Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Iggy addresses the nation

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 12:17am - 17 Comments

Sort of. His interview with Peter Mansbridge on The National starts at about the 26:50 mark here. Analysis of his wimpishness commences shortly thereafter.

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  • RayK

    Ignatieff's wimpishness requires no analysis. It is transparent.

    (And it's not "wimpishness" so much as completely-detached-from-practical-reality-and-lost-in-a-cul-de-sac-of-his-own-words INEFFECTIVENESS.)

  • http://www.canadianrosebud.blogspot.com rockfish

    Harper's opaque oafishness, needless to say, has no equal. I think it qualifies for infrastructure spending on its own.

  • ARX

    What in the world was that? Did he lose all ability to be articulate and self-assured? That was not a good interview for Ignatieff. It can only be redeemed by playing out this rest of the week from a position of strength. If Ignatieff capitulates, or accepts a lesser compromise just to avoid an election, he'll have caused himself considerable damage. I'm definitely never going to support him, and I supported Dion until the end (probably an indictment on my political acumen and judgment). I never would have believed the Tory hyper-partisans could actually be right, that Ignatieff was only bluffing foolishly, and never would have forced an election. I still have hope, that Ignatieff is trying to goad Harper into forcing an election, that Ignatieff has the initiative, and the upper hand, because for me, the alternative is just too unbearable to accept. Until tomorrow, then.

    • RayK

      I think the explanation for Ignatieff's performance is pretty simple. Despite not being ready for an election, Ignatieff has spent months making empty threats. This worked in the short term–preventing him from becoming another Stephane Dion–but now he has to walk it back.

      So, what comes off as a lack of self-assuredness is really Ignatieff's effort to minimize the scale of his own demands. Rather than set clear conditions, he asks questions. Rather than demanding something concrete, he lauds Harper for even speaking with him. Rather thanmake an ultimatum, he makes it clear that he's not really asking for any substantive.

      This is all an attempt to set the stage for a great climb down. Watch Liberal spokesperson Steve MacKinnon try to preemptively claim victory today on CTV's Powe Play and the strategy becomes transparent.

      http://www.ctv.ca/politics

      At this point, the only way Michael Ignatieff forces an election is if he concludes that he's made such a fool of himself today in trying to avoid one that it's better off to salvage whatever dignity he has left and roll the dice on a desparation play. We shall see.

      • http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

        That's a very good analysis, RayK.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/DaveFromToronto DaveFromToronto

    Why is it considered a "climbdown" if the Liberals decide not to force an election? Some people seem to think that the only "manly" way to approach politics is to achieve the goal, as soon as possible, of putting your foot on your opponent's throat while ululating in triumph.

    Polls seem to indicate that the Canadian public is tired of all the elections, and presumably Ignatieff knows this. I suspect that Harper knows it too – he hasn't threatened an election lately, has he? There's a real possibility that the leader who forces an election will be vilified by the electorate, which doesn't want yet another round of attack ads and endless blather.

  • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/DaveFromToronto DaveFromToronto

    Why is it considered a "climbdown" if the Liberals decide not to force an election? Some people seem to think that the only "manly" way to approach politics is to achieve the goal, as soon as possible, of putting your foot on your opponent's throat while ululating in triumph.

    Polls seem to indicate that the Canadian public are tired of all the elections, and presumably Ignatieff knows this. I suspect that Harper knows it too – he hasn't threatened an election lately, has he? There's a real possibility that the leader who forces an election will be vilified by the electorate, which doesn't want yet another round of attack ads and endless blather.

  • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/DaveFromToronto DaveFromToronto

    Why is it considered a "climbdown" if the Liberals decide not to force an election? Some people seem to think that the only "manly" way to approach politics is to achieve the goal, as soon as possible, of putting your foot on your opponent's throat while ululating in triumph.

    Polls seem to indicate that Canadians are tired of all the elections, and presumably Ignatieff knows this. I suspect that Harper knows it too – he hasn't threatened an election lately, has he? There's a real possibility that the leader who forces an election will be vilified by the electorate, which doesn't want yet another round of attack ads and endless blather.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/SamDavies SamDavies

      It all comes down to memories of Dion, who was branded the King of empty threats.
      I totally agree with what you are saying.
      With that said, it is critical for Iggy to differentiate himself from Dion this early on,
      or he will be perceived as being just as weak as Dion.

      It kinda seems like a pheromone thing!

    • RayK

      Sure, but Michael Ignatieff has been threaten to vote down the Conservatives if they don't give him his way for months.

      Now they're not giviing him his way and his indicating he's going to pull a Dion and prop them up anyway.

      That's why it's a climbdown.

      • http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

        The trick now is for Iggy to find a way out of this that makes him look strong, He needs to draw attention from the fact that he is running away from the threatened no-confidence vote with his tail between his legs.

        • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

          If he noticed any of yesterday's coverage, you'd think he knows he needs either a clear victory at Harper's expense (which ain't gonna happen) or he needs to channel his inner Chretien and ready himself for a campaign. Unless he was so monumentally stupid as to poke at this hornets' nest knowing the party is not ready to go to the polls.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/SamDavies SamDavies

    Yikes! Could a summer election really be around the corner?
    Prior to the battle of the dueling news conferences (can someone make an edit with dueling banjo's playing in the background?), I would have wagered that there was no way it was going to happen.
    Now – I'm just not as sure.

    Despite what he has said in public, I suspect that Harper would love to have an election, especially if he can spin it so the public perceives that it was caused by Iggy. You know he's just itching to make use of those tapes on Iggy that he referenced earlier. It also gives him the chance to once again seek a majority, as he clearly has little interest in working together with the other parties.

    Hard to say what Iggy will do. If he backs off, the media will tar and feather him into some chicken-esque parody. If he doesn't, the machinery needs to work really hard to push the case that it was Harper who forced the election.

    Iggy and Stevie are going to meet during recess, and will likely determine if the there will be a fight after the school bell rings.
    Naturally, the rest of us children eagerly await to find out if "It's on"!

  • John W.

    The sport the national media most resembles is synchronized swimming. They turned on Chretien, Martin, then Dion, now Ignatieff. It happens suddenly and in unison. The genius of the PMO, is that no matter how many twists and turns, reversals, and problems with truth telling, Harper maintains a positive image of strength and stability.
    Of course the attack ads in the case of Dion and Ignatieff always seem to work with media, if not the public so much, in changing the agenda and keeping the negative slant off their guy and on the other guy.

  • Simon Sez

    He may be a wimp, but its still pretty clear he is going to find a way to do whatever it takes to get an election. He may lose some credibility along the way, but Ignatieff only has one goal: becoming Prime Minister. Everything else is secondary to that. The unemployed. The economy. The country. All come second to his own personal ambition.

    • John W.

      Same for Harper and the evidence is actually there.

  • Wayne

    The poor Igster – it looks like Stevie boy threw him a bone with just a little meat on the bones – no doubt about it. Next thing you know each will declare victory and then the Lib's roll over to let Stevie rub them on the belly again they seem to need that every confidence motion!

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