Dinning vs Morton

Dinning is a former finance minister who pushed Klein into premature retirement. Dinning is a vague, "please everyone" guy. Sound familiar?

The Harper days are a danger for Alberta in that they could invite complacency at a time we choose our next leader. The Harper thaw could pass like a one day chinook in January. Next summer, God forbid, we could be facing a federal Liberal minority government led by a failed socialist premier and propped up by Taliban Jack. Churns my stomach for sure.

Morton is solid, no BS guy who will not be pushed around by the feds and will invigorate a moribund PC party with a lot of good ideas.

Go Ted!!!

I just like Morton's Alberta first stand . . good counter balance to the constant whine out of Quebec.

Alberta should lead the way in getting provinces to tell Ottawa to screw itself on Provincial matters and start the ball rolling on protecting provincial interests against theft and redistribution.

Ontario is passive, time for a new lead Province for the ROC.

I can't help but think this will go to the second vote on December 2nd. I feel that Morton will make some last minute gains with his experience in constitutional matters, especially with all the nation business flying around lately. Dinning, Morton and Oberg will be on that ballot - perhaps finding 50% plus one even at that time may prove challenging.

I agree a stronger Alberta would be healthier for Canada. I'm not from Alberta these days but from what I've read Ted Morton sounds to me like a true conservative and not about to bend which ever way the wind blows.

Morton is seen by many as a fresh face; some fresh blood to renew the party. Dinning is from the old-boys club; more of the same. The so-called "social conservatism" of Morton doesn't even come up with the folks I talk to.

In fact, there's a serious "anyone but Dinning" attitude out there. Some people are seriously frightened by this man. An endorsement by Lougheed isn't exactly helpful here.

My prediction is Dinning will lead the first ballot, but Morton will pull ahead of him on the second ballot.

Morton is a separatist.

I get the feeling here in Alberta that Jim Dinning has stayed in the lead merely because he is said to have been in the lead.

Unfortunately, you can't run a campaign by hoping to maintain a front-runner status, and I am afraid that Dinning has done just that.

I think Albertans want something other than a status-quo leader at this point in history. We will soon see!

Ditto Bart.
Oberg, Stelmach and Hancock are nowhere. Norris should be nowhere after that hinky consultingfeetohidedonations exercise. BTW, why hasn't there been more noise about that?
Most importantly, Morton could attract the votes of many socons, thereby avoiding a split vote between the PC and the Alberta Alliance. That potential split is a scenario to give any Lib a wet dream.
BTW again, why haven't the Alliance and the Libs been campaigning their own tails off in this race? Sure, they can't run, but don't they have ANYTHING to say? This will matter in the next provincial elections.
Maybe the Libs don't want to annoy Nancy Dinning.

Morton is a separatist.

Real Conservatives supply back-up quotes to support their assertions.

Jim Dinning is the old party. If he is elected it will be another Getty disaster . This Party needs a complete change. Its old wing has exhausted any ideas or a vision for Alberta's future. It is out of steam & needs an overhaul. As well, loose some bad connections.

The fact we have had virtually no Government for a few years now, should be warning enough. For the inaction that awaits us if this becomes a reality. To stay away from putrefying big government, Red Tories. Which Dinning is. Already certain scandles are bubbling forth. Instead of a broom , they need a Bobcat.

Ted Morton , on the other hand was never a part of the old hands. He was handily elected as a Senator. His personal history & education is impressive, to say the least. One of the biggest selling points though, is he's not stuck in the Boomer mindset of the sixties. He thinks more like a 21rst Century man, than a middle 20th century political mandarin.

He is a Harper incrimentalist. As a signatory to the firewall letter. As was the PMSH. I think in this time, we need a man who will stand up to Ottawa if Toronto engineers the Liberal crooks return to power & perennial poverty for this Nation.

The rape of any productive Province, but Ontario. You know all the sundry evils of the swag grabbing Liberano's. Only magnified by the square root, with voting confirmation of Canadian stupidity.

If the worst happens, it will be good to have a man of convictions standing for our Provincial rights.

The absolute reason for my choice. Is his pledge to reform our provincial democracy . Things like recall, maybe elected lower judges & the like. With referendums & perhaps having a upper house by cutting the lower one, to offset Rural Urban rivalry. Triple E of course.

As the old saying goes. Stock up while the fields are bountiful in there years, for surly a drought will come. Unless this party changes it will die hard & fast as all Albertan ones do. When losing touch with the populace.

We need honesty coupled to a democratic reform. Not business as usual.

Just my opinion, before I read the other comments.

Ted Morton is the one and only choice for me. If push comes to shove with Ottawa and Quebec, Ted is the only one of the bunch that I see who would shove back.

I'm supportin'/votin' Morton.

Screw the old boys/ establishment club.

Let's give democracy a real chance. That means,

let the grass roots give some direction, and

then let academics run with it.

Ted is a bit of brainiac, but a very down to

earth one.

Well I like all the support here for Morton. He is the only real conservative in the bunch. And no he is not a separatist, but I wouldnt piss him off.

Hope all you folks get out in the cold tomorrow to vote for him.

Dinning was on Rutherford last week . He's smoooth , real smooooth . He has a real smooooth way of deflecting and not answering questions. Got this same damn thing about the " heritage fund" that we've heard for the last 15 years. I don't give a smoooth crap about the heritage fund . We've got highways that need expanding now . not in ten years and fifteen more commitees . NOW.

Easterners from Ontario and Newfounland are flocking west to Alberta like wild geese going north in spring.
Give those socialist hordes from the east the vote in Alberta and next thing you know you will be led by a Danny Williams or even worse a Dalton McGuinty.

I have heard enough about Morton to make him my choice - - If I had an Alberta vote!

I believe Dinning is too much like Paul Martin, he might have been a good finance miniser 10 years ago, but if he gets elected Premier, he will be a disaster.

He's a metrosexual liberal lite stuck in cowboy/oil country.

Morton has my vote, and I'm bringing others out with me who support him.

I also think this Quebec thing will make Albertans think about who they want as Premier, a marshmallow (Dinning) or a strong voice (Morton). Morton wants us to get out of the CPP and have our own APP, collect all taxes, and have our own provincial police force, same as Quebec. In other words, he wants us to be more independent of Ottawa, within a strong Canada, something Conservatives can agree with wholeheartedly.

Please no liberals lites. Vote Morton!

I don't care if it's -20 and snowing tomorrow, I'll walk to the polling station if I have to, to vote for Morton. Poster Bart F.'s correct, the threat of a Rae/Layton federal horror show is a little too real. We need a tough smart modern premier to cope with a tough new future. There's a sucking socialist black hellhole centered in Ontario and Quebec and it seems to be still growing.

Dinning unfortunately (and probably unfairly) reminds me of another former finance minister who seemed to think he was entitled to the leadership-Paul Martin. but Morton really is the guy that I think will stand up to Ottawa. not a big issue now but Stephen Harper isn't going to be PM forever.

If I were in Alta, I would vote for Ted Morton. Please Alta vote for Ted tomorrow.

EH..........run em all off, they've been in there wayyyy too long. Anyone remember another bunch of old boys who thought they were the natural ruling party?
They are elected to serve the voter not rule them.

Red Deer, Alberta

Notice a trend? If the comments here are any indication, it'll be Morton on the first ballot.

I would sure like to be on the Morton bandwagon but he is an academic. He say's everything I want to hear and I agree with 99% of what he say's, but I don't trust him. Not that I don't trust his sincerity or him as a person but the fact alone that he is an academic. He can talk you out of your shorts but can and does he have the capability to realistically put in practice what he proposes? Is practicality and reality part of that academic make up? The overwhelming number of academics I have ever come in contact with and the ones I know personally, just a couple, are brilliant intelligent people but they have one common flaw, practicality. Most couldn’t find their ass with both hands behind their back. Is this one any different?

I like him but ---.

The writers at ThePolitic.com have gone to great lengths to expose Dinning as a Liberal:

For a small sampling check out of our comments about Dinning, check out:
http://www.thepolitic.com/?s=dinning

For Morton, check out:
http://www.thepolitic.com/?s=morton

My personal favorite:
Paul Martin Jim Dinning Connection Redux
http://www.thepolitic.com/archives/2006/11/16/paul-martin-jim-dinning-connection-redux/

I know I know, enough with the shameful self promotion ;)

One other thing, Stelmach has a large rural following, and I think greatly underestimated.

Joe,

I am a conservative from the far east and will be voting with my wife for Morton. Most of the easterners that come here and see the other side of the spectrum do change their voting patterns.

I heard Dinning on Rutherford the other day and was glad I bought my membership.

Western Canadian. Morton is an academic but I get the feeling he is not typical of that ilk. I belive that if he dose win a large problem for him will be being surrounded bye "the good ole boys" of Ralphs crew of closet liberals. He would have to do a house cleaning first.

Morton hears a Who:

"This", cried the people, “is our provinces darkest hour!
The time for all Whos who have blood that is red
To come to the aid of their province!” they said.
“We’ve GOT to make noises in greater amounts!
So, open your mouth, lads! For every voice counts!”

The Rae / Layton horror show would be damned ugly but I've heard and read about Ignatief talking about a carbon tax. I don't trust another liberal to stand up to them. If somebody donates $25,000.00 from the company he's running to Paul Martin, what does that make him ?

Good on you Edgar, I may have painted with too broad
of a brush!

Two things: I hear Dinning supported Paul Martin in the last election to the tune of $25,000, but not Harper.

I also read today that Dinning attended a brunch of ardent Liberals at a private home in Calgary last Sunday and was selling some of them memberships.

I will definitely be voting for Ted Morton tomorrow.

I believe that Ed Stelmach has the best opportunity and is best positioned to lead the province until the next election. He has a solid reputation, has the backing of some 11 MLAs (a solid base from which to bring change) - unlike Dinning with 32+ MLAs representing the old boys club. He is well liked, and apparently has a great deal of integrity/ability. He has been tending to the job while Dinning has been campaigning in the boardrooms to gain his "entitlement to his entitlements". I am after substance, not flash.

If the conservatives are unable to unite under Stelmach in the next two years, then we will probably need someone a whole lot stronger than Morton to lead the province. This will be particularly true if the federal situation goes south (and we should be gearing up just in case)

Every time I hear Jim Dinning on a radio ad he seems to be speaking like he's talking to a grade three class of kids. It makes my skin crawl. If he becomes premier he will instigate a economic collapse in Alberta by pulling the emergency brakes on the oil sands. Im not supportin a LIBERAL! Im supportin Morton.

Western Canadian, I understand how you feel about academics in politics.
But, I am not well schooled in politics but I HAVE met Ted Morton on 2 occcasions and he gave me a good feeling both times.
I'm voting for him. I don't trust "Slick Jimmy" as far as I can throw him.

Hello, my name is Jim Dinning and I would just like to take this opportunity to tell all you Albertans how much I love you all, and if I could I would tuck each and every Albertan into bed every night, but you just have to know I can't possibly do that so if just please please please vote for me it will give me a warm and fuzzy feeling all over. This sappy phoney closet lieberal will say or do anything to get elected, just like paul martin he just wants more than anything else to be premier, not because he wants to make Alberta better but just to be premier. Dinning will look down into the big toilet that Ralph has left and he will see all those little turds bobbing around with their 220 thousand a year jobs and he will reach out to each of them with a bonus, losers like dave coutts, dave hancock or the glass shop owner turned head of the nrcb all bobbing around while doing nothing for the money. Ted morton will come in look down at all the bobbing turds of government and with one mighty flush the guy boutineers and dave coutts will be heading east down the North Saskatchewan and some new blood will be brought in like 1971 and 1992

I'll be voting for Morton tomorrow. and I'm trying to convince my daughter to support him too. If there's a runoff in a week, I think she will.
I don't care if he is a separatist. Maybe a few threats in that direction will get us some of the same attention that Quebec has been getting for decades. I like the idea of a 'firewall' to protect Alberta.

Morton really does have a rural groundswell working for him. The anti-Dinning forces are serious and motivated. I'll be interested to see how motivated in minus 25 weather the Dinning vote is -- I suspect it is a little suspect.

Thanks for the comments regarding Morton and I do agree Stelmach is the dark horse.

There will be a "hoopla" going on at Stampede Park from 6-11 pm on Sat. as the results come in.

Check for the colors - Dinning (orange), Oberg (green), Morton (Black), Stelmach, Norris, Doerkson, and Hancock (white). If Dinning apears to be Liberal then Hancock is probably a liberal- lite. Stelmach and Norris will probably surprise in terms of strength and are generally thought of as pretty centrist.

After busing in about 250 "block voters" to an advanced poll (not designed to accommodate this) plus all of his other antics - I can't see how there will be much green support for Oberg.

Tomorrow, I will be casting my ballot for Ted Morton. He is focused, straight forward, keenly blunt, and has Alberta's interests at heart. I truly believe that the best PM I have seen in my lifetime is now sitting in 24 Sussex..I would now like to see a similar personality in the Edmonton Legislature. Dinning is a Klein-era spoof; no plan, no vision.

Ted Morton is far far away from the old school Tories, even if ol' Pete Lougheed don't like him much...vote for Morton. As a born and raised Calgarian, card carrying conservative I'm living here in lotusland (for 5 weeks now)and can't vote in my hometown...it is painful

Voting for Ted tomorrow. It is time for some real change on many fronts. I am sure Jim would make a great mister of something again.

Wow. The newspapers and the TV talking heads have been telling me for months that Dinning's the heir to the throne, yet here on the internet I don't think I've seen a single post by a mere mortal, an ordinary citizen, championing him. Whatever can it mean?

Initially I intended to vote for Mark Norris and I think he would do well as Premier but for my first choice I've decided to go with Morton because I agree with his POV and he will clearly stand up to Eastern Canada and the Feds when required. No more Red Tories or Liberals in drag! Polls open in less than 2 hours, get out there and vote fellow Albertans!

Morton for the long term viability and sustainability of Alberta's economic and political independence. There is no other way to view this leadership race at this point in Alberta history.

The Business class simply want to harvest the good timesand don't care about provincial economic independence or constitutional sovereignty...they will sell their ass to the highest bidder and jump through any federal regulatory hoopp to get at the candy...Dinning champions this apolitical mecinary sleaze.

What's left for Morton's support is the hopes and aspirations of Alberta's non transient population who have put down generational roots in the province...families, workers, educators,small town residents, professionals and entrepreners with forward looking optics, land owners, farmers and traditionalists, anyone who has a passion to see Alberta survive for the long term as a economically independent self sustaining province...the people the PC party abandoned in the late 90s.

"card carrying conservative I'm living here in lotusland (for 5 weeks now)and can't vote in my hometown...it is painful
Posted by: kelly at November 25, 2006 02:30 AM"

so it has been wet the last five weeks out in Lotusland . . toes started to web over yet ??

While Mr. Dinning did well to right Alberta's ship, he's a bean counter. Ever see his TV ads? Might as well eat Melba toast.

Ted Morton is the guy, but watch for ballot box stuffing from the GOB's (good ol' boys) and PC members are really closet Ottawa Liberals and don't want to loose their porkies.

Ted Morton all the way.
The PC party of Alberta is full of liberals. Which is logical, since they know its their only path to political power. Political democracy its seams today is more about power, influence and patronage rather than ideology.
Ted will help "realign" the PC's and may even, in the long run, improve the political spectrum in Alberta. At present, there are a lot of PC's who are for big government with big 'solutions'. I've also said before that Jim Dinning is Alberta's home grown Dalton McGuinty.

My hope: Small government with Ted at the head.
Off to vote I go. Cheers.

After sleeping on my thoughts Morton still keeps popping up as my choice, with reservations. As mentioned above it will be very interesting to see if Morton, as the darling of this blog, holds the same support at the convention as he does here. Most of us are reading the same book and pretty much on the same page. It will be very interesting to see if all our comments are just the feelings of a bunch of realists or if the majority of even our "own kind" know what’s up and we are the one's in the dark. Are we all truly just preaching to the converted here at SDA?

It will be interesting to see how close we are to being right and if SDA has had any effect at all. Is it fair to even suggest that SDA could have an effect? Hopefully all our comments and feelings and desires are not just wishful thinking and meaningless in the overall scheme of things.

Well, I'm no Conservative (or conservative) -- I'm a libertarian by political preference.  However, as I've stated a number of times throughout the blogosphere for the past few years, you can't vote for that which doesn't exist.  In Canada, any libertarian option is entirely moribund.

For me, voting is a series of optimization efforts amongst sub-optimal choices.  Morton's gonna be the guy I vote for today, because I have long memories of what the closet Liberals (note the large "L") in the Alberta Progressive Conservative party have done (or, more to the point, have not done) when confronted by their counterparts in Ottawa.

Liberals think the division of powers in the Constitution is simply an interesting suggestion, to be ignored when it's obviously inconvenient for the furtherance of their grand schemes.  Dinning, through everything I can discover, appears to be just such a closet Liberal, an eminence grise of the party who doesn't have the guts to face up to the erosion of provincial rights.  Morton, on the other hand, actually seems to believe the Constitution is meaningful and should be respected.

What a concept.

*****

As an aside, for those of you voting today, the PC's own leadership website implies that urban locations have only one polling place for an entire city.  This is wrong: you need to find out what your riding is, and then look up the polling station for that riding.  For my riding (Calgary Egmont), that location is:

     Fairview Community Association
     8038 Fairmont Drive SE
     Calgary

And it's searchable on Google Maps.

If you're not sure how to determine your riding, go to the Elections Alberta site at:

     http://www.electionsalberta.ab.ca/streetkey/

and enter the appropriate location info for your residence (the navigation bar at the left-hand side of the screen gives you several options for entering locations -- street, legal land description, postal code, etc.).  Then you can go to the PC Association's website at:

     http://www.albertapc.ab.ca/public/custom/stations/

and look up your polling station based on the knowledge of your riding name.  You don't have to be a member of the party prior to voting -- you can purchase a membership for $5.00 just before you vote.

Good luck.  Hell, good luck to us all.

I and all my family are supporting Ted Morton. I feel that it is vital that Ted win this election. It is vital to the continued good health of this province. Jim Dinning makes me want to chuck -up everytime I hear him, the way he talks down to all of us like we are small children.I have called all my kids and been assured they are going to the polls today even if it is -20 out there.