[bootlegga]

I certainly don't - if I was going to pick a horse in this race of my liking, it would be Marc Garneau.

[andyt]

I was for MHF until her cheap shot at JT. But really, whoever gets in will have a lot of 'splaining to do to get my vote. I'll vote against CPC if they look like they'll get a big majority, for them if it looks like touch and go, as things stand at the moment. Libs and NDP lost a lot of my support during the Spence/INM thing.

[Zipperfish]

andyt andyt:

Funny how OTI's rant has all of us here defending JT, when probably nobody, including Curt, has any real use for the guy. Foot - aim - fire.

I quite like Trudeau. I'd like to say it was his articulately-defended policy positions, but probably the main reason right now is that he smacked the crap out of the Conservative Senator Brazeau. He trained hard for the fight, went into a hostile crowd (Ezra Levant was the colour man for teh fight), weathered an early flurry by Brazeau, stuck to his game plan and got a TKO. and plus, everyone likes seeing an asshole picking a fight and then getting the crap beaten out of him.

[Jonny_C]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

The left-wing media are pathetically supporting Trudeau here. It's just sickeneing to watch.

Kelly McParland: Drunk on Trudeau, Liberals prepare to forget reform and hand him the keys

I thought this part was good...

$1:

They took the cure. Elected new party officials and swore up and down the country to stay away from the quick fixes and devote themselves to a slow, solid rebuilding of Liberalism, on a firm basis of beliefs rather than flash and a pretty face. They would dig deep and establish what Liberalism was all about, establish real principles and policies that weren’t simply about winning votes.

Then came Justin, an once again the party is dancing around with a lampshade on its head.

Who knows? Maybe it will work. Justin has a lot of street cred even though he hasn't done much. And he'll be facing a long-in-the-tooth Conservative opponent. I don't doubt that the Canadian electorate might go for style over substance, pretty boy over manager.

[Curtman]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

andyt andyt:

Funny how OTI's rant has all of us here defending JT, when probably nobody, including Curt, has any real use for the guy. Foot - aim - fire.

I quite like Trudeau. I'd like to say it was his articulately-defended policy positions, but probably the main reason right now is that he smacked the crap out of the Conservative Senator Brazeau. He trained hard for the fight, went into a hostile crowd (Ezra Levant was the colour man for teh fight), weathered an early flurry by Brazeau, stuck to his game plan and got a TKO. and plus, everyone likes seeing an asshole picking a fight and then getting the crap beaten out of him.

Akin: Trudeau vs the pack: The Liberal race takes a turn

$1:

I was worried for Justin Trudeau's physical safety in the first few minutes of his boxing match with Sen. Patrick Brazeau last March.

Brazeau -- stocky, muscular and powerful-looking -- had literally burst out of his corner when the bell rang and started pummelling Trudeau's willowy frame.

But, to the surprise of many, Trudeau withstood the initial onslaught and, using his own intelligence and patience and relying on the wisdom of those who had trained him to box, he fought his way to victory by dint of a technical knockout.

The headlines the next day were variations of "Trudeau Scores Stunning Upset!"

And yet it wasn't such a stunning upset to Trudeau or those who know him well. He knew precisely what he was doing in the ring. He kept his head through the first onslaught and then stuck to his game plan. The end result: victory.

You can likely see where I'm going with this column as we reflect on the latest debate in the Liberal leadership race, held Saturday in Mississauga, Ont.

Though Marc Garneau, Liberal MP and the country's first astronaut is no Patrick Brazeau - that, as it turns out, appears to be very good thing - Garneau did come flying out of the gate when the bell rang and threw a flurry of verbal jousts at Trudeau. Trudeau, who could see that this was coming after Garneau held a Parliament Hill news conference a few days earlier to attack Trudeau for being little more a pretty face with a famous name, held his ground and gave it back to Garneau.

Sure, Garneau may have more so-called "executive" experience, but Trudeau has two wins in two general elections in his riding of Papineau and had to win a tough nomination battle to do that. Garneau failed in his first attempt to become an MP, was then handed the nomination to a safe Liberal seat and is now two for three in general elections.

Garneau and Trudeau had only five minutes on Saturday for a one-on-one tussle but, just as he did with Brazeau, Trudeau was ready and withstood the barrage.
...

[andyt]

Jonny_C Jonny_C:

I don't doubt that the Canadian electorate might go for style over substance, pretty boy over manager.

I think only if things look really good or really bad economically. If they're looking rosy we'll want a hip young guy to lead us into the bright future. If really bad, it will be anybody but Harper. I think neither is likely so Harper has a good shot. Heck, I might even vote for him. Maybe.

[Jonny_C]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

I quite like Trudeau. I'd like to say it was his articulately-defended policy positions, but probably the main reason right now is that he smacked the crap out of the Conservative Senator Brazeau. He trained hard for the fight, went into a hostile crowd (Ezra Levant was the colour man for teh fight), weathered an early flurry by Brazeau, stuck to his game plan and got a TKO. and plus, everyone likes seeing an asshole picking a fight and then getting the crap beaten out of him.

Politics is optics. The fight got a lot of press, and Trudeau by first agreeing to it, and then winning it, won BIG, bigger than just the fight. Your view is just one example.

Clinton with his saxophone, Harper with his Beatles song and his hockey book, Trudeau with this boxing match, people key in on this sort of thing.

Trudeau hasn't done anything really un-likeable yet. That's a plus for him.

People, for now, will forgive him the odd neophyte gaffe like his comments on Quebec sovereignty. We'll see how it plays out further down the road. For now, the Liberals would be crazy to go with any other leader but him. He's got the most upside.

[Zipperfish]

$1:

I thought this part was good...

I know, isn't our left-wing, liberal, socialist media wonderful, the way they lap it all up with Trudeau?

Jonny_C Jonny_C:

I don't doubt that the Canadian electorate might go for style over substance, pretty boy over manager.

Well, you and Out-To-Lunch pretty much have the CPC talking points down pat. Good work, guys! Solidarity wiht the Cause is more important than individual thoughts.

[Jonny_C]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

Well, you and Out-To-Lunch pretty much have the CPC talking points down pat. Good work, guys! Solidarity wiht the Cause is more important than individual thoughts.

Funny that you would say that, when I didn't say anything all that critical about Justin Trudeau. Is he your golden-haired boy? I'm a little more healthily skeptical, as I generally am of all politicians.

[Zipperfish]

Jonny_C Jonny_C:

Funny that you would say that, when I didn't say anything all that critical about Justin Trudeau. Is he your golden-haired boy? I'm a little more healthily skeptical, as I generally am of all politicians.

No, I don't think I've referred to Trudeau as a "golden-haired boy" or a "pretty boy." Seems to be you and your hero Ezra that have the market cornered there. Well, I don't know what you look like in real life, but, statistically speaking, as far as looks go, you're probably Better Than Ezra, so maybe you have a shot at Justin.

[Jonny_C]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

No, I don't think I've referred to Trudeau as a "golden-haired boy" or a "pretty boy." Seems to be you and your hero Ezra that have the market cornered there. Well, I don't know what you look like in real life, but, statistically speaking, as far as looks go, you're probably Better Than Ezra, so maybe you have a shot at Justin.

Goin' off the deep end there, buddy.

You sound like a bit of a crackpot.

[Zipperfish]

Jonny_C Jonny_C:

Goin' off the deep end there, buddy.

You sound like a bit of a crackpot.

The whole pretty boy / shiny pony thing is right off the CPC talking points page. Just calling you on it is all. No crackpottery intended.

[Jonny_C]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

The whole pretty boy / shiny pony thing is right off the CPC talking points page. Just calling you on it is all. No crackpottery intended.

You must pay a lot more attention to that "page" than I do. I wouldn't know where to find it.

[OnTheIce]

raydan raydan:

So another smear campaign, instead of showing us all the good they've done while in power and all the good they will be doing. Why not, worked with Iggy.

Political parties do what works. Negative attack ads work not because they're made and presented to us it's because we as Canadians RESPOND to them and form our opinions based on them.

Elections are won and lost based on a few sound bytes throughout the campaign. The electorate is lazy and attack ads work wonders.

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

It seems Out-to-Lunch's official CPC talking points are backfiring on him here.

Funny.

Funny only because you've selectively read what I've said about Justin. I doubt that the CPC "talking points" include saying Harper will lose to JT, but I won't let facts get in the way of you attempting to look witty.

[Zipperfish]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

I doubt that the CPC "talking points" include saying Harper will lose to JT, but I won't let facts get in the way of you attempting to look witty.

Oh, they most definitely do. You can't ramp up the CPC Fear and Loathing Machine against someone that is not a threat. So the CPC message is not just that Justin is a "pretty boy" with no substance (to quote Johnny C). But also that that the electorate is so stupid they will vote for style over substance, and therefore he may actually win. For negative politics, you need to create a sense of urgency and fear.

Why not, instead, try to run the campaign on the basis that Harper has been good for Canada? That Harper has been a steady hand at the helm? Both sellable points in my opinion.

But instead it's back to negative campaigning, and attack politics, and that's why I hope it blows up in their faces, like it did for Kim Campbell and John McCain.