Doer Thoughts
More later tonight...This is just initial knee-jerk reactions for now.
1. Pretty big news. Considering his longevity as Premier and Opposition Leader, it's tough not to give him a certain amount of credit. That said, I'm not sure I see a long-term legacy here. By now, his best bet was to win the fourth majority and win a political legacy as a four-time NDP majority victor. Now that's gone as well.
2. People who think he has a long-term legacy today....Let that sit about five to ten years and then we'll see if you still think so. Remember, ten years removed, Gary Filmon's legacy comes down to two major items and talking points: 1) Balanced the budget despite governing during trying financial times, and 2) vote-splitting.
What's Gary Doer's?
3. Haven't heard the full appointment scuttlebutt, but I imagine he's headed out of province before the end of the year. Is the consulate in LA still open?
What's Gary Doer's?
3. Haven't heard the full appointment scuttlebutt, but I imagine he's headed out of province before the end of the year. Is the consulate in LA still open?
4. That said, I've been told that the Prime Minister nixed a Gary Doer appointment plan several years ago when a few Manitoba Tories approached him on it. That could have easily changed by now, but what if it hasn't...Could he really be staying in-province? I can't see it myself.
5. Dear Tories: Stop assuming this means you win in 2011. A) Many of you believe that had Premier Gary Filmon resigned in '98 and we had someone else (*cough*EricStefanson*cough*) leading us into the '99 election, so new leader doesn't automatically mean beatable leader; and B) Name me ten ridings (seven in the city) where the ground team is strong enough to challenge an incumbent NDP team right now.
Exactly.
6. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Bill Blakie won't be the next leader, but I'm also going to say that I'm probably wrong about that too. Especially if there's any truth to a pre-Christmas leadership election.
7. Feelers are out to NDP friends, but does anyone here know....Has he been thinking about this for awhile? Doesn't fit with some of the announcements and interviews over the summer, does it?
Exactly.
6. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Bill Blakie won't be the next leader, but I'm also going to say that I'm probably wrong about that too. Especially if there's any truth to a pre-Christmas leadership election.
7. Feelers are out to NDP friends, but does anyone here know....Has he been thinking about this for awhile? Doesn't fit with some of the announcements and interviews over the summer, does it?
8. Guess Gary Doer really was nervous about Wednesday mornings on CJOB now that self-identifying conservative Hal Anderson takes over next month.
9. Okay, that was a joke.
10. Lots of fun stuff now begins due to this announcement. NDP leadership, further NDP resignations, Tory strategy going forward, next election fall out. Would be a good time for a bunch of smart folks to fire up a group blog to cover it all in one place, right?
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