Categories: Capital Read, Inside the Queensway

UPDATED: And then there were two …

by kadyomalley on Sunday, December 7, 2008 6:41pm - 47 Comments

According to CTV (and via the incomparable NNW), Dominic LeBlanc may be out of the race.

UPDATE: Canadian Press has more about what may happen next — and it’s good news for fans of  the one-member-one-vote system!

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  • Shawn in Montreal

    I think this is good news.

  • madeyoulook

    What, no dark horse to sneak up the middle between two front runners? Worked so well the last time…

  • http://phantomobserver.com PhantomObserver

    Given that they want Dion gone before the month is out, I guess he realized he didn’t have near enough resources to mount a serious challenge to either frontrunner.

  • http://tigerathome.wordpress.com The Tiger

    We’ll finally see a winner in that life-long grudge match between Iggy and Bob.

    Oh, the drama! There has got to be a made-for-TV movie about that someday…

  • Richard

    Use of the words “either frontrunner” implies that there are two.

    There aren’t.

  • Politicrack Junkie

    Nooooooooo! :(

  • Ricky

    Dom was a great candidate who never got his just due from caucus, the media, and the Liberal grassroots.

    He brought candor and wit to a race that lacked it. The Liberals are worse off with him out.

  • Gabe

    Now it’s up to Ignatieff and Rae to end this quickly – coin toss, whatever, one of them also has to drop out for the sake of the Party. It’s not the best way to select a leader, but given the time constraints and the public mood, it’s the most expedient.

    Ignatieff’s position about waiting to see what’s in the budget was Dion’s position last week, until somebody told him that was the wrong answer. These guys have simply got to get their act together – they won’t get another chance. Waiting for the budget is a good position – voters will take a very dim view of any party/coalition that brings down the Harper government for purely partisan reasons.

    Rae’s suggestion to wait until the 2nd or 3rd week of January to choose the new leader will be too little too late – there needs to be a permanent leader in place ASAP to go on the offensive against whatever surprises Harper has planned during the prorogue.

  • Gabe

    On a completely different topic…what happened to the ‘massive media blitz to condemn the coalition’ that Harper’s propaganda machine was gloating about airing this weekend, before the chat with the GG?

  • Jack Mitchell

    Gabe — I totally agree, and I think a coin toss (with witnesses) would be best — and it would benefit both candidates, even the loser. Because presumably the loser would get Finance (Iggy) or Foreign Affairs (Rae) if they ever took power; either way the loser would be a powerful #2 instead of being ejected without a parachute. Win-win, or rather WIN-win / win-WIN. Would be a nice event for the Liberals to announce between Xmas and New Year’s.

  • Jack Mitchell

    Gabe: “what happened to the ‘massive media blitz to condemn the coalition’ that Harper’s propaganda machine was gloating about airing this weekend, before the chat with the GG?”

    I know, weird, eh? I can only think they consider the battle already won and don’t figure it’s worth spending the money now, even if their war chest is as bottomless as rumour has it. Also perhaps they don’t want to screw Charest?

  • Steve Wart

    Jack doesn’t a coin toss presuppose that there is no legitimate rivalry between the two contestants, and that their supporters might want to actually exercise their democratic right to vote on their leader?

    I find it surprising that people think this can all be done by 26 January given the number of people on holidays and the current state of the party.

  • Jack Mitchell

    Steve Wart: “Jack doesn’t a coin toss presuppose that there is no legitimate rivalry between the two contestants, and that their supporters might want to actually exercise their democratic right to vote on their leader?”

    I’m not sure party members have “rights” in a public sense; conceivably some might be upset but about 90% would be profoundly relieved. As far as I can tell, anyway. I don’t think leadership candidates have a duty to remain in the race if they prefer (for whatever reason, say “Tails”) to withdraw, any more than litigants have a duty to before a judge if they can settle out of court.

  • http://unambig.blogspot.com Raphael Alexander

    Amazing how many people want to lead the Liberals into the next period of darkness. Once Bob Rae bows out in January, it should be a fairly interesting story as to how they come up with the democratic justification for Iggy’s appointment. “Well, nobody else wanted to stand in Mr.Ignatieff’s way, given his obvious strength of leadership and character”. Yes, something like that. Quite.

  • Jack Mitchell

    What about John Baird?

  • Gabe

    Jack, could be, or… the GG might have suggested that any further public displays of attacking national unity would be frowned upon should Harper pay a return visit to her for another intervention.

  • Jack Mitchell

    Ah, that’s an interesting idea, Gabe. Mme. Jean’s memoirs will make for a fascinating read, eh?

  • Steve Wart

    Jack “I’m not sure party members have “rights” in a public sense”

    I’m pretty surprised by this. Given that the Prime Minister is accountable only to his or her party or caucus, and not to the public at large, I think it’s probably one of the key checks we have in our system against abuse.

    The caucus is essentially at the whim of the party leader, and the only way to dislodge someone who’s performing badly is at a leadership convention. This is the only tradition I’m aware of.

    Do you know situations where the leader of any major Canadian party has been replaced without a convention?

  • Gabe

    Steve, it could happen if there was only one leadership candidate.

  • Gabe

    Just saw Susan Bonner’s report on CBC that LeBlanc is pulling out of the leadership race and throwing his support to Ignatieff. So that seems to settle it; Rae surely won’t refuse to step aside now in the interests of the party…will he? Bonner also said that Dion is expected to step down ‘within days or even hours’, which also seems to suggest that the leadership race is over – Dion steps aside and the new leader steps in.

    It’s the best thing for the party in the present circumstances.

  • Anon

    It looks like Iggy tried to pull a Harper on the Liberal party :-) Appoint himself leader and do away with a race altogether. Must be the Russian heritage in him, eh?

    If it’s a wide open race, won’t McKenna, Coderre, Kennedy and others feel they may have a shot too?

  • me dere robert

    what a mess

  • Jack Mitchell

    Maybe the Count will be acclaimed and accept a serious Leadership Review within some decent interval.

    Meanwhile may I recommend Flashman at the Charge and Flashman in the Great Game to all Ignatiologists out there.

  • http://tigerathome.wordpress.com The Tiger

    Nicely done ,Ignatieff.

    May I second Mr. Michell’s advice — especially the account of the hunt up at Balmoral.

  • Francien Verhoeven

    >>>what a mess<<<

    I second that! An absolute mess!

    The Liberal party’s illness has caused most of this mess of the past week to occur and now the Liberal party is prepared to make themselves even sicker under the motto : it’s all better for the country under the circumstances.

    First they are the major problem causing the mess, and now they try and resolve all of that by creating an even bigger mess.

    Unbelievable,

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