Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[timun]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

The Alberta Party could very well draw votes away from the UCP.
I think (Fingers crossed/hope), that there is a bit of a shift.

NDP voters from 2019 don't change
AP voters from 2019 either stay with AP or shift NDP
UCP voters either stay with UCP or shift to AP

So I could see something like the UCP vote goes down, the AP vote stays the same, and the NDP vote goes up.
It would look like a shift from UCP to NDP, but it could be more of a slide to the left than a straight switch.

This is my hopeful outcome.

I'm a good example of this.
In 2019 I didn't like what I saw in the UCP so I volunteered quite heavily for the AP in 2019.
This year I've got an NDP sign on my lawn.

I'm hoping, at worst, there are quite a few UCP voters who are just 1 election cycle behind me.

I think in general you're pretty much bang on the money as to what will happen: some UCP votes bleed to the AP (and NDP), AP votes bleed off to the NDP, and generally NDP voters from the last time 'round will still vote NDP. However, I think there will be a chunk of AP votes that the UCP siphon off, making things closer than the 44%—31%—23% split between Schweitzer, Clark and Janet Eremenko. I still think Chris Davis's UCP campaign is the one to beat at this point, just from a gut feel talking to neighbours. And the signage...

My early guess is AP support will plummet to 10ish%, with NDP and UCP each carving out about half the rest and finishing in a near-dead-heat either way.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

There is a lot of back and forth in this thread, but for me the singular reason I will not vote for the UCP is Danielle Smith.

I don't need to dig or unpack or compare, she isn't (IMO) a good person. She isn't (IMO) a smart person. She isn't (IMO) someone that should be leading a government.

I've talked to Danielle Smith on a number of occasions and I feel she is a good person at heart. She cares about things but what hurts her are her views on issues like Covid and some health issues where she carries a lot of ignorance and a lack of understanding.

I also think she's smart and intelligent. Now before the dogpile begins let me just say it's my opinion that her extreme right wing backers in the party are pulling her strings and telling her what to say and do. I sometimes wonder if it's the reason for why she flip flops on many issues or claims she misspoke.

Lastly I agree with UCB in that Smith should not be leading this government. She's dangerous IMO when you think of the things she'd like to do. Dynalife is an excellent example of why we shouldn't be privatizing parts of health care. Then there's her talk of a provincial pension plan. She doesn't care what Albertans think and will ram through her plans without talking to Albertans, should she get back in.

To those who have said they don't believe me, I will be voting Notley. I mostly read what's been posted in this thread and am appreciative of the info that's been posted.

On a sad note there has been a wave of Chelsae Petrovic (UCP) signs going up on my street. Too many seniors not doing their homework.

[FireGilbert]

Is this the election where they myth of conservatives being better economic managers finally dies in Alberta? Growing up there I was conditioned to believe Alberta's prosperity was linked to right wing economics but now from afar it's seems more due to geographic luck and in spite of mediocre leadership.

Will be following the election closely. Reminds me of the 2015 Queensland Australia election. Previously a newly united conservative party ousted Labor in a landslide, but their first term was a disaster and the election turned into a coin flip.

Have fun all!

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Dion

I will be voting Notley.

Holy ####!

[calgarygeologist]

Lawn signs can tell an interesting story. A UCP sign went up on my street and it is on a very surprising lawn to me. I obviously don't talk politics with my neighbors because I really don't want to necessarily know their views on things. I want to live happily and in peace with my neighbors. The people that live in the house are the biggest hippies/granola people ever and they definitely don't fit the stereotypical conservative persona. It almost makes me think that the sign went up on the long lawn.

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Lawn signs can tell an interesting story. A UCP sign went up on my street and it is on a very surprising lawn to me. I obviously don't talk politics with my neighbors because I really don't want to necessarily know their views on things. I want to live happily and in peace with my neighbors. The people that live in the house are the biggest hippies/granola people ever and they definitely don't fit the stereotypical conservative persona. It almost makes me think that the sign went up on the long lawn.

It could be that they are anti-vaxers and they like Danielle Smith acknowledging them as the most discriminated people in the history of the world.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

Holy ####!

Smith is way too scary and radical for my liking. At my age I don't want Smith ####ing with my health care.

[Izzle]

Originally Posted by Cappy

Saw this on Reddit, and there was a link to another picture showing it's legit, but Danielle Smith has a tattoo on her arm for the Liberty Fund - a libertarian organization out of the US.



https://www.reddit.com/r/alberta/com...ttoo_of_a_far/



what a weird tattoo to have.

So weird.

It's the same principle where far right wingers in the states display the 'ok' sign. It's a way to signal to others while maintaining plausible deniability.

Maybe her TBA backers aren't pushing her as much as she's doing all this herself like a true believer.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Lawn signs can tell an interesting story. A UCP sign went up on my street and it is on a very surprising lawn to me. I obviously don't talk politics with my neighbors because I really don't want to necessarily know their views on things. I want to live happily and in peace with my neighbors. The people that live in the house are the biggest hippies/granola people ever and they definitely don't fit the stereotypical conservative persona. It almost makes me think that the sign went up on the long lawn.

People who actively support Smith and want her to lead for four years get a pretty bad reputation, I think. And an unfair one.

Everyone imagines them as these backwater hillbillies or rig pigs and they’re not.

It’s insulting, honestly. These people ARE your neighbours. Sure, maybe they work in O&G, maybe some do live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, but a lot of them are just like anyone else. They’re doctors, lawyers, business owners, retail managers, teachers, etc. UCP supporters come in all colours and we need to remember that and respect that. In fact, the only thing all these people have in common is that they are hopelessly, impenetrably stupid. On a level nobody no good person could possibly even begin to understand.

Be better.

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

There is a lot of back and forth in this thread, but for me the singular reason I will not vote for the UCP is Danielle Smith.

I don't need to dig or unpack or compare, she isn't (IMO) a good person. She isn't (IMO) a smart person. She isn't (IMO) someone that should be leading a government.

This is why I laugh when Stick Man brought up his bogus "a vote for NDP is a vote for Jagmeet Singh and Trudeau" narrative. As a lifelong Conservative, Reform, Wild Rose, UCP etc. voter those two are better options to lead Alberta than Smith.

Smith is an undefendable, terrible leader.

[Wastedyouth]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

People who actively support Smith and want her to lead for four years get a pretty bad reputation, I think. And an unfair one.

Everyone imagines them as these backwater hillbillies or rig pigs and they’re not.

It’s insulting, honestly. These people ARE your neighbours. Sure, maybe they work in O&G, maybe some do live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, but a lot of them are just like anyone else. They’re doctors, lawyers, business owners, retail managers, teachers, etc. UCP supporters come in all colours and we need to remember that and respect that. In fact, the only thing all these people have in common is that they are hopelessly, impenetrably stupid. On a level nobody no good person could possibly even begin to understand.

Be better.

Reductive. Simplistic. Ignorant. Pepsifree.

A classic post.

[timun]

After all, he is PepsiFree. If you want an insightful Pepsi, pal, you're gonna pay for it!

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

Reductive. Simplistic. Ignorant. Pepsifree.

A classic post.

Thanks for being a fan.

xoxo

EDIT: Man, just perfect. I thought that post was pretty funny but the more I sit with your reaction knowing I must have had you hook, line and sinker until that turn? Hahaha. Amazing. Sucker.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Smith's tattoo isn't really all that surprising. She's been affiliated to American Far Right think tanks and their dark money channels for decades. It's literal branding.

[AFireInside]

Originally Posted by Dion

I've talked to Danielle Smith on a number of occasions and I feel she is a good person at heart. She cares about things but what hurts her are her views on issues like Covid and some health issues where she carries a lot of ignorance and a lack of understanding.

I also think she's smart and intelligent. Now before the dogpile begins let me just say it's my opinion that her extreme right wing backers in the party are pulling her strings and telling her what to say and do. I sometimes wonder if it's the reason for why she flip flops on many issues or claims she misspoke.

On a sad note there has been a wave of Chelsae Petrovic (UCP) signs going up on my street. Too many seniors not doing their homework.

She's not smart/intelligent. We're talking about a woman who literally just said that if you get Cancer it's basically your fault. A woman who wrote an article saying smoking is beneficial. She's an idiot.

[PepsiFree]

Smith is an objectively stupid person. She has shown zero support for an “intelligent” reputation, so people either see what they want to see or are just an awe-shucks-everybody-has-value! kind of yokel, which is charming. But Smith is really, really stupid. The dumbest politician I can think of and that’s with Anders, Heather, and Trudeau included. Wildly stupid.

[Yoho]

Every post “other people are stupid”

It gets old.

[AFireInside]

Originally Posted by Yoho

Every post “other people are stupid”

It gets old.

Every post "the ucp are amazing".


It gets old.

But you're right. Smoking is probably beneficial, she's brilliant.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Smith is an objectively stupid person. She has shown zero support for an “intelligent” reputation, so people either see what they want to see or are just an awe-shucks-everybody-has-value! kind of yokel, which is charming. But Smith is really, really stupid. The dumbest politician I can think of and that’s with Anders, Heather, and Trudeau included. Wildly stupid.

I'm historically a conservative voter, but the average person loses more brain cells when they blow their nose than Smith has in total. There's no credible argument that she's an intelligent person to be made.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

my wife messaged me and said we have an NDP sign in our front yard.

Neither of us asked for one, but we must have clicked a box on a survey at one point.



We're going to keep it. If nothing else it will tick off the neighbors on one side, who to put it politely, don't like people who are different than them.

That happened to some of my neighbours this week. They came home to orange signs on their lawn. They were gone the next day.

In my walks around the neighborhood I’ve also seen some orange signs straddling the property line between houses. Wasn’t there an issue with this during the last municipal election?