Hello everybody

[Asher]

Alberta now has Muslim and Jewish mayors in the two major cities, and a female liberal (or red tory, at least) as the premiere with a strong mandate.

The days of right-wing white Christian men ruling the province are over.

Ben and the National Post weep.

[Wezil]

Thanks. I'm obviously not on the ground there so I only have the media reports to go by. I've been reading a lot of columnists explanations this morning (the same columnists that got it so wrong in the first place) but Gurney's seemed like the best explanation I was seeing.

I agree with your comments on polling. Though somewhat older I am similar to the younger demographic in this regard. I don't have a land line at home and hang up immediately on anyone I don't know on my cell. They couldn't reach me if they tried.

Usually the lack of younger response isn't such a big deal in election polling as they are also the least likely demographic to get out and actually vote, but as you mentioned, Wildrose and their candidates hit some hot button issues/arguments that sealed their fate.

[Wezil]

Alberta now has Muslim and Jewish mayors in the two major cities, and a female liberal (or red tory, at least) as the premiere with a strong mandate.

The days of right-wing white Christian men ruling the province are over.

Ben and the National Post weep.

Conservatives don't know what it is to be a conservative anymore. Many carry the label but I see little of it in action.

They have lost their way.

[notyoueither]

That article is not very good. It is playing to stereotypes and is pretty ignorant.

Wildrose never played well to educated, urban, native (born here) Albertans.

[SlowwHand]

Educated, but feel the need to define "native"?

[notyoueither]

Yes, since it commonly has two meanings.

[Asher]

Educated, but feel the need to define "native"?

Alberta has a significant aboriginal ("native") population, distinct from what he was referring to.

[SlowwHand]

Only regard to "going native".

[Asher]

That article is not very good. It is playing to stereotypes and is pretty ignorant.

Wildrose never played well to educated, urban, native (born here) Albertans.

Sure they did, by playing to the oilpatch.

At least in Calgary, they pushed hard to get fiscal conservatives on board (many of which are educated and urban and native (born here)). Fiscal conservativism is popular here, social is poison. I think the Wildrose tried to play the social conservative card to woo the rural, the fiscal to woo the urban...but they didn't count on the urban crowd choosing to vote for social liberalism over fiscal conservativism. Plus, there's the fact that they came off like idiots out of touch with the world didn't help.

[notyoueither]

It is true that they played well to people in the oil industry when all they spoke about was money.

To me, they always were a provincial manifestation of the Reform party. Not scientific, but of the native Albertans I discussed intentions with, not many were going to vote for them.

[Wezil]

I think the Wildrose tried to play the social conservative card to woo the rural, the fiscal to woo the urban...but they didn't count on the urban crowd choosing to vote for social liberalism over fiscal conservativism.

It is not fiscally conservative by any measure to promise yearly bribe cheques. Those claims went out the window with that announcement (see my "losing their way" comment earlier).

It's like the fiscally conservative claim by the Feds. The last fiscally conservative government we had was a Liberal one.

[Asher]

It is not fiscally conservative by any measure to promise yearly bribe cheques. Those claims went out the window with that announcement (see my "losing their way" comment earlier).

Yeah, I thought the same also.

[The Mad Monk]

Yearly bribe cheques?

[Wezil]

The Wildrose party pledged Monday to return 20 per cent of surplus oil and gas revenues to Albertans, a move that harkens back to the $400 “Ralph bucks” given out in 2006.

Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith said their energy dividend would funnel cash away from government and into peoples’ wallets.

“Wildrose believes that Albertans can spend their own money better than government,” Smith said in a news release. “That is precisely why we’ve got a plan to put more money back in their pockets instead of government coffers.”

The plan would not take effect until the province is in a surplus again, but Smith estimates every Albertan would receive $300 in 2015. The last time Albertans got energy surplus cheques from the government was 2006, when then Premier Ralph Klein gave each Albertan $400. The move was lauded by many, but also heavily-criticized by those who said it showed a lack of planning amid the resource boom.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Wi...#ixzz1szGm9git

[Elok]

Could you back up your spurious claim of 'stalking' with any evidence other than the usual self-pity and paranoia ?

You forgot the megalomania; by incorrectly describing him you are committing blasphemy!!1!1!!