WAP Leadership race down to two...

[First Lady]

Huh, this thread is still going. Who woulda thunk....LOL

Originally Posted by Slava

I think that the 10 MLA's considering the move are waiting to see who the new leader is, and what the policies are going to be?

I am not going to add to rumor of 10 MLA's. I will believe it when I see it. We have heard this before. They always say the same thing; "gonna wait and see the outcome of < fill in any issue >"

Anyway, they policies are KNOWN they are determined by our members and on our website. Leaders articulate that policy and help grow the party on many fronts.

As to the comments about the PC's moving to the left; that is only somewhat true. I feel they have moved in both directions and on the wrong issues.

They have moved to left fiscally. Spending more and more each year; beyond our incoming revenues. They continually threw money at everyones' pet project as appeasment and never used restraint.
Another would be, property rights (or rather lack of ) with Bill 19.

Consersely on other issues they have moved to the right. Social issues like smoking laws, minimum drink prices, restricted VLT's, etc.

I think by and large Albertans are fiscally conservative and socially moderate. We want our money managed wisely and really don't care for the government creating laws on morality issues.


There was a poll released tonight that some of you may find interesting.

Click link for full version.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Wildros...239/story.html

Wildrose Alliance vies for second place in Alberta: poll

By Trish Audette, edmontonjournal.comOctober 7, 2009 9:33 PMComments (1)
EDMONTON — The Wildrose Alliance party could be Premier Ed Stelmach’s primary competition if an election was held today, according to a poll released Wednesday.

A telephone survey of 1,201 eligible voters conducted over the weekend shows the Alliance and Alberta Liberals in a “statistical dead heat,” vying for second place behind the governing Tories.

“You have to keep in mind the Conservatives still lead in all categories,” said political scientist Faron Ellis of the University of Lethbridge, who conducted the poll. “The barbarians are not at the gates of the legislature just yet.”

But increased media attention after former Alliance leader Paul Hinman captured Calgary-Glenmore in a byelection — and ahead of the fledgling party’s Oct. 17 leadership vote — has led to a new level of support for a party that “up until now (was) a very fringe element,” Ellis said.

Across the province, the poll suggests 38.4 per cent of Albertans would vote for Stelmach’s Tories today, compared to the 52.7 per cent who supported the party in the 2008 election.

[Rerun]

Not sure if I would ever vote for the WAP.

I mean, after all, I am White but I'm not Anglo-saxon. Can I support a Party that only represents 50% of me?

[Kjesse]

Originally Posted by First Lady

As to the comments about the PC's moving to the left; that is only somewhat true. I feel they have moved in both directions and on the wrong issues.

They have moved to left fiscally. Spending more and more each year; beyond our incoming revenues. They continually threw money at everyones' pet project as appeasment and never used restraint.
Another would be, property rights (or rather lack of ) with Bill 19.

Consersely on other issues they have moved to the right. Social issues like smoking laws, minimum drink prices, restricted VLT's, etc.

I think by and large Albertans are fiscally conservative and socially moderate. We want our money managed wisely and really don't care for the government creating laws on morality issues.

This is so true. The friggen' PC's really have me POed the way they're running things at the moment. One of my friends is a MLA and while he keeps his comments very careful, even in private, I get the distinct feeling he's not pleased with those at the top, especially Stelmach.

I sent my WAP ballot in this week, and note that only one of your leadership candidates fits the "fiscally conservative and socially moderate" moniker.

[Resolute 14]

Yup. And that is the interesting part of this leadership race.

Assuming WAP supporters would represent the most conservative group of people in the mainstream, which direction are they most likely to go?

Support the fiscally conservative, socially moderate individual, or support the fiscally conservative, socially ultra conservative individual?

I'm expecting the former, really. The likes of Dryholm and Willerton really overestimate the size of their niche.

[metallicat]

Dyrholm just called me personally, interesting. Waiting on a Danielle Smith phone call.

[zuluking]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Dyrholm just called me personally, interesting. Waiting on a Danielle Smith phone call.

Dyrholm just called an Oilers fan? Just lost my vote.

[CrusaderPi]

Danielle Smith wins it. I don't know about the vote count, but Dyrholm conceded which probably means not close enough to press for recount or anything else.

[Resolute 14]

Don't know the numbers, but this is very good news for the party, and bad news for the PCs. Dryholm would have been extremely easy to marginalize. Remains to be seen if the new kid on the block can maintain the momentum for the next two-plus years.

[starseed]

Great move by the WAP for sure. Hopefully this will show certain socially conservative members that the people do not want socially conservative (read authoritarian) policies.

[Azure]

Awesome!

[metallicat]

Woohoo go Danielle!

[bcb]

Well, at least there will be no Christian Police State. Crisis Averted.

I wasn't looking forward to Aberhart V.2.0

[4X4]

Danielle Smith is a cutie. She's got my vote.

[FLAMESRULE]

Fantastic news. Feels like there may be a legitamite alternative to the PC's now!!

[HotHotHeat]

Lots of great conversation/debate in this thread. Thanks to all that have posted.

I personally think it's great news as well that Danielle won, however much a foregone conclusion.

[FiftyBelow]

I've gotta admit, I've always been a PC supporter... but for the first time I'm actually paying attention to an alternate Alberta party.... thank you Stelmach. I hardly know much about the WAP, but so far I'm interested in listening to more about what they have say.

[Ozy_Flame]

So were they doing the "how right can you go" limbo dance at the post party?

[transplant99]

The 38-year-old former lobbyist took 6,295 of the 8,297 mail-out ballots cast, about 75%, said Jane Morgan, the party's executive director in a blog post.

Smith's opponent, Mark Dyrholm conceded before the count finished.

No contest as it turns out.

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alber...40086-sun.html

[The Special One]

I don't think this party is as right-wing as people are making out. I heard their new leader on the radio on Thursday and she sounded very reasonable. Pro-choice, pro-gay rights, anti-government spending. In short, the perfect social liberal, fiscal conservative. She's got my vote in the next provincial election.

When will they come up with candidates for the next election? (sometime in late 2012 or very early 2013 I'm assuming). To be taken seriously as a political party they must somehow raise the funds to compete in all 83 ridings.

[Shazam]

Meh.

I was never impressed with Smith as a writer nor an editor at the Herald. Her articles were poorly thought out and muddled.

Carrying a deficit is not the end of the world. The PCs suck because they're so reactive. I do not see how the WAP would be any different.