David, someone loves you.
Norman Spector pledges his undying love for UB in a G&M op/ed piece today. Apparently Emerson "hasn't a partisan bone in his body", is "refreshingly honest", and is "politically tone deaf", and that the whole affair can be blamed on "the Conservatives' poor communications plan". He then goes on to profess his understanding of the feelings for the Liberal party volunteers that got burned, but he believes that many in the riding voted for David Emerson, not the Liberal Party.
Now, I'm the first to agree that the Conservatives have certainly not helped matters, but the fact is, people are far, far more angry about this defection than I think either Harper or Emerson had anticipated. Whether this reaction is orchestrated by the Opposition is open to some discussion, but it happened awfully quickly and is staying strong and focused, in the way that a groundswell maintains itself, not tweaked and forced like a political campaign. As for whether or not the voters checked off "Emerson" or "Liberal Party" on their ballot - I can think of an easy test.
He also attempts to justify the defection by citing similarities with the Stronach situation - the NDP are one seat short of holding the balance of power, etc. To this I have two things to say. First, we can't dismiss out of hand that the NDP and Liberals shared some commonality upon which to build a coalition which is almost entirely absent between the NDP and the Conservatives. There is very little chance that Layton and Harper are going to be allowed to see eye -to-eye on any important issues by their respective parties, so a coalition is not going to be possible in any real sense. Stephen Harper himself has said as much. Secondly, while this does accurately highlight inconsistencies in the policies of the Liberals and Conservatives, the NDP have been consistent on this issue.
This is an absolute gift to Jack Layton, one which, if handled intelligently, can result in the moral high ground being ceded to the NDP. And that is one of those intangibles whose importance is impossible to understimate. It is often trotted out that the Canadian public does not want another election any time soon and this gives the Conservatives a bit of leeway to push some legislation through. However, if the public views them as justanothercorruptgovernment, the Opposition, particularly the NDP and arguable the BQ as well, can feel free to haul them down at any time.
I would be very nervous if I was Stephen Harper and I would be in a much greater hurry to fill the leader's chair if I was a Liberal. The real keys to the government have just been handed over to the minority parties. Well done, Stephen. Well done, David.
Now, I'm the first to agree that the Conservatives have certainly not helped matters, but the fact is, people are far, far more angry about this defection than I think either Harper or Emerson had anticipated. Whether this reaction is orchestrated by the Opposition is open to some discussion, but it happened awfully quickly and is staying strong and focused, in the way that a groundswell maintains itself, not tweaked and forced like a political campaign. As for whether or not the voters checked off "Emerson" or "Liberal Party" on their ballot - I can think of an easy test.
He also attempts to justify the defection by citing similarities with the Stronach situation - the NDP are one seat short of holding the balance of power, etc. To this I have two things to say. First, we can't dismiss out of hand that the NDP and Liberals shared some commonality upon which to build a coalition which is almost entirely absent between the NDP and the Conservatives. There is very little chance that Layton and Harper are going to be allowed to see eye -to-eye on any important issues by their respective parties, so a coalition is not going to be possible in any real sense. Stephen Harper himself has said as much. Secondly, while this does accurately highlight inconsistencies in the policies of the Liberals and Conservatives, the NDP have been consistent on this issue.
This is an absolute gift to Jack Layton, one which, if handled intelligently, can result in the moral high ground being ceded to the NDP. And that is one of those intangibles whose importance is impossible to understimate. It is often trotted out that the Canadian public does not want another election any time soon and this gives the Conservatives a bit of leeway to push some legislation through. However, if the public views them as justanothercorruptgovernment, the Opposition, particularly the NDP and arguable the BQ as well, can feel free to haul them down at any time.
I would be very nervous if I was Stephen Harper and I would be in a much greater hurry to fill the leader's chair if I was a Liberal. The real keys to the government have just been handed over to the minority parties. Well done, Stephen. Well done, David.
