Oxymoron watch: "Liberal opposition"

Today's lingering question is whether Stephane Dion and his Liberals, by supporting the budget, have "jumped the shark."

The phrase is borrowed from pop culture and an 11-year-old website that documents the precise point when a sitcom becomes so ridiculous that you know its days on air are numbered. On the old show Happy Days, it happened when Fonzie water-skied over a shark. Hence the name.

So, is this the moment? You have to go all the way back to Lester Pearson's days in the 1960s to find another minority government that managed to deliver three budgets with the help of the opposition.

Sooner or later, one presumes, the phrase "Liberal opposition" is going to start seeming a bit like an oxymoron. Maybe you can say that an opposition party jumps the shark when it appears this way on Rick Mercer's show. (See Message from the Liberals.)

Outside the Liberal caucus room today, Senator David Smith, one of the campaign co-chairs, kept saying that the leader would defeat Harper's government when "strategically, we're in the best position to win."

Logically, however, that must mean Liberals aren't in that position now, right?

"Well, I'm not saying that!" Smith said. "It's when you're best in a position to win!"

Comments

[NE]

I really appreciate this opportunity to comment on an article in the Star. Thanks! I think this pass on the budget could be a little embarrassing for Liberals but they are wise not to call for an election, which would be a call for a change of government, when they can't deliver the change. Everyone would do a lot of work and spend a lot of money and the result would find us right where we are now. We all can appreciate that - especially the part where money is saved when our fiscal outlook is meager for the coming year.

[Les Caine]

If Liberals cannot oppose effectively why would they be somehow miraculously better at governing? Harper is clever and aggressive and wields a minority like a majority but Liberals make them look much better than they are. Just imagine a Harper majority government. When Liberals eventually decide who they are and what they really stand for...we may get government that works and a mainstream alternative and choice.

[JM]

Considering we aren't having an election, I think there is time for another Liberal leadership convention. It seems fairly evident Mr. Dion knows this is as good as it gets for him. Dion doesn't want an election because he knows he would not be Liberal leader afterwards. Having reached the apex of his political career, Dion should put the interests of the Liberal Party and Canada ahead of his own and resign immediately after he supports the Conservative budget.

This is the last straw.

[Mike Klein]

Too bad Rick Mercer never figured out how to cope with living with schoolyard bullies. A bully only goads people into a fight when the bully has what he sees as no chance of losing.
If Mr. Harper can engage Mr. Dion in a fight and the makeup of parliament looks about the same after the fight, it can be argued that the Liberals brought in a new champion and did not win, so their new champion is a loser. If the Conservatives' champion holds the status quo, they will argue that after all Harper did have three elected parties to fight plus the Green and he did not drop the gauntlet, so calling the election was a defensive move, even though his goading was intended to bring on a non-issue election.
Both Mr. Dion and Mr. Harper know there is more to winning and losing than the seat count in parliament. Perhaps Mr. Dion will drop the gauntlet when it suits him or when Mr. Harper's actions promise to be so damaging to the Canadian people that he has no choice but to jump to Canadians' defense (which is the same thing as when it suits him), and not bring on a non-issue election just because Mr. Harper tells him to.

[Henahnir]

IS Dion a Leader or he is someone who got lucky at a convention in Montreal and by mistake he became the Leader iof the Liberals.
I don't think he has the guts to enter any election, because it will be the end of his dream.
Some people are smart and recognize how far their talent goes, not Dion, he rather stay as a Leader of a defunct Liberal Party for ever.
Please, Mr. Dion, you are making a joke out of the Liberal, you cann't lead, neither you have the knowledge to lead, you have no idea why you are a Leader, I tell you why, you just got lucky, but this mistake must come to an end soon. call for an election or resign.

[Kristopher Dell]

With Party Leader David Smith at the helm, the Liberals are in good hands. He really emerged at the leadership convention as an inspiring visionary with all... oh wait. David Smith is just some unelected Senator who seems to have taken over the party. Dion has been made a puppet of the backroom. The fact that an unelected Senator is somehow the deciding opinion on when to hold an election is only proof of how wrong things have gone.

[Mick]

No sane Canadian wants to see a quarter billion tax dollars wasted on a premature election that would almost certainly result in exactly what we have now, and only an idiot would criticize Dion for failing to trigger an election that Canadians don't want.

[Peter Graham]

It is time for the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada to make decisions based on the issue being discussed and the need for action by the Government of Canada. I am not certain the current budget recently tabled by the Minister of Finance is unacceptable to the people of Canada; there are many good points that are being tabled for consideration. When the vote is called I am suggesting the Liberal Members vote for it if they agree it is a good budget for 2008. If they see it as not a good budget then vote against it. Do not vote one way or the other just because the Leader is not prepared to go to the polls. If the budget is not acceptable then defeat it and take the issue to the voters of Canada. I do however believe the Conservatives will form a majority goverment and then hopefully the Liberal Party will see the error in chosing Dion as leader and hold a leadership conference to select a leader capable of taking the Harper Government on and winning a future election campaign.