Liberal Leadership Race
Over the past few days we've seen a bunch of people expressing interest in the Federal Liberal Leadership. Some of the candidates are truely surprising both from a personal perspective as well as their position on the political spectrum.
Bob Rae was the first really big surprise. I have a soft spot for Bob Rae as he's a friend of my step father's and one of the first really prolific left politicians. Many blame him for deficits that the conservatives inherited, but his social policy was solid. I think with a strong cabinet, Rae would be a great choice for a leader. (Although he might be a hard sell to Liberals in general, as he is a little too far to the left for people to be comfortable.)
Gerrard Kennedy is another unlikely candidate. Education has been a priority for the McGuinty government, so Kennedy has been in the news a fair amount in the past year. From a policy perspective he would be another liberal favorite. He has a great track record working with disparate groups and building consensus in difficult places. But from a political point of view, he is kind of awkward. He's not great while in the hot seat, and it might take a few years to get him up to the standard of public speaking that is required of a leader.
Stephane Dion has more federal experience than the others, but is a little awkward as well. I caught a bit of his press conference this morning, and while the speech was good, he totally read it. Again, media training might fix this but I think that a leader of the Liberal Party should already be a little more cultivated.
There are others of course that have expressed interest in the parties leadersip, but they are city councillors and such. Without a huge political network to get financing, making those bids come to anything will be a monumental task.
So to conclude, the contenders so far seem to be a little further left than in the past, they seem to be a little less polished, and they seem to lack the federal political network that is needed to make it happen.
The next few months will be interesting for sure.