The Liberals' Big Day fast approaches!
Who will emerge as the next leader?
The Lurch-like Michael Ignatieff? The elfin Bob Rae? Perhaps even the semi-literate Gerard Kennedy? Or maybe one of the other guys?
Who can say? A Liberal convention is even harder to call than normal elections since more things go on 'behind the scenes'. As far as anyone can tell Ignatieff has the first ballot support of about 30% of the delegates. It could be higher, no one is sure. But this is sure: If Ignatieff doesn't hit well over 30% of votes on the first ballot, he is doomed.
Why is this? Because all the other candidates hate his guts, including his supposed good buddy Bob Rae. So if the first vote doesn't show definite movement towards Ignatieff, he will receive insignificant increases in support in subsequent balloting.
Assuming that Iggy gets little more than 30% on the first ballot, what will happen? It will be a competition amongst the other candidates to become the 'anyone-but-Ignatieff' candidate who will, I believe, end up winning.
In my heart, I hope it is Dion, but judging from what I have read over the last few weeks my head tells me it will be Rae.
Either Dion or Rae (or even Kennedy!) would be infinitely better than Ignatieff, but recent polls appear to indicate that Rae has the best chance of any of the candidates to help the Liberals deny the Conservatives a majority in the next federal election.
It saddens me, because I would like to see the NDP gain a greater voice in the Commons and Rae (or to a lesser extent Dion) would grab votes from border-line NDP supporters like myself.
On the other hand, if Harper's Conservatives form a majority government, it would be a catastrophe. And according to the aforementioned polls, Bob Rae is the best person to prevent that.
Still, I hope for the miraculous victory of Stéphane Dion. Mostly because I really like Frenchies!
Addendum: I should mention that it seems to me that although Martha Hall Findley was the most personable, well-spoken, and non-'full of shit' of all the candidates, she was never given serious attention. Luckily, she is young, so I hope that we will see more of her in Liberal leadership campaigns to come.
2006/11/30
2006/11/12
Good golly! I was wrong, gracious me
It appears that I will have to rethink alot of my previous prejudices. We aren't witnessing Berlin '33 all over again. The Republicans are not the budding fascists I thought they were.
They are the incompetent, ersatz grand-nephews of fascists that actually knew how fix an election. Why would the Republicans suddenly be competent in this case (I hindsightedly ask myself), when they are so uniformly incompetent in every other way?
This is my mea culpa.
2006/11/07
Who are they trying to kid?
Well, it is now noon on mid-term election day in the Great Satan, and I have grown a bit tired of all these projections that the Democrats (the other 'Business' party) will take control of the House and/or the Senate.
Where have these people been? Living in some fairytale where the electoral process hasn't been perverted to the point that the Democrats will never, ever win again?
The Democrats have about as much chance of gaining seats as the Communists did in the Reichstag in 1933.
The citizens of the Great Satan have baked their bread, now they can eat it.
Well, it is now noon on mid-term election day in the Great Satan, and I have grown a bit tired of all these projections that the Democrats (the other 'Business' party) will take control of the House and/or the Senate.
Where have these people been? Living in some fairytale where the electoral process hasn't been perverted to the point that the Democrats will never, ever win again?
The Democrats have about as much chance of gaining seats as the Communists did in the Reichstag in 1933.
The citizens of the Great Satan have baked their bread, now they can eat it.
2006/11/04
American Tourister
Can you think of a worse name for a company that produces luggage? 'American' is bad enough, 'Tourister' is just an irritating made-up word that caps it off. Why not write "KILL ME" on some masking tape and stick it on your forehead? At least you would be viewed with curiosity and/or fear, rather than distaste, contempt, and/or hatred.
Why do I own American Tourister luggage in the first place? Five or so years ago, I bought American Tourister luggage at a discount warehouse because it was really, really, cheap. So, apparently, did everyone else. My luggage looks exactly the same as 50% of the other bags dropping from the hopper.
My personal identifiers are green ribbons tied to the handles with "One Ireland" printed on them in white.
Before my next trip, I plan on putting masking tape over the pseudo-metal permanent logos on the luggage (an example of which is highlighted in the screengrab serving as a banner at the top of this posting) in an effort to avoid future bavardage.
Can you think of a worse name for a company that produces luggage? 'American' is bad enough, 'Tourister' is just an irritating made-up word that caps it off. Why not write "KILL ME" on some masking tape and stick it on your forehead? At least you would be viewed with curiosity and/or fear, rather than distaste, contempt, and/or hatred.
Why do I own American Tourister luggage in the first place? Five or so years ago, I bought American Tourister luggage at a discount warehouse because it was really, really, cheap. So, apparently, did everyone else. My luggage looks exactly the same as 50% of the other bags dropping from the hopper.
My personal identifiers are green ribbons tied to the handles with "One Ireland" printed on them in white.
Before my next trip, I plan on putting masking tape over the pseudo-metal permanent logos on the luggage (an example of which is highlighted in the screengrab serving as a banner at the top of this posting) in an effort to avoid future bavardage.
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