Navel Gazing

I've been thinking a lot about this post by Jason Cherniak and my husband.

First, Jason. He's realizing that upping the ante with the CPC might just not be worth it. But it might be the only thing that works or gets attention.

My husband, a liberal American, thinks that the problem with liberals is that they don't use the *bs* the conservatives/republicans spew against them to show how stupid and vile they really are. He'll vote for liberals, but he won't associate himself with them.

I don't comment on what the Blogging Tories or anyone else is saying about Stephane Dion, the Liberal Party of Canada or whomever is trying to do something that ... shows how far we've come as a country when it comes to recognizing the separation of church and life.

I don't because perhaps I do have that "Liberal arrogance". I know that I'm right most of the time about what my country needs to do. My earliest memories of government were Brian Mulroney making my $0.25 Gobstoppers cost $0.27, even though the price tag still said $0.25. I remember my parents being really worried about the future of my dad's job when the FTA started. None of my memories of the only Conservative government I have ever known have been good.

But I did start my professional life more than half way through Jean Chretien's majorities. I've had a relatively stable and upwardly mobile working life since. The Liberals did great things for my country during my adult life, and other than my dislike for Paul Martin, (Name one good [even great] finance minister that made a good PM. G'wan... I dare you.) things have been pretty good. Stable democracies rarely are exciting.

Jean Chretien wasn't Prime Minister for 10 years by some sort of fluke. It wasn't an accident that he won 3 majority governments. He did it because the Canadian people knew that he'd never do anything that would piss the majority of us off. That's the way Canadians like their governments. Always have.

I don't bother engaging the Tories or the Dippers because I know that the Liberal Party will get further just by being right. By just speaking their truth, sharing their plan, giving the information and showing up when it counts.

That's not flashy or glamourous and it makes for little press coverage, but I really, really think that the majority of Canadians don't get their political views from the MSM or talk radio or wherever. They just know, and they'll vote for Dave or Kathy for their MP because they know them from city council or local hockey or from provincial parliament.

I think that the LPC should spend more time attracting and recruiting candidates who are known in each individual riding. I think they should appoint them if necessary. I think that the policy of parachuting candidates into ridings should be reconsidered, and be used only when someone the stature of Wayne Gretzky or Donald Sutherland decides to run. (Not that I'm saying either one of them is running, just someone that well known.)

I think that the LPC needs to run their version of a 50-State Strategy. That means there should be more Stephane Dion, Bob Rae, Martha Hall-Findlay, Gerard Kennedy, etc. out here in BC talking about the Green Shift this summer. I think that the LPC has got to do more to stop treating people from BC (especially from Metro Vancouver) like they only exist at election time.

Perhaps it's naive of me, but I really think that engaging the CPC should be saved for the dark arts of Question Period, and the Liberal Party Team should be out there, from sea to sea to sea sharing our vision and speaking our truth as if the Sideshow Steves of the world have been sucked into the black hole that is Calgary.

Maybe it's just that my mother taught me that I shouldn't stare at or tease the mentally deficient, and you shouldn't pick on people smaller than you.

;)