Wondering when gays will wake up and object to being the pawns in the election games.
Welcome to Ontario West. Reford needs to rephrase her earlier statement to read, “this isn’t your fathers Alberta”.
This is true, and we probably will win next time. Redford can’t keep her new coalition happy without offending the other half.
Listened to Redford on the radio this morning taking questions from the media. Her arrogance is so thick, it plugs up the speaker in the radio. I lost count of the number of times she said “I” or “me”. Whenever you get a chance, listen closely to her and you will pick it up. She is our very own Obama although I didn’t hear her say that with her election, “Let it be known that this was the day the oceans stopped rising…”
Probably slipped her mind.
The great thing about leftards is they cannot help plotting and scheming against one another.
New pc Motto “Saving non hetros from the lake of fire.” LOL
Here’s a ? Are there no non hetro conservatives? I wonder how they feel about all this?
I am depressed by the results of course, but the WR did get 35%. That’s not bad at all, and it would’ve translated to seats had the support been better distributed. A lot of seats in Calgary were very close. The strategic voting was also important. A LOT of Liberals bit the bullet. I can’t help but be a little impressed that they actually did that.
yep
Why are Alberta provincial elections the only ones where polls aren’t at least somewhat close to the final vote? The last two elections have turned out very differently than predicted. A 20% shift in two days? Bizarre.
The Conservatives lost the election last night, the Progressive liberals who infest the party won. Progressive can’t help themselves, they are know it alls who use their power to force their tyranny on the people. Four more years of liberals infesting every segment of Albertan’s lives should go down like cold gravy.
Never underestimate the value of union backing.
What a disastrous night for proponents of individual freedoms, limited government, and sustaining a low-tax, pro-business environment.
With comrade Redford’s victory, Alberta will “enjoy” higher taxes, increased energy costs, a brand new PST and a bunch of other socialist measures that stifle growth, dissuade entrepreneurs and start-ups, and drive opportunity from the province in all directions.
I moved to Alberta 6 years ago from Ontario to get away from Dalton McGuinty’s socialist nightmare.
I did not make Alberta my home because I was hoping to pay more taxes, or to hear more leftist tripe, or because Alberta somehow needed to be carved in the image of Ontario.
I came to Alberta for the opportunity. For the pro-business, low tax environment. To finally find a place where if you work hard you can make a real life for yourself.
I am proud to call Alberta home.
There is a reason that Alberta is the most prosperous province in the country — and its not because of socialist policies. A lot of people will smugly remark that it’s simply because of oil — but as Saskatchewan’s recent boom under the conservative Sask. party shows — it has much more to do with good policy.
As my father once remarked to me over the phone: “The REAL Alberta advantage is its distinct lack of leftists.”
If any of Redford’s platform sounds suspiciously like Ontario’s present platform, it’s because it is. Alberta has voted to be governed by Dalton McGuinty’s sock puppet.
We’re all in for a bumpy ride.
For the first election where they fielded a full slate of candidates the WR did well.
As the article pointed out it was the collapse of the liberal voter base to the PC that actually won the day for Redford.
“Dalton McGuinty’s sock puppet”
Dalton couldn’t operate a sock puppet.
Don’t forget that it took the Reform Party a couple of elections to really get moving. Redford will screw Alberta over big time and the Wildrose will be ready to take over next election.
The Progressive Party of Alberta isn’t changed by this election, it’s been EXPOSED by it.
There is nothing to be upset about for conservative Albertan’s. The Progressives have been flying under the radar for far too long under the “conservative” moniker, but not anymore.
Had this not occurred they would still be a cloak and dagger Progressive Party manipulating Albertan’s into thinking their Progressive policies are for a conservative cause.
If you had suggested to me 4 months ago that we would have a WRP with 17 seats I’d have been ecstatic.
The only let down for many is that the polls falsely (intentionally?) predicted a sweeping victory in the last month or more, which was always unrealistic.
Put in its proper perspective this is a great win for the WRP and Alberta, I believe the polls were falsified to generate a defeatist attitude and take away from the momentum of the “win” with a falsly assumed loss.
Keep up the momentum, we are winning, that fact has not changed in the slightest.
The people who voted for the PCs over the Liberals are like those who voted for the NDP over the Bloc Quebecois- insincere and easily moved. I certainly hope the political climate changes by 2016.
That’s the post I wish I had written. I agree with Publius’ statement: “I’m guessing that sometime this morning Danielle Smith will be placing a large order for choke chains. One for each MLA and candidate. It’s unfortunate but I can’t see any other way around it.”
I’m waiting for the upcoming parade of floor crossings to the opposition benches.
Don’t believe for a minute that more than a few PC MLAs see the writing on the wall. Redford is a little Stalin fembot and there will be no room for kulaks in HER party.
Apparently the Russians are once again considering giving Lenin a real burial and dismantling his mausoleum in Red Square. Will they moving it to Redmonton? Just asking.
Sad that an opinion can create such idiocy in people. Stephen Harper uses that choke collar for a reason. There are far, far too many people who judge people (and the group they belong to) for an opinion.
But savvy politicians know this. As Publius alludes, it’s the reason the federal Cons lost in 2004. What made the difference for Cons 2 years later: attack ads and policies. No more Mr. Nice Guy. The WR will have to figure this out as well. The media cannot/will not be their spokesman to bring to light PC corruption and bad policies.
WR – do us proud. The fight against the nanny state just marches on.
The problem with all this sillyness is who qualifies.
Atheists are always pissed at a god who they do not believe exists.
Communist stupid and mass murderers.
Socialist one trolley stop from communist.
Jews have the money thing.
Moslems way to liberal with women.
You can find something wrong with everyone. Therefore no one should hold office.
This is so high school.
Everyone was all upset about something that was nothing that thy let in Nelly’s Mom you no Mrs. Olson from little house on the prairie. You no the one who always had her nose in everyones business.
So Redford united the left in Alberta.
Sad day, but so was 2004 when Martin remained. Wildrose now has the opportunity to show they wont be putting soldiers on every corner, and they’ll eventually win out.
Re floor crossings … sorry I pooched the thought… point I wanted to make is that more than a few PC MLAs know they will not have a future under The Red Tyrant.
Floor crossing should look very attractive and will not hurt their chances for re-election.
We know Alberta has been attracting migrants and immigrants for a couple of decades now. I think the reason for last night’s vote is that the newcomers actually hate Alberta values and finally found a way to express their dislike.
In this case ‘the ethnics’ as Jacques Parizeau used to say, were from the Maritimes and Ontario.
If Redford stops moving left it could cut the Wildrose’s legs off.
I’ve often felt that Albertans aren’t so much conservatives as they are liberals who like making money.
If Redford stays away from tax increases, doesn’t get too crazy with left-wing intiatives and cleans up the corruption she might do away with Wildrose.
I think any of this happening is unlikely. The big win is only going to embolden her more so. The corruption isn’t corruption in their minds…it’s just the way things are.
Left-wing intiatives are about modernizing the backwater.
And tax increases will probably be the last and final straw. She might be forced to pitch them when the deficits keep growing to match her spending. Four years goes by in a flash and she just campaigned on a platform that was…no hyperbole necessary….to the fiscal left of Brian Mason’s NDP. Seriously. Do the math.
Danielle and co. are being given an audition. They need to do what Harper did and play within the liberal frame.
Lie when you need to, smear the enemy and professionalize your political brand.
That’s how conservatives win.
Once you win you do what you want.
The lefties where I work were gleeful. I had to suck it up,and even suppressed the urge to throw out the ” 56% of Albertans didn’t vote..”.
I did ask them why they thought the WR lost. Not one said it was the policies of the WR or the Pc,they all gave the ‘redneck,homophobe,backward angle’ that the media successfully hung on the WR.
The children did what children do when they are scared,they ran to mommy. A few hid directly under her skirt and did nothing ,and a few brave souls lashed out by voting against the WR beast.
I sucked it up today,but over the next few years I will be reminding them that the odour that is making them cringe,comes from the part of momma that the media failed to mention..
Lessee… it’s OK for Muslims to say gays should be hanged or beheaded, but it’s not OK for a Christian Pastor to say that gays won’t go to heaven unless they repent.
I can’t believe that cost WR the vote of anybody who would have otherwise voted for them. The only people the Pastor’s comment would truly offend, wouldn’t have voted WR anyways.
I see a silver lining here for the WR. Being the official opposition will allow them to hone their conservative credentials and show Albertan’s that the scary card won’t work in the next election. I also think that as Albertan’s get to chow down on her Redford’s policy stew over the next four years, the WR will feel like a welcome antacid the next time they vote.
RV Redneck,you’re bang on with the first sentence,and dead wrong with the second.
People are easily persuaded by shiny baubles and dissuaded by the scary unknown. The ‘far-right’ label was hung on the WR and to those who wish to be seen as wise,tolerant,and all that is good,that is the political equivalent of a skull and crossbones.
Jeff
“…Albertans aren’t so much conservatives as they are liberals who like making money.”
Close – More like fiscal conservatives/ social libertarians.
That WRP message has not yet transitioned throughout Alberta, but it will, especially now that people are paying some attention.
The fact that the WRP has quadrupled their seats in a good “conservative Albertan” economy while the rest of the world sits in recession and teeters on major recession, is remarkable.
Albertans do indeed pay attention to the global economic fears, which plays no small role in keeping what most believe is the status quo.
Pub has his typical insight and his political history of the AB PC mutation is spot on but as far as the election results go I think he missed some pretty simple elements.
1) Redford was the chosen Judas goat for an ever vigilant transnationalist progressive movement who saw a long term governing party hollowed out of its conservative members and MLAs just ripe for takeover – this is what she did, claimed the APC for a collectivist liberal political network based in Ottawa/TO/and NYC.
2) PC spinners were surprised to see their new leader not go directly to the polls to take full advantage of brand name loyalty. Instead she spent the interim time legislating some of the most draconian land use law and civil rights violating law Alberta has ever seen – she got that in “in case” The PCs were defeated.
3) Rural Alberta (landowners and small producers, both agro and resource) were starkly aware of the gutting of property right and control the new PC laws carried. They went WRP – many rural ridings were lost by WRP by 100 votes or less, net election rural Alberta will be fully Wild Rose as the new land use regs starts damaging them.
4) Urban Alberta is centrist and largely naive about the change in PC direction/policy and had not been impacted directly by PC taxing the energy patch and micro regulating land use. So the simple “fear” campaign the PCs ran worked.
The things the Wild Rose party was outrage about – corruption, entitlement, transnational progressives posing as Tories, big brother government with anti-civil liberty agendas sis not resonate with urban voters in the thrall of a super-heated economy. The scare campaign worked because they really ARE superficial voters. Alberta’s majority has been shifted left and it believes this is “centrist” . Conservatives, libertarians and populists are more aware of the political mechanics behind what is happening and they have left the PCs. The PCs gained liberal voters and centrist voters who swing liberal or PC.
The way things shake out now is that the PCs have a red tory-liberal-collectivist progressive big tent that owns the center majority. The NDP and Liberals have the 10 percent true left vote and Wild Rose has the 20-30% true conservative-libertarian-populist anti big government coalition.
Wild Rose will stay at around 20 seats until they can get their message out wider and more Albertans are directly damaged by the PCs now transnational progressivist agenda. I think this will come sooner than later because much of the progressivist PC agenda will cool the AB economy and damage its wealth engines.
@Knight 99
Albertans aren’t fiscal conservatives.
1. Alberta spends more public money per capita than any other province in the country.
Somethng like $41,000 per person.
2. Deficits and debt are in Alberta’s blood. Ralph temporarily paid off the debt and look what happened.
3. Redford ran on a campaign platform that was promising roughly double the amount of new spending than Brian Mason’s NDP was promising.
That’s right…The PC’s were running TO THE LEFT OF the NDP.
TO THE LEFT OF THE NDP!
They won in a landslide.
There’s nothing special about Alberta.
Nothing.
What really needs to be analyzed is the WRA campaign. I am not trying to throw stones or bad mouth the party I support but in actual fact the WRA was not able to present a clear picture of where they would like to take the province. Or why and what benefits the average Albertan should expect from the new government.
Looking back at the historic changes in governments here in Alberta you notice that when historic changes took place the winning political leader captured the imagination of the people with a dream or an image that the people wanted to see in themselves. Bible Bill Aberhart, Peter Lougheed and Ralf Klein all had the ability to make Albertans feel special about being Albertan. So far all I have seen from Danielle Smith is a nice set of tires and a really great pair of hubcaps. Yesterday I had a thousand reasons to vote against Red Ali. I didn’t have one good reason to vote for Darling Danielle.
Rocky View Redneck
I think your right. It was a collusion between the Liberals, NDP , unions, certain media, with all the Easterners who have moved here.
as well Alberta has become corrupt itself. The boomers have screwed another generation for socialism yet again. They have the numbers, Till everyone of that Locust generation is planted will dominate any political party.
I,m a boomer myself , have watched the march of the greedy ones all my life. Those of us with integrity or morals have watched while they have eaten the wealth away, so that only the desert of poverty survives. They don’t care about the future, only themselves . Heard it a thousand times from my own generation. The ex Hippies, yuppies have called the shots till nothing is left to steal. Even honor.
Jeff >
“There’s nothing special about Alberta.
Nothing.”
Ha ha, yes there is, I live in Alberta and I’m a fiscal conservative. 🙂
Maybe Quebec could send us some equalization payments.
Of course Albertan’s spend more money than the rest of Canada, they make more. It’s not a stretch to think that Stelmac and Redford could have run on a spending platform in an economy of plenty considering a booming economy and resource rich promises along with the influx of progressive immigration of their making.
That does not detract from the core fiscally conservative values of traditional Albertan’s. It also does not mean that Albertans don’t want any schools built, pot holes filled, hi speed internet access, and new roads built into forestry’s for future industrial development either.
Some spending promotes economic growth and prosperity, some is wasteful, the Progressives go too far with wasteful, and are not interested in individual wealth creation. Not a traditional Albertan value. The PC’s did not stay in power for 41 years on progressive values, this election result was no surprise to me verifiable in my “Wild Rose Comments” prior to the election. Although I did expect a few more seats, not a win. If they don’t win in 2016 I will be surprised.
I had a good reason. More freedom.
I think it is unrealistic to see a new political party, without any history of governance, and without a strong political network, suddenly move in and become the government.
Instead, as has been pointed out, what we saw was the transformation of the old PC party into the Alberta Liberal Party. The old Liberal party has imploded; its followers moved over to the PCs. And, the new Conservative party is now the Wild Rose party.
These few years will acknowledge this infrastructural transformation – the Alberta Liberals and the Alberta Conservatives.
The WR will be in the public eye as the Official Opposition, and with more seats than the last Opposition (the Liberals); and the WR will develop their network, their candidates, their policies.
As for the WR candidate being outspoken – his words were from several years ago; he didn’t suddenly speak them last week. I don’t think they were the cause of this vote; I still think that such a sudden switch from the PCs to the WR would have been superficial – rather like the Quebec switch from the Bloc to the NDP.
Joe you might be onto something. It is not enough to be against something, as you also have to be for something and convince people of your vision.
Nurse Redford’s liberal use of the words such as I, me, my, mine, etc. is a stark portent of her secret intention to re-design and mould Alberta to suit her puppet masters.
Sadly, pest control is another four years away.
Joe >
“What really needs to be analyzed is the WRA campaign”
Analyzed – besides people freaking out with fire and brimstone smears, not getting the WRP platform out to traditional status quo PC conservatives during a stable Albertan economy in the midst a global recession, played a serious roll.
i.e. Conservatives with good paying jobs see the global economy waning possibly even collapsing; jumping a floating ship into waters unknown in the midst of a storm is not usually a conservative characteristic.
“no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the electorate.”
Amen!
Jeff @ 7.14 pm
I think the Alberta gov’t spends about $12,000. per albertan, not close to $41,000. Still it’s far too much. Frasier Institute states here it’s closer to $10,300. but the recent spending spree has been quite far reaching… http://www.fraserinstitute.org/research-news/news/commentaries/Alberta-s-public-sector-unions-versus-Alberta-prosperity/
I think the only conservatives in the Legislature will be within the Wildrose Party. The others will all find too much common ground.
Good analysis by Publius. Liberals always try to use the “Tolerance Bomb” on conservatives and it works for a while.
My view is that this wasn’t the biggest factor. Since I live and work in Calgary I talked to a lot of people today who voted PC and not one alluded to the “Tolerance Bomb”.
Not everyone is a political junkie like us so WR is very new to a lot of people. And conservatives are by nature conservative. A couple said they could see WR being “ready” next time.
I know this sounds simplistic but I believe it’s true.
Harper and Walls didn’t have total success the first time out.
Smith will build from her seat in the legislature with a dozen and a half really good MLAs. Redford will pander to the new crowd of lefties in her big blue/red tent. And conservatives will continue to migrate to WR.
Things take tme.
Some FACTS Alberta 2012:
Liberal – Lost seats
Progressives – Lost seats
NDP – +2 seats
Wild Rose – Gained 13 seats = +400%
WRP gained over 1000% more seats than the Socialist NDP party the only other party to not lose a single seat.
Now who won and who lost Alberta 2012 again?
Alberta ceased being conservative decades ago. Probably in the Ernest Manning days. Loughheed changed the game forever. Remember the magnesium plants and the airlines???
Albertan’s like big government. The evidence is everywhere. Biggest civil service in the country. Biggest spenders. Property rights? Who needs em’?
The WRP had a chance to make some noise and did, but the members of the unite the left group aka the PC’s know how to win. And they did. They took the WRP out to the woodshed.
Now it’s 4 more years. The WRP can hone it’s skill and perfect it’s attack. There will probably be a massive world financial crisis in the next few years that will be hard for team redford to explain let alone survive.
If the WRP plays it’s cards right who knows how it may end up.
I have always felt that the hard core conservatives in Alberta probably represent about 15% of the total population, much like the seperatists in quebec. In order to punch above their weight winning conditions have to exist.
abtrapper >
“..the hard core conservatives in Alberta probably represent about 15% of the total population”
I suppose if that was true the WRP getting 35% of this elections votes was a fluke.
Why bother in 2016, they won’t start out of gate…..mmmmm don’t think so.
The other thing that I’ve thought about is that Alberta’s election made national news. Not just on election day or briefly during the campaign but this was focused on by various national pundits like it was a big deal. That’s a huge sea change. Since when did a western provincial election matter?
Can you say “sales tax”?
Now who won and who lost Alberta 2012 again?
Posted by: Knight 99 at April 24, 2012 10:09 PM
————————
Does that make you feel better? Not me.
2nd place is still a loser. Ever hear of a football team brag, “We took second!”? No, and you never will. Only first place is a winner and that, unfortunately, went to the Progressives.
It’ll go better next time? Don’t count on it. Consider; for the first time in history the media will be talking up the Progressive Conservative party instead of trying to tear it down. Labour will be supporting the Progressive Conservative party instead of trying to tear it down.
Rather mind boggling!
After 4 years of the Media-Labour-Progressive party doing their dirty work do you really believe they’ll be easy to defeat? Gonna be an uphill battle all the way for Wildrose.
Wondering when gays will wake up and object to being the pawns in the election games.
Welcome to Ontario West. Reford needs to rephrase her earlier statement to read, “this isn’t your fathers Alberta”.
This is true, and we probably will win next time. Redford can’t keep her new coalition happy without offending the other half.
Listened to Redford on the radio this morning taking questions from the media. Her arrogance is so thick, it plugs up the speaker in the radio. I lost count of the number of times she said “I” or “me”. Whenever you get a chance, listen closely to her and you will pick it up. She is our very own Obama although I didn’t hear her say that with her election, “Let it be known that this was the day the oceans stopped rising…”
Probably slipped her mind.
The great thing about leftards is they cannot help plotting and scheming against one another.
New pc Motto “Saving non hetros from the lake of fire.” LOL
Here’s a ? Are there no non hetro conservatives? I wonder how they feel about all this?
I am depressed by the results of course, but the WR did get 35%. That’s not bad at all, and it would’ve translated to seats had the support been better distributed. A lot of seats in Calgary were very close. The strategic voting was also important. A LOT of Liberals bit the bullet. I can’t help but be a little impressed that they actually did that.
yep
Why are Alberta provincial elections the only ones where polls aren’t at least somewhat close to the final vote? The last two elections have turned out very differently than predicted. A 20% shift in two days? Bizarre.
The Conservatives lost the election last night, the Progressive liberals who infest the party won. Progressive can’t help themselves, they are know it alls who use their power to force their tyranny on the people. Four more years of liberals infesting every segment of Albertan’s lives should go down like cold gravy.
Never underestimate the value of union backing.
What a disastrous night for proponents of individual freedoms, limited government, and sustaining a low-tax, pro-business environment.
With comrade Redford’s victory, Alberta will “enjoy” higher taxes, increased energy costs, a brand new PST and a bunch of other socialist measures that stifle growth, dissuade entrepreneurs and start-ups, and drive opportunity from the province in all directions.
I moved to Alberta 6 years ago from Ontario to get away from Dalton McGuinty’s socialist nightmare.
I did not make Alberta my home because I was hoping to pay more taxes, or to hear more leftist tripe, or because Alberta somehow needed to be carved in the image of Ontario.
I came to Alberta for the opportunity. For the pro-business, low tax environment. To finally find a place where if you work hard you can make a real life for yourself.
I am proud to call Alberta home.
There is a reason that Alberta is the most prosperous province in the country — and its not because of socialist policies. A lot of people will smugly remark that it’s simply because of oil — but as Saskatchewan’s recent boom under the conservative Sask. party shows — it has much more to do with good policy.
As my father once remarked to me over the phone: “The REAL Alberta advantage is its distinct lack of leftists.”
If any of Redford’s platform sounds suspiciously like Ontario’s present platform, it’s because it is. Alberta has voted to be governed by Dalton McGuinty’s sock puppet.
We’re all in for a bumpy ride.
For the first election where they fielded a full slate of candidates the WR did well.
As the article pointed out it was the collapse of the liberal voter base to the PC that actually won the day for Redford.
“Dalton McGuinty’s sock puppet”
Dalton couldn’t operate a sock puppet.
Don’t forget that it took the Reform Party a couple of elections to really get moving. Redford will screw Alberta over big time and the Wildrose will be ready to take over next election.
The Progressive Party of Alberta isn’t changed by this election, it’s been EXPOSED by it.
There is nothing to be upset about for conservative Albertan’s. The Progressives have been flying under the radar for far too long under the “conservative” moniker, but not anymore.
Had this not occurred they would still be a cloak and dagger Progressive Party manipulating Albertan’s into thinking their Progressive policies are for a conservative cause.
If you had suggested to me 4 months ago that we would have a WRP with 17 seats I’d have been ecstatic.
The only let down for many is that the polls falsely (intentionally?) predicted a sweeping victory in the last month or more, which was always unrealistic.
Put in its proper perspective this is a great win for the WRP and Alberta, I believe the polls were falsified to generate a defeatist attitude and take away from the momentum of the “win” with a falsly assumed loss.
Keep up the momentum, we are winning, that fact has not changed in the slightest.
The people who voted for the PCs over the Liberals are like those who voted for the NDP over the Bloc Quebecois- insincere and easily moved. I certainly hope the political climate changes by 2016.
That’s the post I wish I had written. I agree with Publius’ statement:
“I’m guessing that sometime this morning Danielle Smith will be placing a large order for choke chains. One for each MLA and candidate. It’s unfortunate but I can’t see any other way around it.”
I’m waiting for the upcoming parade of floor crossings to the opposition benches.
Don’t believe for a minute that more than a few PC MLAs see the writing on the wall. Redford is a little Stalin fembot and there will be no room for kulaks in HER party.
Apparently the Russians are once again considering giving Lenin a real burial and dismantling his mausoleum in Red Square. Will they moving it to Redmonton? Just asking.
Sad that an opinion can create such idiocy in people. Stephen Harper uses that choke collar for a reason. There are far, far too many people who judge people (and the group they belong to) for an opinion.
But savvy politicians know this. As Publius alludes, it’s the reason the federal Cons lost in 2004. What made the difference for Cons 2 years later: attack ads and policies. No more Mr. Nice Guy. The WR will have to figure this out as well. The media cannot/will not be their spokesman to bring to light PC corruption and bad policies.
WR – do us proud. The fight against the nanny state just marches on.
The problem with all this sillyness is who qualifies.
Atheists are always pissed at a god who they do not believe exists.
Communist stupid and mass murderers.
Socialist one trolley stop from communist.
Jews have the money thing.
Moslems way to liberal with women.
You can find something wrong with everyone. Therefore no one should hold office.
This is so high school.
Everyone was all upset about something that was nothing that thy let in Nelly’s Mom you no Mrs. Olson from little house on the prairie. You no the one who always had her nose in everyones business.
So Redford united the left in Alberta.
Sad day, but so was 2004 when Martin remained. Wildrose now has the opportunity to show they wont be putting soldiers on every corner, and they’ll eventually win out.
Re floor crossings … sorry I pooched the thought… point I wanted to make is that more than a few PC MLAs know they will not have a future under The Red Tyrant.
Floor crossing should look very attractive and will not hurt their chances for re-election.
We know Alberta has been attracting migrants and immigrants for a couple of decades now. I think the reason for last night’s vote is that the newcomers actually hate Alberta values and finally found a way to express their dislike.
In this case ‘the ethnics’ as Jacques Parizeau used to say, were from the Maritimes and Ontario.
If Redford stops moving left it could cut the Wildrose’s legs off.
I’ve often felt that Albertans aren’t so much conservatives as they are liberals who like making money.
If Redford stays away from tax increases, doesn’t get too crazy with left-wing intiatives and cleans up the corruption she might do away with Wildrose.
I think any of this happening is unlikely. The big win is only going to embolden her more so. The corruption isn’t corruption in their minds…it’s just the way things are.
Left-wing intiatives are about modernizing the backwater.
And tax increases will probably be the last and final straw. She might be forced to pitch them when the deficits keep growing to match her spending. Four years goes by in a flash and she just campaigned on a platform that was…no hyperbole necessary….to the fiscal left of Brian Mason’s NDP. Seriously. Do the math.
Danielle and co. are being given an audition. They need to do what Harper did and play within the liberal frame.
Lie when you need to, smear the enemy and professionalize your political brand.
That’s how conservatives win.
Once you win you do what you want.
The lefties where I work were gleeful. I had to suck it up,and even suppressed the urge to throw out the ” 56% of Albertans didn’t vote..”.
I did ask them why they thought the WR lost. Not one said it was the policies of the WR or the Pc,they all gave the ‘redneck,homophobe,backward angle’ that the media successfully hung on the WR.
The children did what children do when they are scared,they ran to mommy. A few hid directly under her skirt and did nothing ,and a few brave souls lashed out by voting against the WR beast.
I sucked it up today,but over the next few years I will be reminding them that the odour that is making them cringe,comes from the part of momma that the media failed to mention..
Lessee… it’s OK for Muslims to say gays should be hanged or beheaded, but it’s not OK for a Christian Pastor to say that gays won’t go to heaven unless they repent.
I can’t believe that cost WR the vote of anybody who would have otherwise voted for them. The only people the Pastor’s comment would truly offend, wouldn’t have voted WR anyways.
I see a silver lining here for the WR. Being the official opposition will allow them to hone their conservative credentials and show Albertan’s that the scary card won’t work in the next election. I also think that as Albertan’s get to chow down on her Redford’s policy stew over the next four years, the WR will feel like a welcome antacid the next time they vote.
RV Redneck,you’re bang on with the first sentence,and dead wrong with the second.
People are easily persuaded by shiny baubles and dissuaded by the scary unknown. The ‘far-right’ label was hung on the WR and to those who wish to be seen as wise,tolerant,and all that is good,that is the political equivalent of a skull and crossbones.
Jeff
“…Albertans aren’t so much conservatives as they are liberals who like making money.”
Close – More like fiscal conservatives/ social libertarians.
That WRP message has not yet transitioned throughout Alberta, but it will, especially now that people are paying some attention.
The fact that the WRP has quadrupled their seats in a good “conservative Albertan” economy while the rest of the world sits in recession and teeters on major recession, is remarkable.
Albertans do indeed pay attention to the global economic fears, which plays no small role in keeping what most believe is the status quo.
Pub has his typical insight and his political history of the AB PC mutation is spot on but as far as the election results go I think he missed some pretty simple elements.
1) Redford was the chosen Judas goat for an ever vigilant transnationalist progressive movement who saw a long term governing party hollowed out of its conservative members and MLAs just ripe for takeover – this is what she did, claimed the APC for a collectivist liberal political network based in Ottawa/TO/and NYC.
2) PC spinners were surprised to see their new leader not go directly to the polls to take full advantage of brand name loyalty. Instead she spent the interim time legislating some of the most draconian land use law and civil rights violating law Alberta has ever seen – she got that in “in case” The PCs were defeated.
3) Rural Alberta (landowners and small producers, both agro and resource) were starkly aware of the gutting of property right and control the new PC laws carried. They went WRP – many rural ridings were lost by WRP by 100 votes or less, net election rural Alberta will be fully Wild Rose as the new land use regs starts damaging them.
4) Urban Alberta is centrist and largely naive about the change in PC direction/policy and had not been impacted directly by PC taxing the energy patch and micro regulating land use. So the simple “fear” campaign the PCs ran worked.
The things the Wild Rose party was outrage about – corruption, entitlement, transnational progressives posing as Tories, big brother government with anti-civil liberty agendas sis not resonate with urban voters in the thrall of a super-heated economy. The scare campaign worked because they really ARE superficial voters. Alberta’s majority has been shifted left and it believes this is “centrist” . Conservatives, libertarians and populists are more aware of the political mechanics behind what is happening and they have left the PCs. The PCs gained liberal voters and centrist voters who swing liberal or PC.
The way things shake out now is that the PCs have a red tory-liberal-collectivist progressive big tent that owns the center majority. The NDP and Liberals have the 10 percent true left vote and Wild Rose has the 20-30% true conservative-libertarian-populist anti big government coalition.
Wild Rose will stay at around 20 seats until they can get their message out wider and more Albertans are directly damaged by the PCs now transnational progressivist agenda. I think this will come sooner than later because much of the progressivist PC agenda will cool the AB economy and damage its wealth engines.
@Knight 99
Albertans aren’t fiscal conservatives.
1. Alberta spends more public money per capita than any other province in the country.
Somethng like $41,000 per person.
2. Deficits and debt are in Alberta’s blood. Ralph temporarily paid off the debt and look what happened.
3. Redford ran on a campaign platform that was promising roughly double the amount of new spending than Brian Mason’s NDP was promising.
That’s right…The PC’s were running TO THE LEFT OF the NDP.
TO THE LEFT OF THE NDP!
They won in a landslide.
There’s nothing special about Alberta.
Nothing.
What really needs to be analyzed is the WRA campaign. I am not trying to throw stones or bad mouth the party I support but in actual fact the WRA was not able to present a clear picture of where they would like to take the province. Or why and what benefits the average Albertan should expect from the new government.
Looking back at the historic changes in governments here in Alberta you notice that when historic changes took place the winning political leader captured the imagination of the people with a dream or an image that the people wanted to see in themselves. Bible Bill Aberhart, Peter Lougheed and Ralf Klein all had the ability to make Albertans feel special about being Albertan. So far all I have seen from Danielle Smith is a nice set of tires and a really great pair of hubcaps. Yesterday I had a thousand reasons to vote against Red Ali. I didn’t have one good reason to vote for Darling Danielle.
Rocky View Redneck
I think your right. It was a collusion between the Liberals, NDP , unions, certain media, with all the Easterners who have moved here.
as well Alberta has become corrupt itself. The boomers have screwed another generation for socialism yet again. They have the numbers, Till everyone of that Locust generation is planted will dominate any political party.
I,m a boomer myself , have watched the march of the greedy ones all my life. Those of us with integrity or morals have watched while they have eaten the wealth away, so that only the desert of poverty survives. They don’t care about the future, only themselves . Heard it a thousand times from my own generation. The ex Hippies, yuppies have called the shots till nothing is left to steal. Even honor.
Jeff >
“There’s nothing special about Alberta.
Nothing.”
Ha ha, yes there is, I live in Alberta and I’m a fiscal conservative. 🙂
Maybe Quebec could send us some equalization payments.
Of course Albertan’s spend more money than the rest of Canada, they make more. It’s not a stretch to think that Stelmac and Redford could have run on a spending platform in an economy of plenty considering a booming economy and resource rich promises along with the influx of progressive immigration of their making.
That does not detract from the core fiscally conservative values of traditional Albertan’s. It also does not mean that Albertans don’t want any schools built, pot holes filled, hi speed internet access, and new roads built into forestry’s for future industrial development either.
Some spending promotes economic growth and prosperity, some is wasteful, the Progressives go too far with wasteful, and are not interested in individual wealth creation. Not a traditional Albertan value. The PC’s did not stay in power for 41 years on progressive values, this election result was no surprise to me verifiable in my “Wild Rose Comments” prior to the election. Although I did expect a few more seats, not a win. If they don’t win in 2016 I will be surprised.
I had a good reason. More freedom.
I think it is unrealistic to see a new political party, without any history of governance, and without a strong political network, suddenly move in and become the government.
Instead, as has been pointed out, what we saw was the transformation of the old PC party into the Alberta Liberal Party. The old Liberal party has imploded; its followers moved over to the PCs. And, the new Conservative party is now the Wild Rose party.
These few years will acknowledge this infrastructural transformation – the Alberta Liberals and the Alberta Conservatives.
The WR will be in the public eye as the Official Opposition, and with more seats than the last Opposition (the Liberals); and the WR will develop their network, their candidates, their policies.
As for the WR candidate being outspoken – his words were from several years ago; he didn’t suddenly speak them last week. I don’t think they were the cause of this vote; I still think that such a sudden switch from the PCs to the WR would have been superficial – rather like the Quebec switch from the Bloc to the NDP.
Joe you might be onto something. It is not enough to be against something, as you also have to be for something and convince people of your vision.
Nurse Redford’s liberal use of the words such as I, me, my, mine, etc. is a stark portent of her secret intention to re-design and mould Alberta to suit her puppet masters.
Sadly, pest control is another four years away.
Joe >
“What really needs to be analyzed is the WRA campaign”
Analyzed – besides people freaking out with fire and brimstone smears, not getting the WRP platform out to traditional status quo PC conservatives during a stable Albertan economy in the midst a global recession, played a serious roll.
i.e. Conservatives with good paying jobs see the global economy waning possibly even collapsing; jumping a floating ship into waters unknown in the midst of a storm is not usually a conservative characteristic.
“no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the electorate.”
Amen!
Jeff @ 7.14 pm
I think the Alberta gov’t spends about $12,000. per albertan, not close to $41,000. Still it’s far too much. Frasier Institute states here it’s closer to $10,300. but the recent spending spree has been quite far reaching…
http://www.fraserinstitute.org/research-news/news/commentaries/Alberta-s-public-sector-unions-versus-Alberta-prosperity/
I think the only conservatives in the Legislature will be within the Wildrose Party. The others will all find too much common ground.
Good analysis by Publius. Liberals always try to use the “Tolerance Bomb” on conservatives and it works for a while.
My view is that this wasn’t the biggest factor. Since I live and work in Calgary I talked to a lot of people today who voted PC and not one alluded to the “Tolerance Bomb”.
Not everyone is a political junkie like us so WR is very new to a lot of people. And conservatives are by nature conservative. A couple said they could see WR being “ready” next time.
I know this sounds simplistic but I believe it’s true.
Harper and Walls didn’t have total success the first time out.
Smith will build from her seat in the legislature with a dozen and a half really good MLAs. Redford will pander to the new crowd of lefties in her big blue/red tent. And conservatives will continue to migrate to WR.
Things take tme.
Some FACTS Alberta 2012:
Liberal – Lost seats
Progressives – Lost seats
NDP – +2 seats
Wild Rose – Gained 13 seats = +400%
WRP gained over 1000% more seats than the Socialist NDP party the only other party to not lose a single seat.
Now who won and who lost Alberta 2012 again?
Alberta ceased being conservative decades ago. Probably in the Ernest Manning days. Loughheed changed the game forever. Remember the magnesium plants and the airlines???
Albertan’s like big government. The evidence is everywhere. Biggest civil service in the country. Biggest spenders. Property rights? Who needs em’?
The WRP had a chance to make some noise and did, but the members of the unite the left group aka the PC’s know how to win. And they did. They took the WRP out to the woodshed.
Now it’s 4 more years. The WRP can hone it’s skill and perfect it’s attack. There will probably be a massive world financial crisis in the next few years that will be hard for team redford to explain let alone survive.
If the WRP plays it’s cards right who knows how it may end up.
I have always felt that the hard core conservatives in Alberta probably represent about 15% of the total population, much like the seperatists in quebec. In order to punch above their weight winning conditions have to exist.
abtrapper >
“..the hard core conservatives in Alberta probably represent about 15% of the total population”
I suppose if that was true the WRP getting 35% of this elections votes was a fluke.
Why bother in 2016, they won’t start out of gate…..mmmmm don’t think so.
The other thing that I’ve thought about is that Alberta’s election made national news. Not just on election day or briefly during the campaign but this was focused on by various national pundits like it was a big deal. That’s a huge sea change. Since when did a western provincial election matter?
Can you say “sales tax”?
Now who won and who lost Alberta 2012 again?
Posted by: Knight 99 at April 24, 2012 10:09 PM
————————
Does that make you feel better? Not me.
2nd place is still a loser. Ever hear of a football team brag, “We took second!”? No, and you never will. Only first place is a winner and that, unfortunately, went to the Progressives.
It’ll go better next time? Don’t count on it. Consider; for the first time in history the media will be talking up the Progressive Conservative party instead of trying to tear it down. Labour will be supporting the Progressive Conservative party instead of trying to tear it down.
Rather mind boggling!
After 4 years of the Media-Labour-Progressive party doing their dirty work do you really believe they’ll be easy to defeat? Gonna be an uphill battle all the way for Wildrose.