The more we see of Bob Rae -- and we seem to be seeing the Toronto MP a lot lately -- the larger the question looms: Why isn't he the Liberal leader?
I am not happy with Ignatieff, never wanted him as Liberal party leader, and care for him even less for his waffeling and soft stance on human rights issues. Words are ok, but we need action. Watching Rae over the past few weeks has given me some hope, though.
By contrast, Rae is funny, self-deprecating, knowledgeable and spontaneous. His criticisms of the Harper government tend not to be shrill, predictable or personal. But they can be heartfelt -- as when he recently denounced those infamous Conservative flyers that imply the Liberals are, at least, sanguine about anti-Semitism. Rae, whose wife and adult children are Jewish, called them "a new kind of gutter politics."
...Rae is also a better performer than Ignatieff in scrums and informal encounters -- more fluent, manifestly more at ease with a range of issues, sure of where he stands, able to acknowledge complexity without looking wishy-washy.
It isn't simply that I think Rae has greater voter appeal but rather that he embodies what a decent politician should be. Smart, compassionate, honest, and courageous enough to question his own party and its actions.
The Liberal party doesn't tolerate one-person rule, not to the extend the Harper party does, at the very least. What is often seen as in-fighting (and yes, true in-fighting does occur among the Grits), is sometimes healthy - if somewhat too-public debate. This is why I find it very encouraging not only to see that the Liberal party has such people within it as Rae, but that he is being given such a high profile lately. Must be a little scary for Ignatieff.
It is, however, good for the party and will likely draw back people who have been so turned off by the lack of honesty displayed by top politicians and their failure to connect with voters because they simply do not grasp that what most of us want is simply honest, transparent government where the concerns of those politicians are elected to represent are the real driving force behind shaping legislation.
We need to see more of this in practice. MPs such as Rae and Kennedy not only speaking on behalf of the party, but clear assurances that the Liberal party is not a one man show and is truly made up of the many voices constituents elect. Voices that are not muzzled, votes that are not forced.
Place these (and there are other good ones in the Liberal party as well) against Harper's usual suspects:
- intelligent speaker, unflapable, ouzes integrity.
- intelligent, passionate, lots of integrity, too clean to be a target, calm
- still needs experience, especially in word-crafting to avoid statements that can easily be twisted, but he offers a fresh face representing renewal; intelligent, decent enough speaker, lots of appeal, plenty of well directed passion, oozes integrity
Intelligence opposing CON smirking, taunting, and childish diversions
Integrity opposing CON foot-in-mouth disease
Honesty opposing CON lies and channel changing
And let's not forget the cute factor:
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