Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff rises in the House of Commons to open debate on his party's confidence motion on Oct.1, 2009.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Reading the papers today and over the weekend, one can't help but sympathize with the anonymous Liberal MP who recently lamented that the party has not been able to catch a positive headline since August. And you can imagine how intense Liberal partisans and other Harper-haters feel this morning in the wake of the positive reaction to the Prime Minister's musical debut at the National Arts Centre.
Here's where I think the Liberals have gone wrong:
Michael Ignatieff and his advisers were counting on Mr. Harper's personality and the economic recession to take its toll on the Conservative government's popularity - as it normally does. The difference this time is that Canadians had the fear of god struck in them as their net worth dropped and news reports began to draw parallels with the Great Depression. They are grateful that the worst has been avoided. And they don't want anything to jeopardize the possibility of a recovery.
Worse for the Liberals, any leader who appears to be hoping for failure - as Mr. Ignatieff often appears to be - will be punished mercilessly. Canadians are looking for positive, problem-solving approaches right now - which means putting forward some ideas.
Liberals would be wise to look past all the negative news they find in the media these days, and to focus on some good advice that appears from time to time. One such case is Chantal Hébert's column in Le Devoir today, which is substantially different from the one that is published in the Toronto Star, and I think explains why the Liberals find themselves locked into their negative approach:
"Ignatieff doesn't have a Quebec problem. He has a content problem, which explains why he has problems not just in Québec, but also in Ontario and in B.C.….
"It's all the more risky to bet on the leader's personality to win an election because one can be a brilliant intellectual, which he is, and not have any talent as a political leader. What distinguishes good leaders from those who chose the wrong career, in the end, is instinct. And this is a quality that improves over time. …
The admiration of his inner circle is an obstacle that gets in the way of critical judgement of his performance. In this regard, a worrisome scene I observed with my own eyes was his entourage being moved to tears by his (forgettable) speech at the end of the Vancouver convention, last spring.
On the other hand, they have a simplistic appreciation of Stephen Harper, which does not correspond to his remarkable track record of gaining ground in every election and, in government, not creating waves that would lead to a Liberal sweep. The result of their myopia is a huge gap in their rhetoric which resonates only with the converted.
Surrounded by advisers who overestimate his qualities and underestimate those of Harper, Ignatieff won't go much farther if he doesn't figure it out very soon. And it will not suffice for him to remove the little Québec stone in his shoe to regain his momentum."