'
OTTAWA –Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff says there will be "consequences" for the trouble that Denis Coderre, his former Quebec lieutenant, has caused the party this week.
"This is politics. This is not personal," Ignatieff told reporters. "For every action, there are consequences. I'm very clear about that. Mr. Coderre is very clear about that."
Uh-oh. You know what happens when the Liberal leader makes warnings like that. He could:
• Put Coderre on "probation" and force him to provide "reports cards" every quarter on his activities as an MP
• Threaten to remove him as a candidate, subject to negotiations by a panel that will meet over the summer
• Denounce him as unCanadian in TV ads filmed in the "woods" near downtown Toronto
• Threaten again to remove him as a candidate subject to a vote of confidence, despite knowing Coderre has more support than he does
• Sign on to a coalition denouncing Coderre, then claim to oppose the coalition, then accuse the Tories of being in the coalition
• Deny his position on Coderre is being choreographed from Toronto, but only if Apps and Davey give the OK.

 

[Liberalman]

Jack bends over for Harper and saves the day

 

[Cannuck]

Jack bends over for Harper and saves the day

Somebody had to take over for Iggy, his arse was getting sore.

 

[Goober]

Jack bends over for Harper and saves the day

LiberalmanJack bent over numerous times for Martin but today I heard that the ridings held by him and his wife were in danger of being lost - That would of course be to the Liberals as they are down to their rump in Toronto - BC - Quebec - I guess they like rump?

 

[VanIsle]

VI

Don Martin's column stated that The Mustache would bend like a pretzel - quite the contortionist - or extortionist - and support the Cons -

I don't care what the little worm does as long as he never sits in the PM's chair. Iggy is finished in this country. He should go home.

 

[L Gilbert]

VI

Don Martin's column stated that The Mustache would bend like a pretzel - quite the contortionist - or extortionist - and support the Cons -

Yeah, he's not fussy about who he collects bribe from. He's a funny dood. Depending on his mood and the time of the year, he can befriend another leader or just sit back and rant away against any and all.

 

[Goober]

Yeah, he's not fussy about who he collects bribe from. He's a funny dood. Depending on his mood and the time of the year, he can befriend another leader or just sit back and rant away against any and all.

L Gilbert

Today at work I heard something unusual – It sounded like a very large sucking sound coming from the East – I work in Edmonton -The sound must have been carried on the ill winds we get from that direction. And worst of all was the stench – Smelled like an outhouse on a hot day.

Tonight I find out what it was.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/coderre-hails-liberals-as-great-party/article1310516/

With some colleagues apparently calling for his head and his leader warning he might be punished, embattled Liberal MP Denis Coderre has used a TV appearance to try mending fences.
Mr. Coderre's conciliatory tone appears to have paid off. A spokesman for Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff confirmed late Friday the Montreal MP will remain in caucus.
The confirmation came after Mr. Coderre lauded the party and its leader in his first public appearance since his angry resignation as the Liberals' Quebec's lieutenant early this week.
Liberals waiting for the next bombshell from Mr. Coderre might be able to exhale slightly. Party members had feared the worst when Mr. Coderre agreed to appear on Tout le monde en parle , a wildly popular French-language talk show on Radio-Canada.
The show will only air Sunday but, if a snippet that ran Friday afternoon is any indication, they needn't worry.
“I think it's an opportunity to say that we are a great party,” Mr. Coderre said in the clip.

 

[Trex]

I heard another poll result on the radio this weekend.

Harpo 37% and The Count 26%.
Those are flat stunning numbers if correct.
Iggy is dropping like a stone in the popularity polls.
And Harpo is not really picking them up.

So it looks like a huge chunk of soft Liberal supporters are just saying no to the Iggy.
And preparing to boycott the whole election thing if it should occur.

The Coderre thing is a complete Quebec disaster from a Liberal standpoint.
That knife is now sunk so far into the Iggy's back it is impossible to remove.
Iggy has got to be hoping for a wayward bus to resolve this one.

Bob Rae the trusted Liberal right hand man is literally drooling at the thought of Iggy going to the polls and getting completely destroyed.
And then heading home to Harvard.
And then Bob gets to remake the Liberal party into a brand new left leaning people's party.

And the Harpo can taste a majority in the wind.
He wants to hit the stump so bad it's painful.
But he knows he cannot call it or even be seen as triggering it intentionally.
If the voters even smell a whiff of Harpo manipulating another election they will make the Conservatives pay in spades.

So the question becomes?
How does Harpo put forward a bill that the Dippers and the Bloc cannot vote for while appearing completely innocent and just fulfilling the will of the majority?
A crime bill perhaps?
Sooner or later?

Trex

 

[Goober]

Trex
This covers it. The long knives are coming.
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/10/04/kelly-mcparland-the-leon-spinks-theory-on-liberal-leadership.aspx
There's something disconcerting about the abuse Michael Ignatieff is taking over his unimpressive performance as Liberal leader.

Ignatieff has been the target of criticism here at the National Post for quite some time. We're supposed to do that, though we said relatively nice things about him early on, when we thought he might bring something new and original to the table. But the heavy artillery moving in on him now is coming as often from less likely directions, including supposed allies and fellow travellers, pundits and media outlets more positively disposed to the Liberal party than those of us at the Post. Just listen:

James Travers at the Toronto Star says Ignatieff is the result of a party “so consumed with crowning a winner that it ignored red flags waving” over its past three choices.

“Locked on to Ignatieff in much the same way they blindly fastened their fortune to rusty John Turner, Liberals either ignored or dismissed available evidence contradicting the consensus and conventional wisdom. Too lightly weighed was the absence of experience in a craft that mercilessly punishes on-the-job training. Too easily skimmed was the library of awkward Ignatieff musings on the American Empire, the Iraq war and the utility of torture. Too fast forgotten was the revealing use of “we” when talking to southern neighbours wary Canadians know as “them."

Lawrence Martin of the Globe reports that the Liberal leader has entertained his shadow cabinet just once all year, is on the outs with friend and rival Bob Rae, freezes out dissenters and is viewed as the creature of ill-equipped advisers fro Toronto.

“For a case in point, try this: Former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien told visitors recently that Prime Minister Stephen Harper calls him for consultation – they talk about foreign affairs – more often than does Mr. Ignatieff, the leader of his own party!”

Jeffrey Simpson bemoans Ignatieff’s failure to produce anything original in the way of policy, a particular letdown from someone with his credentials.

“A secretariat for the G20. A peace institute. These sound good, but are really quite silly. The return of Team Canada missions? Harmless. A new approach to India and China? See above. Complaints that Mr. Harper’s government hasn’t worked hard enough against U.S. protectionism are simply wrong. On Afghanistan and the Arctic, the Liberal policy is essentially the government’s policy.”

Chantal Hebert and Rex Murphy take turns eviscerating the man.
Hebert: In what increasingly looks like a case of Dion redux, Michael Ignatieff was poised to head down the same slippery election slope as his predecessor had the 40th Parliament died a swift death today.
Since the Liberal leader has gone on the election warpath, he and his strategists have largely recreated the dynamics that led to their party’s demise last year. Over the past three weeks, Ignatieff has won skirmishes against the other opposition leaders, but lost the pre-election war to the Conservatives.

Murphy: He is cocky and uncertain almost simultaneously, aggressive and challenging one moment, hesitant and even confusing in his message the next. That message, what there is of it, is a muddle. He casts the word “vision” around like it’s a talisman, but speaks in the mushy platitudes of a high school valedictorian. He seems stranded between the two models of successful Liberal leadership, caught between the saloon and the salon. He cannot, by nature, mimic Jean Chrétien’s carefully crafted populist style. Neither does he have the electricity and presence of Pierre Trudeau. Mr. Trudeau’s braininess was sexy, Mr. Ignatieff’s you merely gather from the résumé.
Mr. Trudeau wowed on contact. You’re supposed to be impressed by Mr. Ignatieff. That dreadful feeble Ignatieff-before-the-trees ad, with its anodyne “we can do better” slogan, is breathtakingly pointless. It radiates the very absence of message or point that presumably it was constructed to dispel. And here we come to the centre of what’s the matter.

His Quebec lieutenant has walked out on him, his supposed pal Bob Rae has publicly opposed him, his caucus is whispering treacherous words to the Ottawa press pack and pollsters say Canadians want a majority government, but don’t want him to lead it.

It’s all a bit worrying because it suggests conventional wisdom has concluded Ignatieff is a failure, that his hopes of becoming Prime Minister are all but gone, that his tenure as Liberal leader is wobbly and that the game, as far as the former Harvard professor is concerned, is all but up.

That makes me nervous, because when everyone agrees something is likely to happen, it usually doesn’t. You could call it the Leon Spinks Law of the Inevitable Unexpected: No one thought a nobody like Spinks had a chance of defeating Muhammad Ali when they met in Las Vegas in 1978, especially not Ali. Spinks took advantage of that overconfidence to outbox Ali, the only contender to ever take a belt away from the champ in the ring.

He didn't last long, but that's not the point. Stephen Harper's biggest mistakes seem to come at the least opportune moment, like the middle of an election campaign, or when he thinks he has an opponent on the ropes. Ignatieff is looking a bit like Spinks these days. People now expect so little of him, he could surprise them. If I was Harper, I'd keep my distance, and protect my chin.
National Post

 

[Cannuck]

YouTube - Michael Ignatieff - Whatever It Takes

 

[Goober]

YouTube - Michael Ignatieff - Whatever It Takes

So true about them all -