Rebuilding the ReformaTory brand

[james_davis_nicoll]

Step One: brutally purge all the unreliable elements. I am not going to say who they are but we all know.

Step Two: election a new leader who is world-famous, who can embody the true heart of the modern ReformaTory Party.

I speak, of course, of Calgary's favourite son, Ted Cruz.

Comments

[kjn]

So you claim that you can reach better politics by purgatory?

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

I believe the route to a better Canada involves a step where the ReformaTories reenact the final battle from the Spartacus prequel.

[scott-sanford.livejournal.com]

Not from 300, involving the ReformaTories stripping down to leather shorts and marching off in formation toward the sea?

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

Brain bleach please?

[graydon saunders (from livejournal.com)]

Maybe even an environmental impact statement.

[graydon saunders (from livejournal.com)]

Can't say as I would object to a war crimes trial over the torture of prisoners. Harper, but also Harper's cabinet and the general staff of the day. Preferably under the Nurnberg rules.

[maruad.livejournal.com]

Ted Cruz would be ineligible IIRC. I think he renounced his Canadian citizenship. I suspect the next leader will be one of Harper's henchmen... err.. former cabinet ministers.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

Is it possible to un-renounce one's citizenship?

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

I don't know; let's ask Conrad Black.

-- Steve's shaden may be over-freuding.

[maruad.livejournal.com]

My very first thought.

[scott-sanford.livejournal.com]

As far as I know Ted Cruz never renounced his Cuban citizenship...

[ticktockman.livejournal.com]

As a U.S. citizen and voter, I am unaware of the intricacies of Canadian politics, but I will fully support any efforts on the part of Canadian voters to call Ted Cruz home.

[seawasp]

Seconded. Y'all want him, you can have him! We'll even pay shipping!

[anzhalyumitethe.livejournal.com]

So moved.

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

Sorry, but we only accept returns in the complete original packaging.

-- Steve also points out that refunds are only granted in the form of store credit.

[maruad.livejournal.com]

So Cruz for Harper and some of his most choice cabinet ministers and one appliance repairman to be named later?

[solarbird]

I'd gladly take Canadian Tire money.

[elusis.livejournal.com]

I was hoping he meant "call Ted Cruz home" in the Biblical sense.

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

complete original packaging

I think that would be hard on his poor mother.

[jsburbidge.livejournal.com]

More likely would be electing either (1) Jason Kenney or Tony Clement, both of whom would be disasters, as they represent the same past that just let them get their asses handed to them, and neither of whom has any charisma or (2) some younger gung-ho type who is a true believer and would be even more of a disaster, as they would be more purist than Harper was.

What they really need is someone with generally neutral social views, Conservative economic views, and connections. Too bad I can't think of anyone who isn't a Liberal eminence grise; maybe they could take Michael Ignatieff?

[ian wright (from livejournal.com)]

My bet is that the Reformers will, well, reform around Peter MacKay. He's an entitled jackass who isn't as smart as he likes to think and possesses the charisma of a moldy potato, which pretty much sums up the Reform leadership tradition.

As for who actual conservatives might pick as a leader, that's a little more difficult. Harper spent close to a decade purging the party of anyone who might have represented a resurgence of the old Tories, so there's not a lot of viable candidates remaining.

[keithmm.livejournal.com]

Bob Rae pointed that out last night: If Trudeau is like his father he won't be paranoid about picking cabinet ministers who are notable politicians in their own right who can stand out from the prime minister's shadow and when the time comes be in a position to make a run for the leadership. Harper simply didn't allow that sort of thing to happen, which is fine for maintaining his leadership but puts the party in a hole when it comes to finding someone the general populace might swing toward in a general election. I'd lay good odds that outside of their ridings, few people would have any idea who a cabinet minister was except in whatever story is currently in the media.

MacKay is one of the very few exceptions who has some national recognition in his own right, but from the Conservative perspective he's got a few strikes: one, he's from the part of the country that most emphatically put the boots to the Conservatives. Second, they suspect he's one of those old-guard Red Tories.

[joenotcharles.livejournal.com]

John Baird is the highest profile name I can think of. And he stepped aside early enough to not be tarred by this loss.

[maruad.livejournal.com]

Iggy seemed tailor made for the old Progressive Conservatives if it wasn't for his unfortunate support of torture.

[jsburbidge.livejournal.com]

His grandfather was George Grant.

Maybe we can assign the torture predilection to Count Nikolay Pavlovich on the other side?

[agharta75.livejournal.com]

Is that the same Count Ignatieff that is in the Flashman books?

[jsburbidge.livejournal.com]

Yep. Great-grandfather, IIRC.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

"The revolution like Saturn devours its own children."

And other people's children, as well.

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

I have to admit I'm curious as to whether they'll do the "maybe we took things too far" adjustment, or the "we lost because we weren't conservative enough" adjustment.

[scott-sanford.livejournal.com]

The latter is serving the Republicans so well right now, too...

[jimlj1715.livejournal.com]

No love for Rob Ford?

LOL LOL LOL

[ed-rex.livejournal.com]

One of those rare moments when I wish that LJ/Dreamwidth had a Like button.

Nicely-said.