There are, I think, few Conservatives in Ontario who look at the federal Liberals and say, "We need to be like those guys." And yet.....when it comes to the topic of the PCPO, I just get the feeling that things aren't so clear cut.
The Federal Liberals, I am told, are extremely preoccupied with who leads them. His Eminence Crown Prince Justin Trudeau is looked upon by many as the saviour of the Liberal brand. Others venerate Chretien. A good number of Liberals don't care if their Uncle Fred is running the party, so long as it's not Bob Rae. Rather than try to build with the guy they have now, however temporarily he may be there, it's all about who is going to fix everything for everyone.
We look at that with a mixture of disgust and amusement....and then someone pipes up with, "Wow, wouldn't it just be *dreamy* if Mike Harris came back?" And then someone else pipes up with, "No way, John Tory should have gotten another chance!" And then....well, we know what happens then.
Additionally, it should be noted that everything for the federal Liberals lies with the leader. The leader is expected to unite Liberals from coast to coast and address all 86523 of their priorities while nimbly avoiding attacks from the other parties, getting the media to eat out of their hand, and proposing a perfect plan to deal with the economy and the provinces that leaves out nary a single detail and leaves nobody inconvenienced in any way. And if the leader doesn't do all of this, then he or she is the worst person ever, the party's ignoring its grassroots, the priorities are all wrong, and what were we thinking when we went with this person who couldn't lead a one-man band.
Of course the people doing this complaining know exactly what they'd do if they had the chance, but it's not like they would ever step up and mount an actual challenge to the leadership that lasted more than a day. Goodness, no. Running for the party executive? Please. Who has that kind of time?
Luckily, nobody in the PC Party of Ontario thinks that way. *cough cough*
You may also have heard that some federal Liberals think a merger with the NDP is a fantastical idea. The brand, they say, is dead, and it is time to form a totally new progressive party. Let the blue Liberals go to the Conservatives, we don't need them anyway. And all of that bad blood between them and the Dippers? Never you mind.
What a bunch of losers, say we. We'd never think of forming a new party....like one where we drop the P from PC and boot the Red Tories, or drop the C from PC and boot the Blue Tories, or anything like that. That'd just be silly.
Yeah, I'm sure nobody would want the PC Party of Ontario to be like the broken federal Liberals.
So why do some Conservatives in Ontario act like federal Liberals?