The movers and shakers of the national political parties seem befuddled.
They just can’t quite draw a connection between the affection that the majority of Canadian electors had for the late-Jack Layton and the qualities that they should be looking for in the leaders of their respective parties.
Why, they wonder, isn’t Stephen Harper beloved? Shouldn’t the voters love his solid, professional, hard-edged demeanour?
Shouldn’t they be attracted to his no nonsense, unemotional, down-to-business approach to affairs of state?
And what is it about interim Liberal leader Bob Rae that the public finds less than appealing? Why don’t they cotton on to him like they did Mr. Layton? He is just as handsome, just as smart, just as glib, even more glib, in fact, probably the king of glib.
Perhaps the political party leaders can’t figure it out because, well, they are political party leaders.
They have become so used to the wheeling, dealing, lobbying, pork barrelling, gerrymandering world of politics that they look only for leadership candidates who have demonstrated an unusual affinity for those activities.
They seek politicians who can look sincere, sound concerned and deceive and dissemble with straight faces because, well, that is what politicians must do and have always done.
The public, after all, have short memories. Political dirty tricks? They’ll soon forget about them. Budget finagling? The real cost of programs? The impact of new legislation? Limit debate, stonewall, attack the opposition, the public will lose interest quickly, and, besides, they expect politicians to behave this way.
Jack Layton was straight forward, even tempered, forthright, and consistent. He didn’t mislead or lie. More than that, he was positive about Canada and Canadians.
He valued and respected individuals. No matter what public statements he made concerning policy or legislation or party platforms, he conveyed those attributes. One doesn’t have to be a member of the NDP to do that. The country has countless individuals with the ability and character to do the same thing.
There are quite a few sitting on the back benches of parliament right now. Perhaps the party leaders should start grooming a few for leadership rather than trying to reincarnate Machiavelli, clone Mulroney or copy Chretien.
– Jim Holtz is WEEKENDER columnist and former reporter for the Grand Forks Gazette.