fellowtraveller Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 Alberta gets a new Premier and not a single thread on the topic? Alison Redford wins Alberta PC Leadership by 1,613 votes By Jason Markusoff, Calgary Herald October 2, 2011 Alison Redford, one of governing Tories' harshest critics from within their ranks, is now their leader, and shortly, Alberta’s first female premier. The final tally put the former justice minister over establishment favourite Gary Mar, 37,104 votes to 35,491. Mar had won on first choices. But with the second choices on the leadership election's preferential ballot , Redford proved to have wider appeal. She won with a pitch that veered sharply more progressive than conservative, heavy on pledges to bolster the public education and health-care systems. "And today, Alberta voted for change," she said to a crowd of flag-waving Tories who waited until Sunday's early hours to hear the verdict announced at the Edmonton Expo Centre. "Change that means that teachers will be returning to classrooms. Change that means there will be better access to health care for all Albertans. But also change that means a disciplined approach to spending priorities, and more funds set aside to assure the future prosperity for our kids." Redford, 46, also admitted she was thinking about her mother, who passed away suddenly days before the long campaign's final vote. My link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiddleClassCentrist Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 (edited) Just means that the Wild Rose party will win seats for the insane right wing. Edited October 5, 2011 by MiddleClassCentrist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 I think Alberta has made the relatively predictable choice. They weren't happy with the status quo, and despite all the talk, Albertans aren't all that conservative...especially urban Albertans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyser Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 I thought this was another Rob Ford thread , as in the 'gravy train left' before I was voted in. Silly me, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyly Posted October 5, 2011 Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 (edited) I think Alberta has made the relatively predictable choice. They weren't happy with the status quo, and despite all the talk, Albertans aren't all that conservative...especially urban Albertans. that sounds sensible but still doesn't explain how rob "meat head" anders gets repeatedly elected in an urban riding...redford appealed to female issues universal healthcare and education...gary mar openly discussed the appeal of private healthcare and with that he was done like dinner...danielle smith of the wildrose wacko party is a fan of private healthcare as well, we'll see how far that gets her in the next election... Edited October 5, 2011 by wyly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stamps Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 Just a lurker, but as a native Calgarian and one who has always voted PC I think it's time we had a change of direction in this province.... I have an underlying feeling here that the PC party has lost direction and run its course... I voted for the Wild Rose in a recent by-election as really just a protest vote against the current government, but I'm starting to think they might be the right party to take over the helm of this province and get it back on course.... The NDP and Liberals will never be a real viable alterative here so that narrows it down to the PC's and Wild Rose... all we really want here is a competant and forward moving government that gets the hell out of our way and one that will stick up for and protect our province against the federal government... the Wild Rose is the only party out there that fits that bill.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiddleClassCentrist Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 Just a lurker, but as a native Calgarian and one who has always voted PC I think it's time we had a change of direction in this province.... So, you want a change of direction... By maintaining the direction? PC's start moving left, you go to keep it right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyly Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 So, you want a change of direction... By maintaining the direction? PC's start moving left, you go to keep it right? good catch....redfords election was vote for a change of direction...gary mar was ralph kliens health minister, the damage klien caused health services still has not been repaired,staying on the hard right line is no longer an option...if the wildrose thinks there are votes in private care they're sadly mistaken.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oleg Bach Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 Keep the oil comming - we don`t care who is running the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIK Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 Keep the oil comming - we don`t care who is running the place. That is a must , to keep the money flowing to ONT ,we are going to need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellowtraveller Posted October 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 I think Alberta has made the relatively predictable choice. They weren't happy with the status quo, and despite all the talk, Albertans aren't all that conservative...especially urban Albertans. Redford election was predictable? By whom? redford appealed to female issues universal healthcare and education...gary mar openly discussed the appeal of private healthcare and with that he was done like dinner...danielle smith of the wildrose wacko party is a fan of private healthcare as well, we'll see how far that gets her in the next election... Both Mar and Redford are Red Tories, they are in the same place in the political sprectrum. Mar will leave politics now, too bad since he was a very competent man and a centrist politically. Redford has the same excellent campaign mnanager that got the new mayor in Calgary elected. She also appealed directly to teachers and nurses unions and Liberals, and has already announced payback for the teachers to the tune of $110 million. I know of at least two lifetime Liberal organizers who sold Tory memberships for Redford. Great and effective campaign by Redford. Danielle Smith is not going to do anything significant next election, Stelmach efficiently sawed her and Ted Morton off at the knees last spring. The NDP are going to be forced to get rid of their leader Mason soon, he has gained nothing during his tenure and never will. The new leader of the Liberals is a fool and will have ample opportunity to demonstrate it before an election. Alberta now has a woman as Premier, an Indian born immigrant as Leader of the Opposition, another woman as leader of the Wild Rose Party, a young Muslim son of immigrants as mayor of Calgary, and a Jew as mayor of Edmonton. All in a province completely and entirely ful;l of renecks. Odd that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 Redford election was predictable? By whom? The outcome wasn't predicted, but it was a predictable choice when you think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydraboss Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 I could not have hoped for a better outcome than Redford getting the nod. There is finally a choice between the "left" and the "right" in Alberta. She is not a centrist; she is a leftist which will provide some much needed contrast between the PCs and the Wildrose (being that the Liberals and NDP are completely inconsequential). The upcoming election will be interesting (for a change), but what I'm most interested in will be the floor-crossing that will take place between now and then as MLAs have to decide which side of the fence to be on in order to get their ass's reelected. Being perceived as supporting a liberal in this province can end your political career pretty fast. This is gonna get good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellowtraveller Posted October 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 I could not have hoped for a better outcome than Redford getting the nod. There is finally a choice between the "left" and the "right" in Alberta. She is not a centrist; she is a leftist which will provide some much needed contrast between the PCs and the Wildrose (being that the Liberals and NDP are completely inconsequential). The upcoming election will be interesting (for a change), but what I'm most interested in will be the floor-crossing that will take place between now and then as MLAs have to decide which side of the fence to be on in order to get their ass's reelected. Being perceived as supporting a liberal in this province can end your political career pretty fast. This is gonna get good... You are wildly optimistic if you think this will help WildRose in any substantive way. Clever Ed Stelmach ruined it for them by stepping aside when he did, it further forced Ted Morton into a position of impotence and assured a moderate voice would be running the Tories in the future. Further helping the Tories is the reality that the new Liberal leader is an idiot, a fact he will make abundantly clear soon. Wonder why Redfford is eager to marshall a full enquiry into the supposed queue-jumping in the health system? It is because there is nothing to it, she knows it and she also knows that Raj Sherman has huge amounts of personal credibility riding on it. Buh bye Raj. That clears the decks to allow all the rest of the Liberal voters in Alberta -which were a very significant 26.4% in 2008- to migrate to Redford, which will not be at all difficult for them now. They helped hijack the Tory process, and now they are going to finally enjoy some time in the sun- As Tories. That leaves WildRose, which is really just a disgruntled rightish Calgary based Tory rump, the hardcore Christians, and a few farmers. The Calgary clan will be mollified somewhat now that a Calgarian is running the show, which was a big problem for them when their decades of uninterrupted reign by Cowtowners was rudely broken by Farmer Ned Stelmach. The hard right don't even recognize that the province has passed them by, that the electorate is firmly and squarely smack in the middle, and that nobody except them gives a shit what Jesus thinks about it all. The middlers thast have been wanking furtively with WildRose will smell their own taint and desert Ms Smith in droves now. So if your hopes were realized with the election of Redford, enjoy life on the fringe of governance, because Wild Rose isn't goinhg anywhere. Seats in 2008: Tory 72 Liberal 9 NDP 2 My prediction on seats in 2012" Tory 70 Liberal 5 NDP 1 Wild Rose 7 Alberta Party 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 You are wildly optimistic if you think this will help WildRose in any substantive way. Clever Ed Stelmach ruined it for them by stepping aside when he did, it further forced Ted Morton into a position of impotence and assured a moderate voice would be running the Tories in the future. Further helping the Tories is the reality that the new Liberal leader is an idiot, a fact he will make abundantly clear soon. Wonder why Redfford is eager to marshall a full enquiry into the supposed queue-jumping in the health system? It is because there is nothing to it, she knows it and she also knows that Raj Sherman has huge amounts of personal credibility riding on it. Buh bye Raj. That clears the decks to allow all the rest of the Liberal voters in Alberta -which were a very significant 26.4% in 2008- to migrate to Redford, which will not be at all difficult for them now. They helped hijack the Tory process, and now they are going to finally enjoy some time in the sun- As Tories. That leaves WildRose, which is really just a disgruntled rightish Calgary based Tory rump, the hardcore Christians, and a few farmers. The Calgary clan will be mollified somewhat now that a Calgarian is running the show, which was a big problem for them when their decades of uninterrupted reign by Cowtowners was rudely broken by Farmer Ned Stelmach. The hard right don't even recognize that the province has passed them by, that the electorate is firmly and squarely smack in the middle, and that nobody except them gives a shit what Jesus thinks about it all. The middlers thast have been wanking furtively with WildRose will smell their own taint and desert Ms Smith in droves now. So if your hopes were realized with the election of Redford, enjoy life on the fringe of governance, because Wild Rose isn't goinhg anywhere. In your scenario you seem to be assuming that all the conservatives that have been voting PC are both few in number and likely to stay with the party as it swings left. Isn't that a bit of a stretch? First off, that would mean that the huge majorities enjoyed so far by the Alberta Tories have come from people who aren't Tories but just don't like Liberals. Second, these huge majorities will be over joyed with a Tory party that swings to the Left and will feel no attraction for the Wild Rose alternative. Now I'm an Ontarioan so I have no skin in this game. To me it's merely entertainment watched from a distance. Still, I just don't see how your argument holds together. It seems more of a wish than a considered opinion. Anything can happen, of course. I just won't put any money on your reasoning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyly Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 there's an irrational phobia of liberals in alberta...it's like little kids being afraid of the dark...the PC shift to the left makes alberta liberals happy as many voted for redford and no doubt many ndp voters...unfortunetly for the liberals the shift left is into liberal territory, redford will take the healthcare and education platforms away from the left and leave the wildrose trying to sell private healthcare... wild card here is the Alberta Party, I don't know even if they will run candidates in the next election, I suspect if they do they'll aim to take votes from the left and the center which would be bad news for the ndp and liberals... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellowtraveller Posted October 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 (edited) In your scenario you seem to be assuming that all the conservatives that have been voting PC are both few in number and likely to stay with the party as it swings left. Isn't that a bit of a stretch? First off, that would mean that the huge majorities enjoyed so far by the Alberta Tories have come from people who aren't Tories but just don't like Liberals. Second, these huge majorities will be over joyed with a Tory party that swings to the Left and will feel no attraction for the Wild Rose alternative. Now I'm an Ontarioan so I have no skin in this game. To me it's merely entertainment watched from a distance. Still, I just don't see how your argument holds together. It seems more of a wish than a considered opinion. Anything can happen, of course. I just won't put any money on your reasoning. No. I'm saying that the hard right(which was small but vocal) within the PC party has been replaced, by formner Liberals who have given up. They are substantial in number, though not nearly as substantial as the moderate who remain. Note that a recetn poll saw Wild Rose at 16% support, which is nothing in possible seats. The reality is that Alberta is filled with people who -like the rest of Canada- like their politicians with their asses planted firmly in the middle, and that is what they have now with the governing party and the new Premier. The old Premier was too, but he had to do some rearranging of power within, and this is now nearly done. The migration of Morton clones and supporters will be easily replaced by red Tories and former Liberals. I realize that the East has little clue of what AB is about and has been about for some time. It doesn't matter any more. Edited October 7, 2011 by fellowtraveller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellowtraveller Posted October 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 there's an irrational phobia of liberals in alberta...it's like little kids being afraid of the dark...the PC shift to the left makes alberta liberals happy as many voted for redford and no doubt many ndp voters...unfortunetly for the liberals the shift left is into liberal territory, redford will take the healthcare and education platforms away from the left and leave the wildrose trying to sell private healthcare... wild card here is the Alberta Party, I don't know even if they will run candidates in the next election, I suspect if they do they'll aim to take votes from the left and the center which would be bad news for the ndp and liberals... Once again I marvel at the sheer mass of your lack of understanding of anything about the province you live in... truly amazing! The NDP 'support' in AB last election was 8% and dropping, it is meaningless. Mason will be lucky to keep his own seat, he should just quit now and hand it over to the far more competent Rachel Notley and let her accumulate some pension time. There just aren't 'many NDP voters' in the first place, and I guess they are all hypocrites if they did vote for Redford as their NDP membership forbids them from joing other parties...... The Liberals know they are unlectable, not least because they have no money and an idiot as new leader. That is why they lined up solidly behind Redford, and they will most certainly bring a big chunk of their 26% to the polls next spring to help her out again. It is all they have left. Why would the Alberta Party be a wild card? They have no seats, no money, no hope of getting any of either. They are composed of disappointed Liberals, who have now turned to Redford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubberMiley Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 There just aren't 'many NDP voters' in the first place, and I guess they are all hypocrites if they did vote for Redford as their NDP membership forbids them from joing other parties...... I knew that you had to join the PC party to be able to vote for premier in Alberta, but I didn't realize you had to get a party membership just to vote for a party in a general election. Sounds kind of soviet to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToadBrother Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 Just means that the Wild Rose party will win seats for the insane right wing. Yes, Alberta, the land of two political parties; hard right and crazy loonie right. I would bring up a Mussolini, Stalin or Hitler reference, but then my brother in Calgary would phone me up and start mocking me about my premier's cleavage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August1991 Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 Alberta gets a new Premier and not a single thread on the topic?Was she elected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToadBrother Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 Was she elected? Sure, as a member of the Alberta legislature, just like her predecessor. Do you think something more is required? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Weber Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 Yes, Alberta, the land of two political parties; hard right and crazy loonie right. I would bring up a Mussolini, Stalin or Hitler reference, but then my brother in Calgary would phone me up and start mocking me about my premier's cleavage. I take cleavage over Fascists any day!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellowtraveller Posted October 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 I knew that you had to join the PC party to be able to vote for premier in Alberta, but I didn't realize you had to get a party membership just to vote for a party in a general election.Sounds kind of soviet to me. read wylys post at the top of the page, then edit your own before you embarass yourself again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fellowtraveller Posted October 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 Was she elected? Yes, and her path to the Premiers office is typical of any province.Try to keep up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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