I just want to get past all the grandstanding about who will, should or needs to run, and skip to the part where all the cards are on the table.
At that stage I will look forward to watching the candidates debate the issues. Remember folks, we get a preferential ballot. So we have no need to even think of these candidates as "nth-tier". If you see Saganash, Ashton, Julian, Dewar or any other candidate who is not being pushed as a "front-runner", and you think that candidate is the one who speaks to you and to the future of the NDP... then you vote for that person!
The only "tiers" of candidates that actually exist will be the ones defined by the ballots. If your candidate of choice gets eliminated, then you make a new decision based on the remaining options. Yay democracy!
I also look forard to seeing the strength and character of the candidates come out over the course of the debates, and I trust that the qualities they display will be put to use in their subsequent critic/cabinet roles.