Do the Federal Liberals Even Have a Future?

To read how Janine Krieber views the Liberals these days would certainly imply that they don't have much of a future. However, just like those pundits from Question Period this morning, she, unfortunately comes off as someone with a case of sour grapes. Perhaps that's even a part of it. However, she is on to something. She must be: that infamous Facebook posting was quickly taken down. If this was simply a case of bitterness, why the urgency to take down the posting? Perhaps she should have used a nom de plume; perhaps it could be taken more seriously and would look less like a wife with sour grapes. She does express probably what a lot of folks are thinking these days, including Liberal MPs and other party insiders themselves.


Either way, the fact that she took down the posting doesn't erase it. Journalists and pundits are covering it. Folks are paying attention.


Krieber even hints at throwing her support behind another party. Who would that be though? The N.D.P.? No matter what party; this would be problematic  given her husband is still a Liberal M.P. representing St-Laurent as he has for many years. Yes, there was a hint from Iggy way back when about replacing him with some female 'star' a la Nathalie Le Prohon, but we didn't hear anything more about that.  I'm sure party insiders pointed out that that would be an error given Dion has represented St-Laurent for many years. If the good folks of St-Laurent keep voting him in, they must have confidence in him to represent their interests. Is Dion still being pushed out the door? Would Peter Donolo and the new staff be pushing for that?


According to the latest Ipsos Reid Poll, The N.D.P. have jumped 6 points to 19% support nationally. The Liberals are at 24% and The Harpercons are at 37%: well within grasp of a majority (After all, Chretien had won a majority with only 37% of the vote). The Bloc and The Greens have 9% and 10% respectively.


What could that mean?  Patrick R  wrote about this with, what I observed to be a certain amount of enthusiasm. Hmm, Patrick, enthusiastic about the N.D.P. numbers; this can't be good. Then, of course this would make Patrick and other like-minded folks happy. This would split the left and the Harpercons get their majority, coming up the middle. Whether that would entail an N.D.P. or Liberal official opposition, it wouldn't matter. Stevie would be unleashed with a majority and thus his true Reform, NCC , Ultra-right wing conservatism would come shining through. It would be Bush-era U.S.A. mimicked.


I found what she says below of particular interest: 


"The Liberal party is in a free fall, and it won't recover. Like all the liberal parties in Europe, it will become a poor little thing at the mercy of ephemeral coalitions. For having refused the historic coalition that could have placed it at the head of the left, it will be punished by history."


Does she mean what a lot of folks are thinking? Should the Liberals and the N.D.P. take a page from the Harpercon playbook and merge? It's something I've been saying for a long time. Something a lot of folks, even those left of center can't seem to agree on and don't really talk about it.


A lot of folks may not have liked the idea of that proposed coalition last year. This is why it is important that they merge before the next general election.


In spite of the best of intentions, the hiring of Peter Donolo and the new staff may well be too little too late. Iggy must go. However, this will probably only happen later rather than sooner.


I found this article from the Canadian Press today regarding what Peter Donolo's intentions may be.  Interesting this would be released just after Janine Krieber's Facebook postings. 


While Donolo is not revealing all of his secrets, I'm wondering if replacing Iggy down the road is a possibility in his mind as well?


He's closed the Liberal election war room for the immediate future. There will be no talk of an election for at least seven months, maybe even a year, according to the Canadian Press. Other than turning his academic resume into a positive and to be more on the offensive Donolo also says that he is pretty much going to have Iggy 'be himself'; to 'unpackage him' rather than to package him. What could this mean? Does he simply want to observe Iggy to see if he can be salvaged or not?


Even though, the campaign mode is turned off, The Liberals will be 'more aggressive and focussed' during question period and they will be countering Harpercon's vicious attack ads head-on. That's good. It's about time.

Whatever the case, I intrepret today's piece from Canadian Press to hint that this is Iggy's last chance to appeal to Canadian voters.  I dare say that if Iggy doesn't improve his numbers in seven months like that article suggested, I think Donolo will recommend a changing of the guard. Maybe even a merger or at least some kind of agreement with  the N.D.P.

This is all well and good to turn off the campaign mode, close the election war room and no election talk for a minimum of seven months, but what if Stevie decides to provoke one sooner? He is well within majority range. He must realize that if the N.D.P.'s numbers hold or go up slightly, he wouldn't need that magic 40% to come up the middle with a majority. As I've pointed out in my posting from last night, more and more Canadians are supporting Stevie and in spite of their "I don't want an election" whining last September, they do want an election yesterday if it can ensure Harpercon majority. 


I'm wondering if Donolo has a plan for that potential scenario? 


I don't doubt Donolo's capabilities given his resume, but I think Iggy must go now, because of the above mentioned scenario.  A new leader must be selected ASAP. And no, NOT Bob Rae. I know, he's there. But no; that would just be another disaster. Do the research. If one has to be plucked out of retirement, so be it. What's more, it's time for a merger of  the N.D.P. and the Liberals.


Do the Federal Liberals have a future? Not without a lot of help. Not with Iggy at the helm. They will be needing some kind of collaboration, if not a merger with the N.D.P.


Side note: something else of interest: Neither the Harpercons, nor the opposition parties have succeeded in eliminating the raison d'etre for the Bloc Quebecois. Why would this be, considering sovereignty is on the back burner and has been for some time now. Gilles Duceppe didn't even promote separation in the last federal election campaign. A lot of Quebec federalists be they Francophone or Anglophone: rural or urban still vote for the Bloc. This is something all these parties should think about.

A Coup d'Etat? In the U.S. of all Places?

I first read about this earlier in Dawg's Blawg & couldn't believe what I was reading. I mean, I always knew the U.S. was becoming more & more of a dangerous place to be, thanks to wingnuts toting guns & chanting the sanctities of the free market, private for profit health care only, stamp out socialism, etc. etc. Hell, Rush Limbaugh even started hinting that the U.S. should go back to racial segregation.


I remembered after President Obama was elected, Facebook page statuses would read like "Yes, he can!" "Bye Bye, George W Bush!" I remembered hearing on the radio someone saying something like, "Rosa Parks sat down, so Martin Luther King can walk, so Obama can run so the next generation can fly." I only had one brief chat with a friend who, while an Obama supporter, was more of a doubting Thomas. She believed, "yes, he can" but also seemed worried he would be assasinated down the road. Something I refused to believe. I'm sure many others refused to believe that too.


Further & further down the road, her prophecy is looking closer to becoming a reality after we heard about the Town Hall meetings being bombarded by gun-toting tea-baggers, Evangelical Christians & other neo-cons. Fringe groups once upon a time: a sub-culture, now forming together into a cult practically; a violent cult at that. And for what? As has been illustrated in interviews & videos from town hall meetings & the tea-bagger hit parade on 9/12. We start to realize the same thing the Secret Service probably realized a long time ago: President Obama's life could well be in danger.


Even on Facebook, there was a poll from one of those third party applications: it asked whether the U.S. president "should be killed." until the Secret Service contacted them, asking they close the site, but not before 750 people voted on this. When we see poll questions like this on a social networking site, we have to wonder to what end these crazies will go to protect their precious 'freedom'.


Then came John Perry's Newsmax column: Military coup "to resolve the 'Obama problem' is not "unrealistic" which has been taken down by site administrators, but Media Matters kept a copy of Perry's original column. 
"America isn’t the Third World. If a military coup does occur here it will be civilized." 


America isn't the third world indeed. Although, if the extreme right has it's way, They could well be on their way to that. Military coup? civilized? With the gang of wingnuts parading about, armed? Any coup d'etat of any kind has never ever been civilised. A military coup  is a military coup no matter where it happens.


"Military intervention is what Obama's exponentially accelerating agenda for "fundamental change" toward a Marxist state is inviting upon America. A coup is not an ideal option, but Obama's radical ideal is not acceptable or reversible."


Chet Scoville of The Vanity Press doesn't seem to believe a military coup would happen in the U.S. due to the fact they are "...too disciplined & too honourable to contemplate such a thing." While that may be true traditionally, who knows if they won't be influenced? Like Chet, I believe that this is too far-fetched, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear about an assasination attempt on President Obama's life: successful or not. To think these wingnuts believe the left to be looney! Yeesh!! Like Chet, I too don't want to hear how crazy the left is anymore.


John Perry doesn't strike me as a writer with all that much originality. Therefore, I have to wonder how many people: politicians or not; have thought of this hideous idea of a coup?


For those tea-baggers who said on camera, they want to fight against 'socialism' & 'facism', I have one thing to say: be careful what you wish for; any hint of socialism would be gone all right, but facism may become the new regime if the military ousts President Obama & starts governing the country themselves. One has to wonder, who would lead this coup d'etat? Would it be a General Augusto Pinochet type?? These neo-cons would do well to read about Pinochet as those are the usual types that lead a government taken over by a military coup.


Amazing what can happen in a year. Cheers for Obama to jeers to death threats to fantasy of a coup d'etat.  I think we can forget about President Obama getting re elected in 2012, unfortunately. The best we can hope for is that he manage to hang on to office until then: alive. But then, maybe the silent majority can start making some noise.