tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post6899837196498950841..comments2024-02-07T16:22:39.625-05:00Comments on Jeff Jedras: Moving forwardUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-1674287608661319562007-09-20T21:43:00.000-04:002007-09-20T21:43:00.000-04:00Demosthenes - While having a strong base is import...Demosthenes - While having a strong base is important, it can also have its risks. Yes the Democrats were reasonably centrist in the 90s, but it could be argued the main reason the Republicans lost the last midterm elections is they swung too far to the right and too many Americans who were not necessarily Liberals turned away from them.<BR/><BR/>I would say the Liberals were centre-right in the 90s, but under Chretien's third term and Martin's term as PM, they could hardly be described as centre-right, if anything there were probably more centre-left if you look at all the initiatives they adopted. Also the swing to the centre-right was largely to balance the budget and pretty much abandoned after then. It also was a way to prevent parties further to the right from gaining any traction, after all the West went solidly Reform Party in the 90s at the federal level and Ontario elected Mike Harris provincially, whereas neither of those scenarios, at least not the second one, apply today.Monkey Loves to Fighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05122291567543761919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-64601866447156161242007-09-19T09:30:00.000-04:002007-09-19T09:30:00.000-04:00good post!good post!900ft Jesushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01882830831096870992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-10183373498457822382007-09-19T03:18:00.000-04:002007-09-19T03:18:00.000-04:00Miles: There is no such creature, nor has there ev...Miles: <BR/><BR/>There is no such creature, <B>nor has there ever been</B>, that can answer to the name of "the radical center". <BR/><BR/>What you describe is triangulation, and it loses elections. Just ask the Democrats circa 1994-2004. It loses, and they lost, because a party needs to stand for more than "I'm EXACTLY between the other poles, and thus must by right, by the tortured logic of people who take political analogy <I>way</I> too far".<BR/><BR/>By global standards, Canadian politics may be middle of the road, and by American standards, it may be leftist. What matters, though, is how Canadians see their parties and vice versa, and that requires a party to actually believe in something other than following the polls around. <BR/><BR/>Besides, the complete lack of volunteers in Outremont (and donations elsewhere) suggest that what the Liberals truly need is a <I>base</I>, and a base is never, ever, <I>ever</I> the sort of swing voters you're talking about. You need a base before you can build on it.<BR/><BR/>And BCer ain't wrong about the Liberal party's past, either- it's been pretty center-right, so a shift leftward might not be a bad idea. Considering that Outremont was a case of the Liberals losing a riding to the <I>NDP</I>, calls to give further ground to the "dippers" seem a bit, ah, misguided.Demostheneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14552994996411944134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-78810976607759379732007-09-19T01:56:00.000-04:002007-09-19T01:56:00.000-04:00Peter Mansbridge said at one point in the last few...Peter Mansbridge said at one point in the last few days that Dion was frustrated by having his message managed. I wonder why he agreed to that - it's taken away one of his srengths, his feisty conviction. It think he's being pressured by the right wing of the party. Let us not forget that Mr. Manley was a Liberal and Frank Mckenna has ties to the Carlisle (sp.?)Group, etc.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12925229206558848754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-41832117374363171382007-09-19T00:03:00.000-04:002007-09-19T00:03:00.000-04:00"You know, I’m a Liberal and I have no clue. "'nuf..."You know, I’m a Liberal and I have no clue. "<BR/><BR/>'nuff said. So poetic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-25825247482476215012007-09-18T23:21:00.000-04:002007-09-18T23:21:00.000-04:00demosthenes,Though I'd make it a fiver.Perhaps fiv...demosthenes,<BR/><I>Though I'd make it a fiver.</I><BR/><BR/>Perhaps five for MPs and 2 for staffers. The clank of all those twonies as the jar is passed around the caucus meeting could be nice symbolism though...<BR/><BR/>Miles,<BR/><I>I disagree with the idea of reclaiming the centre-left, I rather think we should claim the radical centre</I><BR/><BR/>Miles, I think it depends on your definition of centre-left. I suspect we're not really all that far apart on where we want to go. Perhaps a return leftward, from centre-right, to centre, would be a better way to put it, although at some point these monikers become better suited to hockey games than politics...<BR/><BR/><I>Some people argue that we should wait on the policy until an election, lest Harper steal ideas. For a party desperate to turn the page, I don't think the Liberals have that luxury.</I><BR/><BR/>I agree with both points, that's why I compromised with the throne speech idea. It's soon enough, will get media play, and it the Cons still out stuff then, right after they just laid-out their grand vision, it will be plainly obvious and transparent to all.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14971310821484459106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-73889774319484116212007-09-18T19:09:00.000-04:002007-09-18T19:09:00.000-04:00Some people argue that we should wait on the polic...Some people argue that we should wait on the policy until an election, lest Harper steal ideas. For a party desperate to turn the page, I don't think the Liberals have that luxury. We need something that captures people's imagination.<BR/><BR/>Good post Jeff.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-84423535416113976102007-09-18T17:59:00.000-04:002007-09-18T17:59:00.000-04:00Another good post. Hopefully, someone out there i...Another good post. Hopefully, someone out there is listening.Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423615329119443537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-68904487163914467702007-09-18T17:50:00.000-04:002007-09-18T17:50:00.000-04:00I disagree with the idea of reclaiming the centre-...I disagree with the idea of reclaiming the centre-left, I rather think we should claim the radical centre as this is where the most votes are and if we claim this, we leave no opening for Harper. It wasn't just the division on the right that helped us in the 90s, it was also that Chretien claimed the radical centre so the PCs were nothing more than a second rate Liberal Party so that is why they did poorly, while the Reform Party who did differentiate themselves from the Liberals were too far right for most Canadians. When we are centre-left the Conservatives can differentiate themselves from us without being too extreme for most Canadians. If we are in the centre, they cannot do this.<BR/><BR/>Many Canadians have this idea that we are a left wing nation, when in fact, by global standards we are pretty middle of the road. We are left wing compared to the United States, but right wing when compared to most European countries. In fact I would argue the reason we have done so well is we have avoided the bad policies on both the left and right that have hurt those countries.Monkey Loves to Fighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05122291567543761919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-8747764499444828012007-09-18T17:47:00.000-04:002007-09-18T17:47:00.000-04:00Excellent post.Would that TPTB were listening.Excellent post.<BR/><BR/>Would that TPTB were listening.Lord Kitchener's Ownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08348376638620272991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-28282669918492229832007-09-18T15:52:00.000-04:002007-09-18T15:52:00.000-04:00Yeah. That collectivized "leak jar"? BRILLIANT. I ...Yeah. That collectivized "leak jar"? <BR/><BR/>BRILLIANT. <BR/><BR/>I mean, the Liberals should also have one for when they use a Conservative frame, like Luntz made the Republicans use, but the leak jar's damned good anyway. <BR/><BR/>Though I'd make it a fiver.<BR/><BR/>The opposition speech would be pretty good, too, kind of like the Democratic response that you get after the State of the Union address. <BR/><BR/>As for philosophy, well... to be honest, pretty much all liberals and progressives are grappling with that right now. It's not like the Dems aren't having problems with that; just go read Matt Bai's <I>The Argument</I>. <BR/><BR/>(Or <A HREF="http://demosthenes.blogspot.com/2007/09/matt-bai-argument-and-ideas.html" REL="nofollow">my handy discussion of same</A>, for those that fear dead trees.Demostheneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14552994996411944134noreply@blogger.com