Friday, December 01, 2006

8:12pm.
Bob Rae.
Rae goes with a mike and without a net. On the cuff. No teleprompter. From the heart. Talking directly. Starts with 2 Rabbi jokes. Wow. This is dramatic. Very gutsy for Rae. This delivery could make or break him tonight. Gutsy move.

Very proud to work on Federalism for Mr. Chretien. Very pleased when McGuinty asked him to help on education. Very proud to have worked on the Red Cross and mistakes made. Had great opportunities. Faced victories and moments of great loss and came out as a stronger and better person. Happy to take on the Air India challenge from Mr. Martin.

This is about the country. About our love for Canada.
So far this speech is great on name dropping but weak on policy and passion.
We get the message. We know that the Liberal party is not as important as much as Canada is important. But the party needs to be united and together and strong or we will not succeed.

Vision into politics. Raes vision. Canada's vision is "of the world"? Resolution of conflict is just as important as anything. He struggles here - could have used a teleprompter.

He honours Chretien for the decision to NOT follow Bush in to Iraq to a rousing ovation.

He sees a Canada where every child is hungry for knowledge and not for food. A Canada of fiscal responsibility. I have learned that lesson. A Canada that is polluting less now not in 20 years. Not just green in general but green in particular. Recognize a Quebec that is strong that is open to the world, open to the future, and not due to the Bloq, but due to the people of Quebec.

OUCH - a Stephen Harper vegetable joke. YIKKES! that was so politically incorrect. We love it!

The Rabbi joke again. Gives props to Mr. Turner as a great leader of the opposition.
Canada first, Canada last, Canada always.
Thank you and goodnight.

OMG - this was the most original leadership speech ever. Not sure it worked. But it was gutsy, gutsy, gutsy. Bob Rae unplugged.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

He may not have said a whole hell of a lot, but boy can he say it. Rae showed his edge ces soir in his ability to speak. Couple that with an over flowing cookie jar, full of names of Liberals of stature that he calls close friends, and it appears that this race is a two man race.

btw - awesome job on your speed in updating the blog so quickly

Anonymous said...

Rae made a massive gaffe by not speaking French until the end. Hebert said that everyone on the floor is talking about it and the Quebec delegates are not happy. He's written off Quebec, whether he intended to or not.

Guess he should have had a safety net.

Yappa said...

Hebert thinks Rae also did very well and has a good shot at winning. When the panellists were asked who would win, the first two chose Rae and then Hebert said that just to be different she'd say Ignatieff, but that for sure those two would be on the last ballot and it would be close. The fourth panellist also guessed Ignatieff so it was a tie. Very exciting stuff!

Gavin Magrath said...

Oh now I get it - all the reviews are jaw droppingly positive. I mean, you admit that it was "great on name dropping but weak on policy and passion"; he made inappropriate vegetable jokes and unecessary rabbit jokes, and yet you can still say this was an amazing, gutsy performance? Definitely a fast update, but remember speed kills.

G