Danielle Smith wins the Wildrose Alliance Leadership....Now what?

  First off, I would like to congratulate Danielle Smith for her impressive victory in the Wildrose Alliance Leadership race this weekend.  While I am not yet a supporter of her party, I am amazed by her ambition and work ethic in her approach to achieving this goal.  Having met Danielle socially and spoken to her a few times, I was intrigued by her campaign.  Most readers of this blog may feel that I gave Mark Dyrholm an unfair shake, as seen in some of these posts: ( I'll let you have a quick chuckle and decide for yourself)

•  If I was a WAP supporter, who would I vote for?
• WAP Leadership race via Social Networking Stats!
• Dyrholm closes in on the "Interweb" Gap! 
•  Who is the best (looking) candidate?  ( This is purely science folks, purely science. Correct also!)
• Do Endorsements matter in the WAP race?
• WAP Membership Sales-Part 1.  ( My favorite...lol)   

It took a while, but most of my opponents finally realized that there was a lot of sarcasm in these posts.  Even Craig Chandler finally got in on the joke and let me know he knew where I was coming from.  I should also congratulate Mark for standing up for his beliefs and running for the leadership.  I know it took a lot of time and resources to run, so I can respect those sacrifices.

 Just over a month ago, there were massive rumours floating around that Dyrolm's team was outselling memberships by 2-1 over Danielle.  This is odd, considering that the votes went 3-1 for Danielle.  Was there a last minute push by the new members to ensure that Danielle would win ( or to ensure a Dyrholm loss), or was this a strategic plant?   Part of the rumour was quite vicious, so I am not sure what happened.  Politically, it is interesting though. 

 So now that Danielle Smith has won, whats next?   I believe that the momentum of this movement will slowly start to stall, as the "excitement" of the leadership race is now over.  Here are some random questions that I have:

What direction will the Wildrose Alliance move to with its policy and platform?  The membership has spoken loud and clear with a 3-1 vote for Danielle and her "libertarian" ways.  To me, this shows that the party does not want to make a move to the far right on social issues, as Dyrholm would have liked. This is dangerous for the PC's, as they will be treading after the "average" Albertans vote.  I am curious to see where the party will go now with Danielle as its leader.  If they move to a more socially moderate platform, I think they can be a real force.  If not, it will likely be back to fringe-party status.

 Who gets the media attention now?   With Paul Hinman the only WAP MLA, who gets the soundbite on the 6pm news everyday?  Hinman or Smith?  I cannot see Danielle just parroting the comments made by Hinman, but it seems rather silly to have a leader without a seat commenting instead of Hinman.  Will Danielle simply wait outside the Legislature for the media scrum after watching it in the galley? What will Hinman do...simply deflect the media questions to the leader?  How will this work?

 Will there be any PC defections now?  I previously posted on this, but this has likely changed over the past few weeks.  Check out Ezra Levant's "Predictions" on twitter! 

 Finally, back in May I did my first blog post ever on the WAP, I asked the question " Is the Wildrose Alliance Party the real deal"?  Looking back, less than six months ago, and I cannot believe how much has changed in the Alberta political landscape.  Are they the real deal?  Not yet...but with the new leader and a good set of policy, they will be.  Perhaps Danielle Smith said it best this weekend..." Ed Stelmach, you haven't even begun to imagine what's about to hit you"....

Hopefully my party wakes up and takes notice before its too late. 

Shane

Mark Dyrholm's last stab at attention, before he goes back into obscurity...

 How Embarrassing. 

 I caught wind on Twitter about Mark ( The Media is unfair and out to get me) Dyrholm and his whining about the media's bias towards Danielle Smith.  This is is just absurd.  I do not care who Danielle Smith used to work with or what station her husband works for now,  as it just does not matter in this case.  Does the Dyrholm team seriously think that that the Alberta/National media is really out to get him and his 'conservative" ways.  Mark is truly "jumping the shark" here and realizes that he cannot win the Wildrose Alliance Leadership, so is trying to create a last minute issue for his poorly run campaign.  Either that, or it is a poor, poor attempt at mimicking Wayne Gretzky's famous "nobody wants us to win" speech in the 2002 Olympics.


 To be honest, this blogger has also been accused of being biased against Mark.  Many times in fact.  The truth is, I do not believe for a minute that the "Media" is out to get him.  In my opinion, I would not want to put a live camera in his face on the 6pm News.  I have seen Bingo Callers that have more charisma and a better cadence to their voice.  Remember last month when Charles Adler called him Mark "DRY-Holm"....he was dead on my friends.  Adler also stated that he was accused of not giving him equal time, but declared that the man did not make a good enough phone in caller, let alone "radio guest"....yikes.

  Before you blame the media for you lack of attention, perhaps he would consider getting some sleep before going on TV...or at the very least, borrow he could some of his wife's eye cream.  At least then, he would look a little more presentable and perhaps get some more interviews. 

Also, I wonder how many "interviews" Mark has been told to turn down, because the source was not "friendly enough" to his campaign. 

Good Luck to you.  After Saturday, you will be back to manipulation.  Manipulating backs that is...and not the Alberta Voter.  I guess running was not such a good idea?

The video can be found at the Calgary SE News blog.

Do Endorsements Matter in the Wildrose Alliance Leadership Race?

  With the Wildrose Alliance Leadership race now in the final stretch, I found myself wondering if political endorsements really matter?  Does anyone switch their vote based on who has more ( or better) public endorsements?  Is it all for show?  Lets look at some of the public endorsements for each candidate...

Mark Dyrholm's endorsements ( taken from his twitter posts over the past few months & official website) include the following:

•  Ken Mazzeroll, former candidate for Calgary Currie in 2004. 
• Tim Bloedow, ECP Centre
• Randy Hillier
• Ontario MPP's Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington.
• Myron Thompson
• Dianna Brooks, Candidate 2004, Calgary Elbow
• Justin Wong, Calgary Shaw Constituency Assoc & Business Owner
• Don Leonardo, Veteran, Former VP, Calgary Egmont Alberta PC Party Association  
• Jim Blake, National Charman, Concerned Christians Canada Inc.
• Craig B. Chandler, Executive Director, Progressive Group for Independent Business (PGIB)

Danielle Smith's endorsements ( taken from an email I had received recently) include:

•  Betty Unger, Alberta senator-elect, Edmonton
• Link Byfield, Alberta senator-elect and Joanne Byfield, pro-life organizer and activist.
• Candis McLean, Calgary, investigative journalist and documentary producer.
• Tom Flanagan, former federal Conservative campaign manager and author.
• Rainer Knopff, U of C professor and author.
• Gordon Butler, Past President of the Western Stock Growers’ Association and Property Rights Advocate.
• Ezra Levant, Western Standard Publisher.
• Barry Cooper, Professor of Political Science, U of C.
• David Chatters Reform Party/Conservative MP for Athabasca and Westlock-St. Paul, 1993 -2006
• Phil Klein, Edmonton, (Ralph’s father)

The scope (and arguably, the quality) of these endorsement varies quite a bit.  I know the conventional wisdom says..." the only endorsements that matter are the votes on leadership day", but I thought it was worth reviewing.  Either camp cannot say they do not care about these endorsements or they would not publicly flaunt them every time the were received. 

Does it make a difference to anyone?  Will it change anyones vote? Does anyone care?  If not, why do people make such a big deal about the endorsments?  What are your thoughts?

Let's look at the scenarios....

  Wow, it seems that some of the local blogs have slowed down since the end of the Calgary Glenmore by-election!  This seems odd, considering some of the crazy developments of late.  I thought I would run a quick rant on the random thoughts that have been running through my busy mind over the last few days:

•  Up to 10 PC MLA's are rumoured to switch over to the Wildrose Alliance Party, following a Danielle Smith leadership victory. 

 Hmmm.... I don't know what to make of this one.  I know that the source of this piece is a respected writer so I do not doubt the integrity of the author. ( Its not like it came from Calgaryrants.com!)  I wonder if there is any truth to this and if so...who will they be?  I find the timing of the recent appointments of local Conservatives Rob Anderson, Len Weber and Jon Denis interesting, but well deserved.  Perhaps these appointments can be seen as peace offering to the Calgary caucus?

So then...who will the 10 be?  I would like to know.  In my opinion, it will definitely not be any cabinet ministers as they will not want to give up their additional pay and benefits to sit with another party.  Perhaps some local backbenchers or new MLA's?  Perhaps some young/urban MLA's that see that they might not fit in with the current leader?  Perhaps only a handful, say 2-3, will actually leave?   I cannot see this happening anytime soon, but what do you think?

•    If Danielle Smith wins the Wildrose Alliance Leadership...what's next?

Once/if Danielle wins the leadership, what is the next step?  Ideally, she would want to get into the Legislature as soon as possible.  With the election 3-4 years off, the only option would be through a by-election.  How will this happen?  Politically, a party leader without a seat is not very effective in my opinion.  Its like having a fiery preacher without a church.  While Danielle can work the media wonderfully, and I am sure she will be a constant thorn in the PC's side, she would serve best as a sitting MLA.  So...who will "retire" to allow her to run in a by-election?  Personally, I cannot see any PC MLA's voluntarily stepping aside.  Perhaps a local Liberal will decide they have had enough and leave the Leg?  I doubt this also.  I bet a whole crop of PC MLA's may be disappointed to find that because of this scenario, any and all "appointments" just dried up until after the next election, which would keep all constituencies closed!

• If the Wildrose Alliance can be rejuvenated by a new leader, maybe the PC's can as well?

 Would it not be heartbreaking for the WAP to find that Premier Stelmach decides to retire before the next election, only to be replaced by a new, energetic leader? ( I support the PC party, but lets be realistic here....) Perhaps if the current tide holds and his support continues to go down, he will show his true leadership and commitment to the party and step aside before the next election.  Perhaps the rumour of Brett Wilson running will energize the party.  Perhaps a Conservative leader like Ted Morton will appease the right of the party and kill the WAP's ambitions in its tracks.  Who knows?  Any other scenarios out there?

The party in power has the upper hand and can plan ahead for these scenarios.  Its called Risk Management and it works.

Thoughts? 

Wildrose Alliance Membership Sales.... PART 1

With the upcoming Wildrose Alliance Leadership vote, I see that WAP supporters have less than three weeks remaining to purchase memberships.  In an effort to bolster their membership sales, perhaps the WAP executive will consider using this video in its mass emails?  It may help in boosting those last minute sales!

 Rumor is that one group is outselling the other significantly...but that is for another post.  I wonder if that campaign was using this video all along?  If you look quickly and listen carefully, you could be fooled into believing that the characters are some of the actual players in this race!

Have a great weekend!

Shane

Jeff Willerton Drops out of WAP Leadership...( Plus..New Fundraising Slogan!)

  Jeff Willerton drops out of WAP Leadership Race.  No One Cares.  Except Mark...I am sure he appreciates the endorsement from such a strong candidate.

 I find it fitting that the Calgary Herald only gave one little sentence in the middle of their article today.  Why should anyone give him any more attention and continue to feed his political vanity. 

 I sent an email to Mr. Willerton a few weeks ago asking how he raised the money for the entrance fee, as I could see the writing was on the wall with his campaign.  Surprisingly, he responded rather quickly, confirming that he got most of the cash from selling his book.  Perhaps some cash came also from his gospel CD "One Man At A Time". ( No, this is not a reference to the "Parade incident" a few years ago.) 

  Now that he quit, I guess the Willerton For Premier schtick and comparisons to Churchill were not such a great idea.  I cannot see anyone donating cash to his next book tour( ooops...I mean Political Campaign) so perhaps I will be the first to donate a new fundraising slogan to you....

 Jeff Willerton... One Can at a Time!

Wildrose Alliance Sets Grand Prarie ablaze with excitement!

 

 

My imagination of the Scene...

Seeing as I cannot locate any good blog posts about the initial Wildrose Alliance Leadership debate that was held in Grand Prairie last night, I had to rely on some old fashioned MSM reports.   The picture provided by the newspaper shows the three candidates ( ironically in their predicted order of finish) but no shots of the crowd, thus my imagined interpretation above!  I see that the Wildrose continues to set the province on fire....this time they managed to get over 30 supporters out to this crucial debate.  30... Hmmmm....

  Maybe I am being to harsh?  30 is a good number is it not?  Considering the article quotes the northern director of the party as stating that membership has QUADRUPLED this year and that the "turnout in Grande Prairie is proof that the tide is turning on the current government."  I am not sure I would be bragging that 30 people attended this event.  30 people attending a candidates debate ( and most were likely members) does not show the tide turning on anything.  However it does highlight many of the the deep logistical problems that this protest/fringe party has, but refuses to acknowledge.

  I will be watching for the spin on how the WAP was able to get 30 people to attend a leadership debate in a city that is likely hit hard by the Oil/Gas industry.  30 people.

 Perhaps the tiny WAP Flame is starting to fizzle out? 

Wildrose Alliance Leadership Race...Who is the best (looking) candidate?

Now I know that some of my WAP friends will have a fit over this one, so lets keep in mind that this is for fun!

Remember these sayings?... "Don't judge a book by its cover....", or "Its whats on the inside that counts"? Well according to a recent Princeton University study, none of this matters when we are deciding on who to vote for! This study claims that people make their decisions on who to they will vote for based on their looks! It also determined that "most people judge a political candidates competency within seconds of seeing their face. Period. Issues did not matter. Stance did not matter". Interesting... If you think about it, the study is probably not that far off base.


So using this theory, I thought it would be fun to see who will win the upcoming WAP leadership race based on this? Based on science ( lol), I think that Danielle Smith runs away with this race easily! ( Between Dyrholm and Willerton...Jeff gets my vote for second place!) I guess it is not fair to base someones competency on their looks, but unfortunately, this is likely how our society works. I just want to see if there is any discussion on this?


What do you think?










Danielle Smith





Mark Dyrholm





Jeff Willerton ( On the left...)













Lets see if the science will hold up on election day...

IF I was a Wildrose Alliance supporter...who would I vote for?

No that Stampede is over and the early morning functions have ceased, I finally have a moment to post something before I head off to work!



I had the opportunity to meet both of the WRAP leadership candidates at two different Stampede events last week, and thought I would put a quick post together about my thoughts on each of them.





Mark Dyrholm:





I met Mr.Dyrholm briefly at the Calgary SW/Prime Minister Stephen Harper annual BBQ at Heritage Park. He was flanked by his campaign manager ( handler?) Craig Chandler and never seemed to waver more than 3 feet from him. It was kind of uncomfortable to watch this pair working the room and reminded me of the old movie "Twins" with Arnold and Danny Devito.





Now, I did not get a chance to have a lengthy discussion with Mark, because I had not yet eaten and did not think I could stomach it. My first impressions are usually right and I just could not picture this gentleman as the Premier of Alberta. While I am sure he is an honest, hardworking individual, in my opinion "he is just not for me....".








Danielle Smith:









While I saw Ms. Smith at the Heritage Park event, I did not get the chance to meet her that night. I did get to meet her shorty thereafter at a Private Stampede BBQ and had the opportunity to chat briefly. I found Ms. Smith charming and she did not have the stereotypical "fakeness" that some politicians carry. I was honest with her that I do not support her party ( I am a PC supporter) and gave her my thoughts on what this average Albertan was feeling about the current issues. She was respectful in her responses and I found her very intelligent and articulate.


Now, IF I were a WRAP supporter, It is clear who I would support here. Personally, (and from quick straw polls at some events over this past week) I think that Ms. Smith will win the leadership race handily with some more hard work. I know that Mr.Dyrholm's team is quite organized and It would not surprise me if Mr.Chandler already has already booked the charter buses to transport the voters to Edmonton in October, so he is definitely a contender.

The winner of this race determines the fate of the WRAP's future. Extreme/Fringe?... or Moderate/Contender?

Again, who cares what this PC supporter thinks right? These are just my thoughts.

Still Just for fun...Mark Dyrholm team closes the "interweb" gap!

In what was supposed to be a lighthearted post on June 14, I jokingly compared the social media following of the two declared WRAP candidates. It set off a funny set of comments, including some from Mr.Dyrholms team.



I thought it would be interesting to see how the numbers stand up now, almost 10 days later....



June 14:

Danielle Smith:

Facebook: 140 Followers.
Twitter: 696 Followers

Mark Dyrholm:

Facebook: 58 followers
Twitter: 90 Followers


June 24:

Danielle Smith:

Facebook: 235 Followers.

Twitter: 911 Followers

Mark Dyrholm:

Facebook: 212 followers

Twitter: 727 Followers

Looks like a big jump for Mr. Dyrholm. I know I have received 3-4 requests to add Dyrholm as a "friend" on facebook from a certain well known member of his campaign team, so they are obviously pushing the social media well.

What does this mean? Absolutely Nothing!

Young Liberal candidate ( Calgary Glenmore) Cory Hogan had 222 friends on facebook....yet he could not sell enough memberships ( 100 people total voted at the glenmore nomination meeting) to win the nomination. Pretty sad.

Moral of the story? Social Media is important in getting your message out...but unless you actually sell memberships and gather supporters, you will find out who your "friends" really are.

Just for Fun...WAP Leadership Race via Social Network Stats!

Just for fun on a lazy Sunday morning...

While two candidates have come forward in the Wildrose Alliance Party leadership race, I am going to save commentary on each until all of the candidates have come forward. That said, I have been following both Danielle Smith's and Mark Dyrholm's web presence with interest. Here are my thoughts...

Websites:

• Danielle's website is clean, bright, crisp and visually appealing. It is easy to navigate and simple but highly effective.
• Mark's website is good, but it has the PGIB/Chandler NASCAR advertising style, which may turn some people off. It is not as easy to read and forces you to read long winded letters of endorsement, with a few website links from those endorsing him. Hmmm...
  

Now, just for fun...( don't read too much into it) lets look at the Social Media following of each leadership hopeful....

Danielle Smith

• Facebook: 140 Followers.
• Twitter: 696 Followers

Mark Dyrholm

• Facebook: 58 followers
• Twitter: 90 Followers

Edge: Danielle Smith by a mile.

Now, It looks like Craig Chandler and his PGIB crew were a little slow getting the Dyrholm website up and twitter account up and running, so this may be the reason for the "gap" here. Perhaps it may also be a demographic issue, as older people generally do not use Facebook or Twitter?

Anyways...I just figured this would add some mindless banter! Time to grab another coffee...

Shocking Wildrose Alliance Video!!

I came across this strange piece on Youtube this morning by chance. At first, I didnt know what to make of it, but after watching it for a while I became quite disturbed. I do not endorse this video but think that it needs to be brought to light.

Based on the details and multiple WRAP name drops, one may conclude that it was created by a disgruntled? party member.

I like a good laugh like anyone else, but draw the line at the HITLER references and the sexist comments about potential leader Danielle Smith.

What are your thoughts?

Is the Wildrose Alliance Party the real deal?

Over the past few weeks, I have seen countless blog postings over the potential godsend that the Wildrose Alliance Party feels it is bringing to the Alberta political landscape. Most of the WAP supporters are posting constant spins about how their party is going to lead Alberta back to the “promised” land after they “wipe out” the PC Party in the next election. I have had some time to watch some of the theatrics and thought it was time I posted some of my thoughts on this…

Disclaimer: I am a supporter of the PC party of Alberta and sit on my local constituency board. That said, I strongly believe that in order to make Alberta a better province, we must first ensure that there is a strong political engagement from our citizens, regardless of what party you support. I really don’t care what party you belong to, as long as you are passionate about making this province stronger. To each their own, as long as your views are not harmful to others.

The WAP is a new party and seemingly lacks the support of the Alberta voter. I am not sure why they feel that they are the “party in waiting” (The last time I checked, they had NO elected members.) but their confidence is definitely not lacking. .They are currently running town hall meetings across the province, with minimal success in my opinion. There recent meeting in Calgary had a paltry 50 people show up. (Wow, 50 whole people? in a city of 1.1MM which is considered a conservative bedrock?) Not exactly the grassroots earthquake of support that they are claiming to be causing. (Probably more like enough “shake” on the Richter scale to cause a candle to flicker!)

The recent announcement that Paul ( I am sure he’s a nice guy and all) Hinman will be stepping aside as WAP leader has given the media ( and us bloggers) some fodder to try and guess who the next leader will be. This move is entirely spin related and designed to gain some attention for their upcoming AGM. There is lots of speculation on who the next leader will be. In my opinion, its easier to decide who the leader will NOT be…

1) Craig Chandler. ( See the last post on the following blog, and you can see that Chandler confirms that he is OUT!)

2) Preston Manning. ( Why Not? Why end your career being associated with a disorganized movement? Ie. “Also Ran”)

3) Danielle Smith? This is an interesting plant? She has stated recently that she is interested in the position. Or is this just posturing for a better cabinet post when she runs (and wins) under the PC banner? If the latter is true, the WAP movement will be dead in the water in my opinion.

4) Ted Morton. (See # 2 above.)

Note: I would not be surprised to see Hinman run again, and win, given the possibility that no credible leader comes forward for the nomination.

If the WAP wants to make inroads in Alberta, they must elect a centrist leader that appeals to ALL Albertans, not just the hard-line WAP supporters and rural voter.

The WAP Platform is all over the map in my opinion. The most curious line in the whole platform to me is:

SOCIAL POLICY
Wildrose Alliance social policy will always reflect the views of mainstream Albertans.

I spit my coffee out on this line! Even as a conservative myself, I find their stance on social issues a little too right for this “average Albertan”. Interestingly enough, the VP of Policy is Cory Morgan, who was once the LEADER of the Alberta Separatist Party. ( Note: His wife is fellow blogger Jane Morgan, who is also the executive director of the WAP.) Hmmm… I guess he must have seen that there was no future with an unelectable party promoting an unelectable platform? ( Seem familiar?) Perhaps he just saw the light?

Personally, this destroys all of the WAP’s credibility in my view.

Interestingly enough, The WAP has been successful in raising money from the oilpatch over the past year. I believe that this is simply a “protest” donation rather than a symbol of support. The true test will be 2 years from now, as the election nears. Will the money still be flowing to the WAP? Time will tell.

The next few months will determine the future of this party. There leadership campaign will be over in October, which will confirm what this party is all about. Will it continue to be a party for the same hard-line rightwing conservatives? Will they move to the centre in an attempt to capture the average Albertan’s vote? Or will they fade off into the sunset?

Until they prove otherwise, I believe that they are “All Hat, No Cattle”.

I am sure that I may not make many friends in the WAP after this, but seeing how they are champions of free speech and all, I just thought that this “Average Albertan” would share his thoughts.

Paul Hinman to Resign as Wildrose Alliance Leader!

I just received a press release issued by the WAP confirming that thier charismatic leader is stepping down! The press release is copied below...


April 21, 2009


Paul Hinman's Leadership Sets Stage for Wildrose Alliance's Growth
For Immediate Release

Alliance Party leader Paul Hinman has advised the party executive of his intention to step down as leader at the upcoming Annual General Meeting scheduled for June 5 and 6, 2009, in Calgary. "Mr. Hinman has been a driving force in creating a new political alternative for Albertans," says Wildrose Party President Jeff Callaway. "His tireless determination to create a voice for Albertans who question the policies of the Stelmach PC party has sparked growing interest in the Wildrose Alliance." Paul Hinman’s commitment to providing Alberta with a new political option that is attractive to the majority of Albertans involves more than policy and merely criticizing the government. It includes leadership with vision and communication, and to help ensure the continued growth of the Party, Mr Hinman wants to ensure that the Wildrose Alliance is led by the most capable, energetic, and qualified person possible. "To demonstrate his commitment," says Callaway, "Paul will step down at the AGM and open up the leadership of the Party to what we hope will be a robust race." Paul Hinman says of his decision " Our Party's strong growth in the past year tells me now is the time to further that growth with a leadership race. This will help the Wildrose Alliance harness this remarkable groundswell and give the most people possible the opportunity to participate." Hinman encourages other interested parties to enter the Leadership race and "Together we will build the Party. The interest in the Wildrose Alliance as a viable political alternative to the existing government has been growing fast and has come from a diverse group of people from different regions and economic segments of Alberta who want to get involved."
"I am accountable to Albertans and our party members and I believe this is the best decision for our party and ultimately for our province," Hinman says. "I extend the greatest appreciation to those who have supported our party and myself in the past. Be assured I will continue to work with the Wildrose Alliance and Albertans in whatever capacity I can to make the greatest possible contribution to restore the Alberta Advantage and prosperity to the people of Alberta." Commenting on the future of Alberta, Paul Hinman continued "The government must rein in its spending and bureaucratic growth while stimulating the economy through the reduction of taxes and red tape. It needs to be accountable and display the type of integrity that will restore the confidence of investors and businesses. Protecting the freedom of choice and competition balanced with a regulated free market economy encourages the creative and entrepreneurial people and businesses of Alberta." Regarding our health care and educational systems and Senior Citizens, Hinman says "The focus should be on service, not on management as it currently is. While concentrating on all of the above near-term, the long-term future must be protected through proper stewardship of the environment and our natural resources." "Paul Hinman has demonstrated his commitment and service to the people of Alberta and the Wildrose Alliance," President Jeff Callaway stated, "And I know he remains committed to each going forward. I view his decision as the act of a selfless Leader and he deserves the thanks and respect of the Party. In whatever leadership role Paul assumes with the Party, the Wildrose Alliance will benefit from his experience and guidance. The Board, Executive Director and myself look forward to working with Paul as together we build the Party."

Interesting, Interesting Times. I figured something was up due to the strange media plays by Jane Morgan and Paul Hinman in my previous post!

Shane

Paul HinmanWildrose Alliance leaderPhone: 403 393-2003

Alberta "Opposition" Parties Comedy Continues...

The state of the "opposition" parties in Alberta continues to diminish by the day. If it were not so funny, it would be quite sad. Let's take a quick look at the "would be" alternate parties in our province...

1) Alberta Liberal Party.... 1) Broke.... 2) Fractured.... enough said.

2) Alberta Green Party... Kevin Libin from the National Post had an excellent piece on this today. This party is in shambles.

3) Alberta NDP: 2 Seats....Lots of Noise...Outdated Views...Edmonton centered support= NO HOPE.

4) Wildrose Alliance Party: Lots of Cash.... No Quality Candidates.... Confusing, Populist Platform... and now, leadership questions!

On Friday, WAP executive director and fellow blogger Jane Morgan showed her solidarity to her party and her leader by claiming "some members may be seeking a more charismatic leader" during the party's AGM in June. Even party leader Paul Hinman brushed off the comments by stating, " Well, I guess you never has as much charisma as you'd like...We've been trying to track someone down since the party started, from Preston Manning to Deb Grey, to numerous other ones."

Now that is leadership! What is Jane Morgan saying here? Well, we need someone more interesting that doesn't just appeal to the "Rural/Small Town" Vote. How does Hinman respond? By agreeing that he thinks someone is better out there...but no one wants the job, so he will just stay on in the meantime? Where do I join this party? Where do I send my cheque?

Interesting how everyone wants to be Premier in this province, but none of the opposition party's leaders can create and manage a party that can fundraise, pay staff, create a platform that the people want want and get solidarity from their members.

It is not "voter apathy" that has kept the Alberta PC party in power as much as it is the incompetence of the opposition leadership. ALP, NDP, WAP, Greens...(or those party's that are still around) good luck with the next election.