Whither The Progressive Wing Of The Liberal Party

Chantal Hebert today:

Despite its timid scope, the motion did serve one purpose and it was to formally align Trudeau with the activist wing of the Liberal caucus. Over the one-hour debate on the motion, that message was driven home further by the presence within camera range of Trudeau of Toronto MP Gerard Kennedy.

They both belong to a section of the caucus that has pretty much been reduced to marginal gestures since the de facto selection of Michael Ignatieff as leader, and the subsequent decision to support the Conservative budget. (emphasis mine)

I wonder how much it hurts to stand up and vote for a budget you don't believe in, just to satisfy the small "c" conservative rulers of the party? I am always amazed that they put up with it.

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Gee, This Sounds Familiar

Oh "progressives", will you never get a clue?

This on a day when one anonymous Democratic aide bragged to Chris Cilizza that letting Joe Lieberman keep his chairmanship would mean: "The left has been foiled again. They can rant and rage but they still do not put the fear into folks to actually change their votes. Their influence would be in question." It's odd that Buchanan shows more respect for the left than leading Democrats do. The Lieberman decision is an abomination, and Obama and the Democrats may well regret it. Buchanan is no friend of the left, obviously, but he's an old-time pol who understands the importance of keeping the base happy. Too many Democrats seem to think the first thing they should do when they get power is display contempt for their base.

Of course, "progressives" in the U.S. have an excuse, they don't have many voting alternatives. Canadian "progressives" on the other hand, just keep getting kicked in the nuts and come back for more.

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