Alberta Politics II

[240glt]

Well I don't think that comes as a surprise to anyone. That's a solid middle class suburban riding. Nobody else had even close to a chance there.

This should make for some interesting debate in the legislature. Notley is a lot smarter than he is but he's got that populism on his side.

[240glt]

In other news it seems as though the rudderless Alberta Party is struggling to find a leader

http://calgaryherald.com/news/politi...eadership-race

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by 240glt

Well I don't think that comes as a surprise to anyone. That's a solid middle class suburban riding. Nobody else had even close to a chance there.

This should make for some interesting debate in the legislature. Notley is a lot smarter than he is but he's got that populism on his side.

Did you actually read the article? The NDP just about won that seat in 2015. I think they lost by only 500 seats. Jason got a higher percentage of the vote than the PCs and WR combined did in 2015. What's surprising is by how much he won especially given all of the bad press the UCP has received lately. The NDP is in a heap of trouble.

Notley a lot smarter than Kenney? What are you basing that on?

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by 240glt

In other news it seems as though the rudderless Alberta Party is struggling to find a leader

http://calgaryherald.com/news/politi...eadership-race

They had a great leader until he was forced out. Bad for them but I think good for the province overall. I don't want the old Redford gang getting anywhere near power ever again.

[240glt]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

Did you actually read the article? The NDP just about won that seat in 2015. I think they lost by only 500 seats. Jason got a higher percentage of the vote than the PCs and WR combined did in 2015. What's surprising is by how much he won especially given all of the bad press the UCP has received lately. The NDP is in a heap of trouble.

Of course I read it. I just don't think it's a surprise at all, I think the Herald writer is being a little dramatic in that article... not surprising given the Herald's right leaning bias. The NDP was bound to lose ridings like that, and the UCP candidate being the leader probably dredged a lot of UCP voters out. Conversely, I bet a lot of NDP voters didn't bother because the results of that by-election were a foregone conclusion

Notley a lot smarter than Kenney? What are you basing that on?

Kenney is a university dropout who's accomplishments include being the executive director of the CTF.

Notely is an accomplished labour lawyer and activist who has worked for numerous high ranking government offices and championed human rights and workplace safety

[itom 987]

The baloney that spews out of Jason Kenney's mouth is more than a toilet can handle.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by 240glt

Of course I read it. I just don't think it's a surprise at all, I think the Herald writer is being a little dramatic in that article... not surprising given the Herald's right leaning bias. The NDP was bound to lose ridings like that, and the UCP candidate being the leader probably dredged a lot of UCP voters out. Conversely, I bet a lot of NDP voters didn't bother because the results of that by-election were a foregone conclusion

The Calgary Herald had a right-leaning bias 25 years ago. Today with the exception of the odd columnist it's as left-leaning as most papers in Canada.

Your analysis still doesn't make any sense. If there are seats that would never vote for the NDP then how did they end up winning a majority in 2015? Based on your logic they never should have won in 2015.

Why would NDP voters not bother to vote? The party should have put everything they had into this election to avoid a fourth trouncing since 2015. And don't forget that Jason managed to get a higher percentage of the vote than PC + WRP combined in 2015. Who was he stealing votes from? Very likely the people who voted NDP in 2015 because they couldn't stomach voting for the PCs but had no desire for the NDP to form government.

Kenney is a university dropout who's accomplishments include being the executive director of the CTF.

Notely is an accomplished labour lawyer and activist who has worked for numerous high ranking government offices and championed human rights and workplace safety

So Kenney running half the government under Harper doesn't count for anything? Hey, Redford was book smart but a complete disaster politically. Rachel's the same way other than being a much nicer person. It's too bad for her that the party "imposed" some very bad decisions on her that she's likely never to recover from.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by itom 987

The baloney that spews out of Jason Kenney's mouth is more than a toilet can handle.

Other than the social issue nonsense they keep bringing up he's much more knowledgeable about what needs to be done than the NDP. The NDP is no better on social issues either.

[geotag277]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

The Calgary Herald had a right-leaning bias 25 years ago. Today with the exception of the odd columnist it's as left-leaning as most papers in Canada.

This is absurd.

Originally Posted by Corndogger

Why would NDP voters not bother to vote?

It's a by-election, which means that it doesn't have the same Get-Out-The-Vote organisation as a general election.

There were 17k votes cast in the 2015 general election, and only 10k votes cast in the 2017 by election that got Kenney elected. That says it all.

And you just know that Kenney overspent on getting his win, just like he did for the UCP leadership. He's buying his way into office. That might work in by elections no one cares about and party leadership votes (while violating rules) but it won't work in the 2019 general.

The lyin' Conservative media will paint this as a sweeping Kenney endorsement, but the reality is anything but.

[240glt]

^ this

Originally Posted by Corndogger

Other than the social issue nonsense they keep bringing up he's much more knowledgeable about what needs to be done than the NDP. The NDP is no better on social issues either.

That's simply not true

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by geotag277

This is absurd.



It's a by-election, which means that it doesn't have the same Get-Out-The-Vote organisation as a general election.

There were 17k votes cast in the 2015 general election, and only 10k votes cast in the 2017 by election that got Kenney elected. That says it all.

And you just know that Kenney overspent on getting his win, just like he did for the UCP leadership. He's buying his way into office. That might work in by elections no one cares about and party leadership votes (while violating rules) but it won't work in the 2019 general.

The lyin' Conservative media will paint this as a sweeping Kenney endorsement, but the reality is anything but.

What a bunch of nonsense. No one cared about the election? Really? You're extremely naive if you think the NDP didn't care about it. If they had been able to defeat Kenney or at least come close to beating him it would have set the UCP back significantly. No one is painting this as a sweeping endorsement of Kenney. What everyone is saying is that it's a sweeping condemnation of the NDP's performance. If an election were held today they would be lucky to hold on to two seats. They and you had better hope the economy heats up considerably over the next two years and/or the UCP shoots themselves in the foot over contrived social issues the left will dream up.

Your claim that the Herald is conservative today is ridiculous. You'd have to be hardcore to the left to think that.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

What a bunch of nonsense. No one cared about the election? Really? You're extremely naive if you think the NDP didn't care about it. If they had been able to defeat Kenney or at least come close to beating him it would have set the UCP back significantly. No one is painting this as a sweeping endorsement of Kenney. What everyone is saying is that it's a sweeping condemnation of the NDP's performance. If an election were held today they would be lucky to hold on to two seats. They and you had better hope the economy heats up considerably over the next two years and/or the UCP shoots themselves in the foot over contrived social issues the left will dream up.

Your claim that the Herald is conservative today is ridiculous. You'd have to be hardcore to the left to think that.

The NDP only stands a chance if it can make significant progress on the deficit, which is unlikely. AB is currently borrowing $16B per year despite the claimed deficit figure of around $10.5B. A 1% rise in interest rates due to a rapidly sinking credit rating and overall increased rates will add $500k. $65 USD/BBL WTI, an optimistic assumption, would raise $3B. An 11% HST (6% being provincial) would raise $5B. Cutting infrastructure spending in half through better pricing from contractors and reduced demand from slower population growth would save $4B. A 10% roll back in all forms of compensation to provincial and municipal employees would yield $2.5B. An additional 10% headcount reduction would deliver another $2.0B. All of these numbers would be difficult for any government to achieve, but the NDP wouldn't even try rolling back compensation or headcount.

The most important quality the next at least decade's worth of leadership requires is the ability to make tough and unpopular decisions.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by 240glt

^ this



That's simply not true

Why do social issues matter? Politicians like to overemphasize them as they elicit more emotional responses from the electorate. But can government really change society in a place like Canada? I would argue it lost most of that ability during the 70s and most of the remainder after Internet usage became commonplace. The only true measure of a politician is their managerial capacity.

[ClaytonA]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

...

Your claim that the Herald is conservative today is ridiculous. You'd have to be hardcore to the left to think that.

You should read this series: https://backofthebook.ca/2012/02/03/...y-herald/5801/

the new Herald promoted the interests of corporate Calgary, gave generous space to crime and sports coverage, and sponsored rock concerts.

The Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, Edmonton Sun, and Edmonton Journal are run out of the same "news room" with Rick Bell at the helm. Seriously? They're all the same newspaper.

For a humerous take: https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/com...n_an_election/

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

The Calgary Herald had a right-leaning bias 25 years ago. Today with the exception of the odd columnist it's as left-leaning as most papers in Canada.

The Herald has endorsed the Conservative candidate in the federal election for at least the past 4 elections. I think that disqualifies it as being left leaning.

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by Doug

Why do social issues matter?

Social issues matter in so much as they tell whether the money we are collecting and spending is being used appropriately. If that's a bit above your paygrade, you can admit it.

[240glt]

Not to mention that governments' handling of social issues has a direct impact on investment, standard of living and economics. Companies are also concerned with social issues, as how they manage things like diversity, work-life balance etc have a direct impact on their bottom line vis-à-vis employee recruiting and retention

The government's recent apology and payouts regarding the 60's sweep victims reflects not only the values of the government of this day, but also fiscal prudence. Had the government decided to fight all those lawsuits it would have cost Canadian taxpayers millions upon millions more when they inevitably lost the suits. So in that case a social issue also becomes an economic issue.

How much money did the Alberta government waste, being dragged to the SCOC and being forced to recognize SSM ? That was not a fiscal decision by the Alberta PC's under Ralph Klein, it was a social decision. In that case, the government decided that it was in their best interests to fight that losing battle all the way to the Supreme Court, just so that they could tell the electorate that they were being forced to recognize SSM by the courts. They knew they'd lose all along, they just wanted to have the luxury of being able to tell their base that the courts forced them to do it, and nobody blinked about the legal costs for doing so.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

The Herald has endorsed the Conservative candidate in the federal election for at least the past 4 elections. I think that disqualifies it as being left leaning.

Given how the Liberals have treated AB I don't find that surprising nor an indication that the Herald isn't left leaning. Newspaper endorsements don't mean much nowadays anyway. I wouldn't base my vote on any MSM recommendation.

[adam-machiavelli]

Wow. Corndogger speaks like a true far-rightist. Just ignore he/she/ze/them and move on with your lives. You'll all be happier for it.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by adam-machiavelli

Wow. Corndogger speaks like a true far-rightist. Just ignore he/she/ze/them and move on with your lives. You'll all be happier for it.

Adam, is that your reaction every time someone says something you don't agree with? Given how closed-minded and immature you appear to be it would be much better if people ignored you. Have a nice day!