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Originally Posted by Slava
Ok, maybe that's the case...but so what? Is the point to win elections or tell everyone that they're stupid and make poorer decisions? Like if you change your name and colour scheme and that nets you 5% and a win, isn't that the overall point?
Honestly...the progressives in this province mystify me. It's been this way for decades, and I really shouldn't expect it to change, but they just have no care for strategy or gameplay to actually win elections. The one time they managed to win was basically a complete fluke, and aside from that they just won't think strategically in the least.
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I don't think they lack strategy. It appears to be about a three-fold problem.
1) The strategies they choose are ineffective and don't compel the voters they need to flip. They had a few points to hammer in the last election, but the big thing I remember them dedicating their time to was "Smith will take away your healthcare". Notley must have said it 8 or 9 times in the debate. There was so much more to nail, but after COVID fatigue they drove home more healthcare rhetoric. It didn't work.
2) Tribal politics. A certain segment of Albertans will never listen to them, no matter how reasoned and beneficial the NDP campaign is to them. They are utterly convinced they are the devil and are damning Alberta to "woke communism", or some other such nonsense. The best they can manage with these folks is not giving them ammunition. However, when they flip out over how many Keurig pods the Red Deer NDP offices used you're never going to come out ahead.
3) They are unwilling to step down a peg or two and enter the fray in the same way as the UCP. While noble, this constantly holding themselves to a self-perceived higher standard and hoping Albertans see through the BS isn't working. They could have taken a much bigger swing at Smith and her insane rambling, but they stuck to the healthcare issue and let the rest of the crazy fade away.
Given with what they have to work with, a re-brand at this point actually isn't a bad idea.