Even staged events reveal Liberal woes in Guelph
You know a party is in trouble when they're forced to stage friendly canvass for the cameras... and things still go wrong.
Guelph Liberal candidate Frank Valeriote was forced to go on the defensive on camera with CPAC last week, attempting to defend both Dion and his Green Shift Carbon Tax.
It's now clear that the Guelph Liberal campaign selected a "friendly" poll for the shoot with CPAC... one of their "Top 5" in Guelph, where they polled a full 10% higher than the City average. But even in a safe environment like that, and even when talking to admitted Liberals, the wheels just fell off for poor Mr. Valeriote.
The most revealing thing from the CPAC video is how much opposition there is to Mr. Dion's leadership AND to his "Green Shift" Carbon Tax... from Liberals. The one door where he's trying valiantly to defend both, the lady at the door admits to having been an Ignatieff supporter... a former (and perhaps still current) Liberal, saying she doesn't think Dion can cut it, and that she doesn't have faith in the promised tax cuts proposed in his Green Shift platform.
But take this video into context with current events, and it becomes part of a much larger story. Dion's Green Shift is an enormous flop amongst Canadians that his own senior people are urging him to stop talking about it. And his leadership is so shaky, that he's unable to stand on his own, so the Party is trying to save their own fortunes by bringing in the "heavy hitters", propping up his tour with the likes of Bob "NDP" Rae, Ken "Habs Been" Dryden, and Michael "The American" Ignatieff.
Rather than helping, I only think that can hurt them... it reminds everyone what a mistake the Liberals made in selecting Dion as their leader.
As I said, you need no more evidence than to look at the Guelph riding. Even in a staged "friendly" photo op, the main themes of the campaign are brought right back into the forefront... that the Liberals plan and leader are simply "not worth the risk".
UPDATE: I think this photo from CTV says it all... are Bob and Michael really looking out for him, or is it more a case of the vultures beginning to circle?
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion comes under the watchful gaze of Michael Ignatieff (back) and Bob Rae (reflected in side of podium) during a campaign event in Toronto on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008. (Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Guelph Liberal candidate Frank Valeriote was forced to go on the defensive on camera with CPAC last week, attempting to defend both Dion and his Green Shift Carbon Tax.
It's now clear that the Guelph Liberal campaign selected a "friendly" poll for the shoot with CPAC... one of their "Top 5" in Guelph, where they polled a full 10% higher than the City average. But even in a safe environment like that, and even when talking to admitted Liberals, the wheels just fell off for poor Mr. Valeriote.
The most revealing thing from the CPAC video is how much opposition there is to Mr. Dion's leadership AND to his "Green Shift" Carbon Tax... from Liberals. The one door where he's trying valiantly to defend both, the lady at the door admits to having been an Ignatieff supporter... a former (and perhaps still current) Liberal, saying she doesn't think Dion can cut it, and that she doesn't have faith in the promised tax cuts proposed in his Green Shift platform.
But take this video into context with current events, and it becomes part of a much larger story. Dion's Green Shift is an enormous flop amongst Canadians that his own senior people are urging him to stop talking about it. And his leadership is so shaky, that he's unable to stand on his own, so the Party is trying to save their own fortunes by bringing in the "heavy hitters", propping up his tour with the likes of Bob "NDP" Rae, Ken "Habs Been" Dryden, and Michael "The American" Ignatieff.
Rather than helping, I only think that can hurt them... it reminds everyone what a mistake the Liberals made in selecting Dion as their leader.
As I said, you need no more evidence than to look at the Guelph riding. Even in a staged "friendly" photo op, the main themes of the campaign are brought right back into the forefront... that the Liberals plan and leader are simply "not worth the risk".
UPDATE: I think this photo from CTV says it all... are Bob and Michael really looking out for him, or is it more a case of the vultures beginning to circle?
Labels: Dion, election, Liberals, Not a Leader
posted by Christian Conservative @ 12:12 p.m.
2 Comments:
At Thu Sep 18, 01:15:00 p.m. EDT,
Anonymous said…
Looks like Iggy and Rae are cringing at the sight and sound of Dion, just like the rest of us!
At Thu Sep 18, 01:37:00 p.m. EDT,
Anonymous said…
Even if Rae and Ignatieff were circling like vultures, they have enough smarts to appear to be on board with Dion. Unlike Garth Turner, they will most likely not publicly diss their leader and will maintain appearances of solidarity. This makes sense, as well. If the party appears to be shaky and if the party slips, so do their chances to become leader of the party. It is too bad that Garth Turner did not think along those lines.
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