There will be no fresh start. Why would she? The election validated her, TBA, and the right fringe of the UCP's agenda. As the saying goes; a leopard can't change it's spots. Or more accurately, when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.
The Danielle Smith we saw during the 28 days of the election campaign, and for a few days afterwards was the exception. The one that was an energy company lobbyist, peddled lies and misinformation during the pandemic, tried to get convicted criminal Artur Pawlowski off another legal hook with an imaginary amnesty, spouted a racist version of Canadian history; that's the one that's Premier for the next 4 years.
Well said Lisa! What I find refreshing about your article is the open-minded, enlightened attitude you extend to Danielle Smith. If only she could give the same generosity of kindness to the electorate she'd convince myself and others that she really does have the potential to lead. Sadly, as you point out, that's unlikely. Thanks for your post.
Judy J. Johnson: Danielle Smith is a great actor. Another former MLA who had to deal with Danielle Smith in the Legislature, knew she was following along to a script, anytime she spoke. With reality, Danielle Smith is a liability, because she has farfetched ideas, and she also can't deal with the truth. This same former MLA said that's why Danielle Smith was fired as a radio talk show host. If you saw the provincial election debate, it was so much lying from Danielle Smith. It would be very doubtful if Danielle Smith can last much longer as premier. She is hardly in the Legislature, or in her riding, because she cannot answer questions.
As long as TBA maintains control over riding associations and Danielle Smith remains in awe of prophets of the Neo-Con, such as her Chief of Staff, and to her own beliefs of being without corruption there will be no fresh start. There is no substitute for going wrong with certainty.
In the past few years Susan on the Soapbox has presented numerous examples that convince me Danielle Smith will only strengthen Alberta's reputation as a bunch of dogmatic rednecks who never met a bigot they didn't like. Enough to make me cry--or get my legs and lungs ready for protests.
Thanks for your insights. We need to give Danielle a fair chance but on the other hand we do need to be attentive when she (and other leaders) can’t figure out the rules.
The company Smith keeps unfortunately says everything anyone needs to know about her. The juvenile sneering smear on Twitter to Bratt by her Chief of Staff Anderson says it all.
In Alberta, giving the Conservatives a second chance, is what got us in this big mess we are in. First, it was the Alberta PCs, who disregarded the wonderful things Peter Lougheed did for Alberta, and look at where that got us. Especially with Ralph Klein, but with all the other Alberta PC premiers and governments. The most priciest shenanigans, that cost us billions of dollars, robbery oil royalty rates, that lost us over half a trillion dollars, tax rates that also lost Alberta billions of dollars more, infrastructure that will take a long time to upgrade and repair, a humongous orphan well mess, which now could be as much as $300 billion, utility and insurance rates that have shot up, with deregulation and privatization, and a damaged public healthcare and public education systems in Alberta. The UCP have proved to be no better, and here we go again. It isn't going to get better.
It's their standard tactic though. Recall how cons were the first to refuse to take part in debates, and with media requests they just don't reply. Kenney was visibly uncomfortable with having to act like a premier once the pandemic started.
I heard Duane Bratt speak in Lethbridge today on the election and he was talking about how the mainstream media is in trouble across the country and although he mentioned online start-ups like the Breach, the Tyee, the National Observer and Narwhal, he lamented that they're all partisan and just "preaching to the converted." But what else can you do when a)one side is SO disdainful of the other side that they refuse to even engage, going so far as to hand out earplugs in the legislature (also misogyny straight up, another of their endearing attitudes)and b) they seem primarily interested in juvenile, stupid libertarianism, i.e. undermining government and our institutions just for the fun of it, along with democracy.
Rebels without a pause, many of whom are also choirboys, so a really weird combo.
Yeah, being questioned by those who may disagree creates fear because any erstwhile populists know their positions don't stand up to scrutiny. Popularizing their efforts to chill reasonable, public debate is a generations long effort by those who like the appearance of democracy for themselves, but not the practice for others.
The most telling AND the most deeply embedded trait of conservatives is to be utterly graceless even in victory, and until we can at least acknowledge them as dangerous and the bona fide enemy, we're delusional.
People like them love the trappings of power more than anything; they're all a version of Trump in that but Putin also comes to mind because they're also on a mission to transform society, as per Margaret Thatcher's famous and revealing assertion that "there is no society." So you can't appeal to their better nature because they don't possess such a thing. In fact that's how they've been able to make such inroads is by taking advantage of OURS, particularly our inherent sense of fairness. Hence all the infuriating "bothsidesism," especially in the media, manipulated with callous, sneering ease by simply "flooding that zone with bullshit" as Steve Bannon prescribed.
They're the proud "party of NO" as Jon Stewart said, who see their closed minds as their strength, like all religious zealots.
They're the absolute worst among us, hands down, and should be treated accordingly.
Smith might want to take credit for her narrow win but she would be wrong. Any generic leader running for the Conservative Party in Alberta would get the same vote. She was a drag on her ticket but the party brand saved her. Smart people in oil companies and other places know and use her vulnerability to control her. If she doesn’t do their bidding they will punt her and get another leader. She, like most conservative politicians, lack real world experience on anything. Like Kenney, Harper and Polievre, she is can deliver talking points. But that group of leaders had no experience, education or training in anything. It’s why they get nothing accomplished and have forgettable records.
There will be no fresh start. Why would she? The election validated her, TBA, and the right fringe of the UCP's agenda. As the saying goes; a leopard can't change it's spots. Or more accurately, when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.
The Danielle Smith we saw during the 28 days of the election campaign, and for a few days afterwards was the exception. The one that was an energy company lobbyist, peddled lies and misinformation during the pandemic, tried to get convicted criminal Artur Pawlowski off another legal hook with an imaginary amnesty, spouted a racist version of Canadian history; that's the one that's Premier for the next 4 years.
Well said Lisa! What I find refreshing about your article is the open-minded, enlightened attitude you extend to Danielle Smith. If only she could give the same generosity of kindness to the electorate she'd convince myself and others that she really does have the potential to lead. Sadly, as you point out, that's unlikely. Thanks for your post.
Judy J. Johnson: Danielle Smith is a great actor. Another former MLA who had to deal with Danielle Smith in the Legislature, knew she was following along to a script, anytime she spoke. With reality, Danielle Smith is a liability, because she has farfetched ideas, and she also can't deal with the truth. This same former MLA said that's why Danielle Smith was fired as a radio talk show host. If you saw the provincial election debate, it was so much lying from Danielle Smith. It would be very doubtful if Danielle Smith can last much longer as premier. She is hardly in the Legislature, or in her riding, because she cannot answer questions.
As long as TBA maintains control over riding associations and Danielle Smith remains in awe of prophets of the Neo-Con, such as her Chief of Staff, and to her own beliefs of being without corruption there will be no fresh start. There is no substitute for going wrong with certainty.
In the past few years Susan on the Soapbox has presented numerous examples that convince me Danielle Smith will only strengthen Alberta's reputation as a bunch of dogmatic rednecks who never met a bigot they didn't like. Enough to make me cry--or get my legs and lungs ready for protests.
Thanks for your insights. We need to give Danielle a fair chance but on the other hand we do need to be attentive when she (and other leaders) can’t figure out the rules.
The company Smith keeps unfortunately says everything anyone needs to know about her. The juvenile sneering smear on Twitter to Bratt by her Chief of Staff Anderson says it all.
Smith and the UCP - "nekulturny" to the bone.
Rube frat boys; a new type?
More lies, more conspiracy, more Big Oil influence
In Alberta, giving the Conservatives a second chance, is what got us in this big mess we are in. First, it was the Alberta PCs, who disregarded the wonderful things Peter Lougheed did for Alberta, and look at where that got us. Especially with Ralph Klein, but with all the other Alberta PC premiers and governments. The most priciest shenanigans, that cost us billions of dollars, robbery oil royalty rates, that lost us over half a trillion dollars, tax rates that also lost Alberta billions of dollars more, infrastructure that will take a long time to upgrade and repair, a humongous orphan well mess, which now could be as much as $300 billion, utility and insurance rates that have shot up, with deregulation and privatization, and a damaged public healthcare and public education systems in Alberta. The UCP have proved to be no better, and here we go again. It isn't going to get better.
I wasn't even that critical on Twitter and got blocked...the lack of actual engagement with Albertans continues to be a real, real problem.
It's their standard tactic though. Recall how cons were the first to refuse to take part in debates, and with media requests they just don't reply. Kenney was visibly uncomfortable with having to act like a premier once the pandemic started.
I heard Duane Bratt speak in Lethbridge today on the election and he was talking about how the mainstream media is in trouble across the country and although he mentioned online start-ups like the Breach, the Tyee, the National Observer and Narwhal, he lamented that they're all partisan and just "preaching to the converted." But what else can you do when a)one side is SO disdainful of the other side that they refuse to even engage, going so far as to hand out earplugs in the legislature (also misogyny straight up, another of their endearing attitudes)and b) they seem primarily interested in juvenile, stupid libertarianism, i.e. undermining government and our institutions just for the fun of it, along with democracy.
Rebels without a pause, many of whom are also choirboys, so a really weird combo.
Yeah, being questioned by those who may disagree creates fear because any erstwhile populists know their positions don't stand up to scrutiny. Popularizing their efforts to chill reasonable, public debate is a generations long effort by those who like the appearance of democracy for themselves, but not the practice for others.
The most telling AND the most deeply embedded trait of conservatives is to be utterly graceless even in victory, and until we can at least acknowledge them as dangerous and the bona fide enemy, we're delusional.
People like them love the trappings of power more than anything; they're all a version of Trump in that but Putin also comes to mind because they're also on a mission to transform society, as per Margaret Thatcher's famous and revealing assertion that "there is no society." So you can't appeal to their better nature because they don't possess such a thing. In fact that's how they've been able to make such inroads is by taking advantage of OURS, particularly our inherent sense of fairness. Hence all the infuriating "bothsidesism," especially in the media, manipulated with callous, sneering ease by simply "flooding that zone with bullshit" as Steve Bannon prescribed.
They're the proud "party of NO" as Jon Stewart said, who see their closed minds as their strength, like all religious zealots.
They're the absolute worst among us, hands down, and should be treated accordingly.
Smith might want to take credit for her narrow win but she would be wrong. Any generic leader running for the Conservative Party in Alberta would get the same vote. She was a drag on her ticket but the party brand saved her. Smart people in oil companies and other places know and use her vulnerability to control her. If she doesn’t do their bidding they will punt her and get another leader. She, like most conservative politicians, lack real world experience on anything. Like Kenney, Harper and Polievre, she is can deliver talking points. But that group of leaders had no experience, education or training in anything. It’s why they get nothing accomplished and have forgettable records.