CJM
03-09-2006, 12:42 PM
Bidding heats up for 'Liberal leadership kit'
Updated Wed. Mar. 8 2006 11:24 PM ET
Canadian Press
OTTAWA — For $24,500 you could buy a used Porsche on EBay, or a platinum Rolex encrusted with diamonds.
You could sponsor almost 1,000 children in Africa for a month through World Vision. Or you could place a bid for the make-believe leadership of the Liberal party in a spoof Internet auction run by CBC comedian Rick Mercer. Some guy has apparently chosen the latter.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mercer's mock Liberal leadership auction on EBay had garnered 72 bids - with the leading one at $24,500. The bid was surpassed numerous times later in the day.
Mercer is offering a 15-minute conference call with his writing staff to help craft a campaign message, and also guarantees use of a colour printer - one running low on magenta ink - for producing campaign material.
Fifteen minutes and one mediocre printer should do the job, according to Mercer.
"That should be enough to put you in charge of what was, until recently, a major Canadian political party,"' says his auction ad.
"So take the plunge and become Liberal leader."
A series of high-profile potential candidates have already opted out of the race, leaving it wide open. John Manley, Frank McKenna and Brian Tobin have bowed out, and Martin Cauchon may not run.
That leaves a handful of less experienced potential candidates including former ministers like Ken Dryden, Belinda Stronach, Joe Volpe, Scott Brison, Maurizio Bevilacqua, John Godfrey and Tony Ianno.
The former NDP premier of Ontario, Bob Rae, is also said to be contemplating a run.
All those would-be Liberal leaders may face a challenger in Brad Barnett of Gatineau, Que.
He's the identified bidder who offered $24,500 on Wednesday afternoon. He was quickly surpassed by a someone calling themselves Belinda Stronach, who bid $100,000. Barnett later topped that with an offer of $250,000.
But when a Canadian Press reporter suggested Barnett might be an amateur jokester pulling a fast one on the professional comedian, he fired back an indignant e-mail Wednesday.
Such skepticism is a symptom of all that's wrong with a political system that has lost the trust of ordinary Canadians, Barnett said. He promised to enact unprecedented democratic reforms.
"I am a new breed of politican," he wrote in his one-page e-mail.
"I intend to offer true accountability through a massive reform of our political system. . . . I intend to use safe, secure and peer-reviewed forms of online voting to provide more power to the common man in our country.
"Parliamentary power, while still essential for managing and maintaining the land, will find many votes and discussions moving outside the House, and onto the Internet at large."
Such reforms might require changes in the way the media is "structured," Barnett said. He feels too much power is wielded by a small handful of information-barons - but he didn't specify what methods he would employ to lessen their power.
Rick Mercer's link (http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/index.php)
CTVnews' link (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060308/Liberal_Auction060308/20060308/)
the bid link (http://cgi.ebay.ca/The-Rick-Mercer-Report-Liberal-Leadership-Kit_W0QQitemZ6042164599QQcategoryZ317QQrdZ1QQcmdZV iewItem)
Updated Wed. Mar. 8 2006 11:24 PM ET
Canadian Press
OTTAWA — For $24,500 you could buy a used Porsche on EBay, or a platinum Rolex encrusted with diamonds.
You could sponsor almost 1,000 children in Africa for a month through World Vision. Or you could place a bid for the make-believe leadership of the Liberal party in a spoof Internet auction run by CBC comedian Rick Mercer. Some guy has apparently chosen the latter.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mercer's mock Liberal leadership auction on EBay had garnered 72 bids - with the leading one at $24,500. The bid was surpassed numerous times later in the day.
Mercer is offering a 15-minute conference call with his writing staff to help craft a campaign message, and also guarantees use of a colour printer - one running low on magenta ink - for producing campaign material.
Fifteen minutes and one mediocre printer should do the job, according to Mercer.
"That should be enough to put you in charge of what was, until recently, a major Canadian political party,"' says his auction ad.
"So take the plunge and become Liberal leader."
A series of high-profile potential candidates have already opted out of the race, leaving it wide open. John Manley, Frank McKenna and Brian Tobin have bowed out, and Martin Cauchon may not run.
That leaves a handful of less experienced potential candidates including former ministers like Ken Dryden, Belinda Stronach, Joe Volpe, Scott Brison, Maurizio Bevilacqua, John Godfrey and Tony Ianno.
The former NDP premier of Ontario, Bob Rae, is also said to be contemplating a run.
All those would-be Liberal leaders may face a challenger in Brad Barnett of Gatineau, Que.
He's the identified bidder who offered $24,500 on Wednesday afternoon. He was quickly surpassed by a someone calling themselves Belinda Stronach, who bid $100,000. Barnett later topped that with an offer of $250,000.
But when a Canadian Press reporter suggested Barnett might be an amateur jokester pulling a fast one on the professional comedian, he fired back an indignant e-mail Wednesday.
Such skepticism is a symptom of all that's wrong with a political system that has lost the trust of ordinary Canadians, Barnett said. He promised to enact unprecedented democratic reforms.
"I am a new breed of politican," he wrote in his one-page e-mail.
"I intend to offer true accountability through a massive reform of our political system. . . . I intend to use safe, secure and peer-reviewed forms of online voting to provide more power to the common man in our country.
"Parliamentary power, while still essential for managing and maintaining the land, will find many votes and discussions moving outside the House, and onto the Internet at large."
Such reforms might require changes in the way the media is "structured," Barnett said. He feels too much power is wielded by a small handful of information-barons - but he didn't specify what methods he would employ to lessen their power.
Rick Mercer's link (http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/index.php)
CTVnews' link (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060308/Liberal_Auction060308/20060308/)
the bid link (http://cgi.ebay.ca/The-Rick-Mercer-Report-Liberal-Leadership-Kit_W0QQitemZ6042164599QQcategoryZ317QQrdZ1QQcmdZV iewItem)