Let's just apply the American template to any Canadian election

[bcholmes]

"[Stephane Dion] is certainly the Liberal leader who's taken his party furthest to the left, at least since [former prime minister] Pierre Trudeau," Mr. Harper said in Inuvik.

"I think this is not a time to go back to Trudeau-style economic policies," said the Conservative Leader, who invoked Mr. Trudeau's name three times in unfavourable comparisons with Mr. Dion.

— The Globe and Mail

Huh. While Trudeau was pretty unpopular the day he stopped being Liberal leader, he's got tons of respect, today, at least outside of the prairies. I mean, wasn't he the second-place winner in that Greatest Canadian thing a few years ago. He's respected much more than, say, the conservative Mulroney.

Comments

[kat-chan.livejournal.com]

Trying to tar the Liberals with Trudeau is like the GOP trying to tar the Democrats with Carter (who was possibly more conservative than the two Republicans who preceded him). It may work with centrists and people who don't educate themselves, but the Democrats surely aren't going to think twice if you're comparing Obama to Carter. Most have gotten over the loss in 1980 (those that can remember it) and respect Carter today.

And American liberals love Trudeau, too. We can only hope that one day we may have a president who will be like Trudeau was as Canadian PM. Maybe we have a higher opinion of Pierre than he deserves because we didn't live under his governments, but he is fairly well idealized on this side of the border.