"One should doubtless keep an open mind...though open at both ends, like the food pipe, and have a capacity for excretion as well as intake." -- Northrop Frye, 'The Great Code'
Monday, April 14, 2014
A liberal win in Calgary
The only way for liberals to win in Alberta is to pose as conservatives. Ron Liepert won the federal Conservative nomination in the new riding of Calgary Signal Hill. The CBC seems happy as do many of it's readers, so what does that tell you?
I think even many conservatives were happy too. Ron Liepert is still a Conservative, he just comes from the PC wing rather than the Reform wing, but the party has always been an alliance between the two wings as both sides understood neither was strong enough on their own to beat the Liberals, at least not nationally.
The main reason many wanted Rob Anders gone was he had a tendency to make a fool of himself and if anything more often embarrassed the party. I don't mind Reformers like Diane Ablonczy or Jason Kenney who at least actually are able to point accomplishments not just win because they run in a safe riding under the right label.
I should add, I watched Levant's video and it was interesting take and certainly Rob Anders big victories just as he mentioned Libby Davies who is quite left wing and won big is an example of the riding's views. My only counter-part is in the last provincial election, the PCs not the WRA won his riding while it also includes Calgary-Varsity which the Alberta Liberals won in 2004 and 2008 so is Anders winning because most in the riding share his views or is winning more due to the toxicity of the Liberal and NDP brand. Due to the NEP disaster and the fact the Liberals frequently bash Alberta to win votes in Eastern Canada, I've found many who are Liberals at heart vote Tory since they cannot stomach voting for a party that bashes their province while the NDP is way too left wing for Calgary and considering how many BC and Saskatchewan residents moved there when the NDP was in power in those two provinces, I think that kills any chance of voting for them.
I think Rob Anders if in a Rural Alberta riding like say Crowfoot, there would be a stronger argument his views are representative of the riding.
Anon #1, I don't think the Redford government was conservative in any meaningful way. It and she were "progressive" all the way. She got in by enlisting the support of distinctly leftist/anti-conservative PC 'members' of convenience and her subsequent liberal big-government policies reflected this. As I understand it, Liepert was part of Redford's leftist cabal and it wouldn't be surprising to learn that he used similar tactics to help secure his nomination. Given his obvious disdain for the Harper regime, esp Jason Kenney, he's on-track to become a trouble maker for the Tories and an embarrassment to his constituents.
Anon #2, I defer to your obvious familiarity with the local Calgary situation. Your arguments seem reasonable to me.
I think even many conservatives were happy too. Ron Liepert is still a Conservative, he just comes from the PC wing rather than the Reform wing, but the party has always been an alliance between the two wings as both sides understood neither was strong enough on their own to beat the Liberals, at least not nationally.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason many wanted Rob Anders gone was he had a tendency to make a fool of himself and if anything more often embarrassed the party. I don't mind Reformers like Diane Ablonczy or Jason Kenney who at least actually are able to point accomplishments not just win because they run in a safe riding under the right label.
I should add, I watched Levant's video and it was interesting take and certainly Rob Anders big victories just as he mentioned Libby Davies who is quite left wing and won big is an example of the riding's views. My only counter-part is in the last provincial election, the PCs not the WRA won his riding while it also includes Calgary-Varsity which the Alberta Liberals won in 2004 and 2008 so is Anders winning because most in the riding share his views or is winning more due to the toxicity of the Liberal and NDP brand. Due to the NEP disaster and the fact the Liberals frequently bash Alberta to win votes in Eastern Canada, I've found many who are Liberals at heart vote Tory since they cannot stomach voting for a party that bashes their province while the NDP is way too left wing for Calgary and considering how many BC and Saskatchewan residents moved there when the NDP was in power in those two provinces, I think that kills any chance of voting for them.
ReplyDeleteI think Rob Anders if in a Rural Alberta riding like say Crowfoot, there would be a stronger argument his views are representative of the riding.
Anon #1,
ReplyDeleteI don't think the Redford government was conservative in any meaningful way. It and she were "progressive" all the way. She got in by enlisting the support of distinctly leftist/anti-conservative PC 'members' of convenience and her subsequent liberal big-government policies reflected this. As I understand it, Liepert was part of Redford's leftist cabal and it wouldn't be surprising to learn that he used similar tactics to help secure his nomination. Given his obvious disdain for the Harper regime, esp Jason Kenney, he's on-track to become a trouble maker for the Tories and an embarrassment to his constituents.
Anon #2,
I defer to your obvious familiarity with the local Calgary situation. Your arguments seem reasonable to me.
We have included your post in our 'Around the Blog' section at Looniepolitics.com.
ReplyDelete