I could tell you all stories about this election that would make your hair stand on end. But because today is a day for celebrating here in Edmonton-Strathcona, not for kicking our opponents when they're down, I'll just leave it at this:
I've spent a lot of time in this blog complaining about Liberal entitlement, and particularly about Ontario Liberal entitlement. But if there's one thing I learned over the course of this campaign, it's that the smug Ontario Liberal entitlement doesn't hold a candle to the meanness and pettiness of Alberta Tory entitlement. And now that I've seen just how much worse it can get, I don't think I'll ever be able to complain about Ontario Liberals again.
(And to all the Edmonton-Strathcona Tories who feel like making sore-loserish comments, do feel free--I don't censor. But keep in mind that you'll only be proving my point.)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Edmonton-Strathcona addendum
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20 comments:
So you guys finally did it...
Well, it's a riding that in an ordinary province ought to be something like Trinity-Spadina or Parkdale-High Park (i.e. goes back and forth between the Dippers and the Grits).
And I'm not going to cry too much for Jaffer -- he has Guergis to comfort him, after all... But I'd (of course) liked to have kept it. :p
Ben,
Thanks for not pulling the sore-loser card! It's refreshing. :-)
I'm an Ontario Tory -- I know what it's like to lose.
But wait until November 4th -- I'm probably going to have some spleen to vent over at my place. :p
Of course, you do realize that this one riding is going to have the entire resources of the Conservative Party of Canada, Alberta edition, poured into it in the next election, right?
(Of course, Duncan will have the power/advantage of incumbency, then...)
Well done, Edmonton-Strathcona! So good to have a dot of orange in that sea of blue!
Ben,
It was the only race this time, too! The only difference next time will be a different candidate.
It will be tough to hold, sure, but don't count Linda as a one-term wonder yet. Not only is there a progressive majority here, but she's also going to be a FANTASTIC constituency MP. She's been fighting for this community in various ways for thirty-five years, and now she gets to take it to a whole new level.
Browsing election results and just had to drop in and say congratulations!
aerye,
Hey! How wonderful of you to drop by and say that. And thank you so much.
Congrats! This was a very pleasant surprise when I checked the results this morning - hard fought and hard won!
Hey IP,
Congratulations on your victory. I know that you are quite involved with Fair Vote Canada, and I want you to know that, in addition to many others, I have decided to join FV.
I was one of those who believed that the election was all about stopping Harper. I now believe the the election results are a strong indictment of the current electoral system. It kills me that Harper has a health minority with the support of 22% of registered voters, and probably could have had a majority with 23 or 24%.
Well, I'll admit that I think its highly unfortunate that Rahim lost his seat. As far as MPs go he's one of the friendlier and more gregarious individuals that you could come across. On the other hand,its an election. You win some you lose some. The Liberal vote seems to have continued to collapse in Edmonton-Stratcona, pollarizing the electorate in the riding which worked to Rahim's disadvantage.
On the other hand Linda Duncan should probably send out the call to Toronto for guns, money and lawyers because she's going to get the Anne McClellan treatment next time around. We will retake every last inch of our holy land ;)
Speaking as an American, I think the tories here are wide off the mark.
You're Stephen Harper. You have another minority government where you need about 15 seats more.
There are at least five seats up for grab in Quebec, say.
You need to challenge the NDP more in BC (I'm not sure, okay?)
Ontario is growing to like you more, and is vote rich.
Maybe Atlantic Canada?
And then there's Alberta. One seat up. Woop. De. Do.
Even if he can get it- congrats on getting it, by the way- why should he bother?
Everyone knows that the problem is that the NDP of Alberta is going to put all their money there and THAT'S where the problem will be.
But once again, Congratulations!
Chris,
Well, you can try! *g*
Actually, to dial down the cockiness, you might even succeed, because support seems to be so even in that riding, and that means it really can go either way. It's a crapshoot. You'll only have a chance to take it back, though, if you figure out that you can't underestimate the tenacity of Edmonton-Strathcona New Democrats. You'll need to match us not just dollar for dollar, but also volunteer for volunteer, and hour for hour.
For what it's worth, though, I too always liked Jaffer as a person. He wasn't a very good MP (at least not as a constituency MP--he did fine in Ottawa), but he really is a nice guy.
Dyna,
You're right, I can't imagine that the federal party will put too many resources into taking back Edmonton-Strathcona next time. But the local riding association sure will, and they'll probably have the support of the rest of Tory Edmonton, which won't have to worry about trying to defend their seats. It's going to be quite the fight. I'm sure the media is salivating already.
Stephen,
That's wonderful news! Welcome on board. The first and most immediate task is the BC referendum next May.
Well I know from personal experience that there are alot of committed conservative volunteers in that riding as I used to live there when I went to the U of A. But the whole city drifted into Edmonton Centre when ousting Anne was the battleground, I'd rather imagine that Edmonton Strathcona will get much the same treatment next time around. After all the next closest race in Edmonton was between a Conservative Party candidate and an independent conservative.
Its a riding which lends itself to being competitive for the NDP, urban, lots of government employees and students. I imagine it will be a fight the next time around in two years or so. I'm simply somewhat bullish about any future rematch because reportedly the conservative candidate was preoccupied with getting married, and the rank and file will be more motivated to oust a dipper. That and while all the NDP supporters in Alberta might get being Linda Duncan, this is Alberta.
Thanks IP. Not sure if you know, but I live in BC (Vancouver), and am definitely planning to be involved to the degree time allows.
Chris,
That and while all the NDP supporters in Alberta might get being Linda Duncan, this is Alberta.
As long as you think like that, you won't have a chance of taking it back. Seriously. Dial the entitlement waaaaay back and really dig down into the nitty gritty of the riding's political demographics. This may be Alberta, but it's also Edmonton, and it's also Edmonton-Strathcona. And this riding, even with the suburban areas, really does have a progressive (and a very anti-Conservative, which is not the same thing) majority.
How this next race goes will depend on many factors, many of them out of both of our sides' hands. But as long as Alberta Tories approach this with an indignant "this is Alberta, and we will retake what is rightfully ours, because the NDP/Linda Duncan win was a fluke that only happened because the Liberal vote collapsed, bla bla bla"...can't you see that that's exactly the attitude that pisses so many residents in the riding off?
Stephen,
That's great! Maybe we'll meet up sometime. I'm planning to be out there a lot as the time grows nearer.
Jaffer was winning it on a vote split -- it finally collapsed, and it's going to be very hard for my guys to win it back, given the advantages of incumbency that Duncan will have.
I think there are more than a few BC ridings which are like that, too.
By contrast, some of the Ontario blue ridings which were really close last time now are solidly blue -- that's how it goes, you win the seat once by a knife's-edge and you keep it by a landslide.
If Duncan plays her cards right, she can have that dynamic in her riding, too.
Depends on when the election is, too -- if before late 2010, it could still be close; if not till 2012, it might be a landslide for the orange tide.
What I don't understand is why someone as qualified as Roy would go into such a contentious race and more or less agree to fold like a two-dollar tent to eliminate the split factor. Someone's five-year-old kid could have done better - why waste her?
anon,
Oh, you've got to be kidding. Roy fought and fought to the end. All of her literature was virulently anti-NDP, and in most of the all-candidates' forums she attacked NDP positions as much as she attacked Conservative ones. Her volunteers were consistently rude to Duncan's, and even accosted daveberta for not being sufficiently partisan. If she "folded like a two-dollar tent," it's certainly not because she "agreed" to it.
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