Danielle Smith first press conference

[slough shark]

Originally Posted by pdog15

Thankfully this is only for a short period of time. Reflect on the number of total eligible voters in AB and then think about the very, very small minority of AB voters who put DS into the premier’s chair. Given her day 1 pontifications combined with everything else in her Bio, highly unlikely her term will survive a few months. AB is politically bankrupt right now, just as the federal government is also politically bankrupt. How are bankruptcies resolved - often with the influx of new, competent people. Re-shuffling the deck and expecting new and wonderful things to happen is really a fools game.

Problem being is if you don’t like the ucp you get the ndp, they are far from competent and we’re terribly expensive and destructive to our economy. Our best bet is Danielle puts some reasonable people around her (they do exist in the ucp) and learns which battles to fight and which ones to leave alone.

[Grizzly Adams1]

At this stage of the game we're just along for the ride and all we can do is hope for the best.

Grizz

[traderal]

Oh no, no, not Moe. Now everyone in Saskabush will be voting NDP next time, lol. Oh when will this sovereignty push end? Moe 'drawing a line' with feds; claims federal policies could cost Sask. $111B by 2035
The paper outlines four possible ways to, as it says, "defend and act to assert greater autonomy in Confederation." https://leaderpost.com/news/local-ne...k-111b-by-2035

[59whiskers]

Originally Posted by KC1

Liked what she said about the unvaccinated
The most discriminated against group she has seen in her lifetime

Good for you Danielle

X2 for dammed sure.

[RandyBoBandy]

Danielle Smith = MAGA (make Alberta great again) That'll get the lefties catch their hair on fire !!

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by RandyBoBandy

Danielle Smith = MAGA (make Alberta great again) That'll get the lefties catch their hair on fire !!

Hand wring, wailing and gnashing of teeth. The left is melting.

[KC1]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

The fact remains that most people do not support this point of view and the harder she presses the issue, the more people she will alienate and more people will either not vote in the general or vote NDP. This is not a fantasy. While many here state that the NDP was a catastrophe, many people in real life do not share this point of view either and will easily vote one way or the other and do not have this “I will vote UCP no matter what” mentality. Most understand that we are not where we are because of the mere 4 years of dippers in power. By the same token, most people don’t care about your or my firearms either. And they don’t understand he Sovereignty Act idea (I doubt she fully does herself). The first two people asking questions in the conference said that she didn’t answer their questions either. Hey, I’d even bet that most people think that Hinshaw did a fine job and was sidelined by Kenny every step of the way in order to have “best summer ever” and try to sit on both chairs while shedding support from both sides (which is why of the main reasons he isn’t in charge anymore).

And again, “we will go to Supreme court about the carbon tax again” because there weren’t all the factors presented. Yet we will abide by the Supreme Court decisions?

Overall, she is talking a lot of nonsense for the love of talking it seems. Either she is really clueless and has no idea what she is talking about or she is purposefully sending “dust in the eyes”. We will see how it plays out. Likely, she has no clue what she is talking about but has an opinion about it (which is obvious to most who listened to her podcast).

I will add that while she was elected and it all counts, etc etc, But… she was elected by a subtle minority of individuals that don’t represent the views of a greater majority in this province. About the only thing that plays in her favour is that you can be half an idiot and still get elected as a conservative MP representing Alberta. Just the way we role. Not sure if it will remain the same way though. And I am not saying who is half an idiot and whatnot, just indicating that almost anyone can put a blue hat on and get elected.

Nonsense
Clueless
Not a clue
Half an idiot

And then you are backtracking a little bit

Know what, I personally voted for one of the other candidates, but I start to like DS more every day
And she is way smarter than you and me together

[chasingtail]

Hopefully Danielle will get rid of Hinshaw and get someone in to look at why unexplained deaths are now the leading cause of death in Alberta.

[traderal]

Know what, I personally voted for one of the other candidates, but I start to like DS more every day
And she is way smarter than you and me together[/QUOTE] Amen to that Bro! MAGA

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by KC1

And she is way smarter than you and me together

I have been at a talk of hers and got to ask questions as well as others ask also.

Based upon the responses… and her comments on Cancer… I suspect you are wrong.

But I do agree with Jungleboy. Let’s see what she does and says going forward.

Either she will dig herself into a political pit. Or she will be average. Outside longshot she may surprise us and shine.

So far… she has faltered however. Her aids and managers have there jobs to do.

[traderal]

Originally Posted by chasingtail

Hopefully Danielle will get rid of Hinshaw and get someone in to look at why unexplained deaths are now the leading cause of death in Alberta.

Hinshaw had a title and a great salary but I didn't get the impression that she was in charge of anything other than getting the stats for the day and doing the PR thing. A good place to put her would be to help out in the emergency triage unit at the Royal Alex or University. Shouldn't let a degree in medicine go to waste.

[traderal]

So far… she has faltered however. Her aids and managers have there jobs to do.[/QUOTE]
If you mean by faltered that she did not spend one hour listing the 130 or so diverse groups that suffered discrimination last year then yes. As usual the media like to avoid the context. If you mean she could not get through to the media about the sovereignty issues by repeating herself over and over and over again then yes. But if you see that Premier Moe is pursuing the exact same opposition to Federal demands then you would have to say he is at fault too. And don't forget that Manitoba is also pursuing this. Did you also notice that the media does not produce any plans of their own, nor did they comment on any of the plans she has as any good but all they do is criticize. So exactly what good is the media for Alberta governance.

[Sloughsharkjigger]

Just throwing this out there…

I always thought a Premier or for that matter any member of cabinet must be an elected official before given the privilege of serving in such a position.

As it stands now our Premier "designate" is not an elected official unless we are been told by a very small percentage of the voting community the by-election is pretty much done.

At this point, anything that is been promised or suggested by the designate could be construed as salting the vote.

This whole process reminds me of a simple job posting in which certain people applied and the interview panel was divided.

Have a great day,

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by Sloughsharkjigger

This whole process reminds me of a simple job posting in which certain people applied and the interview panel was divided.

Actually this is exactly how it works, lol. In short:

According to the UCP website, in order to enter the race, the applicant had to submit a comprehensive questionnaire that would be reviewed by the leadership election committee, pay a $150,000 entrance fee to cover the cost of organizing the election, along with providing $25,000 which is refundable for a “compliance deposit.”

Applicants also had to obtain at least 1,000 signatures of UCP members, with a minimum of 200 from each of the party’s five provincial regions.

That is it. I copied it from an article because it would be longer (and take more of my time) if I took it from the UCP and they wrote it better than I would.

Basically we elect MLA’s in our districts. We do not elect the leaders of the parties those MLAs represent, but members of the parties elect their leaders. You can run and so can I given we meet the above criteria. That is it.

At the same time, we vote for the MLA’s based on the platform the leadership is pushing at the time of election and the leader themselves (well some of us do, others vote this or that no matter what, lol). Yet, we do not elect the Premier, per se.

Funny enough, this way, those who say they didn't vote for Notley when NDP ruled the province aren’t actually lying even if they did vote for an NDP MLA. Almost laughing here. And for those wondering, no, I didn’t vote for Notley or an NDP MLA, haha. Not that it matters though.

[Smoky buck]

Not a big fan of Smith and wish the UCP had better options in general

Right now she is getting flamed every which way because there are those who fear the change she may bring and Smith’s agenda opposes theirs. She will be attacked and her words twisted non stop. Most attacks will just be an attempt to target political support and nothing to do with the issue that they bring forward. Anytime time words can be twisted it’s going to happen

It’s basically high school popularity game being played all over again just on a higher level

Smith still hasn’t had the chance to prove if she is talking crap for votes or actually going to act

In the end it’s going to be voting for the lesser of two evils and the NDP is still worse for my lifestyle

[calgarygringo]

Go to today's Calgary Sun and read Rick Bell's column. He interviewed her and all this stuff is there and all calculated. She is targeting a certain type of voter to go for the win. Interesting take on what she is up to and if it is going to work for her. https://calgarysun.com/opinion/colum...-next-election

[cody j]

I don’t know how to post links but somebody should do one for the Oct 12 National Post piece that Rex Murphy wrote about Danielle Smith.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by cody j

I don’t know how to post links but somebody should do one for the Oct 12 National Post piece that Rex Murphy wrote about Danielle Smith.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex...cf97ac15e/amp/

[cody j]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex...cf97ac15e/amp/

Thanks

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by calgarygringo

Go to today's Calgary Sun and read Rick Bell's column. He interviewed her and all this stuff is there and all calculated. She is targeting a certain type of voter to go for the win. Interesting take on what she is up to and if it is going to work for her. https://calgarysun.com/opinion/colum...-next-election

Yup.

What some don’t realize is successful politics is an exercise on compromise. Any politician who see politics in a narrow mindedness way… is going to struggle. Because to be narrow minded means catering to a small minority of the voters. As such she could be marching down the wrong path of moving the UPC from main stream to a small duck pond. A plan to ignore big city voters over rural ones is fraught with a lot of gamble. And gambling our province is not what I would like to see happen.

Rachel is surely rubbing her palms.

NDP just needs to play the calm cool and collected mainstream. If the NDP could somehow learn to accept oil and gas as valuable and needed to grow plus bring in fiscal budgeting smarts… they could be seen as the better party to govern from a fiscal, social, healthcare and a mainstream populists perspective.

Our only hope is that the radical elements in the NDP continue to demand oil and gas die and continue to promote big tax hikes.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

Hand wring, wailing and gnashing of teeth. The left is melting.

The left or the right or the middle whatever you want to call it

She like others before her and them that come after need to develop tact just don’t spew crap out then run damage control after

Little to no credibility but we would expect that from a manipulator just the higher up the so call food chain we would expect a better delivery.

Not so anymore


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rancid Crabtree]

Sun dance
I think the duck pond is bigger than you assume.
For instance the unvaccinated is perhaps 450,000 adults ? Who are motivated and engaged because they didn’t appreciate the government trying to punish them for medical choice. Now vaccination rates are falling with each new round of boosters. So the tide is turning- not so much around the vaccine but more around medical choice. So is it possible this issue could resonate with 800,000 voters? {speculation}
Also I’ve noticed a real change among health care workers (who might vote ndp in the past. ) they have a hate on for AHS and their NDP appointed managers.

Also remember the NDP is a national party so Notley is pretty limited in what she can say regarding economics and energy or carbon taxes. Danielle needs to keep reminding people Notley is a extension of Singh Trudeau alliance.

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

The left or the right or the middle whatever you want to call it




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I call it the left

[sakogreywolf]

Originally Posted by barbless

She is a turn coat. Why would anyone support someone who jumped ship to get what she wants. They are not true supporters. She has already proved she will not support what she believed in. BULL CRAP IS WHAT SHE BRINGS. Just like all politicians lie cheat and steal from us. Just wait!!! And tell me I'm wrong

She did turn on her party. However, while I am generally quite cynical….I do believe that she honestly regrets what she did. I listened to her on the radio a fair bit, and I can’t help but like and agreed with much of what she stated on that platform.

She did turn on the wild rose. But I also believe in second chances when earned or warranted. If second chances were never given, we would all be in an ugly place.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by DRhunter

Interesting to me that what was considered centrist to right leaning no more than 20 years ago during the reign of Klein, is now considered far right by some. Goes to show how far left the political spectrum has shifted in less than a single generation.

Where I really struggle, is what has historically made Alberta great (personal freedoms, small c conservatism, fiscal responsibility, promotion of the Alberta advantage etc.) is now what left leaning people consider “far right”, despite the fact a large number of them have been forced to leave left leaning policies in their own provinces for a “better” life” in Alberta.

I was dead set against Danielle at the outset of the UCP race due to her floor crossing history, but being the only candidate who wanted to put Alberta first and fight for personal autonomy and responsibility is worth giving a try in my opinion. Tall task ahead to unite in 7 months, but I find her to be an excellent speaker, worth the listen. I hope she is one of the few politicians who will actually do what she has promised.

This is along the lines of my thoughts as well.

People are buying into the liberal lies that a "conservative" doesn't care about the poor, doesn't care about the environment, has a hate-on for gender-confused individuals etc. The Left has done a great job of vilifying their opposition.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Danielle has so far won the support of around 40,000 UCP Albertans, now lets see how she does with the rest of the 4.5 million Albertans in next 6 months.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by DRhunter

Interesting to me that what was considered centrist to right leaning no more than 20 years ago during the reign of Klein, is now considered far right by some. Goes to show how far left the political spectrum has shifted in less than a single generation.

Sometimes in todays world all it seems to takes to be "far right" is owning and gun and driving a truck.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by Rancid Crabtree

Sun dance
I think the duck pond is bigger than you assume.
For instance the unvaccinated is perhaps 450,000 adults ? Who are motivated and engaged because they didn’t appreciate the government trying to punish them for medical choice. Now vaccination rates are falling with each new round of boosters. So the tide is turning- not so much around the vaccine but more around medical choice. So is it possible this issue could resonate with 800,000 voters? {speculation}
Also I’ve noticed a real change among health care workers (who might vote ndp in the past. ) they have a hate on for AHS and their NDP appointed managers.

Also remember the NDP is a national party so Notley is pretty limited in what she can say regarding economics and energy or carbon taxes. Danielle needs to keep reminding people Notley is a extension of Singh Trudeau alliance.

You realize if UPC stays hyper focused on Covid… now that it’s endemic and restrictions for the most part a thing of the past… only the NDP benefits. While some dwell almost everyone else is focused on moving forward. Important issues. Pandering to hurt feelings from the past will give the NDP a path to victory by being focused going forward.

There are way more pressing issues to deal with, needing to have a plan for solving problems and more.

What are key goals? Feel free to add more.

1. Fixing healthcare… Feds needed
2. Reducing inflation… Feds needed
3. Creating jobs… lots UPC can do
4. Protecting our O&G industry… need some workable ideas tabled
5. Protecting the environment from stupid decisions like coal mines poisoning our waters while mitigating investment in the province.
6. Decreasing the size of government and removing red tape… table ideas.
7. Balancing the budget and reducing spending in the right places and not stupid places.

What healthcare workers want is a break. They have worked their butts off during very difficult times.

Most people careless about vaccination status now. People need to get over it. Everyone.

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Danielle has so far won the support of around 40,000 UCP Albertans, now lets see how she does with the rest of the 4.5 million Albertans in next 6 months.

Left of center numbers are on the incline at a faster rate than I ever thought possible (for the most part due to Calgary and Edmonton) in Alberta, but the conservatives will remain in power after the next election. 10 years down the road really concerns me though....swirling to the right...

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Trochu

Sometimes in todays world all it seems to takes to be "far right" is owning and gun and driving a truck.

Lol. No kidding. One doesn't have to look far to see that....just a few pages actually