Team Brison appears to forming even before Brison declares
Well, browsing around the blogosphere I found this blogsite. Now, while I am well aware it does not have a candidate declared to date, I do find it noteworthy that such a blog has already gone up. I happen to like Brison. I respect Brison. I did even when he was a PCPC MP. I have met him when he was still a PCPC MP and came away very impressed, impressed enough that I thought if he won the PCPC leadership race he could be very powerful in restoring the PCPC to their original place in Canadian federal politics. The way he was defeated by MacKay for that leadership and the way MacKay immediately sold his leadership supporters out afterwards only underscores his commitment to principle unlike MacKay's. Not to mention also helping to pull in PCPC voters that still refuse to support the CPC but couldn't bring themselves to vote Liberal last time out.
He is articulate, has a very strong presence in both person and via TV, is very charismatic and attractive physically, young (38) but with almost a decade's experience in Parliament. He spent the last Parliament being the point person to handle Sponsorship/Gomery questions, (unlike Fortier who will not be available for such questioning, his being an unelected Senator running patronage central contrasts beautifully with Brison's having been in the House to face CPC and other opposition questions as PW Minister) which should have earned him some real brownie points within the Liberal party as a solid Liberal supporter and paying his dues as a new member of the party. The circumstances which led to him being a Liberal also works to his advantage, in that in his case he did not leave a party, his party left him leaving the Liberals as the party that most closely represented the principles and beliefs he has always stood for, which in turn underscores the inherent centrist/moderate nature of the Liberal party.
I also think that there are those on the CPC side of the bench, both in caucus and supporters, that if they faced Brison as Liberal leader that they would get carried away in their rhetoric both on his "traitorous" conduct in their eyes as well as his sexual orientation. That also would help repaint the CPC as being the natural home of those with such intolerances and bigotries, even if it is only a minority that fall into this pattern/trap. Indeed, the more these criticisms are leveled at him the more his principled actions will contrast themselves against the Emerson/Fortier hypocrisies as well as in other areas already noted. He has a lot to offer the Liberal party of Canada in my view, the question I am wondering is whether the Liberal party of Canada is wise enough to see this for themselves and act on it. Even if Brison does not win leadership I think his being in the race would be very useful and helpful to the rebuilding of the Liberal party of Canada as an acceptable choice for government again. Just take a look at this editorial he wrote for the National Post on the Fortier appointment and why it is such a bad thing
Understand something, this is coming from someone that is not a member of any party, including the Liberal party. While in the current political climate/environment the Libs are closer to my political beliefs than any other, that is at least as much the fault of MacKay as anything else. I used to be comfortable considering which progressive party had in my mind the best platforms for the needs of the day. That used to mean I could vote Liberal, PCPC, or even once in a while NDP depending on the local candidate and leader of the day. Nowadays I feel none of the parties work for me in terms of complete support, but for now the Libs come closest. It is possible Harper might change my mind on this through his actions as PM, but given what I have seen from him over the last couple of decades I am not exactly seeing this as a likely outcome.
He is articulate, has a very strong presence in both person and via TV, is very charismatic and attractive physically, young (38) but with almost a decade's experience in Parliament. He spent the last Parliament being the point person to handle Sponsorship/Gomery questions, (unlike Fortier who will not be available for such questioning, his being an unelected Senator running patronage central contrasts beautifully with Brison's having been in the House to face CPC and other opposition questions as PW Minister) which should have earned him some real brownie points within the Liberal party as a solid Liberal supporter and paying his dues as a new member of the party. The circumstances which led to him being a Liberal also works to his advantage, in that in his case he did not leave a party, his party left him leaving the Liberals as the party that most closely represented the principles and beliefs he has always stood for, which in turn underscores the inherent centrist/moderate nature of the Liberal party.
I also think that there are those on the CPC side of the bench, both in caucus and supporters, that if they faced Brison as Liberal leader that they would get carried away in their rhetoric both on his "traitorous" conduct in their eyes as well as his sexual orientation. That also would help repaint the CPC as being the natural home of those with such intolerances and bigotries, even if it is only a minority that fall into this pattern/trap. Indeed, the more these criticisms are leveled at him the more his principled actions will contrast themselves against the Emerson/Fortier hypocrisies as well as in other areas already noted. He has a lot to offer the Liberal party of Canada in my view, the question I am wondering is whether the Liberal party of Canada is wise enough to see this for themselves and act on it. Even if Brison does not win leadership I think his being in the race would be very useful and helpful to the rebuilding of the Liberal party of Canada as an acceptable choice for government again. Just take a look at this editorial he wrote for the National Post on the Fortier appointment and why it is such a bad thing
Understand something, this is coming from someone that is not a member of any party, including the Liberal party. While in the current political climate/environment the Libs are closer to my political beliefs than any other, that is at least as much the fault of MacKay as anything else. I used to be comfortable considering which progressive party had in my mind the best platforms for the needs of the day. That used to mean I could vote Liberal, PCPC, or even once in a while NDP depending on the local candidate and leader of the day. Nowadays I feel none of the parties work for me in terms of complete support, but for now the Libs come closest. It is possible Harper might change my mind on this through his actions as PM, but given what I have seen from him over the last couple of decades I am not exactly seeing this as a likely outcome.
posted by Scotian | 7:11 PM
2 Comments:
'It is possible Harper might change my mind on this through his actions as PM, but given what I have seen from him over the last couple of decades I am not exactly seeing this as a likely outcome." You have been following Harpers career for over twenty years? huh! I guess you are saying there is still hope yet and that you mind is not made up? I say good for you for not being closed minded to any politician and any of their political ideas no matter which party they represent. It's good to see non-partisanship out there still exists and hopes that one day we can all agree to agree. Well done Scotian.
John:
I have been aware of Harper since his first interactions with Reform. I have paid attention to the Canadian federal political scene for over three full decades, and I take note not just of those in front but those behind the scenes that shape the directions/policies of any party as much as I can. So yes, I have followed him for that length of time, and what I have seen from him has not given me much reason to expect different from him now that he is in power, albeit with a weak minority limiting his full agenda interests.
As for keeping an open mind, I live in a world/existence with precious few certainties about anything where human beings/behaviour/interactions are concerned. I don't understand people that see so many certainties in their lives. So my mind has to stay open to be able to function. It takes a lot before I form any opinions set in stone. That said though I find it difficult to accept you suddenly perceiving me as "non-partisan" based on the excerpt you quoted given the contents of your prior comments here and at Cathie's. Forgive me if I do not find this overly credible based on that history.
I have been labeled time and again a partisan for providing the exact same opinion that you found so "non-partisan". The irony of anyone now taking it as evidence of "non-partisanship" is just utterly amusing. As for us agreeing on things, I rather doubt that will be a frequent occurrence given the history to date and what it has revealed about each of us and our beliefs. I would not read too much into the notion that Harper could change my mind, that is my recognition that until something actually happens one cannot be certain of the outcome, and it is far more a tip of recognition of that reality of existence than anything I actually expect to see happen.
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