Why the Con Leadership Race Is Doomed to Mediocrity

Well I suppose it was just a matter of time before even the Cons took a good look at the list of candidates for the leadership of the Harper Party.

Started to mumble and grumble.

Pray up a storm.

And give them the lowest grade possible.

A solid D for disastrous. 

Just a few months ago, federal Conservatives were trumpeting how well they had recovered from the election defeat and were excited at the prospects of a leadership race that could include Jason Kenney, Peter MacKay and potentially even Rona Ambrose.

Instead, backbenchers, defeated Conservative MPs and other relatively unknown candidates are joining the race or considering doing so.

“It’s not even the C list that’s running. It’s the D list,” lamented one Conservative MP who asked not to be identified. “And the top players are all sitting out.”

And as if that list wasn't mediocre enough, believe it or not, it could get even worse.



Defeated former cabinet minister Chris Alexander – whose barbaric cultural practices tip line announcement was a flop last campaign – has also been kicking tires.

The ghastly Con Chris Alexander is also thinking of running.

And so is Paul Calandra !!!!

Paul Calandra, the former parliamentary secretary to then-prime minister Stephen Harper and another defeated Conservative, has been collecting signatures in recent months for a potential leadership run, according to some Tory MPs.



Which would really turn the leadership race into a Con clown show.

And that's even before Kevin O'Leary has his meeting with Tony Clement...



And decides whether he too wants to run.

But then as I've been saying, why should anybody be surprised?

When Stephen Harper was too paranoid to groom anybody capable of replacing him.

And the Cons can't attract any decent candidates, because anyone with half a brain knows that Justin Trudeau is just about unbeatable. 



Unbeatable. 

It’s such a huge word. Such a reckless word. The kind of word that, even if left unsaid and only pondered in absolute privacy is still sure to tempt disaster. Because, as we all know from countless examples, no one and no thing is unbeatable. Not the Roman Empire. Not the Titanic.

But if you want to be honest about things – and if you’re willing to ignore that don’t-jinx-it voice nagging at the back of your mind – Justin Trudeau is looking pretty unbeatable these days.

You know the guy that Stephen Harper kept claiming just wasn't ready.

But like so many other Cons never really understood why he was so popular.

What’s happening with Trudeau is unique. I’ve spent my entire adult life around political leaders. I’ve seen them up close when they’re awash in praise and riding high. Trudeau reaches a separate altitude – with his support not only unusual in its intensity but qualitatively different in its character.

Just like they can't seem to grasp that his is no ordinary honeymoon.

This is what the Opposition are up against – at least for now. This is the lightning in a bottle that the Liberals have captured – at least for now. And this is why it’s a mistake to call what Trudeau is experiencing just a honeymoon. It’s not. It’s something else. Something different. Something alchemistic. Something not entirely understood.

And of course now it's too late, for the D for disastrous is all part of Harper's legacy.

He made the party in his own image. He used it for his own purposes.

And left it looking like a graveyard...



And those that weren't buried with him, are doomed to be mediocre.

And won't get anywhere near power for a very long time...

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