I've mentioned Kennedy & Rae on more than a few occasions this session on one matter or another. Opinion is divided, some, like Hébert rate Kennedy as the best rookie or best Opposition MP overall, others, like Walkom, say it's Rae. But it's clear they are the flip sides of the same coin, a great 1-2 punch, dividing up the two necessary themes, incompetence & malice, and areas, internal & external. Kennedy's criticism has been that the government is incompetent at managing stimulus and economy to the point that it raises questions of malice, and Rae's criticism has been that the Govt seems to be behaving maliciously on foreign affairs, which works against Canadian interests and raises questions of incompetence. Kennedy, pushed to backbenches, took an unfashionable critic position and made it into the most effective club against government for most of session by dint of research, smarts, hard work and experience (see below): he's been in politics a while folks. Rae of course has been in politics forever and can speak well on any and everything which is perfect in the wideranging foreign affairs job, and like Kennedy, he knows how important it is to not just be serious but to appear to be serious, while also able to put on a show, if needed.
Kennedy: Incompetence = malice. Rae: Malice = incompetence. Incompetence & malice, inside (socio-economic) and out (external). The two themes that need to be hammered into public, over and over. A winning combination.
Hébert translated: "Sent to the backbenches for having twice backed the wrong candidate in leadership races, the Toronto Liberal MP Gerard Kennedy wins the prize for most underused Opposition MP, all parties included. The former Ontario minister apprenticed in the opposition at Queen's Park and it shows. He subscribes to the idea that an MP can best score points by doing actual research rather than simply repeating newspaper headlines. It's a concept that distinguishes him from the majority of his Opposition colleagues."
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