Let's look at the scenarios....

  Wow, it seems that some of the local blogs have slowed down since the end of the Calgary Glenmore by-election!  This seems odd, considering some of the crazy developments of late.  I thought I would run a quick rant on the random thoughts that have been running through my busy mind over the last few days:

•  Up to 10 PC MLA's are rumoured to switch over to the Wildrose Alliance Party, following a Danielle Smith leadership victory. 

 Hmmm.... I don't know what to make of this one.  I know that the source of this piece is a respected writer so I do not doubt the integrity of the author. ( Its not like it came from Calgaryrants.com!)  I wonder if there is any truth to this and if so...who will they be?  I find the timing of the recent appointments of local Conservatives Rob Anderson, Len Weber and Jon Denis interesting, but well deserved.  Perhaps these appointments can be seen as peace offering to the Calgary caucus?

So then...who will the 10 be?  I would like to know.  In my opinion, it will definitely not be any cabinet ministers as they will not want to give up their additional pay and benefits to sit with another party.  Perhaps some local backbenchers or new MLA's?  Perhaps some young/urban MLA's that see that they might not fit in with the current leader?  Perhaps only a handful, say 2-3, will actually leave?   I cannot see this happening anytime soon, but what do you think?

•    If Danielle Smith wins the Wildrose Alliance Leadership...what's next?

Once/if Danielle wins the leadership, what is the next step?  Ideally, she would want to get into the Legislature as soon as possible.  With the election 3-4 years off, the only option would be through a by-election.  How will this happen?  Politically, a party leader without a seat is not very effective in my opinion.  Its like having a fiery preacher without a church.  While Danielle can work the media wonderfully, and I am sure she will be a constant thorn in the PC's side, she would serve best as a sitting MLA.  So...who will "retire" to allow her to run in a by-election?  Personally, I cannot see any PC MLA's voluntarily stepping aside.  Perhaps a local Liberal will decide they have had enough and leave the Leg?  I doubt this also.  I bet a whole crop of PC MLA's may be disappointed to find that because of this scenario, any and all "appointments" just dried up until after the next election, which would keep all constituencies closed!

• If the Wildrose Alliance can be rejuvenated by a new leader, maybe the PC's can as well?

 Would it not be heartbreaking for the WAP to find that Premier Stelmach decides to retire before the next election, only to be replaced by a new, energetic leader? ( I support the PC party, but lets be realistic here....) Perhaps if the current tide holds and his support continues to go down, he will show his true leadership and commitment to the party and step aside before the next election.  Perhaps the rumour of Brett Wilson running will energize the party.  Perhaps a Conservative leader like Ted Morton will appease the right of the party and kill the WAP's ambitions in its tracks.  Who knows?  Any other scenarios out there?

The party in power has the upper hand and can plan ahead for these scenarios.  Its called Risk Management and it works.

Thoughts? 

Obama Why?

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Obama, Why...? 

I rarely comment on USA political issues for a number of reasons...but mainly because it is not my place as a Canadian Citizen.  I prefer to focus my attention to local issues or things that I feel we can actually do something about and it drives me crazy when people forward me petitions relating to American issues.  I wish people here were as passionate about Canadian causes as they are about the current "drug" laws in the USA....or whatever the 'flavor' of the month is?

 I also love it when celebrities throw their names and images behind current causes.  Bono sells records and saves trees, Pam Anderson saves fur and keeps the paint counter employed.   Wilf Brimley sells oatmeal and diabetic supplies.  The list goes on and on.  Remember when celebrities were just entertainers?  Not me and not in my generation.  ( A classic line ( paraphrased from memory) from the early 1970's... Reporter- "Can you tell us your views on Vietnam war protesters"?... Elvis: " I'd prefer not to Ma'am, I am just an entertainer.  I'd rather not say."   Different times, different issues.

 That said, those who know me know that I like funny.  And I know funny when I see it.  And this my friends, is just that.  Funny.

Enjoy.

Wildrose Alliance Membership Sales.... PART 1

With the upcoming Wildrose Alliance Leadership vote, I see that WAP supporters have less than three weeks remaining to purchase memberships.  In an effort to bolster their membership sales, perhaps the WAP executive will consider using this video in its mass emails?  It may help in boosting those last minute sales!

 Rumor is that one group is outselling the other significantly...but that is for another post.  I wonder if that campaign was using this video all along?  If you look quickly and listen carefully, you could be fooled into believing that the characters are some of the actual players in this race!

Have a great weekend!

Shane

Jeff Willerton Drops out of WAP Leadership...( Plus..New Fundraising Slogan!)

  Jeff Willerton drops out of WAP Leadership Race.  No One Cares.  Except Mark...I am sure he appreciates the endorsement from such a strong candidate.

 I find it fitting that the Calgary Herald only gave one little sentence in the middle of their article today.  Why should anyone give him any more attention and continue to feed his political vanity. 

 I sent an email to Mr. Willerton a few weeks ago asking how he raised the money for the entrance fee, as I could see the writing was on the wall with his campaign.  Surprisingly, he responded rather quickly, confirming that he got most of the cash from selling his book.  Perhaps some cash came also from his gospel CD "One Man At A Time". ( No, this is not a reference to the "Parade incident" a few years ago.) 

  Now that he quit, I guess the Willerton For Premier schtick and comparisons to Churchill were not such a great idea.  I cannot see anyone donating cash to his next book tour( ooops...I mean Political Campaign) so perhaps I will be the first to donate a new fundraising slogan to you....

 Jeff Willerton... One Can at a Time!

Message Sent!

  ( It's not bad with butter and salt....)

  Well folks, the people of Calgary Glenmore have spoken...and the people are never wrong.  However, this blogger was way off the mark on his prediction, although I was a bit biased!  I had the opportunity to work with Diane CU and her team on her campaign and I must congratulate her for a job well done.  Diane's campaign was well organized, well funded and her team was amazing.  That said, it goes to show you that a full bank account, dozens of organized volunteers and exceptional name recognition do not guarantee success on election night. 

  I must say, I am impressed that Paul Hinman won this race.   Congratulations on your victory ( and now that he is an MLA, I will no longer use the "corny" references!)  and your team should be proud.  The slogan "Send Ed a Message" hit a nerve with many voters and it was better than having 500 volunteers on the ground. It was just that powerful. 

  What now? 

 This victory has the potential to change Alberta's political landscape.  The common thoughts from the MSM that if " Diane can lose...any PC MLA candidate can lose in Calgary" may now have some real meaning?  Perhaps some of the local MLA's, especially those with lower profiles, maybe be pondering this today?  Its one thing to lose a by-election on a protest vote, but to finish in third place is quite another. 

 Will this result in a leadership review at the PC Convention later this fall?  Will this be a wake up call to the PC party, confirming that no riding can be taken for granted?  Time will tell. 

 The WAP will ride this publicity into their Leadership Race, which will do nothing but legitimize them further.  A loss here would have wiped them out.  The only thing left that will kill their momentum would be a Mark Dyrholm or Jeff Willerton victory. It will be interesting to watch.

What a ride....

Shane

Hey Paul...do you want to follow me into the bathroom too?

  Classy.

 WAP Candidate Paul Hinman seen here on footage ( Courtesy of youtube/FFWD Magazine) taken today outside a polling station in Calgary Glenmore.  (It looks like Nellie McClung elementary to me...)   He is stopping the voters before they come into the polling station and comments robot (er...Hinman) like.. " Hi...Paul Hinman, Wildrose Alliance....thanks for taking the time to come out and vote today." 

Desperate Much?   

 Even in University, the Professors leave the classroom when you fill out their evaluations.  Come on Paul...this is just embarrassing! 

I have to go rinse the remaining puke left over in the back of my throat.

Yuck....

Friday Fun: Final Weekend in Calgary Glenmore race

With the final weekend of the Calgary Glenmore race upon us, everyobody involved will be making their final push to the finish line.  I will be out with Diane today knocking on doors and will continue on over the weekend with whatever needs to be done.

 This will be a close race due to the number of candidates. My prediction.... that the Liberals will not win.


 The future of the WAP rests on the results of this election.  When they lose on Monday, any and all momentem they had going for them will be wiped out.  They will be regulated to the same status as the other fringe party's and will no longer be the media darlings.  When they lose on Monday, the leadership race will not seem so interesting to the remaining WAP members ( or the candidates!).  When they lose Monday, we will not have as much to chat about on the blogs. ( Now...WAP Bloggers..comment here on the reverse situation...)

And most importantly ( the Friday Fun part...):

 When they lose Monday...Taber will get its mascot back.


Good luck to all...it has been a blast!

Cheers!

Wildrose Alliance Sets Grand Prarie ablaze with excitement!

 

 

My imagination of the Scene...

Seeing as I cannot locate any good blog posts about the initial Wildrose Alliance Leadership debate that was held in Grand Prairie last night, I had to rely on some old fashioned MSM reports.   The picture provided by the newspaper shows the three candidates ( ironically in their predicted order of finish) but no shots of the crowd, thus my imagined interpretation above!  I see that the Wildrose continues to set the province on fire....this time they managed to get over 30 supporters out to this crucial debate.  30... Hmmmm....

  Maybe I am being to harsh?  30 is a good number is it not?  Considering the article quotes the northern director of the party as stating that membership has QUADRUPLED this year and that the "turnout in Grande Prairie is proof that the tide is turning on the current government."  I am not sure I would be bragging that 30 people attended this event.  30 people attending a candidates debate ( and most were likely members) does not show the tide turning on anything.  However it does highlight many of the the deep logistical problems that this protest/fringe party has, but refuses to acknowledge.

  I will be watching for the spin on how the WAP was able to get 30 people to attend a leadership debate in a city that is likely hit hard by the Oil/Gas industry.  30 people.

 Perhaps the tiny WAP Flame is starting to fizzle out? 

Wildrose Alliance Leadership Race...Who is the best (looking) candidate?

Now I know that some of my WAP friends will have a fit over this one, so lets keep in mind that this is for fun!

Remember these sayings?... "Don't judge a book by its cover....", or "Its whats on the inside that counts"? Well according to a recent Princeton University study, none of this matters when we are deciding on who to vote for! This study claims that people make their decisions on who to they will vote for based on their looks! It also determined that "most people judge a political candidates competency within seconds of seeing their face. Period. Issues did not matter. Stance did not matter". Interesting... If you think about it, the study is probably not that far off base.


So using this theory, I thought it would be fun to see who will win the upcoming WAP leadership race based on this? Based on science ( lol), I think that Danielle Smith runs away with this race easily! ( Between Dyrholm and Willerton...Jeff gets my vote for second place!) I guess it is not fair to base someones competency on their looks, but unfortunately, this is likely how our society works. I just want to see if there is any discussion on this?


What do you think?










Danielle Smith





Mark Dyrholm





Jeff Willerton ( On the left...)













Lets see if the science will hold up on election day...

Friday Fun: iPhone Parody

This is a pretty funny video! When I see the ridiculous commercials for this toy on TV, I often find myself wondering who thinks all of these special "apps"...so this parody is right on the money. Millions of people have downloaded these applications and while the business concept is brilliant, its just not my thing.

I am so out of the loop with these new phones and personally, I think that they are the biggest cash grab since bottled water. When I went to Bell to get my phone ( 2+years ago) the sales rep was showing me all the different phones, with all their hip/cool features....camera/music/interweb/star-trek things... I finally had to ask her.... "DOES IT MAKE PHONE CALLS???" I still have the basic phone...no internets, no Social media..and it works just fine. One day, I will have no choice but to get one of these 3G phones...but not yet.

iPhone.... "Lazy Blogging?" I wonder if there is an app for that!

Have a fun long weekend!

Shane

Will the Saddledome really be built downtown?

View Larger Map

Downtown Arena....or out to pasture?

On the heels of the Edmonton Oilers announcement that they are making progress in their plans for a new Downtown arena, the Calgary Flames garnered a front page story of their own this morning.

Calgary Flames president Ken King has been quietly championing a new arena for the Flames for a couple of years now. It now looks like all of the studies are done and they will be moving onto the next phase of securing a new arena! The Herald article speculates that both of the locations for the arena are on the Stampede Grounds: One being north of the existing site, while the other would be situated on the site of the "Big Four" building. ( What the heck is that thing used for now anyways?)

While building a new arena at the Stampede Grounds would be ideal ( and makes the most sense to me...) I am not sure that that is really the plan after all! Why? Maybe if you read into the line... " King wouldn't reveal the other location" ( the one North of the 'Dome was previously discussed.) you may speculate the reason.

If the " Big Four" site really were the location, why not disclose it? The building is an eyesore and no one ( except maybe the descendants of the Big Four) will miss it. What's the secret there? I think that maybe the fact that they have not confirmed it as a potential site says it all.

I do not think the Calgary Flames are building the new arena Downtown. I have heard rumours that it is going to be in Southeast Calgary, off Deerfoot Trail. ( South of 22X)

What? Before you roll your eyes and leave the site, lets look at the reasoning, just for fun!

1) The reason for building a new arena is solely an economic one.

The Flames can purchase a much bigger parcel of land in this undeveloped tract. Why would they want a big footprint? Perhaps they can build/incorporate the following into the plans:

• Hotels/Casino
• Shopping Area ( Perhaps a new mall to service the 150,000+ people who will live in the area in 10-15 years?
• Other entertainment venues?

Why not...? If you look consider the economics, it makes a lot of sense.

Its hard to do that on a piece of land that the Calgary Stampede owns!

2) Who will drive all the way out there to go to a game?

This location is really not that far out...in 5 years it will seem even closer. Plus, this project sits directly along the projected SE LRT Line. This arena might be what City Hall requires to kick start the construction of this portion! By the time the construction of the arena is done, the LRT may not be far behind. ( Plus...remember that Ottawa fans drive out of TOWN to go to the Senators games.)

I have heard this rumour constantly, but no one in the media seems to want to talk about it. It may be a crazy rumour, but if you really think about it, its not that unreasonable. I just cannot see how you can have two 20,000 seat arenas on the Stampede Grounds. Time will tell....

Iggy + Arrogance= Harvard in the Fall

I am not sure who advises this gentleman, but I am sure they must really dislike him. Once again, our visiting friend/Liberal leader has threatened to force an election. Really? Have we not heard this song before...over and over again? Earlier this year, he put the government "On Probation"... then went white ( or yellow?) when faced with actually having to act on his threats over EI reform in June.

Personally, I hope they do force and election. I know that the Conservative Party will destroy the Libs this time at the ballot box. Then we will finally have a MAJORITY government and be able to get on with the business of actually improving our country for the next 5 years.

Good luck Iggy...I was going to remind you to get your passport ready, but you probably carry it in your pants as your primary ID. ( God forbid you actually get an Ontario license, because you never know how long you will be around?) Just think, you may be able to catch on as a teacher for the winter semester. I hear Boston is beautiful in December.

Rats take over top spot on the local news...THIS is why I love Calgary!

I wonder what all of the World Skills visitors will think of Calgary when they leave here? Will they be impressed by Calgary's cleanliness? Its world famous hospitality? Its beautiful views? Maybe its feeling of safety? Perhaps all of the above?...

If I were a tourist here, I would likely get a chuckle out of the local news over the past few days. For a city of over 1,000,000 people, surely there would be some gritty news to report, tarnishing Calgary's image as a safe city? Apparently not!

Were there any Murders this week? Nope....
Any violent assaults reported? None...
Any gangland violence? Nada...

What made the top story on the news last night and FRONT PAGE headlines in Calgary?

Rats....

Well, it must have been a super slow news day, as this was THE story in our fine metropolis. I guess the fact that most Albertans have never seen a rat (given our "rat-free" status) makes this big, big news. Its just like when a new Dairy Queen opens in a small town...everybody talks about it. Too funny!

This is why I love this City....