Belinda Stronach Defects

[Bizud]

Pierre Trudeau had only been in politics for three years prior to becoming Prime Minister.

[ecnarf]

Yeah, and Belinda Stronach tried to become prime minister after having precisely ZERO years in politics.

[Bizud]

What "tried to become Prime Minister," you mean ran for leadership of a major party without any political experience? So, so did Brian Mulroney, so what. It's not uncommon for people to be elected party leader without experience.

[ecnarf]

And I think we all know how people remember Brian Mulroney.

 

It doesn't matter how common or uncommon it is, she's little more than a glorified Paris Hilton, and not a very experienced politician. Basically, the only reason she's famous is because she's a woman. There are backbencher politicians who have been in the gig for 10 years and haven't go so much as a cabinet post, but when Belinda Stronach comes out of nowhere to run for the conservative leadership, she's a media darling.

[Bizud]

Cabinet positions aren't, and shouldn't be, about seniority. There are plenty of young cabinet ministers, why no complaint about Scott Brison? He's a former leadership candidate of a major party and a very capable MP, it's not unreasonable that he should have a cabinet position. The fewer old white guys the better. How about Brian Mulroney coming out of nowhere to run for the PC leadership, and win? Someone with no political experience at all became Prime Minister, was he just a vacuous media darling? Like him or not, it would be absurd to say so. If Belinda Stronach wasn't a young attractive rich woman no one would care.

[Moonlight_Graham]

Brian Mulroney might be a good reason why only people with political experience should run for leadership.

 

I have no problem with people running for leadership if they have no experience. If they are the best for the job, they'll win. One of the major reasons Belinda lost the Conservative leadership race was her inexperience, so obviously they didn't think she was best for the job. As pathetic as it is, Harper was probably the best choice at the time. Tony Clement is just a dorky guy, nobody would vote for him.

[SHARPE]

Tony Clement is just a dorky guy, nobody would vote for him.

i wonder what that guy is doing now.

[Bizud]

If the Conservatives had chosen someone other than Harper (really, anyone other than "Another dumb evangelical Western hick") it might have been easier to convince people that the "merger" wasn't just the Alliance eating the PCs.

[ecnarf]

Cabinet positions aren't, and shouldn't be, about seniority.

Nor should they be based on how rich your dad is.

 

I'm all in favour of bringing in new, fresh cabinet ministers. But Belinda Stronach? I'm sorry, no. She hasn't proved herself in the field of politics in any way thus far, and is less deserving of a cabinet position than, say, my local MP who has been serving in the House of Commons since 1993.

[Bizud]

And neither had Brian Mulroney, or even, some would say, Pierre Trudeau. So what? Because her dad happens to be rich, anything that comes her way can only possibly be attributed to that, is that it? I mean people might as well say Paul Martin shouldn't have tried to become leader of the Liberals after Turner left (Like Stronach, he lost), having never had any political experience. Oh, right, and then he was made minister of finance. Was he only taken seriously because of who his father was? We'll see how good a cabinet minister Stronach turns out to be, but (other than being a Liberal, LOLOLOLOL) she doesn't strike me as a complete airhead. The Paris Hilton comment is out of line. People would not be saying this if she wasn't an attractive woman, there's plenty of examples to establish that.

Edited May 28, 2005 by Bizud

[Moonlight_Graham]

If the Conservatives had chosen someone other than Harper (really, anyone other than "Another dumb evangelical Western hick") it might have been easier to convince people that the "merger" wasn't just the Alliance eating the PCs.

very true.

[Matt]

The people who voted NDP certainly didn't get an NDP budget, Matt. ;)

 

It's called compromise.

But the people who voted Liberal did not get a Liberal budget, so how is that compromise? It's a smaller party forcing a larger party into doing what they ask for their support.

[ecnarf]

And neither had Brian Mulroney, or even, some would say, Pierre Trudeau. So what? Because her dad happens to be rich, anything that comes her way can only possibly be attributed to that, is that it? I mean people might as well say Paul Martin shouldn't have tried to become leader of the Liberals after Turner left (Like Stronach, he lost), having never had any political experience. Oh, right, and then he was made minister of finance. Was he only taken seriously because of who his father was? We'll see how good a cabinet minister Stronach turns out to be, but (other than being a Liberal, LOLOLOLOL) she doesn't strike me as a complete airhead. The Paris Hilton comment is out of line. People would not be saying this if she wasn't an attractive woman, there's plenty of examples to establish that.

Paul Martin was actually a good finance minister. Would he be where he is without his dad? It's debatable, but he's still a good enough politician to successfully handle the top cabinet position for 10 years straight.

 

Brian Mulroney, you said, went from nowhere (in political terms) to being prime minister, so how was he undeserving of a cabinet position if he couldn't have gotten one? He's got to be the worst prime minister we've ever had, that ought to serve as a warning for people who'd consider voting for someone without political experience.

 

But the fact that Belinda's dad is rich doesn't necessarily dictate that everything that happens to her will be a direct cause of her dad's wealth; rather, she would have been absolutely unable to run for leadership of the party had her dad not been the head of a major corporation, and so follows everything else. Part of her appeal is that she is oriented in the business world (a letter to the editor from the toronto sun a while back stated that this was her strongest asset), and would she have been a big shot in the business world were it not for her dad? Definitely. Like I said, she's the Paris Hilton of Canadian politics.

[Bizud]

Paul Martin was actually a good finance minister. Would he be where he is without his dad? It's debatable, but he's still a good enough politician to successfully handle the top cabinet position for 10 years straight.

 

The point is that he did the same thing you criticized Belinda Stronach for. He ran for leadership of the Liberals with zero political experience, and then was awarded the position of Finance Minister, because he was capable. Is there a problem with this? No. Party leaders are chosen democratically, the members vote for who they want to vote for. There's nothing audacious or wrong with someone with no political experience running for a party leadership.

 

Is Belinda a good enough politician to do a good job with this portfolio? We'll see, won't we.

 

Brian Mulroney, you said, went from nowhere (in political terms) to being prime minister, so how was he undeserving of a cabinet position if he couldn't have gotten one? He's got to be the worst prime minister we've ever had, that ought to serve as a warning for people who'd consider voting for someone without political experience.

 

I think criticisms of Brian Mulroney's governments should focus on his policies, not his lack of experience, don't you? I completely agree, I have no problem calling him the worst Prime Minister of the 20th century, but that has nothing to do with not having been an MP beforehand.

 

But the fact that Belinda's dad is rich doesn't necessarily dictate that everything that happens to her will be a direct cause of her dad's wealth; rather, she would have been absolutely unable to run for leadership of the party had her dad not been the head of a major corporation, and so follows everything else. Part of her appeal is that she is oriented in the business world (a letter to the editor from the toronto sun a while back stated that this was her strongest asset), and would she have been a big shot in the business world were it not for her dad? Definitely. Like I said, she's the Paris Hilton of Canadian politics.

 

Assumptions, assumptions. It's possible she wouldn't have been able to make a credible bid for the leadership, but who knows? Paul Martin did the same thing, out of nowhere, in large part on his father's good name and his success in the business world, and so have plenty of other politicians in the past. Belinda's only getting the shit pile because she's an attractive successful woman. Comparisons her to the world's biggest airhead just don't hold up.