Dion to remain Liberal leader until a new one is chosen
Quick points:
-I think Dion came across very well. I was left with the impression that he is a sincere and genuine human being who has much more to contribute to Canadian politics. I think his point about the loss being about more than just leadership should be listened to by Liberals.
-I think it was a smart move to stay on as leader until after the next Liberal leadership convention. Caucus lobbying for Goodale and McCallum to serve as interim leader was showing that already there is infighting among the various camps within the Liberal party. It seems Ignatieff was pushing hard for McCallum while Rae's people wanted Goodale. Dryden was being proposed as a solution that would be neutral among the two camps. By staying, Dion puts an end to this type of thing.
-Dion wants to make fundraising the top priority within the Liberal Party. He wants to protect the next Liberal leader from being "vulnerable" like he was. Abstaining, not challenging early attack ads on the carbon tax/his leadership and the major Conservative financial advantage were consequences he cited for weak Liberal financing in contrast to the other parties. There is no question that this is true and needs to be addressed by Liberals.
-Dion did not commit if he will run in the next election, but stated he would work hard for the next leader.
-Early front runners include: McKenna, Iggy and Rae. Also likely to run are: Findlay, Kennedy, Manley, Brison, McGuinty (one of them) and Dhalla. Justin Trudeau announced he would NOT run this weekend. Ken Dryden was mentioned as a possible interim leader signalling that he probably does not have an interest in running for the leadership. Joe Volpe might run again based on his early comments calling for Dion to resign. Stephen LeDrew and Warren Kinsella are wild cards in terms of entering the race.
Thanks for reading...
Darryl
