We can take a page from Harper's playbook... He wants to wrap his party in Olympic glory, then intro a throne speech. This will put the Opposition on the spot: "support" the speech to avoid an election, so we can have our "thinker's conference" in March (to develop policy), or end the government, and scrap it out...
He will goad us into defeating him, because he wants either the "support" of the Opposition, which he can wave in our faces all session long (to allow him to have free reign), or he gets his election before interest rates and debt catch up to him (the economic "genious" that he is).
What to do? What to do? Well, for one thing, we need to start calling Iggy "Iggy".
Yup.
I know he doesn't like the nickname. He's said so much on a ride in a car from downtown Vancouver to Richmond a few years back.
There is, however, more at play here. Ignatieff is catching on with the public (as far as knowledge of him goes). I've heard people who normally don't mention Opposition Leaders' names mention his. He is named on the late-night talk shows. This is all good.
Still, we need to have a catchy name for our leader. Like Ike. "Mike" Pearson, etc.
Our choice? Iggy. Why? With the Olympics in full swing in the next month, one of the heroes of the games will be "Iggy" - Jarome Iginla. Jarome is someone a lot of the Canadian public will associate with next month. A carefully placed meeting and photo-op will help tie that bind with Iggy-Iggy. I can see the headlines: "Liberal's Iggy Meets Canada's Iggy", etc. Ignatieff will wish him well, etc., and proudly wear a Team Canada jersey. It could even be staged with a press conference immediately afterwards promising to bring back the "Team Canada Trade Missions" that are so sorely needed by Canada's business/trade community (something Harper has ended due to his contempt for the rest of the world).
"Iggy to lead Team Canada to China/India". "Iggy Scores For Canada", etc., etc., etc.
Circulate buttons, "Score With Iggy" (yes, a little overtly suggestive); "Join Team Canada".... etc....
Get all this out BEFORE the Conservative Olympic love-in.
By the way, who do you think Iggy votes for???
And it is IGGY... Go with it.
4 comments:
Harper's contempt for the rest of the world makes one realize what hypocrisy it is that he is "welcoming the world" to the Olympics. He once called Canada a "Northern European Welfare State". Wonder how the Danes, Swedes, Fins, etc. will take that?
Our leader needs to be on the forefront welcoming the world. This is where those international ties come in handy. Use them Iggy...
Perhaps Mr. Ignatieff will be able to find some time to spend with the Womens Ski Jumping Team, or be seen discussing such with other international types that he actually KNOWS and doesn't have to pay Ari Fleischer in order to garner introductions.....
This is an idea that I could get jiggy with. It has a real pop to it.
I think that we need to stop trying to make Michael Ignatieff into something he isn’t. And, whether we like it or not, he isn’t Iggy. He isn’t the affable, grab a pint at the pub with the guy next door kind of guy. What he is, is a world class mind who is internationally respected for his work in human rights and conflict. He is a man who think deeply about things; someone who listens to a question, and thinks about the answer before delivering it.
Where we run into problems is trying to make him something he isn’t. Canadians sense that he isn’t comfortable in the role Liberals are trying to cast him in. Ultimately, if we want to win back government, I think we need to let Michael Ignatieff be Michael Ignatieff: a man of fire, a man of passion, and a man of deep intelligence.
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