Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Fuzz]

And the voters are stupid, they put Danielle Smith in charge.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

lol.

The main problem is the machinery of a party takes a while to establish. Even two years for a brand spanking new party would be a very tight timeline. Unless they had very substantial initial funding and a strong and motivated volunteer base right out of the gates.

The UCP pulled it off though. Why couldn't a switch from ANDP to anything else works as well? Maybe it might be somewhat more difficult because of the province-federal relationship but I honestly don't know the inner workings of that and how painful the divorce would be.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

The UCP pulled it off though. Why couldn't a switch from ANDP to anything else works as well? Maybe it might be somewhat more difficult because of the province-federal relationship but I honestly don't know the inner workings of that and how painful the divorce would be.

These situations aren't remotely analogous.
In the scenario you presented, you had a federal elected official coming under the auspice of performing the same type of rapproachment that had already happened under his mentor at the federal level of two largely aligned parties with material personal differences (the federal scenario being the combination of the alliance and the ol PCs.)
The party retained both the volunteer base and partial fund raising machinery of two already established parties, one which had ruled Alberta for 40 years. The bases weren't materially changing their policy platforms at the time, just overcoming personal differences.
Now it's interesting as I would also not be inclined to call this "pulled off." From who's perspective? IMO what happened in the medium term is that the Wildrose totally overran the PC faithful (who became disenfranchised and disinterested) and now we essentially have the Wildrose with PC level funding in power. So did the PC faithful pull it off? I would say no.

In this scenario we'd either be proposing a new party formed with totally new fundraising and volunteer architecture required. This is brutally difficult.
Alternately, you're proposing a pretty permanent and radical shift to the base of a single party- abandoning some of it's core voters and long term supporters to don a new mantle with new priorities yet retaining a large amount of volunteers and funding. This is not as difficult as the first scenario from a resource perspective, but may be much more intense and difficult from a personal / personnel perspective.

Originally Posted by Fuzz

And the voters are stupid, they put Danielle Smith in charge.

Yes, voters are stupid. I'm stupid and a voter so there's your proof.

I am not sure why you seem to believe this is an earth shattering revelation. Maybe I missed something?

We are arguing the same point. I am not defending the notion of lying to the voters, only rationalizing that it has to be so because of your point that voters are stupid.
They are, and so they can't handle the full truth all the time.

The UCP are currently wielding this exact principle on the majority of their base, feeding them lies to pass policies that will directly harm the rural voters.

It's an uneven playing field, and by acting totally transparent all the time the NDP are effectively conceding the "high-ground" (though it's the low road) to the opposition by refusing to play on those terms.

[timun]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Yes, voters are stupid. I'm stupid and a voter so there's your proof.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

And the voters are stupid, they put Danielle Smith in charge.

Hey, I offered to be 'Supreme Overlord' but nobody seemed overly enthused by that prospect.

If you want to be ruled by an egotistical jackass why settle for 'Second Best?'

[aaronck]

And right on cue, DS just spouts BS about the entire Jesperson interview, and whines that Justin didn't ask for an audience with her.
Again, if you watch the video, plain to see she at best doesn't understand, and at worst is just lying through her teeth

https://twitter.com/user/status/1760427475098579178

[Fuzz]

Always hilarious to see her begging with indignation for a visit from her bestie. Wait until she finds out he was delivering money to municipalities without asking her for permission first.

[puffnstuff]

Lying or doesnt understand? Hmm...can it just be both?

[Looch City]

Sorry no personal tax cuts hahahaha hahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa

My god I'm dying. Ahhhh

Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk

[Looch City]

Sorry folks, there's enough money for O&G but not enough for you! Expect cuts and austerity.

[Faust]

Premier Smith says restraint needed in Alberta budget 2024, vows to build Heritage Fund

https://globalnews.ca/news/10309579/...t-speech-2024/

[Faust]

Jason Nixon

I’m talking to the media to demand that @JustinTrudeau give Alberta per capita funding for housing, and end his attacks on the men and women in our oil and gas sector. The Prime Minister must stop hiding from Alberta’s government and come to the table to talk about these important issues. #ableg #abpoli

https://x.com/jasonnixonab/status/17...731671724?s=61


Martin Z. Olszynski

My kingdom (such as it is) for someone in the media to ask Nixon why the GoA won't compel O&G companies to clean up their $260 billion in liabilities, which wld create tens of thousands of good $ jobs & has the added bonus of being their legal obligation in any event. #ableg

https://x.com/molszyns/status/1760716081377988654?s=61

And yes, w/ record production levels and relatively high oil prices since 2022, they can afford it.

https://x.com/molszyns/status/1760717498687869005?s=61

[Faust]

Tony Clark

Danielle Smith's expenses for her Dubai visit have been published. Looks like $46,429.64 CAD for hotel alone ($748/night). Hotel only. No per diems, etc.
The Habtoor Grand Resort.
Just Smith and her entourage. Does not include Min. Schulz.
Seems a tad expensive.
#ableg

https://x.com/tony__clark/status/176...721839057?s=61

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Faust

Tony Clark

Danielle Smith's expenses for her Dubai visit have been published. Looks like $46,429.64 CAD for hotel alone ($748/night). Hotel only. No per diems, etc.
The Habtoor Grand Resort.
Just Smith and her entourage. Does not include Min. Schulz.
Seems a tad expensive.
#ableg

https://x.com/tony__clark/status/176...721839057?s=61

I have no idea is that is a lot for a hotel in Dubai.

For example I've paid $700 for a hotel in ####ty downtown Toronto

[Fuzz]

Hey, Jason! Make like the other Nixon's and #### off!

"I’m talking to the media to demand that @JustinTrudeau"

K, so you are showboating for the media rather than talking like an adult to a negotiating partner? Nice first step, meathead. Good thing the adults are in charge.

[Ozy_Flame]

So some expenses came back from the Alberta government, and MLA Tanya Fir and two staffers went to the 2024 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles? This was on the taxpayer dime. Anyone know why this was a thing?

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

So some expenses came back from the Alberta government, and MLA Tanya Fir and two staffers went to the 2024 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles? This was on the taxpayer dime. Anyone know why this was a thing?

Probably to try and assure Hollywood that despite the anti-LGBT policies, Alberta is still a place that will tolerate TV and film money being spent here.

[timun]

I don't think there's any smoke here, fellas. Alberta gives tax credits to film & TV productions, and notably this year The Last of Us was a Best Drama Series (+ others) nominee this year, so the GoA probably received tickets. As the Minister of Arts & Culture it would be Fir's job to toot Alberta's horn and schmooze with the TV industry.

[Ozy_Flame]

Fair enough, I'm just asking why this was needed. If that's the case, so be it.

They sure took a lot of cab rides though.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Fair enough, I'm just asking why this was needed. If that's the case, so be it.

They sure took a lot of cab rides though.

No no, Ozy. This is not the way to respond.

I learned a handy trick from the Federal Politics thread for dealing with things that *seem* fishy, but someone has a common sense explanation for it.

First? Double down. Never surrender. Something like “according to ____, but do you BELIEVE them?” or “I could do that for (insert random number you made up) so why can’t the government!?”

If that fails, abdicate responsibility completely without EVER conceding a point (as you did with “fair enough”… huge mistake). Something like “well, we can’t trust them, and it’s their fault we can’t trust them, so it’s their fault I think that and it’s their fault I won’t stop thinking it despite having evidence to the contrary, cause see, it’s about THEM.”

If you want to put a little stink on it, like calling timun a UCP apologist “rushing” to the defence of the UCP because he heard the “alarm bells” like a good little “lemming”… that’s fine, some say it’s not, but I say it adds character.