NDP leadership race kicks off

If anyone thought it would take a few days to build up a NDP leadership lather, you would be mistaken, because the race has begun in earnest today. The apparently well sourced Hill Times article lays out some potential fault lines, evidence of acrimony and divisions that would even make a long in the tooth Liberal take notice. 

Perhaps a bit premature to say a "stop Muclair" sentiment exists, but clearly he is a controversial figure within the NDP ranks. I’m not sure I buy the angle that Mr. Layton purposely opted for a quick vote to undercut Muclair, but I don’t doubt a rapid timetable was preferred because leadership contests are divisive, that’s just the nature of the beast. What is clear, the NDP have to be very careful how they deal with Muclair, given the geographic nature of their caucus and support, any overt evidence of "stop" could have negative ramifications. Of course, it is all very premature, but the the tone of the Hills article suggests a real undercurrent exists, which makes for some fascinating machinations moving forward. 

I’m not sure what to make of the Brian Topp musings, frankly his name seems to have come out of nowhere. I suspect we will learn more in the coming days about how his potential candidacy came to consideration, because at first blush it seems a very awkward direction. I’ve seen a fair bit of Brian Topp and I’ve seen absolutely nothing optically that suggests he has the tools to be a successful politician. Time will tell I suppose. 

Lots of names being floated, one that I’m keeping a very close eye on from afar, Paul Dewar. I’ve mentioned Dewar before as a possible successor, from this vantage point he appears to have all the tools, so I’m curious to see if his name emerges over the coming days. From a partisan perspective, Dewar is the one name that should scare the shit out of Liberals IMHO. Why? A compelling authenticity that has the capacity to really resonate. 

The NDP leadership race has started. If today’s coverage is any indication, we political junkies are in for a battle that would make anonymous senior Liberal insider proud 😉