Alberta Election May 2015

[overthere]

Seems to me Wildrose polled high before a couple of her members made some stupid comments before the election. I think that cost her and distorted the polls IIRC.

Wildrose has a landslide happening according to all the polls.

It went completely the other way a couple days later.

IMO phone polls have become useless and unreliable 15 times out of 20.

[cybercoma]

Wildrose has a landslide happening according to all the polls.

It went completely the other way a couple days later.

IMO phone polls have become useless and unreliable 15 times out of 20.

Eric Grenier has a good article about this that shows you're wrong. The polls are mostly reliable.

[August1991]

1) Jim Prentice was wrong to raise taxes.

2) Jim Prentice was possibly right to hold an early election.

3) Jim Prentice was absolutely right to bring the Wildrose into the fold.

4) Note to wannabe politicians, and critics of Harper: Let Michael Ignatieff, Kim Campbell and Jim Prentice be examples. Politics is not easy. It's much harder than it looks. Sitting beside a driver for many years does not mean that you know how to drive a car.

=====

Note to Moderators: Ontario elections have distinct threads. Why, in 2015, do we have an Albertan election thread from 2008?.

Edited May 3, 2015 by August1991

[WWWTT]

Eric Grenier has a good article about this that shows you're wrong. The polls are mostly reliable.

Still seems according to my memory that the polls are hitting around 75% accuracy ish.

It's that 25% that sticks in people's minds causing doubt and hesitation.

Either way you look at it, if people are going to change direction, going WR isn't really that much if any change.

Would voting liberal be any different?

Not sure what the Alberta liberal policy is/are. But I will assume they are like/similar to BC, so very little change there either.

Rachel Notley is turning out to be a strong confident leader this country hasn't seen for some time would be a safe comment to make! She made it clear where the NDP stands! And people like her charisma!

WWWTT

[Charles Anthony]

The new posts have been split off and merged into the new thread. The old election thread is closed.

Note to Moderators: Ontario elections have distinct threads. Why, in 2015, do we have an Albertan election thread from 2008?.

I do not know.

Good question. Since MikeH is the one who raised the thread from the dead, I would throw out the following theory: My personal political perspective led him to appreciate any lapse in a time in a different way.

[Argus]

Absolutely! I will agree there seems to be a lot more resentment to the PC's this time though but I certainly wouldn't place any bets on the NDP based simply on the polls.

It's kind of hard to feel sorry for the Alberta PCs. Impossible, really. I think I've made my opinion of their conservative credentials and competence fairly well known in the past. At the same time, I don't feel sorry for Albertans, who got the government they wanted for years, one which would keep taxes really low but splurge on big public services while keeping labour peace by overpaying public servants. It's not like the deficits were a big secret for year after year. It's not like the government taking money from the kitty rather than putting it away in case of bad times was a secret either. Bad government that thought nothing of the future was what Albertans wanted, and it was what they got. It's a little late to whine about it now. Dunno what an NDP government would be like but probably bad for the oil business at a time when the oil business isn't doing very well. I foresee big tax increases, though.

[Ash74]

It's kind of hard to feel sorry for the Alberta PCs. Impossible, really. I think I've made my opinion of their conservative credentials and competence fairly well known in the past. At the same time, I don't feel sorry for Albertans, who got the government they wanted for years, one which would keep taxes really low but splurge on big public services while keeping labour peace by overpaying public servants. It's not like the deficits were a big secret for year after year. It's not like the government taking money from the kitty rather than putting it away in case of bad times was a secret either. Bad government that thought nothing of the future was what Albertans wanted, and it was what they got. It's a little late to whine about it now. Dunno what an NDP government would be like but probably bad for the oil business at a time when the oil business isn't doing very well. I foresee big tax increases, though.

Might turn into what happened in Ontario with the NDP.

Tried it once and we learned our lesson. Bob Rae has done more for the other two parties in Ontario than any one person in history.

[Shady]

I think everyone should experience an NDP government at least once. Just so they know how bad it can be. As has already been stated, we learned our lesson in Ontario. Its been 20 years and people still haven't forgotten how big a disaster it was.

[overthere]

It's not like the deficits were a big secret for year after year.

Neither are they a big deal. from 1994, 14 years of surplus followed by 6 years of deficit. None of the deficit years are of major consequence.

If Prentice wins, he'll pull a Klein out of his colon. Klein turned deficit into surplus and eliminated the provincial debt , all while oil was around $20/barrel. If Notley wins, and she won't, she'll turn moderate deficit/debt into some serious numbers that socialists can be proud of. Alberta has a lot of ground to make up to catch Ontario and BC when it comes to debt. BC is catchable with four years of NDP in AB, but AB will have to pull out the stops to get close to the champ Ontario. The interest on the ON debt is about the same as the entire AB debt,

Go Rachel!

[Bryan]

I think everyone should experience an NDP government at least once. Just so they know how bad it can be. As has already been stated, we learned our lesson in Ontario. Its been 20 years and people still haven't forgotten how big a disaster it was.

We've learned our lesson the hard way in Manitoba as well. I wouldn't wish what we've endured on anyone.

[The_Squid]

vhttp://globalnews.ca/news/1975741/albertans-show-support-for-stollery-childrens-hospital-following-comment-by-business-leader/

It's a good strategy of the PC's supporters in big business to threaten children's hospital donations if the PCs are tossed. Sick children always make good political hostages!

FEAR THE ORANGE MENACE!

[Smallc]

We've learned our lesson the hard way in Manitoba as well. I wouldn't wish what we've endured on anyone.

It was such a lesson that we keep the NDP for what will be 17 years. It's time for a change, but let's not pretend Manitobans were until recently generally unhappy with the NDP.

[Bryan]

It was such a lesson that we keep the NDP for what will be 17 years. It's time for a change, but let's not pretend Manitobans were until recently generally unhappy with the NDP.

They weren't unhappy, because they were blissfully unaware of the fiscal damage being done. That's the problem with the NDP, it's not their programs that are difficult to live with, it's cleaning up their messes and paying for that fun that's the burden.

[cybercoma]

I think everyone should experience an NDP government at least once. Just so they know how bad it can be. As has already been stated, we learned our lesson in Ontario. Its been 20 years and people still haven't forgotten how big a disaster it was.

Are you even old enough to have experienced an NDP government?

[LemonPureLeaf]

Are you even old enough to have experienced an NDP government?

I certainly am. Ontario will not have another NDP government in my lifetime. I am not opposed to a NDP government provincialy necessarily. Federally no way but a provincial one once in a while may not be a bad thing. As long as it's not the Bob Rae style one. It was his botching of the province that allowed Mike Harris to be elected in the first place. All the people who hate Harris should be blaming Rae. Thats where the blame should lie.

[Argus]

Might turn into what happened in Ontario with the NDP.

Tried it once and we learned our lesson. Bob Rae has done more for the other two parties in Ontario than any one person in history.

Even harder to feel sorry for Ontarions when the province goes into bankruptcy because of their continued devotion to the most corrupt and incompetent political party in Canadian history.

[Argus]

I certainly am. Ontario will not have another NDP government in my lifetime. I am not opposed to a NDP government provincialy necessarily.

Bob Rae's NDP were far more competent and honest than the current Liberals Ontarions rushed to embrace and sweep back into power with a majority last year.

[Ash74]

Bob Rae's NDP were far more competent and honest than the current Liberals Ontarions rushed to embrace and sweep back into power with a majority last year.

I never thought I would agree with something that said a postivie thing about Bob Rae's time as premier but His government was not nearly as corrupt.

It is an even money bet on incompetence.

[LemonPureLeaf]

Bob Rae's NDP were far more competent and honest than the current Liberals Ontarions rushed to embrace and sweep back into power with a majority last year.

Scary,isn't it?

[Topaz]

My view is that the NDP could get a minority or majority government because voters are tired of the PC's in Alberta and that fact that both, the PC and Wildrose leaders were part of Harper's government and how thye attacked the social programs which many people really need. Also, there's more voters now, that lived outside of Alberta, that are voting. As far as Ontario, and Bob Rae, he would be the first to admit, and he has, mistakes were made, but at least, he didn't create more unemployment, like the present feds. Provincial workers worked in shifts and that better than being without a job.

[PIK]

They need Calgary to do that. And remember wild rose was to win the last one, and the fact the young who don't usually vote ,are the main supporters. And in the end I think people will not vote for the NDP. And if anyone here thinks it is a a good thing ,think again. They will not only destroy alberta ,the country will suffer as well.

Edited May 4, 2015 by PIK

[Accountability Now]

It's kind of hard to feel sorry for the Alberta PCs. Impossible, really.

I hear ya. The PC's made their bad by selling their souls to the public servants just to win their votes in the last election over the Wild Rose. Now, there is no money left the budgets for teachers and health care becasue salaries have eaten this up.

They certainly have made their beds and it wouldn't surprise me if they don't win. Having said that, I feel the NDP are just pandering to the crowd. The issue the PC's created with the public servants won't go away without more money. Its a very risky thing to think we are going to get more money from corporations and oil but I guess that's a risk they are willing to take.

[Black Dog]

I think everyone should experience an NDP government at least once. Just so they know how bad it can be. As has already been stated, we learned our lesson in Ontario. Its been 20 years and people still haven't forgotten how big a disaster it was.

Yeah, the people of Ontario learned their lesson by electing a series of governments, starting with Mike Harris, that was each worse than the one that came before it.

[Shady]

Yeah, the people of Ontario learned their lesson by electing a series of governments, starting with Mike Harris, that was each worse than the one that came before it.

Not really. I don't think that balancing the budget, paying down the debt, having the province's debt rating raised, lowering taxes, and creating jobs was bad. Perhaps to the far left, that prefers and values bad green policy over everything else.

[Black Dog]

Not really. I don't think that balancing the budget, paying down the debt, having the province's debt rating raised, lowering taxes, and creating jobs was bad. Perhaps to the far left, that prefers and values bad green policy over everything else.

You realize "bad green policy" was the product of the governments voted in (several times!) by the same voters you were just praising for having learned their lesson, yeah?

Edited May 4, 2015 by Black Dog