Early this week I was out for coffee with a couple of friends. One is a never happy conservative and the other I would suggest is a weak liberal. The discussions turned to politics and the foolish speculation out of Ottawa regarding the possibility of a federal election. Then the discussions focused on local politics and questions arose as how it may be possible to defeat Ralph Goodale. My conservative friend has been trying to get my liberal friend to run for the conservatives against Ralph Goodale and again posed the question during our coffee break.
The liberal said, “You can’t be serious. Just last week I saw Goodale on billboards of all descriptions across the city and at more public events than any other Saskatchewan politician. So what hope would I have of defeating him?” My conservative friend had to agree that it would be near impossible to defeat Goodale who campaigns relentlessly between elections. Goodale even claims he has accomplished more for Saskatchewan than all the other 13 MP’s combined. I won’t argue that claim, as Goodale likely didn’t even break a sweat, as he rolls along earning his pay and staying out of trouble.
Now as a person who believes anything is possible and that there isn’t a politician that can’t be defeated I decided to pose a question to my liberal friend who was flat out refusing to run against Goodale. I asked, “What would you say if I decided to run for the conservatives at the next federal election against Ralph Goodale, defeated him and became the new MP for the Wascana constituency? Then having wished you had ran against Goodale you would be calling me the next day asking how I managed to defeat Goodale.” There was a slight pause and then my liberal friend leaned toward me with a serious look and said, “No, I would be calling you to ask who forged Stephen Harper’s signature on your nomination papers.”
Now that’s a great line and you have to love it. Politics can be a nasty business, but it can be fun as well. It was a great coffee break and the joke was on me. Ralph, it seems you have nothing to worry about. At least not right now!
