DBWI: Alberta 2012, bozo eruptions DURING the campaign

[overoceans]

Well, we all know what happened in the real world. Danielle Smith promised there would be no off-the-wall remarks by her candidates, and there weren't. Until AFTER they took power, and one of the surviving Tory MLAs, Tom Lukaszuk, managed to dig up that "Lake Of Fire" blog by Hunsperger, and that interview by the guy saying how he'd be a good MLA because he's "caucasian". Smith refused to reprimand her outspoken members, moderate Wildrosers cried foul, the rural SoCons took offense at the moderates, and thus started the ongoing intra-party civil war that continues to this day. I'm actually surprised they've managed to limit the defections enough to maintain their majority.

But anyway, suppose that those quotes had been revealed DURING the campaign. Part of me wants to think that Albertans would be sufficently outraged to turn against Wildrose, and maybe flock back to the PCs in a panicked fit of strategic voting.

On the other hand, this IS Alberta we're talking about. It probably wouldn't be too pessimistic to imagine that the Lake Of Fire and The White Man's Burden would actually INCREASE the party's appeal, everywhere except maybe Edmonton and a few other lonely, scattered outposts of modernity.

Any thoughts?

 

[overoceans]

One bump, before eternal consignment to the Lake Of Fire...

 

[EternalCynic]

IC: It's comically tragic how the Wildrose Party collapsed in the months after its election. Though how it occurred is as much to do with new PC Leader Jim Prentice's political manoeverings as it did with Danielle Smith's ineptness.

OOC: I don't see how such a well-organized party as the Alberta PCs desperate for its survival *won't* dig up such comments during the campaign.

 

[overoceans]

IC: It's comically tragic how the Wildrose Party collapsed in the months after its election. Though how it occurred is as much to do with new PC Leader Jim Prentice's political manoeverings as it did with Danielle Smith's ineptness.

Yeah, the PCs defintely have a sharp leader with Prentice there. If Wildrose gets turfed after this theocrat vs. libertarian fratricide they've got going on, I could easily see Jim bringing the Tories back to power for another half-century in power.

I mean, I absolutely LOVED his comment when Smith was trying to soft-peddle Link Byfield's creationist opinions during that bizarre debate about the Tyrell Dinosaur Museum...

"Now, I know, science is hard..."

Best. Line. Ever.

 

[The Uchronian]

I can say this: with the next elections coming up in '16, does anyone else think that the NDP might eventually have a notable shot at winning the Premiership, given their increasingly favorable poll numbers(especially in and around the major cities)? Now, granted, they don't have a majority in the Legislative Assembly, but even the Prog-Cons took a beating from this fiasco; not to mention that the Wildrose Party is well on it's way to dying now.

OOC: Let's remember that, even IOTL, Rachel Notley was able to secure the premiership of Alberta, and that was without an incident like this. TBH, ITTL, it actually seems more likely for her, or possibly some other NDP candidate, to pull off a win here as well.

Edit-this post has been edited to better reflect the circumstances of TTL: credit to EternalCynic for the corrections.

 

[EternalCynic]

I can say this: would the NDP's candidate, Rachel Notley, have still won this year's elections for the Premiership in Alberta? Now, granted, they don't yet have a majority in the Legislative Assembly, but even the Prog-Cons took a beating from this fiasco; not to mention that the Wildrose Party is well on it's way to dying now.....

OOC: Let's remember that, even IOTL, Rachel Notley was able to secure the premiership of Alberta, and that was without an incident like this. TBH, ITTL, it actually seems more likely for her, or possibly some other NDP candidate, to pull off a win here as well.

OOC: The next election should have occurred in 2016. It was only because Prentice decided to gamble that he called it this spring. So ITTL with Wildrose in such dire straits there would have been no election since 2012.

 

[The Uchronian]

OOC: The next election should have occurred in 2016. It was only because Prentice decided to gamble that he called it this spring. So ITTL with Wildrose in such dire straits there would have been no election since 2012.

OOC: Oh, okay, I see. Still, though, I do think the NDP would still have a chance in '16 ITTL....I'll edit my post to reflect that.

Edit: Okay, that's done, and the edit should better fit the canon now, I think.

IC: Just got ahold of the latest numbers: the NDP has made even more gains in the Calgary and Edmonton areas!

 

[Blurgle]

Just got ahold of the latest numbers: the NDP has made even more gains in the Calgary and Edmonton areas!

Oh, please: the day Calgary goes NDP (other than the riding of Mountain View, which contains the People's Republic of Hillhurst-Sunnyside within its borders) is the day I'll eat my hat.

 

[overoceans]

Oh, please: the day Calgary goes NDP (other than the riding of Mountain View, which contains the People's Republic of Hillhurst-Sunnyside within its borders) is the day I'll eat my hat.

Or the rest of non-Edmonton Alberta, for that matter.

The NDP gets SOME support in the capital because there are a lot of unionized civil servants there. But that has very little appeal for anyone else in Alberta.

And I don't care HOW rough the economy gets. If things get dire enough, some right-wing party or faction will steal a few leftish planks, and maybe ride that to power. That's way more realistic than imagining that the good folks of Wetaskawin, Red Deer, and Medicine Hat will vote for the socialists.

You actually saw a bit of that a few months back, when Smith floated the idea of privatizing the Alberta Treasury Branches. It was actually the rural SoCon dissidents(doubtlessly channeling the ghost of Bible Bill) who hollered the loudest against that, and the NDP came off as just me-tooing their sermons.