2 Wildrose MLAs to cross to PCs

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by oilyfan

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/...093/story.html

She was absolutely right that the party was losing members after that ridiculous vote at the AGM. I know of two former candidates who walked away from the party, and I also know of complete constituency association that closed up and handed the entire CA back to the party in the wake of that vote. It was a disaster for the entity that is the WR party.

The social conservatives got what they wanted; but
Fiscal conservative social moderates saw the wreckage left by the social conservatives and walked (or sprinted) away.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Slava

At this point Hehr and King don't have to resign until the writ drops federally, or provincially. Presumably that will make the Liberals the official opposition for some period. I mean who knows where the disgruntled PC's are going to go though? They could move somewhere and make them the official opposition, or form something else I guess? My bet is that Carter is all over that because if the Alberta Party could sway a progressive conservative over (heavy on the progressive) then they're suddenly relevant.

Here is the thing with the Alberta Party.

It's great to talk about talking and engaging Albertans. They are rolling up their sleeves and getting into the community - awesome.

But at a certain point talk has to evolve into policy and ideas. I've seen precious little. Just platitudes. They are a provincial version of Justin Trudeau.

I don't think you can evaluate the Alberta Party's likelihood of success until the public knows what the party stands for and what type of candidate it will attract.

[Kjesse]

Danielle Smith is morally bankrupt.

Her interviews show she thinks that due to low oil prices there needs to be a super-majority. You would think Alberta is at war or something. She is scary.

[1stLand]

I am glad Smith crossed the floor in a way.
LGBT Politics should be the #1 priority of both the Wildrose & PC Party.

Budget talk is so boring. Forget the Low Price of Oil.

Of greater concern is the High Cost of being Fabulous.

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by 1stLand

I am glad Smith crossed the floor in a way.
LGBT Politics should be the #1 priority of both the Wildrose & PC Party.

Budget talk is so boring. Forget the Low Price of Oil.

Of greater concern is the High Cost of being Fabulous.

Yes that's exactly what's happening now.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Dion

From the comments section....



http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dani...ions-1.2879779

I certainly hope she is not given a cabinet post until she faces the electorate and I agree fully that giving her any post would be seen as patronage.

Personally, I still see her as dead meat in any riding she chooses to run in...if she runs.

There is also the rumor she will be resigning in the New Year which begs the question, why then rather than resigning right away instead of crossing the floor?

[Regular_John]

A group had arrived at the Red Deer gathering with the expressed intent to “teach me a lesson for walking in the Gay Pride parade,” Smith said.

If this is the case, and the real, honest to god truth as to why she couldn't stay on as leader of WRP as a result, then I think she could have handled this better. Both for herself and from a PR point of view.

Instead of saying "I now support the PC government" she should have simply stepped down, sat as an independent and declared exactly this "My views on gay/lesbian rights no longer align with the WRP. I believe I was forced out for participating in the gay pride parade, and the mess of Bill-10 cemented my resolve that I just could not continue to be a member of that group."

Go on a media tour touting those sound bites, cast herself as a true social liberal and then join the PC's at a later date. At least in that scenario we don't get the **** eating grin press conference and the firm kick in the crouch of the democratic system.

But hey, I'm not a politician, I just build websites.

[Kjesse]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

Instead of saying "I now support the PC government" she should have simply stepped down, sat as an independent and declared exactly this "My views on gay/lesbian rights no longer align with the WRP.

Exactly. Had she done this she would look like a statesperson. Instead she leads an internal revolt and dismantles the opposition. All for her own gain.

[killer_carlson]

I agree she could have handled it better, but I don't agree that her views do not align with the WRP. It isn't that simple. You cannot describe WR supporters (or former WR supporters) without splitting the group into two categories: Fiscally conservative, socially moderate vs social conservatives whose fiscal preferences were all over the place.

There were a tonne of WR supporters - the majority in my experience - whose views were fiscally conservative, socially moderate (Much like Smith). The minority were social conservative and fiscally all over the map. Their primary focus was social conservatism, with all other issues secondary.

However, this social conservative minority are very passionate and with that vote tainted every person associated with the party. The social moderates left the party in droves. A few are left, but not many (at least in Edmonton that I am aware of).

So it may be the case that Smith's views no longer mesh with what is left of the WR, but for the longest time her views did mesh with the majority of the WR. A passionate, well funded, organized minority drove the best opposition party the province has seen in decades off a cliff.

[Dion]

Don Waldorf‏@dkwyycDec 18
Hey @sunrickbell @KikkiPlanet It's #wrp9 trash collection day in DeWinton! #ableg pic.twitter.com/630y76Yr3H

[Dion]

Danielle Smith faces off against Ezra Levant in an interview and gets owned!

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/3953114766001

[killer_carlson]

Wow, that may be one of Ezra Levant's better interviews. He skewered her with her own words.

[Jacks]

Ezra is way over the top most of the time but he can be a pitbull, I like him about 40% of the time. That was a brutal interview, no punches pulled.

[Swift]

Yeah, that was a stunning takedown. Well worth watching.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Wow, that may be one of Ezra Levant's better interviews. He skewered her with her own words.

Didn't Levant, Smith and Nenshi all go to U of C together?

[Kjesse]

Originally Posted by troutman

Didn't Levant, Smith and Nenshi all go to U of C together?

And Anders

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Delgar

And Anders

Nenshi is a year or two older than Anders and Smith, and wasn't part of that crew, actually. Levant was around from time to time, and he and Anders certainly knew each other back then, but I think he might be closer to Nenshi's vintage.

Having known all of these people it is pretty hard to take them seriously. Anders and Levant are cut from the same cloth: attention-seeking agents provocateur for whom politics and ideology are just the next logical phase of competitive debate: a game where the most epithets win, and sincere belief in any principle (whether left or right) is optional, if not actually a hindrance.

At some point you have to grow up and have the epiphany that politics is actually real life, and that you can't do it well unless you also believe in building a better polity by bringing better ideas to the government. I have never agreed with Preston Manning about anything, but he inarguably had that belief. Anders and Levant never believed in anything, which is why neither of them is in any way relevant to real-life political discourse anymore. One is a forgotten and forgettable chapter in the annals of parliament and the other is a loathsome cartoon of himself, screaming into the wilderness from the sidelines of our politics hoping that someday, someone will listen.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

Nenshi is a year or two older than Anders and Smith, and wasn't part of that crew, actually. Levant was around from time to time, and he and Anders certainly knew each other back then, but I think he might be closer to Nenshi's vintage.

Having known all of these people it is pretty hard to take them seriously. Anders and Levant are cut from the same cloth: attention-seeking agents provocateur for whom politics and ideology are just the next logical phase of competitive debate: a game where the most epithets win, and sincere belief in any principle (whether left or right) is optional, if not actually a hindrance.

At some point you have to grow up and have the epiphany that politics is actually real life, and that you can't do it well unless you also believe in building a better polity by bringing better ideas to the government. I have never agreed with Preston Manning about anything, but he inarguably had that belief. Anders and Levant never believed in anything, which is why neither of them is in any way relevant to real-life political discourse anymore. One is a forgotten and forgettable chapter in the annals of parliament and the other is a loathsome cartoon of himself, screaming into the wilderness from the sidelines of our politics hoping that someday, someone will listen.

Well that loathsome cartoon just hammered a home run interview in holding a politician to account for her decisions.

This is the thing that frustrates me. Levant evokes strong opinions, most of them negative, but his biggest critics dismiss 100% of what he does. They ignore that occasionally he does a great job (like the interview with Smith). By ignoring the legitimate achievements his critics end up becoming what they hate most about him.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Well that loathsome cartoon just hammered a home run interview in holding a politician to account for her decisions.

This is the thing that frustrates me. Levant evokes strong opinions, most of them negative, but his biggest critics dismiss 100% of what he does. They ignore that occasionally he does a great job (like the interview with Smith). By ignoring the legitimate achievements his critics end up becoming what they hate most about him.

And how many Canadians saw it? Sorry--even a broken clock is right twice a day, and though I'm not a great fan of Smith, I'm not fooling myself that an interview with a marginally relevant pundit like Levant is ever going to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Smith is done (maybe not as an MLA, but as a force in provincial politics). Levant is just piling on.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Well that loathsome cartoon just hammered a home run interview in holding a politician to account for her decisions.

This is the thing that frustrates me. Levant evokes strong opinions, most of them negative, but his biggest critics dismiss 100% of what he does. They ignore that occasionally he does a great job (like the interview with Smith). By ignoring the legitimate achievements his critics end up becoming what they hate most about him.

That is because his style is totally obtrusive and invasive. One feels that they have been abused after all the ranting and raving.

If one rants and raves all the time, you quickly lose your effectiveness rather than add to it.