"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Tuesday 11 November 2008

The Secret Formula?

The simple answer to the last "anonymous" question, why did Tim Jones lose the last election is that he didn't win enough votes.

I am not much given to post-mortems on election victories or defeats. What is, is. There can be as many reasons as there are voters or grains of sand or hairs on the head. There is no going back.

I left Council-in Committee lickety-split last Tuesday. World history was being made to the south of us . I intended to watch it .

I was in Scotland when Bob Rae was elected in Ontario and again when Tony Blair was elected in the U.K. They were times of high drama..

A friend sent me the Toronto Dailies when Rae became Premier. I was here and on the Police Services Board, when he legislated Rae days to help with the economic crisis and avoid cutting jobs in the public service. Sid Ryan, leader of the public service union brought about his defeat. It was probably then he realised the New Democrats are not a real political party. I think Stephen Lewis realised it when his father David was betrayed.Ed Broadbent was a bitter man after the 1989 election despite the fact he brought the seats in Parliament to an all-time high,

When Tony Blair was elected Prime Minister in the U.K. I was asked what I thought of him. All I knew was that he was young and not cut from the same cloth as other Labour Party leaders. I remember saying that if he accomplished what he promised, he would be a great leader.

In the first years he made good progress. Then, incredibly, he followed President George Bush into Iraq and was eventually forced from office in repudiation.

I watched Barack Obama making his way. I supported Hilary. I respected her hard work, intelligence and raw courage. No candidate could be more aware how brutal the task. She made the right preparations and looked like she would surmount the insurmountable. That too would have been a historic event. She contributed substantially to Obama's victory.

When Barack Obama mimicked the cadence and quaver of the voice of the late Martyr Martin Luther King ;when he strode down a platform ,microphone in hand and told the emotional crowd he had talked to Jesus. my blood ran cold. He clearly intended reaching into people's hearts.Did he have so little to offer he had to borrow elsewhere?

I never saw that blood-chilling exercise repeated. Catastrophic events unfolded in his favour. His performance was awesome. His rival's, by contrast was as ignominious as Obama's was almost flawless.

So now, he is President-Elect. Throughout the world, people have taken heart and found hope. Can this man with so little experience make the difference? If goodwill has currency, yes he can.

Inexperience may be his greatest asset. It means doing things because you don't know any reason why you shouldn't.

Now the restraints begin and inevitable realisation of why he can't. In the meantime, in the flush of success , triumph of optimism and wise counsel he may well accomplish great things.

We wish him safe passage. We shall hold our breath.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Let us tell the truth as to why Tim Jones lost the election as mayor (now over two years ago but some like to continue to try to mop the floor with him.) The current mayor is adept at identifying with a group with an axe to grind. At the time she was able to convince the unwashed that she was the only one who could save them from the emf's that would cause everyone in their family to suffer health consequences if they were not stopped. Heck, she even fooled the leader of the pack. Mayor Jones sat on a task force made up of stakeholders to determine what resolution would be best for ALL the residents of Aurora. Not just those who chose to purchase property in close vicinity to the hydro lines but ALL citizens including those who did not want their lights to go out because of a lack of power. Everyone knows a wounded dog will fight, the current mayor in particular knows this, so she latched on to these residents (mostly new) and cast her net of fear around that community. Of course they all came out to vote because they are desperate to secure the health and safety of their families. SO...the very weekend before the election, the current mayor watched as this group of motivated and scared people spread the word by way of a flyer packed with propaganda and lies around the neighbourhood regarding the lack of support you could expect from Tim Jones. When reviewing the results of that election...that is precisely where the support for this regime came from. Now, move ahead two years. This same leader of the pack has been vocal about the lack of support from those in charge and has hitched his horse to another wagon, as a matter of fact, supporting the position taken at the time by the former mayor. Hmmm...I bet, with only two years left to the next election, the current mayor is beating the bushes for her next unsuspecting group with an axe to grind. Just watch it happen. But don't be fooled.