The PC Alberta Establishment Triumphs
December 3, 2006 · By Aaron Unruh
It is no surprise that Ted Morton lost tonight. Jim Dinning benefitted from the widespread recruitment of Liberals and New Democrats and a scare campaign backed up by his friends in the media. Ed Stelmach benefitted from the endorsement of every single cabinet seat-seeking canddate that was dropped from the ballot last week. Both Dinning and Stelmach benefitted from a party organizational apparatus that closed ranks around the status quo candidates and actively worked to suppress turnout in those riding that Morton was strong in, particularly the rural south.
In so doing, the party, those candidates, and the sympathetic media slammed the door on a large and vibrant segment of Albertan society: Conservatives that wear the label proudly with both a capital and a lower-case “c”. Morton’s campaign team has been widely disparaged in the media as a lowly pack of extremists, ideologues, hicks, and morons. In fact, they’re the same people that widely staff the campaigns of candidates for the federal Conservative Party. The federal Conservative Party that recently elected a genuine conservative to the position of prime minister.
I can’t blame the Alberta PC establishment for not having noticed this occurence. While Albertan conservatism evolved, the establishment lorded it over “Ralph’s World” like a hierarchy of barons. And in this campaign, they’ve closed ranks around their tiny status quo every step of the way, shutting out Morton and his supporters. And, not content to shut us out, they’ve insulted us every step of the way. Or have you not read any columns written by Canada’s answer to Star Jones lately?
Fine.
Here is a Morton supporter that is proud of Alberta’s accomplishments at the federal level and deeply ashamed of the state of conservatism right here at home. Tired of the out-of-control spending. The arrogance. The democratic malaise. The five days a year that the Alberta legislature sits. The acceptance of any indiscretion by members of that establishment, no matter how abysmally stupid (think throwing books at pages). The intolerance of divergence on moral issues. The old boys network in Edmonton that lives by the exact same means that Alfonso Gagliano and Jacques Corriveau used to.
Think of who won tonight. Dave Hancock. Every cabinet minister in the current government, plus Oberg. Every staffer. Every PC party insider that collects a cheque from the government. Rick Bell.
And if the PC establishment wants to reject me, then they’ll get their wish. Ed Stelmach may be a nice guy, but he’s a part of that red establishment. And Harper’s government along with Morton’s campaign has shown conservatives that it’s possible to elect a truly conservative government in the province of Alberta. I’m not going to support a red tory with that prospect hanging before me.
Think I’m alone? Think again. Think almost every Ted Morton supporter in the province, alienated and examining options. Think the Alberta Alliance, with a leader who brings a read-made support base. Think of “Steady Eddie” Stelmach, and the party establishment he represents, with an enormous target painted on his rear end.
Whether in Montreal or Alberta. Regardless of political labels Canadians are really ‘conservative’ social democrats. In Alberta it was stay the course politics as Steady Eddie continues the old Ralph Regime. Which means he is a lame duck premier. The extremists on the right who rallied behind Morton will move to the Alberta Alliance. The back room boys in Calgary who made Dinning their candidate, will now move to their natural home, the Alberta Liberal Party. And the next leadership race will be to turf Taft, to put in their boy.
i’m a Morton supporter too. too bad he lost.
You’re not alone. Maybe Stelmach will do the honorable thing and appoint Morton to Intergovernmental Relations Minister. ;)
Intergovernmental Relations and Deputy Premier!
It’s going to have to be something big to keep Morton on board, and something Morton has an interest in.
The gap between Stelmach(15%)and the two front runners, Dinning(28.5%) and Morton(26%), was over ten thousand votes(10,000) two Saturdays ago.
I don’t think Stelmach should have been on the ticket this Saturaday at all.
I would have expected this post if Dinning had won.
As George has suggested in his post, Stelmach will have to listen to the views of Morton supporters when he prepares his agenda and assembles his Cabinet. Not the best case scenario from the perspective of those who supported Morton, but hardly the doom and gloom scenario that is put forward in the post. Having said that, the party machinery’s apparent treatment of the Morton campaign team is cause for concern.
All this to say that the party is about to embark on a very interesting journey that will have to close the wide gap that has emerged within the party during this leadership campaign.
Aaron, I followed your blog through this entire thing. Good work. I am just as angry as you are (maybe more).
You are a REAL CONSERVATIVE as opposed to the Liberals who knew they couldn’t be elected under the Liberal banner so they bought PC party memberships years ago.
I’ve had it with politics in this country. When you send Conservatives to Ottawa they become Liberals. When you try to elect them here you get Liberals.
Albertans let down Conservatives all across Canada last night.
I must accept a hard fact. Most people in this country DON’T think the way I do. They don’t value personal responsibility or self reliance or voluntary charity to the less fortunate. They want to elect someone to lay out the rules for them so they can sit back & bitch.
So to hell with this. I’m out of politics. I’ll deal with the needs of my family and let THAT occupy my time. My ONLY foray into politics will be to support Quebec separatism.
Yer outted, ya slime! In yer own words – “ABOUT – ThePolitic is a weblog devoted to insight and original commentary on matters pertaining to Canadian society, government and economics, and occasionally the world outside our borders. Our contributors are a collection of minds from across the country committed to free speech and intelligent discussion of important issues, who aim to use these qualities to provoke independent thought and debate. Our intention is to provide an intellectually honest viewpoint on the topics of which we write, in order to nurture public discourse and the free flow of information which all of our contributors cherish as the foundation-stones of a free society. It is our sincere hope that readers of this weblog will leave with new ideas, new viewpoints and new avenues of thought.” From a recent post of yours: “…a lowly pack of extremists, ideologues, hicks, and morons. In fact, they’re the same people that widely staff the campaigns of candidates for the federal Conservative Party.” And again: “…“the blogs of far-right wonks†(take a bow, fellow ThePolitic writers)…” My words: The Politic is a nest of death-cult vipers masquerading as academics at a liberal arts university. Which one of you is Torqemada?
Wow! . . . “a nest of death-cult vipers masquerading as academics”
Uuuuhhhh, but you’re not fucked in the head or anything . . .
Don’t give up John.
Go ahead Al Thompson explain why Stelmach was even on the ticket. Go ahead, I’m ready.
If Dinning had been eliminated Stelmach still would have won. It was an “Anyone but Morton” fix by putting Stelmach on the ballot.
But what would have happened if Stelmach, who only had 1/3 of the vote Morton or Dinning got each last week, had never been on the ballot?
If would have been a clear choice between Morton and Dinning. And Ralph Klein’s backroom boys didn’t want that.
I contend Stelmach didn’t deserve to be on that ballot.
The election was fixed by putting Stelmach on the ballot and splitting the conservative vote leaving the NDP/Liberals to ensure that the least Conservative candidate would win by their decision on second choice.
The real upset occurred in Redmonton. Anne Mclellen’s Liberal Machine worked very hard for Stelmach.
Now here’s Rick Bell cheering now for Ed Stelmach saying, Stelmach is continuing “Klein’s Ralpholution” and Bell never wrote anything but hatchet jobs on Klein!
Looks like –name removed– has eaten crow enough times to make it a culinary art.
As for Stelmach, if he is amenable toward the influence of Morton IN the PC Party, then this could be a very good opportunity for Morton to raise his profile even more, better familiarizing Albertans to himself. This could be very good down the road, building on Morton’s base in suburbia.
Doom and gloom judgements are contingent on how Morton and Stelmach choose to work together, and should be reserved for when Stelmach announces his cabinet.
I will add that Unruh’s post is excellent because it puts Stelmach and the PC Party on notice. Morton should be welcomed and taken seriously—fully rewarded for his leadership campaign!!!—or he and real conservatives will go elsewhere to win.
The message is: shutting Morton and conservatives out will seriously compromise PC Party fortunes.
John: Hang in there. I’ll respond to your comment later on today, with one big fat reason to stay involved in provincial politics.
A couple nights ago it struck me like a ton of bricks: I remember another candidate winning his Westminister party election by the strength of being the “no firm opinions” compromise candidate. So I can name somebody else who won last night: whoever runs Alberta’s civil service.
–name removed– makes a point that our demographics are changing and so will our politics. However, that is exactly why the ideas proposed by Morton make sense. The government closer to the people is the government best positioned to recognize and make policy for these differences. The decentralizing of government in this country just makes sense if we want flexible and effective policy.
“waaaah” – baby needs her rattler!
“The Politic is a nest of death-cult vipers masquerading as academics at a liberal arts university. Which one of you is Torqemada?”
Definitely Cerber.
Perhaps that should be our “unofficial” slogan?
Why not make it official? maybe even add some reference to necrophilia?
I want Torquemada. Then I can run “Torquemada Tuesdays” here on The Politic.
Death cult viper is kind of cute, but I prefer a reference to Vlad the Impaler.
[...] Stelmach may be a fairly smart guy, but there’s still a giant target painted on him. [...]
Type your comment here.