“I never thought I’d vote PC” … just embarrassing. Below: Ralph Klein back when he was premier of Alberta; Saddam Hussein.
If you have any doubts left there are only four more sleeps before the end of the Progressive Conservative Era in Alberta, look no further than the video and website called “I never thought I’d vote PC.”
Whether or not the
PCs under Alison Redford had anything to do with this vain effort to encourage hip, edgy young people to vote for the clapped out Conservative party in a last-ditch effort to prevent a Wildrose Apocalypse, there could be no surer sign of the imminent demise of the once mighty Tory dynasty.
I mean, really, telling young voters you understand why they’d “rather gouge their eyes out than vote Conservative” in an effort to get them to vote Conservative is just … embarrassing.
“Danielle Smith thinks the Flintstones is historically accurate,” one of the characters in this desperate effort asserts about the Wildrose leader, straining not-quite-successfully for a light touch. Well, in fairness to Ms. Smith, she may have her doubts about climate change, but unlike the video’s talking heads she’s actually met Ralph Klein – who was, after all, the original Barney Rubble. (Or was that the other way around? Whatever.)
After this pathetic excuse for a Tory campaign, the tattered remnants of the Alberta Conservatives have less dignity left than Saddam Hussein when he was hauled out of his hidey-hole in Tikrit by the soldiers of the U.S. Fourth Infantry Division! This little video squib is just the final excruciating evidence before our eyes notice that the moribund Conservatives’ best-before date has passed.
It doesn’t even matter if the Tories didn’t do it, as the videographer who made it claims. The very fact that somebody, anybody, thought this would be an effective way to stampede voters into voting for the Conservative party is incontrovertible proof that after 41 years it’s finally hit the political equivalent of skid row.
Indeed, there would be a mild irony if the Conservatives in fact had nothing to do with it – after all, the Liberals under straight-arrow Kevin Taft got blamed by Ed Stelmach’s Tories back in 2007 for those “No Plan” ads that someone else had actually cooked up.
From the script, it could have been the Tories or the equally moribund Alberta Liberals that came up with it. It certainly wasn’t the NDP, which you’ll notice is the only opposition party not to be mentioned in the soundtrack. But then, the NDP makes the current crop of Alberta “strategic voting” advocates almost as uncomfortable as the Wildrose Party, possibly because it too stands for something more than simply being in power.
That’s the Alberta Conservatives’ big problem right there: Nowadays they only exist to be in power. And they’ve been in power so long they still can’t imagine it being any different – which may be why they didn’t exert themselves until so late in this campaign there was no chance of a reversal. Then again, maybe they just forgot how to campaign after all those easy years.
Regardless of the reason, if they’re pinning their hopes on strategic-voting by twentysomethings, they’re in for a big disappointment.
That’s why we can predict some things about the future with relative confidence: If Ms. Smith and the Wildrose Party coast to a large majority on Monday, it likely won’t take long for the Conservatives simply to evaporate into thin air, with most of the party’s MLAs petitioning to join the Wildrose ranks – completing the radical right’s reverse takeover of moderate Alberta Torydom.
Indeed, if this is a harbinger of the next couple of days, Ms. Smith’s biggest problem will be how to keep her caucus in line while keeping her cabinet small enough to avoid having to appoint some of her party’s most egregious kooks, who also happen to be its most faithful troopers.
Just in case, though, I wonder if the Wildrosers will trot out Preston Manning in the next couple of days to counter the effects of Peter Lougheed’s endorsement of Ms. Redford.
And I wonder if Ms. Redford will announce she’s stepping down on Monday night or wait till Tuesday morning.
And I wonder if Doug Horner ever thought, when he entered politics as a standard bearer for Alberta’s eternal Conservatives, that one day he might become the Leader of the Opposition?
This post also appears on Rabble.ca.
I prefer this ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK_XnfFv6sI
The Wildrose stands for nothing more than Danielle Smith's blind ambition. Not a chance she will win – too ideological and extreme.
Ted Morton's crazy as any WR, and he's PC. They're the same people.
plus Ted Morton is as crazy as any Wild Roser. They're the same, people.
I listened to Smith on the radio this morning. The PC's have to go because they bully doctors and nurses, but it's ok to bully children, especially gay children. Somehow, she thinks those sort of opinions are inclusive, and a valuable addition to a governing party. There were numerous expletives in my running commentary as I was driving home.
People are rightly peeved at the PC's, and I agree they have to go. But vote Wildrose? In a few years your children will be asking "what were you thinking?"
You don't get social media, Dave, it's bottom up. These people are who they say they are: urban progressives scared of the WR.
But you are right that it shows how far the PCs have fallen that this type of person is taking pity on the PCs.
But I have no pity for them.
David, you must be psychic… Preston Manning's op-ed from this morning.
Desperate, completely! However, as one commmenter noted, it may become a trend with the not-affiliated minded and those not strongly attached to the NDP or Liberal candidate. These undecided voters could yet return a PC majority.
I know the media has already proclaimed (and has backed forcefully) a WR majority. However, the only 'poll' that matters is the one at the ballot box on the 23rd. And my bet is still that of a PC majority (albeit reduced from present numbers) stands unti proven otherwise.
Ok, looking on the positive side maybe we could use a few lake of fire brimstone types in the ledge for a change. Maybe they'll stand up and denounce the hordes from Goldman Sachs who'll loot the province dry once Danielle lets them in.
I'd trust them more than, let's say the liberals. Just look at how Kevin Taft caved when Stemalch tried to increase royalties. Then he shows up a couple years later flogging a book about how Alberta is practically giving its tar sands away and why we need to do something about it. Yeah right, Kevin. Give me a tea bagger any day.
Speaking of looting and Goldman Sachs just look at the price of oil. These are confusing times with rumours of it reaching a $1.50 a litre. Meanwhile the stockpiled reserves in the U.S. are overflowing with the stuff. I even heard oil is being discounted at $30. How long will it be before the Wall Street gangs will be raking in $75 on a $100 barrel of oil with Alberta having to make do with a buck and a quarter on a good day.
I am one of "the current crop of Alberta “strategic voting” advocates" and I assure you all that, contrary to Mr. Climenhaga's comment, having voted NDP for the last 38 years, I really wouldn't be uncomfortable with an NDP government. He uses too broad a brush in dismissing strategic voting and there's good reason for me to vote strategically for Liberal David Swann this time. People who don't like the strategic approach should ask themselves how their sticking to their own small party has worked out the last 41 years.
I do like Keith's sentence of our children asking in the future "What were you thinking?". You are absolutely right but with a couple of side comments if you do not mind. First the children will be all heterosexual and secondly most of their parents will be poor and low middle class because the priviledge ones will be in Europe or the US taking their degrees or studying in well known private schools. Just the template of what policies like the WR bring on.
Unfortunately I do think that many Albertans that were born in the abundance of this province and have never seen anything else other than the luxury tourist compounds in Mexico and the Caribbeans think that we have a good system and so they really want to replace it. They will and that will be irreversible because once the power of money takes over and the control of the media is complete, nothing can be done for a long time to come. Just look at what happened in South America where the US forced dictatorships down their throats for the same type political beliefs. Only now are they taking the first steps to freedom and even so nothing is certain.
Majority WR or majority PC is the end of a prosperous Alberta for all. The slow destruction of the existing system has been going on for a while and and soon the process is complete.
If the PCs think they can get votes away from progressives, maybe they should reveal their true views on women from one of their MLAs who believes if you want 'Equal' then you should get it in a package at Starbucks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOGUv3Uq-WI