Alberta election

Anyone paying attention to the Albertan provincial election being held Monday. The Progressive Conservatives look to lose their hold to the Wildrose Party, whose views compare to the Tea Party here in the states. The PCs have been in power since 1971, so what happens in the coming years will be interesting as Alberta has a ton of oil money that can pay for infrastructure and social services, if that's what voters want.

 

What is a Progressive Conservative? Is that akin to Pres. Bush's Compassionate Conservatism?

What about the other parties? Are the Liberals even a factor In the prairies? What about the greens? Do they have any following, or is it just oil and cattle ranchers?

 

I'm paying atttention as I live in Alberta. Lots of wingnuts in both Wildrose and PC but the wingnuttery probably skews Wildrose.

The comparison to the Tea Party is not apt. Wildrose is not near that extreme, seem to be made up of dissatisfied former PC members.

Liberal and NDP are largely irrelevent.

 

Gordon Lightfoot is paying attention.

 

All you Albertans, get out and vote.

Hope the Wildrose candidates get their good-behaviour bonds back.

http://www.canada.com/entertainment/Alberta+Election+2012+question+Wildrose+good+behaviour+bonds/6462787/story.html

 

Voters in Alberta give the Tories a surprise win as the Progressive Conservatives look to win 60 seats, which would be a loss of six seats when the Legislative Assembly was dissolved. Has to be a disappointing night for Danielle Smith as the left voted for the PC to keep Wildrose from winning.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/albertavotes2012/story/2012/04/23/albertavotes2012-election-results.html

 

A Progressive Conservative is to the right on economic issues and liberal on social issues. We used to call them "Red Tories"

 

Fixed for stateside purposes.

 

It was funny watching the election coverage and seeing a bunch of former PC heavy hitters, including former Ralph adviser Rod Love show up at the Wildrose leader's HQ and then see the PCs retain control.

Love tried to claim it was because of how strong the PC brand is, no mention that the Wildrose is filled with loons.

 

Piece by Tim Harper in today's Toronto Star sums it up pretty well

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1166870--tim-harper-alison-redford-defies-the-polls-extends-the-dynasty-in-alberta?bn=1

“What happened,” I asked one veteran of federal and provincial campaigns, who like most of the team around Smith are seasoned and shrewd political operatives.

“Hunsperger happened,’’ he said.

That’s as in Allan Hunsperger, the pastor running for Wildrose who had condemned gays to life in a lake of fire, joined by Ron Leech, who said he was a better candidate than his opponent because he was white.


Even in what is arguably Canada's most conservative province, the clown fringe doesn't play well--although they did get 17 of the 87 seats

 

I didn't watch, but supposedly it was the height of hilarity to watch the sputtering nutbar loonies on the Sun News Network, casting blame left, right and centre for the Wildrose loss and also chastising Alberta voters for having made a mistake in voting PC.