Saturday, January 31, 2009

Falling for Jack.


After taking the last few weeks to take many walks in the snow I came to the conclusion that there really is no place in today's Liberal party for anyone who leans left. The Bay street wing is firmly in control and really always has been. Michael Ignatieff and his supporters really must be congratulated on reversing the Chretien, Dion coup attempt. They run that pathetic husk of a party now and I say let them have it. The NDP may have actually caught a break with the death of the coalition. Now a proud party that has actually shown some principle won't have their hands bloodied by being associated with that bunch of Neo-Liberal poll watchers and centre-right assholes who still inhabit the great sinking ship Liberal Party.
Any one who stands opposed to Stephen Harper has only one choice. Smilin Jack Layton period. The Liberal, Conservative coalition government can only be opposed by New Democrats. Left leaning Liberals I implore you, stop taking abuse from your own party, stop apologizing for Gaza and for Afghanistan and join me at my new party. It's great to have a leader who you can agree with once in awhile. The blood is already coming off my hands too.

9 comments:

Chrystal Ocean said...

You're anti-Dr. Phil?

Think I'm in love.

Chrystal Ocean said...

As to your post... :-)

"Smilin Jack Layton... It's great to have a leader who you can agree with once in awhile. The blood is already coming off my hands too."

While I don't disagree with your general message and empathize with your support of your party's leader, I urge Dippers to rethink that support. From the outside looking in, it's obvious that far too many people have taken a strong aversion to Layton. Whether this is fair or not is irrelevant (as was having Dion, who is a good man, as Liberal leader). For the good of the party, I urge the NDP to run a leadership campaign and get someone new, someone who doesn't rub so many people the wrong way.

Robert McClelland said...

From the outside looking in, it's obvious that far too many people have taken a strong aversion to Layton.

# of NDP voters in the 2000 election prior to Layton becoming leader of the party: 1,093,868

# of NDP voters in the 2008 election: 2,515,561

I really hope he keeps rubbing people "the wrong way".

Militant Dipper said...

Chrystal I know what you mean. There seems to be a visceral reaction from many just at the sight of Jack Layton. I would suggest many of those people are just opposed to socialism in general and would have that reaction to whoever was running the NDP. For example many people in Manitoba where I live get that same look of contempt on their face when they talk about Premier Gary Doer. Doer, ironically is very right wing for an NDP'r. As for Dr Phil, that clown has the most obvious con in the history of American cons. No matter what the problem the person on the show has Dr Phil will essentially say "Don't you just need to change your own behavior?" If a girl has bulimia he'll be like, "Don't you just need to stop throwing up?" And the audience goes "ahhh"

Militant Dipper said...

Robert Im glad to see those numbers. I, like Crystal have been on the outside looking in and have thus been surrounded by people who are really turned off by Layton. I personally have always kinda liked him.

Chrystal Ocean said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chrystal Ocean said...

For the record, while I'm one of those who strongly react negatively to Layton at the mere sight or sound of him, I am not an anti-socialist. Am not proud of my visceral reaction and wish it didn't happen; it impedes my ability to process whatever message Layton is trying to convey.

That said, there was one occasion last year, when Layton didn't evoke that reaction in me. Think it was a speech he made in the HoC; for that speech, his voice and demeanour were subdued, the content and its presentation contained far less rhetoric. Usually, the man speaks in a loud, self-righteous way, puffed up with (what comes across) as a sense of his own importance.

Have always disliked rhetoric and Layton's style in using it. Rhetoric can divert attention from the importance of the facts presented.

Also for the record, prior to Layton's turnaround early in the 2004 election, I'd admired the man.

Robert, do you happen to have the NDP voter numbers for the 2004 election? Those would be interesting for a comparison.

Thor said...

2004 NDP votes - 2,127,403

Jack is the best thing that has happened to the NDP since Ed Broadbent. Yay Jack!

Steve V said...

Addition by subtraction LIGHTWEIGHT.