Over my life, I have seen many leadership races by provincial and Federal parties. Sometimes they are very interesting as candidates fight tooth and nail for the position. Kim Campbell v. Jean Charest was one that comes to mind. Jean Chretien's win in 1990 also came to mind.
Those were great races.
Most races are still very interesting even if they aren't terribly exciting. There are defining moments, great quotes, and ideas are shared that differentiate the candidates.
Then there are races that are truly boring. Little is said. There are no surprise moments. The front running is a shoe in. Worst, no one fights for the job like it matters.
That was the recent Liberal leadership race. It was, perhaps, the most bland, boring political affair I've witnessed at the Federal level in my life.
This was a leadership race that went on for six weeks and resulted in a foregone conclusion. Most predictions were that Mark Carney would win on the first ballot. He did in a blow out.
He did it on his name alone.
That's the boring part of this race. Carney never once gave us any concrete ideas other than ax the Carbon Tax, and rescind the capital gains tax changes. He left everything else vague. In fact, he was so vague that he made Pierre Poilievre looks positively intricate with his detailed policies.
His competition were far more detailed. What they didn't do was call him on his lack of details In fact, other than a couple of very soft jabs during the English language debate by Gould, Carney skated up to an open net, and nudged the puck over the line.
I have to ask, other than fulfilling the Liberal Party rules for leadership changes, what was the point in having the other three candidates waste almost $2 million collectively on this farce of a race?
Look, if you're coming to me asking for a donation to run in a leadership race and expect me to put out some serious cash then I expect you to fight like Hell to win that race.
That is what happened here. Frank Baylis, Chrystia Freeland, and Karina Gould raised about $2 million, collectively, from donors to get them through the race. That's a lot of money. Then the three of them waged the saddest excuse for a contest $2 million can buy.
They didn't fight for the job. They asked people to support them. Politely.
Sure, polite is good. But if you're going to go for the top job you have to fight like you're going for the top job. You can't just assume you'll get it. You cannot just feel you're entitled to it. You have to fight for it, tear down your opponents as required, and tell the nation why you must be the leader because only you can do that job.
You have to prove to the nation that you are capable when the gloves come off. The end result was a boring race and a leader that was never tested.
That begs the question: "Did the Liberals pick a guy that will deliver?"
They don't know. That might be a huge problem later.
ABOUT DEVON KRUGGEL: I'm a 51-year-old Caucasian male and was a right winger of sorts from the age of 16 until I was about 47 or so. I have got a degree in History and Political Science and one in Computer Science. Bachelors. I've been in BC since 1990, and have lived on Vancouver Island since 1993.
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