Lovely sentiment, but very conflicting

Jody Wilson-Raybould's letter to Liberals and other citizens is uplifting, inspirational and very conflicting.

Much as I agree with her sentiments, I find they don't mesh well with staying in the party. It seems incongruent to me that she could find they behaved so egregiously that she quit cabinet, but that she feels she can somehow work within the party for change.

Trust has eroded -- that's a two way street. Just as she (apparently) lost trust in those within the highest level of her party, surely she must see that they have lost trust in her as well, and therefore, she will have no voice.

Had there been a stampede out the door following the resignation of Jane Philpott, I might say there was something to the concept of change from within. Instead we've had support for the Prime Minister from the rest of cabinet, and from the rest of caucus, yawns and shrugs and support for the status quo.

We've just had a Liberal dominated committee refuse to hear the rest of the details of her story -- I'm sorry. I just don't get it.

While I believe the allegations of the former AG, in my opinion, she discredits herself by continuing to pledge support for the brand.

The brand is the problem. How does she not get this?

You might like the Carbon Tax, and support action on climate change -- you might agree with every plank in their platform, but if the leadership of the Liberal Party still doesn't get why its behaviour in the SNC-Lavalin affair is wrong, how can she reconcile working along side these same people?

This is not a government problem. This is not a Canadian problem. This is a Liberal problem.

How can something your company's leadership has done, be so bad that you would quit your position, but then with no changes, no admissions of culpability, no acts or words of contrition -- you still feel that it was a worthy enough company that you want to maintain your relationship, and to represent the brand.

Doesn't compute.

canadianna

This is where it gets tricky

So the Liberals did what Liberals do, and have adjourned the Justice Committee until next week, budget day -- so they can ponder 'next steps' and bury their vote behind budget coverage.

This is where Sheer needs to remain calm and not get all accusy and irrational.

He should not be making demands or acting indignant.... he should simply say that the Liberals are behaving in a manner to which we've become accustomed over time. This new ilk brings with it the old ways. Anyway, we trust that one way or another, the truth will out as it always does.

Poise, calm and confidence.

That's what this requires from the opposition. Too often the Conservatives come off hysterical at every turn.

This obfuscating, lying, manipulating, on the part of the Liberals is business as usual. It happens all the time. Any over-the-top rhetoric just adds to the illusion that this is an anomaly for them. It isn't. This is how they work. It's how they've always worked.

New generation, that's all.

canadianna

 

PMJT is no ordinary guy

Although we keep getting news on the repercussions of the SNC-Lavalin affair, I honestly don't see it affecting the PM's chance at re-election.

He seems to have weathered the storm, mostly by just doing what he always does, which is saying a bunch of nothing.

There have been suggestions that without Gerald Butts in the PMO, that going forward with be hard for PMJT, but Butts didn't die. He resigned. As this scandal slowly recedes from the public interest, you don't think Gerry will be back there, advising his friend, even if in a non-official role? Who's to say he won't be re-hired. He did nothing wrong. He's spoken 'his truth'. A couple of weeks from now, they could slide him back in and who's going to challenge it?

The biggest concern to me as we move toward October's election, is that much as Trudeau doesn't deserve to be PM, I don't think Sheer does either. Lisa Riatt? Her I could get behind. Sheer does have a good team, but as the face of the party, he's just really bland and uninspiring. His attacks on Trudeau seem desperate rather than poised and reasoned -- even if they are well deserved.

The cult of personality got Trudeau elected. It wasn't his progressive agenda. People don't really believe the promises politicians make anyway. It was that 'star quality', and while it's lost a lot of its luster, I think people already knew he was stupid and didn't care. The question is, will it matter to them how poorly he's treated the people surrounding him, because that, more than the scandals and missteps, is where he's fallen the most. He had put himself on such a pedestal, and he's toppled off soundly.

Just seeing the bits and pieces of his public personality -- the time he elbowed the NDP MP in the chest in the House of Commons because he felt compelled to drag a Conservative MP to his place, his name-calling, his reported temper in private ... there are a lot of personal behaviours that smack of the spoiled little rich boy not ever wanting to be challenged, and not being able to deal with not having his own way. Some of them bubble to the surface and he seems unable to control them.

I think the only way the Conservatives win the next election is to exploit that, but wild demands of resignation, exaggerated outrage and petitions won't do that. Trudeau's temper comes not when he's full out besieged or insulted or attacked -- but rather when he's resentful, spurned or impeded in any way.

Here's hoping the opposition has learned a little bit about his psychology, rather than applying tactics that might cause regular people to feel shame or blame or contrition.

canadianna