Progressives in the United States and Canada have a leadership crisis on their hands. Michael Harris writes:
In both countries, the progressive parties are in a crisis of leadership. For very different reasons, the parties themselves are deeply conflicted about their incumbents: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau here, and President Joe Biden in the United States.
The polling and approval ratings for both leaders are abysmal. They are so bad, in fact, that even though they are incumbent leaders of governments, they have each been invited by members of their own party to step down.
After nine years in power, the Liberals are dealing with the public’s “Trudeau fatigue.” The Democrats in the United States are saddled with a wobbly president deemed to be too old for a second term by two-thirds of Americans.
Another similarity? Both beleaguered leaders have not only refused to resign, but insist they will carry the party banner into the next election.
Grit or denialism?
That depends on your point of view -- and timing:
Those who support the president—including the panicked staff in the White House, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, and much of the Democratic leadership—talk about colds, jet-lag, and all the wonderful things that Biden has done over his long career. They are on the loyalty train, possibly of the misguided variety.
Then there are those who “love” the president, but think he is too old and diminished for the job, include a growing chorus of elected representatives, pundits, and celebrities. Actor and Democratic fundraiser George Clooney made that case in a guest essay in The New York Times on July 10.
Trudeau is another matter:
Trudeau is not Biden. He is mentally sharp, still youthful, and formidable on the campaign trail. But there is no pretending that the Liberal Party in Canada does not have a major leadership issue to resolve.
Based on how the Democrats have fractured their party by ignoring Biden’s age and competency issues until that became impossible; based on the fact that this has happened just months away from what might be the most consequential election in U.S. history; the Liberals should resolve their leadership issues now.
There is word today that Trudeau is bringing Mark Carney into the Liberal caucus.
Stay tuned.
Image: The Hill
14 comments:
Re bringing Carney into caucus - sounds like "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."
Also, I see Biden's now cancelled dates due to contracting "mild Covid." I'm sure that'll help his cognitive ability. /s Frankly, it's disturbing that both US political parties seem hellbent on candidates in obvious moral and cognitive decline.
What's really behind the Biden-Trump feud, Cap, is a new civil war.
A major difference between Trudeau and Biden is that Trudeau can still tie his own shoelaces and can likely find his own way bark to Rideau Cottage on his own.
@ cap
Amazingly convenient attack of Covid.
I find the attack on Biden's cognitive capabilities interesting, jrk -- particularly in comparison to Trump's incessant verbal diarrhea.
All the Freeland scuttlebutt is encouraging to me as it signals that others have realized she has the about same charisma as wet noodles. Do not make her leader.
Carney can communicate. Can he campaign?
As for poor old Joe?
Being 81 and getting Covid for the THIRD time does not enhance his chances of still fogging the mirror come this November.
Who knows what's going on, PoV? There could be some succession planning in the works. As For Joe, the poor guy can't catch a break.
I find the attack on Biden's cognitive capabilities interesting,
Well, so do I. Biden's cognitive decline was fairly obvious even to a casual observer like me several months go. What is annoying albeit, not terribly surprising, was that this got little or no attention in the mainstream media.
I think the same thing applies with Trump. If one looks at videos of trump from 20 years ago, just his verbal behaviour shows worrying declines in cognitive ability. It in not as marked an the recent rather rapid decline we see in Biden but it is worrying. Again mainstream media is not mentioning it.
Instead, we get bromides about the candidate is too old. The real issue is not age, it is mental ability.
To some extent, it probably does not matter who the president is as they are pretty much a figurehead; the real problem is who, in which team, gets the spoils, sorry, gets appointed.
Something like 4,000 positions in the US Gov't which we in Canada would generally consider Civil Service positions are political appointments. To a large extent, it is this blob which sets policy. ANd, Republican or Democrat, thefy promably share more assumptions on how the US Gov't should work than not even if in some areas the differing gangs will have sharp philosophical and political differences.
As Vladimir Putin said several years ago (paraphrase), US presidents come and go. policy remains the same.
IIRC, President Obama was going to close Guantanamo. That went well. President Trump was getting US troops out of Syria. That was a great success.
It's not just who's the president, jrk. It's who his advisors are.
Well, here we are at the fabled 'Emperor has no clothes' moment.
"Biden's cognitive decline was fairly obvious even to a casual observer like me several months go. What is annoying albeit, not terribly surprising, was that this got little or no attention in the mainstream media. I think the same thing applies with Trump. "
Unlike the Hans-Christian-Andersen times, when the little child truth teller wakes up everyone, today only the closer-to-reality side can see the naked truth when confronted with it.
Life is full of unpleasant truths, PoV. The challenge is navigating through them. They don't go away.
"Scores of published reports have stated that President Joe Biden has come to his political senses—with the help of Representative Nancy Pelosi, the strong-willed and straight-talking former speaker of the House—and concluded that he cannot run for re-election. "
glimmer of hope!
Trump inspires cowardice in his foes, PoV. This is not good.
"BIDEN STEPS ASIDE"
OK then ....
It's a band new season, PoV.
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