Back To The Future with Sheila Copps

First off, I’ve always liked and respected Sheila Copps. Also, in a open and democratic party obviously anyone who wants to, can and should, put their name forward for positions within the Liberal Party. With these disclaimers out of the way, I think it sheer madness to even entertain the possibility of Sheila Copps as next Liberal Party President.

Reading the article on Copps’ potential run, I’m struck by, "I’ve been approached". One can only wonder who has done the approaching, and frankly what motives are behind such suggestion. Naturally, the mind drifts back to the OLD battles, the OLD alliances, the OLD divisions, because fair or not, Sheila Copps is part of that unseemly history. I can’t possibly IMAGINE a less productive development than introducing a candidacy which reopens those wounds, encourages some, alienates others, just the same old BULLSHIT that has brought us to this point. Again, I like Copps in an isolated sense, but that’s a fairytale reality, she represents the past, brings little to the idea of forward thinking reform, not to mention a changing of the bloody guard which is JOB ONE here.

I’m hearing lots of talk about reform, but the trouble is much of it coming from institutionalized Liberals. We need new voices, fresh perspectives, NO BAGGAGE, no past bias or thoughts of reclaiming long gone influences. The Liberal Party isn’t dead, but the Liberal Party as we knew it sure as shit is, and anyone who thinks otherwise is deluding themselves.

It’s fantastic that Sheila Copps wants to pitch in, nobody is naive enough to believe we can’t benefit from the wisdom that only experience provides. However, I’m quite certain that the Liberal Party will become a historical artificat if it puts the past center stage, if it relies on old faces and past glories to reinvent itself. The renewal process simply doesn’t work if people see the same old same old, we need fresh blood, a new generation, this realization is vital and sober. Frankly, the people that are suggesting Copps, I question their grasp of reality, which makes me curious as to true motivations. And, I’m sure I’m not alone in that curiousity, which makes the prospects even more unattractive. The last thing the Liberals need is one second wasted on past divisions, nor a candidacy which puts off anyone, sidelines a camp, encourages another, unproductive and really, really unnecessary.

The optics here are dreadful, no matter how much anyone admires or respects Copps. Someone needs to punch the rearview mirror from this wreck once and for all.