Jack Layton is after Stephane Dion’s job. He wants to be Leader of the Official Opposition. And in order to achieve that goal, he is writing off Dion as a political opponent.
Interesting strategy.
Greg Weston tells us in today’s Sun that Jack is going after Stephen Harper. Apparently, Mr. Bean doesn’t even merit his attention!
Of course the official story is that Jack wants Stephen’s job – Prime Minister. But in real life, could he possibly become the next resident of Stornoway? In some ways, Jack Layton seems to be a stronger leader than Dion and certainly recent polls reflect that perception.
Lawrence Martin warns us not to underestimate Mr. Bean Dion. Advice worth considering for sure.
I’ve heard many pundits suggest that Dion’s expectations are so low that if he exceeds them at all he will be regarded as being successful. That’s like telling your child who usually gets D’s in school that a C would be awesome. Yes, perhaps. But if the rest of the class is getting A’s & B’s, should your kid get to be class valedictorian?
The Gazette’s Don MacPherson calls Dion the new Joe Clark. He discusses Dion’s latest concessions to changes in the the Liberals’ Green Shift platform as follows:
Were Harper to make a similar policy concession, he might be praised for being flexible and responding to criticism for a change, because he is supposed to be stubborn and rigid.
But Dion’s concession is more likely to be seen as perhaps only the first in a series of retreats from a position that was poorly chosen in the first place and a sign of weakness. That’s because Dion is the Joe Clark of the 21st century.
The Post’s Don Martin also suggests that Dion’s last minute amendments could be interpreted as weak ‘waffling’.
Martin points to what I see as a very arrogant attitude on the part of the Liberals, who obviously haven’t had enough time out to learn their lessons:
…The Liberals don’t just want to win, according to Mr. Dion’s argument, Canadians need them to win to save the country from an incorrect governing choice in 2006. That will be a tough sell, given the Liberals’ less-than-perfect record in power…
Jack Layton has likely assessed all these nuances and is ready to move into the political vacuum on the left created by the presently dysfunctional Liberal party.
I believe it’s his for the taking.
Time to get out the orange paint for Stornoway.
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Noon Update: Just caught a glimpse of the NDP rally being shown live on CTV Newsnet. Jack has clearly taken a page from Obama’s playbook. He was standing in a circle of supporters, rather than at a podium on the stage. The discussion was heavily punctuated with the word ‘change’ – another of Obama’s trademarks.
Then came the clincher. He remarked that it was getting very hot and he decided removed his jacket. This again is the standard Obama play that Dalton McGuinty also loves to emulate.
My husband was sitting beside me and said, "Hey! His sleeves are already rolled up! Nobody rolls up their sleeves before putting on a suit jacket!"
A clearly contrived performance.
So, is it o.k. to admire Americans again? Just asking.
(Evening note: Graham Richardson remarked on the already rolled-up sleeves as well on MDL)
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Dion is holding a press conference now. (1 pm) He wants Gerry Ritz to resign.
Liberal talking points for this election are: Most right wing, most secretive, most pro-Bush, neo-con, hidden agenda, yadda-yadda.
Did I miss anything?
*Yawn*
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Evening Update: This has got to be horrible news for Dion! Canadians set to vote Conservative:poll – CBC!!!
Check out the Ontario numbers.
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Friday Update: NDP to take aim at PM, shrug off Dion – Star.
