www.dwainforleader.ca

Sask CCF-NDP Leader / age at election as leader / age at last general election as leader / age at stepping down

M.J. Coldwell / 43 / 45 / 47

G.H. Williams / 40* (acting at 39) / 42 / 47

T.C. Douglas / 37 / 55 / 56

W.S. Lloyd / 48 / 53 / 57

A.E. Blakeney / 45 / 60 / 62 + 61 days

R.J. Romanow / 48 / 60 / 61

L.A. Calvert / 48 / 54 / 56

If Dwain Lingenfelter were to win the upcoming leadership race, he would be 60 upon assuming the leadership. By the time of his first general election as leader (assuming Brad Wall keeps his fixed election date commitment), he will be 62 + 253 days - the oldest leader in the history of the Saskatchewan CCF-NDP.

There are some of us who believe that real renewal requires generational change - and for the record, I'm of the generation that will be skipped.

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Originally posted by Malcolm:
I am anticipating that there will be those who attempt to make an issue out of the "youth" of a cadre of candidates in their 30s and 40s.

There are some of us who believe that real renewal requires generational change - and for the record, I'm of the generation that will be skipped.

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I know one of the "youth" candidates personally. I'm not going to say which one - but he's a real "stick in the mud", as far as I'm concerned. He'll go far

[ 02 November 2008: Message edited by: RosaL ]

Every post you have written on the race has mentioned age. Your obsession, to be 'politically correct' is ageist.

[ 03 November 2008: Message edited by: Adam T ]

In the meantime, I see posts dismissing potential rivals in their 30s and 40s as "kids."

I think, though, this really is more about other aspects of demographics. It has more to do with the phenomenon of the baby boomers clinging to their current status. The generation that wouldn't trust anyone over 30 now refuses to trust anyone under 50.

Technically, I'm at the tail end of the boomers - though like many tail end boomers, I identify more with GenX issues and frustrations.

The idea of young cardinals electing old popes (quite amusing, never heard it before) is not without merit. Certainly the strength Link is thought to bring to the table is the capacity to get the party back on it's feet institutionally - leaving a stronger party for a post 2011 leader to take forward.

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Originally posted by Malcolm:

The problem with that is (from my perspective) that institutional renewal, though essential, is not enough. The party also needs intellectual renewal and policy renewal. I'm not convinced that Dwain Lingenfelter and the cadre of party grandees surrounding him can deliver that.

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That's certainly my concern. If I thought Lingenfelter represented new ideas, or at least someone who would provide an environment where new ideas would flourish, I wouldn't be so worried about him becoming leader. However my suspicions are that Dwain will simply reinforce the existing party structure, and any "young Turks" that are groomed for taking over will be very much in the same vein.

There are, broadly speaking, two main forces in the Saskatchewan NDP. Some people label them the left and the right, but that isn't particularly accurate.

I refer to them as the movement people (those who see the CCF-NDP principally as a movement for social change) and the party people (those who see the CCF-NDP as a vehicle to win elections in order to enact policy. One can be a relatively rightwing movement person, or an unabashedly leftwing party person.

Historically, the Saskatchewan CCF-NDP functions best when both of these "sides," the movement and the party, are strong. In that situation, the movement people keep the party people in touch with our moral compass, while the party people remind the movement people that they will accomplish social change more effectively when they can win elections.

Roy Romanow, for example, fundamentally did not get that. For RJR and those around him, the movement people were an annoyance that was best stomped on.

Allan Blakeney fundamentally got it. Even as the Waffle were walking out of the 1972 provincial convention (yes, walking out - they weren't expelled here) AEB stood at a microphone pleading with them to stay.

I'm not sure if Dwain gets it. I'm quite sure that some of the people around him don't.

The party people, on the other hand, tend to view any policy in terms of its immediate impact on the party's electoral success. They don't tend to care which way the ship goes, so long as they're at the helm. Those on the left really have no other viable party to vote for, whereas those on the right have 2, so the party folks veer right whenever it's popular to hold on to the right wing vote. The massive income tax cuts brought in by Romanow, for example. The party folks talk about how you can do more to further progressive causes when you hold power... then they do get into power, and they wind up doing far fewer progressive things, and more regressive ones, to hold onto that power.

I'm pretty sure Lingenfelter doesn't see that, or doesn't care. From what I've seen, he's even more "radically pragmatic" than Romanow was, and hence, even more willing to ignore the movement folks. His victory would likely see even more progressive people abandon the party.

All you have to do is look south, Obama had no long time political baggage and was completely new in policy as well.

If the Dipper bring in one of the old guard, they will be in opposition for quite a while me thinks.

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Originally posted by Chester Drawers:

All you have to do is look south, Obama had no long time political baggage and was completely new in policy as well.

If the Dipper bring in one of the old guard, they will be in opposition for quite a while me thinks.

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Originally posted by Fidel:
I predict one term for the SaskaTories.

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Rightish movement people not so much. But they do exist. (Note, by right in this context, I mean the right side of the CCF-NDP, not right of the usual centre. If we were talking the usual political categories, they'd be more aptly described as centrist or even left centrist.)

Like any broadbrush category, this is a bit of an oversimplification. But it is a more useful one, to my mind, than the usual left-right categories which simply do not capture what the real issue is.

With respect, Fidel, while nothing is impossible, defeating the Sask Party after one term is a long shot. To date, apart from one weak minister, they really haven't screwed up anything - and they really haven't p*$$*d anybody off. I'm certainly not game to bet the farm on winning in 2011, whoever the leader may be.

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Originally posted by Malcolm:
With respect, Fidel, while nothing is impossible, defeating the Sask Party after one term is a long shot. To date, apart from one weak minister, they really haven't screwed up anything - and they really haven't p*$$*d anybody off. I'm certainly not game to bet the farm on winning in 2011, whoever the leader may be.

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I forgot the conservatives usually save the scandals, kick-back, and graft for the second term.

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The reason why many have called this a generation-defining election is because it's been just that.

Maybe this isn't really all that new. From the younger Stephen Harper taking over from Paul Martin and Jean Chretien to Brad Wall succeeding Lorne Calvert to what's already going on in the Saskatchewan NDP leadership race where bloggers are now noting Dwain Lingenfelter would be the party's oldest-ever leader, age has become a political issue. We're starting to see it everywhere.

About once every generation in a democratic society, a new group steps up and serves notice that it is ready to take the helm. The election becomes about a new generation's new ideas and new ways of doing things.

More so than sex or skin colour, this American election was about the baby boomer generation -- the generation that starts to become senior citizens next year -- perhaps finally losing its grip on political power.

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Anybody But Lingenfelter

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Originally posted by Dogbert:

I also agree on the age part. Running someone from the Romanow era, left or right, isn't going to be a winning strategy against Wall.

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Dwain was first elected and first appointed to Cabinet by Allan Emrys Blakeney - elected nine years before RJR became leader, appointed to Cabinet seven tears before RJR became leader.

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Originally posted by Louis Riel Trail:
Anybody But Lingenfelter

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Originally posted by peskyfly1:
I just read the 'Anybody but Lingenfelter' bit. The SP could have put that up.

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The more ideological members of the party won't like him, generally. But they don't have the capacity to defeat him in the leadership race. He may be undefeatable.

But if he can be beaten, it will be by a moderate who has friends on the left and who runs on generational change. Even then, it's a long shot.