Categories: Capital Read, Inside the Queensway

ParliamentaryCrisisWatch Update: Least dramatic standoff ever refuses to just end already

by kadyomalley on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 8:54pm - 36 Comments

Colleague Wherry has the details, such as they are — basically, blah blah productive blah blah meeting again tomorrow. Thank goodness ITQ didn’t spend the last three hours hanging around the Hot Room for that. While we wait for the inevitably anti-climatic conclusion, let’s play a game, shall we? Let’s imagine that, rather than Harper and Ignatieff facing off over a stack of spreadsheets on a coffee table, it was Harper and — Bob Rae! Would the last week and a half have gone any differently? Would we be in the same place now? Discuss.  (Feel free to substitute any other leadership candidate, or noteworthy non-candidate, for Rae.)

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  • Mulletaur

    Did you know that the phrase "sh1t disturber" is a purely Canadian one ? Urban Dictionary says so.

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

    *looks innocent*

  • –dB

    If Bob Rae was Liberal leader, the Ottawa press gallery would be complaining that the party was putting forward too many nuanced policy ideas and not holding Harper to account like a good opposition leader.

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

      Nope. At this point it would be PM Rae leading a coalition of socialists and separatists. And there would be endless media excursions into the dark and dreary days of recession-ridden Ontario. Hmmm.

  • Mulletaur

    LOL, nice.

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

    I expect Rae would have pulled the plug without messing around. He's old school, that way.

    • –dB

      It's sad that we are being deprived of a Bob Rae national campaign. Many adverb-adjective phrases could be used to describe Bob Rae — "utterly humourless" is not one of them. Which, I fear, is more than we can say for the dudes holed up in Langevin earlier this evening.

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

        It's a shame about the whole worse-time-ever-to-become-Ontario-premier thing, because he'd be a hell of a national leader.

        • Sea Otter

          I would argue that now is actually a worse time to be Ontario Premier than the time when Bob Rae served. Boring as he may be, Dalton McGuinty isn't botching things up nearly as badly as Rae did. Granted, McGuinty has a far more competent group from which to select a cabinet than did Rae, but Rae had zero understanding of the province's economy, and was utterly unprepared to become Premier. What's more, he failed to grow into the job in any appreciable way. His reign was a disaster from every possible angle, and not all of it can be blamed on a tough economy.

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

            Startling and original insights. Thank you.

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

            His reign was an absolute Golden Age from a high school student's POV.

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

    Rae would have pulled the plug.

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

    Reaching back to 2006- I think Kennedy would have a touch more credibility on this issue. I'm not trying to start another decade of infighting, but one has to wonder whether or not a more experienced politician with more credibility on social issues would be portrayed differently.

  • shouldIsellyourwheat

    Rae, with the Coalition, would have pulled the plug at the budget, and the country would be on the verge of dissolution if Harper had not won the subsequent election with a majority.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/tigerinexil1428 tigerinexile

    Rae would have pulled the plug.

    He's got experience at taking down minority governments, and he's not squeamish about it.

    Would he win the following election (assuming the GG wouldn't let the coalition take power)?

    Not sure. Less popular in Ontario.

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

    Agreed Rae woulda pulled the plug.

    He also has about 10x the personality the other two dudes have combined. Politics would be more interesting all around.

    • William

      All this talk about Rae makes me think how lucky we are to have Iggy

      If I want personality I`ll go to Hooters.

      If I want interesting I`ll go to the museum.

      But if I want incompetence and Socialism I`ll go to Rae.

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

        You're in luck, a Hooters museum pretty much describes the Tory cabinet.

        • William

          There`s a Hooters museum !

      • Lord Kitchener's Own

        If I want personality I`ll go to Hooters.

        I think you may be confusing "personality" with "boobies".

  • Dot

    Globe Editorial
    An election always around the corner

    Games seem to be all anyone in Ottawa knows how to play.
    …

    Meanwhile, individual policies do not receive serious attention, because politicians are too busy drawing meaningless lines in the sand (and pundits are too busy trying to read them).

  • John

    If Chretien was in power we'd be going into an election because that man knew how to read the polls.

    • Mike T.

      If it were Chretien we would have had six elections since 2007. :)

  • catherine

    Rae would have been the better choice. The big reluctance was the economy. But Ignatieff has been a nitwit on the economy, Unfortunately for him, the economy is the issue du jour. Rae has more political talent, economic acumen and is Ignatieff's equal intellectually. I guess I* feel the same buyer's regret about Ignatieff that U.S democrats may be experiencing with Obama (change – not so much – OMG, maybe Hillary was the smart choice after all). US Democrats got the chance to vote. Not Canadian Liberals. I would have gone with Rae – maybe Leblanc on first ballot – if there had been a vote, Got stuck with Igantieff. because of no vote.

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

    Who? :)

    • Stephen

      Gerrard Kennedy….the Himbo

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

        I give up.

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

    I have tremendous respect for Rae, but he is absolutely unelectable in Ontario. Which is where the Liberals need votes. It was never going to happen.

    It's gloom-inducing to realize that any attempt to reach a compromise with the opposition is now interpreted as weakness. Call me naive, but isn't it sometimes a good idea to try to actually do what's best for the country? (Of course, trying to negotiate with Harper does sometimes seem about as worthwhile an activity as trying to get cute and cuddly with a piranha.)

  • Wascally Wabbit

    I can attest that Rae was doing good honourable things yesterday while waiting for the Iggy file to drop…
    The man has integrity and is able to move quickly on things that won't necessarily get him a kudo in this thread – which really is beneath Kady to run…but hey – I got sucked in…so what do I know…

  • anonlinereader

    If Rae was in power you would not get Parliament behind closed doors . Lets see what Iggy did . Was the Council of CEOs involved ?

  • Wascally Wabbit

    Agreeing to go behind closed doors MAY have facilitated actual progress – but quite honestly – I wouldn't trust Harper even if he made specific promises in QP…
    I am reminded of the fable of the frog and the scorpion

  • Stephen

    If it was MAckenzie King there would have been a seance

  • anonlinereader

    " Agreeing to go behind closed doors MAY have facilitated actual progress "

    Progress on harper's terms only ? I though Opposition to present con regeime was focused on closed door rule . Iggy isn't strong enough to force steve out of the closet ?

  • Stephen

    Chretien would have forced an election, because he would dicovered a secret stash of cash to solve the money problems.

    And he would have declared "I love Canada" and all reporters would swoon before him.

    He then would distill anything complex down to simple pithy phrases and any problems would be deemed to be cars stuck in snowbanks.

    He would consult with mythical homeless people and draw up his list of RCMP raids for implementation when he won.

    I miss the old brawler.

    • anonlinereader

      Somebody has to jerk harper's chain . Nobody in the reform alliance can stand up to the wimp . All other things aside Chretien would have smacked steve silly .

  • William

    I think there is some revisionist history going on here—Chretien was only strong when he was in control and he could bully a weaker opp. My ever-lasting memory of Chretien was that scared little puppy-dog look he had that night he thought the Referendum was lost.

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