Our Leader Was In Vancouver Yesterday??? Really???

I heard - via Liblogs - that our leader was in Vancouver yesterday. I recall when Mr. Cretien and Mr. Martin had just ascended to the party leadership years ago. There were rallies in every city they went to. Every Liberal in those towns received emails about where the leader was going, what radio talk shows, or local TV they would be on, what events they would be attending, etc.

I'm on an email list (for the BC Libs, as well as several MPs). Also on a mailing list. Never heard of the leader's visit.

Maybe it was just an oversight. Maybe it's just my PR-driven, business-savvy self speaking, but shouldn't EVERY visit to any location be a reason for a rally, election-style, and a chance to rally the troops?

Maybe I was just "out of the loop" on this one. Maybe the other 20 Liberals in my immediate circle were also just "out of the loop". Some of us have worked for MPs and Cabinet Ministers. A few of us have worked on every election (federal and provincial) through 3 provinces since the late 80s... If people like us are being "overlooked", I wonder how people just looking to be involved in the Liberal Party of Canada are getting involved.

The Cons (aka Reformers) were GREAT grassroots fundraisers. They have become masterful at maintaining close contact with rank-and-file members for rallies, agitation, and fund-raising. How the heck do we suppose we're going to raise the $$$s we'll need to run an election campaign if we can't even get our faithful - some of our hardest workers - to a rally when the leader is in town??? Campaign workers, donors, and volunteers need to be "massaged". They need to get out and feel closeness to the leader and other star MPs. It's what keeps the adrenaline going, and the enthusiasm up. You need to generate excitement to generate funds.

Sorry. I didn't get my "excitement generating" call or email for this past visit. Neither did a whole lot of others. We need to try harder, or we're going to get pancaked. Not for lack of great ideas, or of being less accepted by Canadians than the Harpo Clown Crew. No, if we get pancaked in the next election, it's because we could not get out the workers and organization needed to win. It starts with the leader, and leader's visits. Let's try to get organized. We could be in "election mode" next week.

Time to ditch "amateur hour". If we need to bring in people with the skillset to properly "drive" our leader, let's get it done. We're running out of time.