I can’t for the life of me understand why any Liberal would vote for Christy Clark nor why any sane voter would vote for her.
Here again is the time I say (truthfully, I assure you), that it’s very hard to pillory people you like but as Ms. Clark evidently never learned, political journalists are supposed to do that and I must call it as I see it. That sure as hell doesn’t make me right nor have I ever claimed that.
Let’s get started with Ms. Clark threatening an early election because the public would want one so she says. That is ingenuous in the extreme and is simply another way of saying “I want to catch those NDP buggers when they aren’t ready”.
Never mind how tricky that would be Ms. Clark should know that the public is not well served by having an election before both parties – and maybe a third party – have been able to fairly demonstrate their wares. Moreover, let me give Ms. Clark a bit of advice – it doesn’t pay to be tricky. Christy should know, as anyone who has been involved in this game knows, that trickery has a funny way of coming back to bite you in the ass.
Ms. Clark has had a talk show for several years now and while I don’t listen to assy-kissy radio and couldn’t tolerate it when I was in the game myself, I’ve checked around and no one can remember Ms Clark being more than a teensy critical of her old boss and her old party. This means either that she wouldn’t criticize Campbell & Co. because she still saw them as teammates; or because she knew much of the criticism went back to decisions she as a cabinet minister and Deputy Premier made and didn’t want her to get herself criticized; or she dutifully self censored to keep her government supporting paymaster, Corus, happy.
Any way you look at it Ms. Clark was gutless. That’s not a good thing for a premier to be.
Her cowardice is borne out by her repeating that there is no need for an investigation into the BC Rail decision. Now I wonder what the reason for that could be?
As we know from the leaked Basi memorandums and the way the Basi-Virk trial ended, this deal stinks to high heaven and Christy Clark, as Deputy Premier was up to her flashing eyeballs in it. If, as most observers of things like this believe, the BC Rail deal was corrupt then it’s not hard to understand why Ms Clark wants it to go away.
I have news for Ms. Clark and all others who will be running for Liberal leader; all of you will hear plenty on this issue in the days to come.
(Only Carole Taylor is free of the stink but she maintains that she won’t be a candidate. I can understand why.)
Ms Clark has a permanently short shelf life as was demonstrated when she lost what appeared to be a slam dunk race for the NPA mayoralty race to Sam Sullivan. She is missing a very serious trait – the ability to last when the going gets a bit heavy.
Christy Clark reminds me of a race horse of my youth named Chris Junior. He used to come out of the gate so fast you thought for a moment they’d opened his stall before the others. He would get as much as 15 lengths in front, 5 or more when they reached the 5/8ths post.
Unhappily for Chris Jr., the race was 6 furlongs, not five and his collapse was as spectacular as his start.
Chris Junior never won because he couldn’t do the last 1/8th of a mile – nor can Christy Clark.
Rafe, ever since you left NW (and to a lesser degree when David Berner left) listening to NW isn’t much different than going to the dentist. As for Ms. Clark, without doubt, she’s the weakest among the other current, serious candidates. Although I just can’t bring myself to vote NDP, I’d seriously consider voting for them rather than Ms. Clark ! Either that, or I’d for the first time in years – not vote.
Rafe, I couldn’t agree more with your question on why would anyone in their right mind vote for Clark.
Her involvement in the BC rail scandal and her refusal if elected leader to have a public inquiry and then her statement to listen to the voters, when as a radio host she just cut off people who didn’t agree with her should awaken the masses to her agenda.
This person and I allege any of the other candidates will only carry forth the banner of the Campbell era. And that is not a good thing for the people who vote in BC.
Christy Clark loves the cut and parry of politics, too much so that she
simply can’t resist any opportunity to stick it to her opponents, right
from shoot-first-ask-questions-latter all the way to the Parthian shot.
She obviously regards this quality as a strength. But her all-too-tactical
announcement of calling a “snap” election looks ill thought out and
presumptuous. It has been criticized by members of the very caucus she
seeks to lead, but of which she is not currently a member. And it seems
to ignore the nuts and bolts of how this could be done, that is, call the
Assembly into session to repeal the fixed election date law prior to convincing the Lieutenant Governor that a general election is necessary
all so Christy can get a seat and (she hopes) a majority. Perhaps she
has reflected that it might have been a better idea to announce seeking
a seat in a by-election instead.
If Ms Clark’s idea was to catch the leaderless NDP with their pants down
with a snap election, she has been foiled by the NDP moving up their own leadership convention to April.
If, on the other hand, that was precisely her intention to hasten the
NDP leadership contest so’s to have a target to attack personally, then
she’s a Machiavellian genius.
Great read Rafe. I have had many contacts with the flimflam lady. One time when she was my MLA in Port Moody, she and my daughter were discussing the “minimum wage” offered by her party. When my daughter had the upper hand on Crusty, out of her mouth came this retort…”Well at least its something”. At least its something, well thought out there crusty. This shows the lack of character this person has. She is shallow, and a gordo clone. Not a very good choice for leader, let alone premier. The information that is
coming out now shows that she was (is) up to her ass in the BC Rail fiasco. No, not a good choice at all. As any Mom knows if the diaper is stinky, change it! RECALL THEM ALL!
Many thanks Rafe
Kam Lee
I agree the liberals try to be Machiavellian genius. By in reality Machiavellian wasn’t a genius in the 15th century and for sure Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark are not now in the 21th century genius if they think what didn’t work in the 1400 is going to in 2010, I think the people of B.C. will teach Chisty the same thing they did to Gordo and someday the people will teach the liberal party that being Machiavellian isn’t going to work with thinking British Colombians.
I wonder just how well Christy will be welcomed back to CKNW when she loses the race?
Not to burnish your Butt Rafe, but you are dead on. Christy is shrill and reminds one of nothing so much as the hyperventilating speaking style of one Sarah Palin. It is annoying at the very least and leaves one with a distinctly bad taste in one’s figurative mouth as well as a general sense of unease about her.
Certainly it was interesting that she quite politics just after the Raid on the Lege. Her stated reason apparently forgotten a year later when she tried for the mayoralty. Interesting too that she has shed the hubby of the day who was also implicated in the rail affair. Now, perhaps the more cynical might suggest she saw him as a liability for future political ambitions, but not I.
If she had a chance to be leader, it wilted when the Basi files surfaced and no matter how the MSM tries to pretend that elephant is not sitting on their collective laps, the public at large is not so timid.
One can only hope whichever hopeful attains the leadership, he can overcome enough of the current bad taste in the electorate ‘s mouth to keep the socialists from the gates yet again. I am no fan of the liberals, but I’ll vote for any party which is able to defeat the damnable NDP.
I’ve NEVER voted NDP in my life – and its been a pretty long one, but I will if it gets me a BC Rail Inquiry! Its not so much the thievery & patronage – that’s been going on since time began. Its the arrogance with which they perpetrated this swindle, and the audacity with which they foisted it upon the dumb (they wish) electorate.
Same as with the HST. We obviously need to pay taxes to support the corrupt politicians we pick. But to deny its existance in order to get elected and then lie about it – c’mon.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!
Ditto, John’s Aghast, ditto!
Furthermore, in the last election, I actually voted for King Gordo – as my part to keep the NDP out (he was the LIEberal in my riding). My sweet lord – what a BAD mistake on my part – I actually voted for the most corrupt, despicable dictatorship to ever hold power in BC.
Terrence:
A mutual admiration society! I panicked at the last moment and talked my mother and siblings into voting Lieberal to prevent a runaway win by the NDP! Was I ever wrong! But to atone for my mistake I’m devoting all my energy to promoting a BC Rail inquiry.
Trouble is I have energy to spare and no-one is looking for it. I’m dreadfully afraid there are some massive machinations going on behind the scenes by the Campbell Clan to keep their collective asses out of the slammer. Non Illegitamus Carborundum!
Bruce Allen said it best about Crusty Clark: Former, Flip-flop and Phoney.
I cannot, will not, vote LIEberal this time around. They need to go the way of the Dodo.
Hi Rafe:
Has anybody pointed out that the two leadership candidates – Falcon and Abbott – are chips off the Campbell block: he lied to the voters prior to the last three elections and never, from these gentlemen of principle, was there any questioning of his lies; instead, they supported him. So the question is this: Can we, the voters, trust anything they may promise prior to any election? Their track record suggests not. A clone is a clone is a clone!
I see today that another light weight has come out in support of Clark. Pamala Martin. her reason for supporting Clark, I quote “I feel it is time we had a woman Premier”, unquote. Gee Pamala I think it is the NDP you should be looking to after all they are famous for their gender equality, screw the best person policy. I am not surprised that this is the type of support that Clark the former lapdog lickspittle of Campbell attracts. Clark has demonstrated both as a politician and radio talk show host an intellectual depth of a water drop on a parking lot. Opens her mouth, out come drivel, then spents most of her time back tracking. She has never had the guts to be critical of Campbell and his lies nor of the corrupt CN Rail deal. Talks of transparency, then says there will be no public inquiry into the CN deal. What are you hiding Clark. Who are you protecting? Run as much as you want the truth will come out. God forbid if the likes of you and your ilk ever gain a position of power again. You have demonstrated that you are a quitter, no follow through and incapable of being totally truthful. Do us a favor and just go away, after all didn’t you say you quit once to spend more time with your little boy? Or was that a falsehood too?