Thu 30 Nov @ 1:40pm
One of the most curious features of leadership conventions is the MOB. That’s where the different camps organize a rally and have their candidate enter the room. The second floor of the Palais des Congres is well set up for it, as it has a big long escalator where candidates can enter in style.

It started with Stephane Dion making a grand entrance, with his mob in tow. Dion is no rock star; in fact, he looked downright uncomfortable with all the attention. Bob Rae’s mob came a while later, but there are was no sign of Bob. What about Bob? Hmmm… maybe he just hired professionals to play the part (kind of like his ground campaign). Gerard Kennedy was next with a reasonably large crowd. Kennedy also gave a rousing Captain Canada speech about it being ONE COUNTRY. Rah rah! But the most choreographed performance was Ignatieff’s. His troops lined themselves up and entered in waves with Michael following. They even wore color-coded shirts — pink for “women’s issues”, green for “environment”, orange for “rural isses”.

The purpose of these mobs, as far as I can tell, is to de-moralize their opponents and to demonstrate momentum. If so, Ignatieff’s on the move…

Here’s a couple shots of the Kennedy and Ignatieff mobs: