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Alberta Votes Day 25: "Fuck it, I’m voting PC"
When you know the PCs are going to take 70% of the vote in your riding and 80% of the seats in the province, there’s not a lot of strategy involved in your vote. You vote your conscience, knowing there is no way your check mark could possibly make a difference. It’s no surprise the […]
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Alberta Votes Day 24: Sleeping Arrangements at Minority Motel
Above: Preview of post-election Cabinet meetings? Despite a lackluster debate performance by Alison Redford, a pair of post-debate polls show the Wildrose margin down to 7 points. With daily controversies dogging Danielle Smith, there’s no guarantee that lead will hold and, even if it does, it’s impossible to accurately project what the next legislature will […]
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There goes another $1,000 "good behaviour" bond
Wildrose candidate Ron Leech sees “being white” as his biggest advantage in this election. Personally, I think his biggest advantage is having a leader who doesn’t seem to care that he sees “being white” as his biggest advantage in this election. Because any other leader would have punted him from the ticket within minutes of […]
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Worthy of Celebration
April 17, 2012: Constitutional ‘divisions’ keep Harper from celebrating Charter January 23, 2011: Harper celebrates five years as PM
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Alberta Votes Day 23: Born this Way
Above: Surely Allan Hunsperger sees the slippery slope this picture represents I think it’s safe to assume Wildrose candidate Allan Hunsperger’s $1,000 “good conduct bond” is as good as gone: Wildrose candidate Allan Hunsperger wrote about his views on homosexuality on his blog in 2011. Hunsperger, a minister with The House church in Tofield, suggested […]
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Alberta Votes Day 22: Closing Arguments
With a week to go, the parties in Alberta must now try to seal the deal with voters. You’ll hear pithy one-liners as spin machines go into overdrive, but here’s the brutally honest closing pitch I’d use for each party: Alison Redford’s PCs: “I get that a lot of Albertans want to send us a […]
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Alberta Votes Day 20: Notes From Week 3
On the Debate Reaction from yours truly, Hatrock, Santos, Tougas, and Daveberta. On Going Neg 1. A former Liberal MLA offers the PCs free advice on how to go neg, envisioning grainy and unflattering pictures of Smith with an ominous voice over warning “Danielle Smith wants to bring American-style health care to Alberta“. 2. The […]
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Alberta Votes Day 19: The Morning After
The hype machines were in overdrive for yesterday’s Alberta Leaders Debate, but the outcome was similar to most debates: steady but unspectacular performances from all the candidates, with the end result nothing more than re-enforcing existing attitudes. The post-debate Ipsos poll bears that out; when asked who won, 37% opted for Smith, 28% for Redford, […]
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Alberta Debate Live Blog
6:35 pm: Fairly flat opening statements for all four leaders. Vision, future, prosperity, puppies, sunshine. 6:42 pm: Health Care starts with a very substantive discussion between Sherman and Redford, then Mason and Sherman tag team arguing the “two conservative parties” want to privatize Health Care. 6:48 pm: You know what this debate is missing? Gilles […]
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Alberta Votes Day 18: Debate Night in Edmonton
More often than not, the Alberta leader’s debate is a mere formality, intended to create a vaneer of democracy in a province where elections tend to be meaningless. It’s barely worth watching, because even if someone delivers the mythic “knock out punch”, it doesn’t affect the election outcome. Hell, had Ed Stelmach literally gone over […]