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I'll Miss Rob Anders
Apr. 12th, 2014 10:44 pmSo I just hear that Ron Anders lost the nomination for Calgary - Signal Hill. As you might imagine, there was a lot of virtual cheering on Facebook about this. For you Yanks: Ron Anders was widely considered the worst MP in Parliament, but kept getting elected year after year for being a party loyalist in a deeply Conservative riding. Provided he got the nomination, he was a lock to win. As an analogy, imagine a Tea party zealot running for the House of Representatives as a Republican in a deeply Republican area. The only way you get rid of him is at the nomination level. And they have.
I'm glad to see him go, but I'd have much preferred that he was voted out by his constituents rather than by the riding association. I don't care which party, just anyone else. Losing him to another Conservative runs into the same problem that a lot of time travellers kill Hitler stories have: The conditions remain just as bad for everyone, but now you've made it possible for someone competently evil to replace the incompetent that you had before. Ron Liepert is going to be just as conservative, and he's going to vote precisely the same way on every bill that Rob Anders would have voted. He's going to support the same corrupt Harper regime if the Conservative Party of Canada manages to win the 2015 election. He's going to be actively working for Conservative party policies as someone who knows what they're doing, rather than being the sort of guy who falls asleep on camera during question period.
In the end, Anders may have been an embarrassment to the country, but he was also an embarrassment to the Conservative Party. Liepert will simply be a silent foot soldier. Coming up on a significant election, I'd rather the CPC had a few more embarrassments and few less foot soldiers.
I'm glad to see him go, but I'd have much preferred that he was voted out by his constituents rather than by the riding association. I don't care which party, just anyone else. Losing him to another Conservative runs into the same problem that a lot of time travellers kill Hitler stories have: The conditions remain just as bad for everyone, but now you've made it possible for someone competently evil to replace the incompetent that you had before. Ron Liepert is going to be just as conservative, and he's going to vote precisely the same way on every bill that Rob Anders would have voted. He's going to support the same corrupt Harper regime if the Conservative Party of Canada manages to win the 2015 election. He's going to be actively working for Conservative party policies as someone who knows what they're doing, rather than being the sort of guy who falls asleep on camera during question period.
In the end, Anders may have been an embarrassment to the country, but he was also an embarrassment to the Conservative Party. Liepert will simply be a silent foot soldier. Coming up on a significant election, I'd rather the CPC had a few more embarrassments and few less foot soldiers.
