[bootlegga]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... le1985287/

It will be very interesting to see how this race turns out. I think it's going to go right down to the wire.

[dino_bobba_renno]

No big surprise there. Alberta is getting a serious case of the "what have you done for me lately" when it comes to the Conservatives.

It is nice to see them door knocking though. I have Jason Kenny in my riding and I have never once seen that guy. To top it off the bonehead fires off a letter to the Sun complaining about the lack of an LRT connection to our area, never once pausing to think that "hey, we (the feds) had a great chance to help fund that LRT connection through the stimulus package and we didn't". Friggin doorknob.

I'm all most hoping he does come to my door so I can give him a piece of my mind.

[andyt]

I think it would speak well of Albertans if not all seats they elect are Reformacon or further to the right yet. Makes you seem like a bunch of troglodytes. Or Kool Aid drinking culties.

[dino_bobba_renno]

andyt wrote:

I think it would speak well of Albertans if not all seats they elect are Reformacon or further to the right yet. Makes you seem like a bunch of troglodytes. Or Kool Aid drinking culties.

Umm, have you taken a look at the last few Liberal election platforms there Andy? They're basically packed with social sending promises which are financed via Alberta's coffers. The only one to blame for the Liberals not making more progress in Alberta are the Liberals themselves. It's not like the Conservatives have done anything so fantastic that we won't vote for anyone else, it's just that we see the Liberals as being far worse for our overall better interests.

[bootlegga]

dino_bobba_renno wrote:

andyt wrote:

I think it would speak well of Albertans if not all seats they elect are Reformacon or further to the right yet. Makes you seem like a bunch of troglodytes. Or Kool Aid drinking culties.

Umm, have you taken a look at the last few Liberal election platforms there Andy? They're basically packed with social sending promises which are financed via Alberta's coffers. The only one to blame for the Liberals not making more progress in Alberta are the Liberals themselves. It's not like the Conservatives have done anything so fantastic that we won't vote for anyone else, it's just that we see the Liberals as being far worse for our overall better interests.

Very true. The provincial PCs here are, in reality, closer to the centre than the national Liberals are.

If Dion (and now Ignatief) had simply learned that the NEP is still a very touchy subject (whether or not that is justified is another issue altogether), they might have not said things like, "let's create a carbon tax" or "the oilsands are an environmental disaster" or any other attacks on the oil industry here, odds are they would have a chance at gaining a seat or two - at least in Edmonton.

The Liberals really have no one else to blame but themselves for their lack of seats. Even with the gerrymandering that went on in the past decade, the Liberals could win a seat or two in Edmonton proper if they just stopped attacking the livelihood of the people living there.

This article really drives home your points Dino;

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... le1981020/

If the Liberals put some resources into ridings out here instead of letting them starve, they'd do a lot better. However, there is a perception that Albertans only vote Conservative, which is not true. Almost 1/3 of ALbertans voted for a party other than the Conservative in their riding in 2008. In that election the Liberals dropped almost 5% from 2006 mostly because of Dion's environmental policies, which were viewed as an attack on the oil industry in Alberta.

[dino_bobba_renno]

Well this will probably be the only time I will ever say this but I really don’t mind Iggy. I really believe he has made some sincere efforts to reach out to Alberta from time to time in the past and he seems fairly centralist in his ideals. Personally I think if anyone had a chance of turning around the Liberals fortunes here in Alberta he would be the one.

Unfortunately however I don’t think he’s the one driving the bus when it comes to the Liberal party. I’ve seen him say things that are basically a bit of an olive branch in terms of Alberta only to reverse himself later. I don’t mean that as a criticism, in fact I think what’s happening is that he has certain ideas when it comes to how to approach Albertans but it seems like he gets pulled back by the party so that they (the Liberal party) can appeal to the areas where winning support will mean more in terms of winning an election.

It’s too bad because I think if they would just follow his lead a bit more instead of sticking with more traditional strategies they would have a better chance of winning seats here in Alberta and winning an election.

I have nothing to substantiate that point of view, it’s just my perspective on the issue.

[andyt]

You know, when people are being reasonable and open minded it makes for a really boring forum.

[DrCaleb]

dino_bobba_renno wrote:

Well this will probably be the only time I will ever say this but I really don’t mind Iggy. I really believe he has made some sincere efforts to reach out to Alberta from time to time in the past and he seems fairly centralist in his ideals. Personally I think if anyone had a chance of turning around the Liberals fortunes here in Alberta he would be the one.

Unfortunately however I don’t think he’s the one driving the bus when it comes to the Liberal party. I’ve seen him say things that are basically a bit of an olive branch in terms of Alberta only to reverse himself later. I don’t mean that as a criticism, in fact I think what’s happening is that he has certain ideas when it comes to how to approach Albertans but it seems like he gets pulled back by the party so that they (the Liberal party) can appeal to the areas where winning support will mean more in terms of winning an election.

It’s too bad because I think if they would just follow his lead a bit more instead of sticking with more traditional strategies they would have a better chance of winning seats here in Alberta and winning an election.

I have nothing to substantiate that point of view, it’s just my perspective on the issue.

I gotta agree with you too. I don't mind Iggy, and he seems to try to woo us before backpedalling. Unlike Cretien, Martin and Dion, who never even tried.

He did make some good points in the debates too, like "you don't have the record for a majority, it has to be earned". But because of Trudeau - > Dion, there is no way I'll lever vote Liberal. I hope there is a Pirate Party member in my area. And too bad I didn't think of that sooner, or I could have put my name in the hat.

[dino_bobba_renno]

andyt wrote:

You know, when people are being reasonable and open minded it makes for a really boring forum.

I know, I miss the old days a bit sometimes.

[raydan]

dino_bobba_renno wrote:

andyt wrote:

You know, when people are being reasonable and open minded it makes for a really boring forum.

I know, I miss the old days a bit sometimes.

F*** you!!!








Feel better?

[dino_bobba_renno]

raydan wrote:

Feel better?

Oh it wasn't quite that bad, just very partisan. It made for some good debates though.

[dino_bobba_renno]

DrCaleb wrote:

He did make some good points in the debates too, like "you don't have the record for a majority, it has to be earned". But because of Trudeau - > Dion, there is no way I'll lever vote Liberal. I hope there is a Pirate Party member in my area. And too bad I didn't think of that sooner, or I could have put my name in the hat.

You'd have my vote I don't know if you'e up for it but I think Stelmach's seat is going to be up for grabs here pretty soon.

[Khar]

It's actually kind of interesting, living in a riding where the result has not been decided from the moment that the election was called. I've never seen so many election officials wandering up and down the streets, making sure I was registered and asking who I was voting for. I almost wish I had lived in this riding in 2008, instead of in the North East -- I would have been in a swing riding for a much more interesting election with some issues which I felt were worth discussing.

Well, worth discussing more than this election has brought up so far.

The article is entirely right about Duncan, though. It's impossible to not know who Linda Duncan is in this riding -- I get monthly flyers from her, and have been getting them since I moved here two years ago. She is well established and connects well with the community, keeps us up to date on her voting decisions and issues she is following and so forth. While she certainly has done some things which I find questionable (sorry, I felt that Mexican environmental thing was laughable no matter where I tried to stand on the issue) she has done very well in cementing her position here.

Exams will be over, but I'm betting there will be enough students around to vote NDP, and that the slowing of the Libs here will give the NDP a bit more unf behind it's numbers. If I were a betting man, actually, I'd be putting my money on the NDP candidate -- this is the riding which turfed out Rahim Jaffer in 2008 (if only by a very thin margin), and I don't know if there is really a strong feeling that the Conservatives are welcome back in this riding yet, especially with the PR skills of the NDP candidate.

My mind anyways. I've not really bothered to post overly much on the forums during election season, but the forums seem surprisingly calm.