This is for all of you political "what-if" speculators...
No room for Reds in Morton's ToriesOlsen continues...
Tom Olsen, Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, November 07, 2006
If you're worried about the state of democracy in Alberta, elect Ted Morton. Not because he has a package of refreshing democratic reforms -- all the contenders in the Tory leadership race have that.
Nope, elect Ted because if Morton wins the race to lead Alberta's Progressive Conservatives, there will be a Red Tory exodus from the party.
The constituency which Morton derides as "liberal lite" will look for another political home. They'll find it, maybe, in a new centrist conservative party, or perhaps with Kevin Taft's Alberta Liberals, who will make themselves more palatable by tightening up on the fiscal restraint.
Liberal boss Taft, by contrast, says a win for Morton is a victory for Alberta's Grits.
"There would be a larger opposition in the legislature, absolutely," said Taft. "And it would be led by Ted Morton."
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18 comments:
Innnteresting. There's actually a part of me that's kind of sad that it won't happen this way, warped as that may be.
That is a stupid line by Taft in the end. Is he, as Klein would say, stupid at politics? If he REALLY wants Morton as an opponent, why would he start trashing him now? Why not wait until he wins? Another reason why Taft won't win in AB. He's not like the LPC which will simply do whatever it takes to win.
Don't give up yet Idealist, Morton still does have a shot at winning this thing. You'd be surprised at how much federal machinery he has in play in AB. (...although the odds are obviously still on Dinning, Morton will be second).
You assume that Taft will be around in the next election.
As much as I can tell, the whole "Taft is leaving before the next election" rumour movement is only coming from a small number of folks who are members or supporters of political parties that are not his (Tories or Dippers). So, I think this speaks for itself.
If these folks thought that Taft wasn't a good leader, they wouldn't try to spread these rumours about him leaving, they'd want him to stay.
It seems to me that they're concerned about Liberal gains in the next election...
I don't think anyone much cares if Dr. Taft stays or goes. Last poll I showed saw his Libs at a whopping 12% support.
The Alberta Libs under Dr. Taft are headed in the same direction the Dippers were under Ray Martin... i.e. total elimination from the Legislature. Their MLA's are weak on the issues, absent in their local ridings, and generally ineffective beyond belief.
All that aside... comparing Ted Morton to Steven Harper is interesting. Are you suggesting a Morton led PC party would be reduced to the same minority status that Mr. Harper now has? That would be just lovely. We'd finally see some actually interesting politics in the AB legislature.
I see Werner Patels is posting anonymously now...
Daveberta said:
"As much as I can tell, the whole "Taft is leaving before the next election" rumour movement is only coming from a small number of folks who are members or supporters of political parties that are not his (Tories or Dippers)."
..except of course for Liberal bloggers and journalists.
And with Liberals at 12%, NOBODY is concerned about Liberal gains in the next election.
Werner Patels is supporting teh PC;s and Dinning. Paul Stanway is a Tory.
Dave's point remains strong.
Let me get this comment straight. "I see Werner Patels is posting anonymously now"...and that is a comment according to ANONYMOUS!!!!...too rich in stupidity to be ironic - or IS THIS just the classic self-RIGHT-ous "Right" framing and name calling to divert us from truly appreciating their true "depth and breadth?"
Great addition to the dialogue anonymous...your clear insight and enlightened commentary is absolutely breathtaking. Thanks for being you!
Patels is a Liberal. Just look at his site. Liberal logos all over it. He's a member of Liblogs, and is supporting Kennedy. And if Taft can't win over federal Kennedy supporters, he's in big trouble.
Nicole Martel is another federal Liberal who has taken out a PC membership - is she not a Liberal? Taft is talking to her.
And as for Stanway, sure he's of a conservative bent, but are you accusing him of making stuff up? Is he lying about talking to Liberal and Tory MLAs about the rumours about Taft?
The fact is the rumours are out there and it's mostly Liberals who are spreading them. There are rumours about Taft being given an ultimatium - get the party up near first in the polls or get out. Rumours that he's been given a year to turn things around or be replaced by Anne M. or Dave B.
Graham Hicks has reported on these rumours too - is he also part of the vast conspiracy?
You can dismiss them all you want - it's your party. Claim you won't listen to the rumours if they are reported from Tories or Dippers, fine. But that leaves 12% of the population - not a huge sample to collect your intellegence from.
To the Liberals who feel Ted Morton gives you the best chance at winning:
By all means buy a membership and vote for him!
i'd get involved again if bronconnier or mclellan were leader. taft is nowhere, and his cronies are his achillies heel.
Yep, that damn Kevin Taft. How dare he lead the Liberals in 2004 to triple their caucus from 5MLA's to 16MLAs (including 3 seats in Calgary).
And how dare he as MLA for Edmonton Riverview get the most votes, largest margin of victory, and highest voter turnout in any riding in the 2004 election.
How dare he lead some of the most effective MLA's (Miller, Taylor, Blakeman, Elsalhy, Swann) in the Legislature in opposition against the Tories.
And how dare he lead the Liberals to fundraise over $400,000 in the past two years alone to put towards the party debt.
Man, he's just not doing anything...
I'd like to see Brian Mason get replaced. When is David Eggen going to step up to the plate?!?!
I can't wait until they replace that Jim Dinning... oh damn...
A Jim Dinning victory equals an even greater split between the federal and provincial tories. A Ted Morton victory will lead to a stronger unity between Conservatives in Alberta. Ted has the strong support of Stephen Harper and the Federal COnservative MP's in Alberta. It's about uniting the Conservatives under one large freedom banner. Let Jim Dinning's red tories and homosexuals go to the Liberals. Kevin Taft can have the red tories. Alberta needs unity under a strong leader like Morton. That's why I'm Support'n Morton!
Funny how people talk about you behind your back. For the record, I posted none of those anonymous comments referred to here, because anyone who knows me knows that I am not afraid to publish under my real name.
One commenter linked to one of my posts, but I think this one is even more relevant:
http://www.wernerpatels.com/musings/2006/10/an_open_letter_.html
The above link explains why I feel that the Alberta Liberals under Taft do not deserve my support and participation in the party's affairs.
It should be noted also that while I served as a member of the local (Alberta Liberal) riding association board, I received tons of e-mails from disgruntled Liberals (federal and provincial) who expressed their misgivings about the "leadership" of Taft. Most even said that they didn't think he was a real Liberal.
Taft is playing with fire - Morton would win at least the first election he called and that gives us a solid 4 years of Ted Majority government.
What's best for the LPC? What's best for Alberta? Not always the same thing!
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