Leadership: Fight Nice Kiddies

I am pleased that we have another entrant into the Liberal Leadership race. I'm looking forward to even more folks standing for the "top job" in the party. We need all the ideas we can, to ensure there is a broad discussion of topics, as long as the group size is not too big... A smaller group will certainly allow us to focus on the issues. Leadership debates are going to be very substantial. Not like the last time around where we lined up 13 "hopefuls" (in Edmonton), and got to hear less than 3min from each.

The smack-talk has already begun.

I admonish fellow Liberals to choose their words WISELY. You can bet YOUR WORDS (yes, you Mr./Ms. Angry Blogger) will be used against YOUR LEADER, and YOUR PARTY when the next federal election occurs. We don't want to suffer from some sort of "electile disfunction" when the REAL campaign begins. Already, in the last night, I watched in awe as "anonymous" commenters on my blog decided to take potshots at someone (who isn't even running yet) who would bring great value to this debate.

I don't know WHAT all the negative commentary will get you. Will it get you a nice cozy job as a OLO staffer? Will it get you notoriety as the blogger that put candidate X over the top (I highly doubt that)? More likely, it will make you the notorious blogger who the Conservatives and the media quote when bashing OUR (yes, our - your's and mine) new leader. Think about that.

WesternGrit has promised to keep this blog positive. We will only discuss all the factors which make our contenders better than Harper, and which help make our party machinery better. We hope some of that praise is used by the media. Our TEAM is better. We all know what happens when a candidate's own party colors them a cerain way. Liberals had all christened Mr. Dion as the "nice", "intellectual", "safe second choice", "academic". This was used to paint Mr. Dion as "not a leader" by the Conservatives. WE did that. WE built the campaign against Mr. Dion - just as today, many of us are building the Conservative's (and media's) next campaigns against Mr. Rae, Mr. Ignatieff, etc.

Time for mature minds to prevail. There is greatness in being humble. In being diplomatic.

If you really want to help your party, have a mature discourse about the persons running for our leadership. If you really want to help your party, tone down the rhetoric. In a discussion about ideas, enough is made clear by what is NOT SAID. Liberals are intelligent political beings. If a candidate does not talk about something, or doesn't give focus to one thing, they are saying they don't give importance to it. We can read between the lines and determine who is for what, and against what. We don't need to point out the weakness of someone's poor French (or lack of it), when it would be plain for all to see, for example. Even our American cousins (the Democrats) had a serious debate about the fodder they were providing the Republicans when their discourse took a decidedly downhill turn.

This time around - if people really are serious about change - try campaigning for your leadership choice in a more honest, adult, and diplomatic manner.

Yes it's time for change - time to change the way we campaign for leader.

In the next few months, keep an eye out for WesternGrit's "Leadership Report Cards". We'll have "MidTerm Marks" after the first Leadership contest debates.

Vancouver Deserves The Liberal Leadership Convention - Part 5

... Because we'd only be deciding to keep it here...

Join the Facebook Group "Vancouver Deserves The Liberal Leadership Convention", if you want to help us grow the party in the West...

Some people have argued "cost" as a factor in "centralizing" a leadership convention... It's funny that we didn't consider that when we decided on Vancouver for the May "Policy" Convention. Are we saying we care less about Policy? Let's not make THAT an issue...

As far as the "cost" factor, it may cost SOME delegates a little more, but they may save that in hotel costs. It may cost the party a little more in rebates, but how much value do you give party growth? How much is each new member worth to us? Coming from a business background, I can tell you that there is a cost to acquiring "new customers", and more costs associated with keeping them, but there IS a cost, and there are the obvious benefits of a bigger pool of members. If we are serious about growing this party, let's put our money where our mouths are, and work towards it...

Let's keep the next Liberal Convention in Vancouver...

Join our Facebook group, and send the "powers that be" a strong message. This party is member-driven, and HAS to be if it is to survive as a viable entity...

Keep the next Federal Liberal Convention in Vancouver!

Vancouver Deserves The Liberal Leadership Convention - Join the Facebook Group

This weekend the LPC executive is going to decide where the Leadership Convention will be. Let's ensure this decision is made to the benefit of all Liberals - and all Canadians - by growing our proud party.

Liberals across the country need to stand up and support a Liberal Leadership Convention in a region OUTSIDE of the Metro Toronto - Ottawa - Montreal corridor. We Liberals need to stop this ridiculous "siege mentality" which is locking us up in that region. We are a truly national party with members and MPs from all regions. By locking ourselves up in Central Canada, we will become what everyone is saying we are: a party of urban central Canada. We need to take a lesson from the Obama campaign - start working the area the other guys call "their own back-yard".

Vancouver has a convention planned and booked. Vancouver is a beautiful, scenic city on the West Coast, with a liberal population, which would respond well to a strong Liberal presence during a convention. If the Liberal Party is to grow anywhere outside of urban Southern Ontario, we need to show the rest of Canada "we're here" (and here, and there, and over there too...).

We MUST hold the federal Liberal Leadership Convention in Vancouver in May of 2009!

Join this new Facebook group today, and show your support for a Vancouver Convention!

"Vancouver Deserves The Liberal Leadership Convention".