Earlier yesterday, I had the chance to go see the Liberal Leadership Debate at Roy Thompson Hall, Let me say that it was a phenomenal seating arrangement and I must say that I was delightfully entertained.
Some of the highlights included:
*The Rae and Ignatieff Exchange: Rae and Iggy both went for each other's throats here, sufficed to say they both missed landing a blow. But clearly Michael Ignatieff was completely off his game today in the debate, this was a man who is clearly nervous about hanging on to victory.
*Stephane Dion: Hands Down Dion won the debate, Dion has earned my second choice and I will support him if Kennedy should fall. I think Stephane Dion was the only candidate in the room to show that he has major cojones. He has consistently defended the Liberal Party's record in Government and he would be the one to take away Mr. Harper's tired old line that the Liberals did nothing. Mr. Dion was fiery and passionate, he didn't wobble he took a position and he stuck with it. Watching Mr. Dion transform himself over these past few months has been nothing short of Remarkable. The man stands up for what he believes in and he will challenge anybody who tries to prove him wrong.
*Gerard Kennedy: Let me say that my opinion of Gerard has shifted significantly. Do not get me wrong, I have been a supporter of his campaign from Day one and I will support him until he comes last in one of the ballots, to be quite honest.
*Bob Rae: We all know he is a phenomenal debater, my only worry remains is how will he be able to ask the people of Ontario to trust him again.
Thats my analysis
Monday, October 16, 2006
Monday, October 02, 2006
Its not over till its over folks
May I remind you that the only way I can forsee Kennedy winning this election is in a possible scenario.
1. He has got to get third place here, if he does not his chances of winning go down dramatically, he needs to have a shot that if Dion drops off or Kennedy drops off they will back each other.
Let me also say why I think it's important either Kennedy or Dion win. If Ignatieff wins, he would be Jack Layton's christmas present, Jack Layton would cream his pants because he would be able to start spinning his line about how right wing Ignatieff is on foreign policy and it can have an effect. Now if Bob Rae gets in I'm honestly not sure what to expect, the problem with Bob Rae is he looks too much like a guy who should be spending his time doing something else. I mean he just doesn't have the look of a leader, i know it sounds bizarre but I just do not get that vibe off him. Stephane Dion would be a fantastic choice for leader, If Kennedy does not win I would urge Gerard to back him because he or Gerard in my opinion would lead the liberals to victory.
My thoughts on where other candidates might lean
Joe Volpe: Kiss of Death, some people might not do what he says because of his opinion. I know for sure he has many problems with Ignatieff, He would go for any of the other three I think
Martha Hall Finday: Im unsure about her, could go anywhere
Brison: I don't know.
Ken Dryden: Hmmm, this is a tough one i feel he's not an ignatieff guy, he'd go for any one else though.
That being said, despite the screwups in Quebec Dion still has 17 ridings left while Kennedy has at least 20 left in Ontario.
1. He has got to get third place here, if he does not his chances of winning go down dramatically, he needs to have a shot that if Dion drops off or Kennedy drops off they will back each other.
Let me also say why I think it's important either Kennedy or Dion win. If Ignatieff wins, he would be Jack Layton's christmas present, Jack Layton would cream his pants because he would be able to start spinning his line about how right wing Ignatieff is on foreign policy and it can have an effect. Now if Bob Rae gets in I'm honestly not sure what to expect, the problem with Bob Rae is he looks too much like a guy who should be spending his time doing something else. I mean he just doesn't have the look of a leader, i know it sounds bizarre but I just do not get that vibe off him. Stephane Dion would be a fantastic choice for leader, If Kennedy does not win I would urge Gerard to back him because he or Gerard in my opinion would lead the liberals to victory.
My thoughts on where other candidates might lean
Joe Volpe: Kiss of Death, some people might not do what he says because of his opinion. I know for sure he has many problems with Ignatieff, He would go for any of the other three I think
Martha Hall Finday: Im unsure about her, could go anywhere
Brison: I don't know.
Ken Dryden: Hmmm, this is a tough one i feel he's not an ignatieff guy, he'd go for any one else though.
That being said, despite the screwups in Quebec Dion still has 17 ridings left while Kennedy has at least 20 left in Ontario.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
My Prediction: Kennedy In the Top Three
Count on it, after seeing the latest returns. Dion's lead over Kennedy continues to shrink. However, I suspect with Quebec's results Dion might come third.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Why I would have trouble supporting an Ignatieff Liberal Party.
Let me explain personally why I believe that Ignatieff isn't the right man to lead the liberal party and why I cannot believe that the party brass support him. I personally think Him or Rae would be a disaster for the Liberals and the fact there are people out there who actually believe they could win back government for us are completely out of their mind. If Michael Ignatieff wins the Leadership Election, I would have trouble supporting the party, the only way I would vote liberal is if my local candidate is strong and I've heard from my MP that she is seriously considering stepping down. If that is true then that would be what my vote is based on. Mr. Ignatieff is way too right wing for my taste, he would be Jack Layton's dream come true. He would give Jack Layton everything he needs to help make the case that the Liberals have shifted to the right. Many people will doubt what I say, I personally have a problem with someone like Iggy coming into my country and hijacking our party. It feels invasive. Mr. Ignatieff might make a good cabinet minister probably a foreign affairs minister. But in no way should this man be leader. Bob Rae is almost as worse. If Rae or Ignatieff are selected, The death of the Liberal Party will occur. I am basically at the point now where i hope either Dion or Kennedy win. They are the only ones who can help the liberal party.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Why Borys Wrzesnewskyj is foolish
Before, I make this point. I realize I'm going to get some flack from my liberal friends and perhaps some Conservatives will cheer this, but the point has to be made.
What Borys Wrzesnewskyj has said has been foolish. Let me also say that for the past few weeks the Liberal Party has fallen in to Stephen Harper's traps and in that part Harper has successfully divided the Liberal Party. Borys Wrzesnewskyj's Idiotic comments about negotiating with Hezbollah begs the question, exactly what the hell was he thinking?
I can tell you for sure Borys definitely wasn't thinking whatsoever. In the past few weeks the Liberal Party has become a joke, I know you won't like me to say it but really they have. We have no clear position on terrorism and the Middle East, we have a former defense critic actually asking to negotiate with Hezbollah, which is seen by a clear majority as a terrorist organization. On top of that we have suffered a defection of Gerry Schwartz and Heather Reisman to the Conservative Party over their position on Israel.
Do I blame Bill Graham, no. Personally I think the way this is going the Liberals are completely screwed, though I'm never going to say never. It just doesn't look great. We need to get back to issues personally I think we have to stop screwing around and get our act together. The caucus meeting helped alot but still, we can do a hell of a lot better!
I know many people will take issue with my criticism but this is the truth and if we as liberals cannot look in the mirror and realize what a mess this party is then we are never going to win.
What Borys Wrzesnewskyj has said has been foolish. Let me also say that for the past few weeks the Liberal Party has fallen in to Stephen Harper's traps and in that part Harper has successfully divided the Liberal Party. Borys Wrzesnewskyj's Idiotic comments about negotiating with Hezbollah begs the question, exactly what the hell was he thinking?
I can tell you for sure Borys definitely wasn't thinking whatsoever. In the past few weeks the Liberal Party has become a joke, I know you won't like me to say it but really they have. We have no clear position on terrorism and the Middle East, we have a former defense critic actually asking to negotiate with Hezbollah, which is seen by a clear majority as a terrorist organization. On top of that we have suffered a defection of Gerry Schwartz and Heather Reisman to the Conservative Party over their position on Israel.
Do I blame Bill Graham, no. Personally I think the way this is going the Liberals are completely screwed, though I'm never going to say never. It just doesn't look great. We need to get back to issues personally I think we have to stop screwing around and get our act together. The caucus meeting helped alot but still, we can do a hell of a lot better!
I know many people will take issue with my criticism but this is the truth and if we as liberals cannot look in the mirror and realize what a mess this party is then we are never going to win.
R.I.P.: Benoît Sauvageau 1963-2006
Today, rather then bash the government or go off on a rant I'd like to take the time to deliver my little eulogy to Mr. Benoit Sauvageau, Bloc Quebecois member for Repentigny I cannot say I have ever met the man in my life but it saddens me to see a life cut short like his was today, It's beyond tragic. I cannot believe that someone had to die like that. Mr. Sauvageau is with the lord now, although I do not believe in sovereignty I would like to think that Mr. Sauvageau was loved by his constituents and that he did a good job representing them, he will be missed.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Lieberman got what he deserved
Not a moment too soon. Connecticut Democrats were not taken in by Joe Lieberman's blackmailing with his Independent Campaign and loudly gave him the boot on Tuesday. Boy, did Senator Lieberman need it. First of all, let's be clear, anyone who claims Democrats are weak on terrorism are just a bunch of republican shills repeating a spin line.
In fact Democrats are not weak on terror, we just disagree with the republicans on how to do things. First things first, the war in Iraq is an illegal war that was set up by the Bush Administration, The Bush Administration has changed its tune everytime it starts getting unpopular. First, Bush said that the US went into Iraq to find these WMD's he claimed existed. Then, Bush danced around and said that they went into Iraq to participate in Nation Building. So I'd now like to ask Mr. Bush what the hell are we still doing in Iraq? For the past three years we have continued to hear bullshit from the mouth of Secretary Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld is in my personal opinion a man who just cannot handle the truth. So he instead turns the crank for Bush and continues to repeat the spin line that somehow the US has turned the corner on Iraq?
I got a question for all of you, do you think something is up when a President continuously says Stay The Course, We've Turned the Corner on Iraq and we don't see actual evidence of real progress.
So how does this tie in with Joe Lieberman?
Rather then acknowledging the war was poorly planned and that there were many problem s in Iraq like almost everybody else with a brain could figure out. Mr. Lieberman decided to join in and become the head Democratic party cheerleader (after Zell Miller left) for George W. Bush. I should point out that there is footage of a state of the union address where there is footage of Joe Lieberman standing up and applauding the president, and the camera will clearly show that not one other person in the entire Democratic Senate Caucus (that's right not even Ben Nelson of Nebraska, the most conservative democrat, applauded Bush) except for Joe Lieberman applauded him on Iraq. That should simply say it all. Joe Lieberman lost not only because of his position on Iraq, but he lost because when he got confronted with the facts he was the only one in the Democratic Senate Caucus to not even bother changing his views on the matter. There is room in the Democratic Party for people who are moderates, we have not problem with that. Simply there is no room for people like Joe Lieberman who is wildly out of touch with an overwhelming majority on their viewpoint on Iraq.
Let me also be clear just because Lieberman voted 90% of the time with Democrats does not mean we demand a rubber stamp, simply put Lieberman was dead wrong on Iraq and he refused to listen to reason when confronted with the facts, so unfortunately that will kill your career in this party.
Joe Lieberman looked like a fool in his concession speech, he came off as angry and pissed off. He acted like a child without his bottle, he whined and complained and bitched and moaned. What does that say about Joe Lieberman's character, it shows that he has become a career politician who thinks that he is "entitled" to his seat and shouldn't even bother having to face a challenge. Lieberman's Campaign pretty much went the way of Dare I say it the Liberal 2006 Election Campaign? I think the Liberals should take a look at this race and look at all the mistakes Lieberman made because most of them are really similar.
1. At one point in the polls Lieberman and the Liberals both led their opponents.
2. Even before the election and months before both of their respective opponents were considered Jokes and not to be taken seriously.
3. Eventually they both went onto lose as both became arrogant and claimed they had the right to govern/have their senate seat.
So in essence I think that there are many lessons to learn from this election and I hope everyone takes it to heart.
In fact Democrats are not weak on terror, we just disagree with the republicans on how to do things. First things first, the war in Iraq is an illegal war that was set up by the Bush Administration, The Bush Administration has changed its tune everytime it starts getting unpopular. First, Bush said that the US went into Iraq to find these WMD's he claimed existed. Then, Bush danced around and said that they went into Iraq to participate in Nation Building. So I'd now like to ask Mr. Bush what the hell are we still doing in Iraq? For the past three years we have continued to hear bullshit from the mouth of Secretary Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld is in my personal opinion a man who just cannot handle the truth. So he instead turns the crank for Bush and continues to repeat the spin line that somehow the US has turned the corner on Iraq?
I got a question for all of you, do you think something is up when a President continuously says Stay The Course, We've Turned the Corner on Iraq and we don't see actual evidence of real progress.
So how does this tie in with Joe Lieberman?
Rather then acknowledging the war was poorly planned and that there were many problem s in Iraq like almost everybody else with a brain could figure out. Mr. Lieberman decided to join in and become the head Democratic party cheerleader (after Zell Miller left) for George W. Bush. I should point out that there is footage of a state of the union address where there is footage of Joe Lieberman standing up and applauding the president, and the camera will clearly show that not one other person in the entire Democratic Senate Caucus (that's right not even Ben Nelson of Nebraska, the most conservative democrat, applauded Bush) except for Joe Lieberman applauded him on Iraq. That should simply say it all. Joe Lieberman lost not only because of his position on Iraq, but he lost because when he got confronted with the facts he was the only one in the Democratic Senate Caucus to not even bother changing his views on the matter. There is room in the Democratic Party for people who are moderates, we have not problem with that. Simply there is no room for people like Joe Lieberman who is wildly out of touch with an overwhelming majority on their viewpoint on Iraq.
Let me also be clear just because Lieberman voted 90% of the time with Democrats does not mean we demand a rubber stamp, simply put Lieberman was dead wrong on Iraq and he refused to listen to reason when confronted with the facts, so unfortunately that will kill your career in this party.
Joe Lieberman looked like a fool in his concession speech, he came off as angry and pissed off. He acted like a child without his bottle, he whined and complained and bitched and moaned. What does that say about Joe Lieberman's character, it shows that he has become a career politician who thinks that he is "entitled" to his seat and shouldn't even bother having to face a challenge. Lieberman's Campaign pretty much went the way of Dare I say it the Liberal 2006 Election Campaign? I think the Liberals should take a look at this race and look at all the mistakes Lieberman made because most of them are really similar.
1. At one point in the polls Lieberman and the Liberals both led their opponents.
2. Even before the election and months before both of their respective opponents were considered Jokes and not to be taken seriously.
3. Eventually they both went onto lose as both became arrogant and claimed they had the right to govern/have their senate seat.
So in essence I think that there are many lessons to learn from this election and I hope everyone takes it to heart.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Clearing up the Lebanese-Israeli Conflict
I believe I need to clear up what I stated first off here is where I stand on the current conflict.
1. I do not support Hamas or Hezbollah, and would you be surprised to know that I do not condone the actions of Israel's retaliation but, I am willing to say that they were within their rights as a country to defend themselves.
2. I am not a terrorist sympathizer. What I am simply trying to point out is that many politicians in the west have cozied up to Israel simply out of convenience and the fact that nobody in hell wants to be seen next to Hamas or Hezbollah.
3. Let me be clear, I do not support or condone the acts of violence that have been going on between all sides and that includes Israel.
4. I personally believe that Terrorists have attacked the United States because of it's close ties towards Israel. I do not believe Israel to be a bad country in my view but in other countries in the middle east, Israel is extremely hated. I am not saying we should just stop supporting Israel I am saying that we need to back off sometimes and not let ourselves get involved in the affairs of other countries.
5. Yes Hamas is radical and I probably don't even share one single position they do. But lets keep in mind folks, for those of you who are keeping count. Hamas was democratically elected and while we may disagree with the palestinian peoples choice, we must at least respect the fact the government is not a dictatorship.
6. I will also point out that I am a pro-life, pro-peace, anti-death penalty person who believes that all life must be valued and must not be taken away.
1. I do not support Hamas or Hezbollah, and would you be surprised to know that I do not condone the actions of Israel's retaliation but, I am willing to say that they were within their rights as a country to defend themselves.
2. I am not a terrorist sympathizer. What I am simply trying to point out is that many politicians in the west have cozied up to Israel simply out of convenience and the fact that nobody in hell wants to be seen next to Hamas or Hezbollah.
3. Let me be clear, I do not support or condone the acts of violence that have been going on between all sides and that includes Israel.
4. I personally believe that Terrorists have attacked the United States because of it's close ties towards Israel. I do not believe Israel to be a bad country in my view but in other countries in the middle east, Israel is extremely hated. I am not saying we should just stop supporting Israel I am saying that we need to back off sometimes and not let ourselves get involved in the affairs of other countries.
5. Yes Hamas is radical and I probably don't even share one single position they do. But lets keep in mind folks, for those of you who are keeping count. Hamas was democratically elected and while we may disagree with the palestinian peoples choice, we must at least respect the fact the government is not a dictatorship.
6. I will also point out that I am a pro-life, pro-peace, anti-death penalty person who believes that all life must be valued and must not be taken away.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Why Harper is wrong to stand with Israel
Don't get me wrong I know that Stephen Harper obviously pretty much does support Israel and I'm not saying its wrong to stand with Israel, obviously it is less controversial to stand with Israel then any other middle eastern countries. Here is the point I'm trying to get at. I'm not Anti-Semetic. I used to be what some would consider a very strong friend of Israel and pretty much believed that they were better then everyone else in the middle east.
Let me tell you the real reason why terrorists kill people, its not because they hate our freedom, its not because of that at all. The reason terrorists kill is because of the United States of America overwhelming one sided support of Israel. What I am trying to say is that having a bias of Israel is not good if you want to try and maintain middle east peace. I'm saying that Mr. Harper and the United States must take into consideration what other countries think and not just support Israel every single time in a war.
Most of the time you hear from Arab countries that the reason they are angry at the United States is because they accuse all of them as being a bunch of Zionists. Which in many ways I think that kind of support might be. I'm just trying to say that If you want a peace agreement you have to understand that Israel is no angel. Israel is just as bad as Palestine and Lebanon. So they are all at fault for starting this conflict.
Let me tell you the real reason why terrorists kill people, its not because they hate our freedom, its not because of that at all. The reason terrorists kill is because of the United States of America overwhelming one sided support of Israel. What I am trying to say is that having a bias of Israel is not good if you want to try and maintain middle east peace. I'm saying that Mr. Harper and the United States must take into consideration what other countries think and not just support Israel every single time in a war.
Most of the time you hear from Arab countries that the reason they are angry at the United States is because they accuse all of them as being a bunch of Zionists. Which in many ways I think that kind of support might be. I'm just trying to say that If you want a peace agreement you have to understand that Israel is no angel. Israel is just as bad as Palestine and Lebanon. So they are all at fault for starting this conflict.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Harper has no respect for the gay community
In one of the biggest slaps in the face to the gay community during the gay pride parade, we learn that our Prime Minister does not give a toss about a very serious epidemic that affects millions and millions of people. What this tells me is that Stephen Harper really has a serious problem with gays in this country.
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