Modeling Journey

TDH has quoted an attack on Bob Rae by Greg Weston in the Ottawa Sun.

TDH raises these valid points:

1 What is Bob Rae's record as Premier of Ontario in the 90's?

2 How does his Premiership compare to those of the other Premiers during similar recessions?

3 Did he perform well, or poorly, during the recession?

4 What major mistakes did he make, as compared to what decisions were forced on his government due to the recession?

5 Has he learned enough for voters to say with comfort that he will govern the country effectively should be become Prime Minister?

6 Finally, will Bob Rae make a good Prime Minister, and why?

It is incumbent upon Bob Rae and his team to answer these questions before delegates vote.

TDH and others are concerned about the fate of the Liberal Party should Bob Rae become leader. Will Rae be able to answer the above questions prior to and during the next election? Or will he allow Harper to frame the discussion as a competition between an efficient government (Harper's) and a failed Premier, using Rae's tenure to demonstrate the failures.

To date, Rae has not managed to come up with a defence which is clear, deals head on with the facts, and persuasive to those who doubt his ability.

Bob Rae has to do so, and those who support him bear a similar burden. Rae has a track record, and it has to be discussed and debated.

For starters, can Rae or his supporters answer the assumptions made by Weston in the Ottawa Sun article of October 19:

- That Rae increased the debt of Ontario from $20bn to $40bn over 5 years "with little enduring value to show for it at the end."

- That Rae damaged the health care system by cutting the number of doctors being graduated, and that this still harms Ontario.

- That Rae bailed out bit companies while allowing the number of small companies (those with less than 100 employees) to reduce, so sacrificing small companies and their employees for the big companies.

- That Rae increased personal taxes so much for those earning $67,000 per year that they were "running for the border in droves".

- That Rae welshed on introducing public auto insurance despite a promise to do so and save drivers "a fortune in premiums".

- That the Rae Days were a disaster because Rae "hired 100,000 more public serviants, gave them all a big raise, and ordered them to stay home and not get paid."

Overall, the charge by many (and the future charge by Harper) will be that Bob Rae was and will be an unmitigated disaster as a governor of a province or country.

What say thee, Bob Rae?