A Ukrainian Farm Boy from Andrew Alberta

[wilagro]

Crying 'wolf' again Uwereconned or is that sour milk?

Albertan's made the correct choice even if they darned near stumbled.

This province doesn't need a rabble rousing, troublemaking Reformer Premier.

Thank goodness, cooler heads prevailed and problematic turmoil was thwarted.

[coppertop]

The fact is that Ed Stelmach received the highest number of 1 choice supporting votes, which is astounding, considering that he was in third place by quite a distance on the first ballot.

Albertan's who voted must have had good reason for voting the way they did, obviously the majority of party members were not ready for a REFORM premier. It is doubtful if we will have a provincial election until 2008, so the Reform party has plenty of time to get organized and run candidates in all constituencies, and test the waters.

[cowman]

Coppertop: I hate to tell you this but there is no Reform party in Alberta? Using your reasoning I guess you could say Stephen Harper is the REFORM primeminister? Maybe you don't support him either? Did you vote for Belinda in the CONSERVATIVE leadership race?
But you are certainly right about the majority of PC voters supporting Stelmach.
However with 28% or so voting for the right wing radical...I would say the Alberta Alliance should see some opportunity to make some inroads? Unless of course Stelmach can mend some fences?
I really wouldn't get to hung up on the number of PC voters however...I suspect for most it was a one time shot!
I am sure Stelmach will run a good well managed boring government, which will probably suit most apathetic Albertans? Hope when (if?) the crunch comes he's up to snuff!

[blackjack]

...the polls this morning ivbcon...fed libs...37% the conservatives 31%... and 17% for the ndp... could not agree with you more ivbcon... but albertans love their little perks...memory is a funny thing ...if oil patch dies the politicians here in alberta say they will cut back the spending ...i don't think it will be that easy the second time...whats that saying ...fool me once...fool me twice...lol

[coppertop]

cowman, if you read my comments you will see that I am suggesting to REFORMERS that they create a provincial party, run candidates and see how they do. I know it won't happen, because if Morton had any idea he could have gotten a Reform party up and running he would have done so vs running as a consertive in his constituency.

I know there were instant PC's in every camp, but obviously those that supported Ed Stelmach outnumbered the others and wanted to see a steady, stable man at the helm.

I can certainly sympathize with your view point though, would likely feel the same way if I had only been a PC for a day. Perhaps 28% voted for the radical right wing, but that faction only had two supporters in caucus. One nearly wore the tires off his vehicle getting in to Edmonton to be SEEN on camera praising the new leader, so doubt if he will cause many waves !!!!

The Dinning supporters in caucus have never had an issue with our new leader so I imagine they will be willing to work collectively to bring about some of the changes that all candidates put forth during the campaign.

Don't look for the RCMP to be disbanded or this government to spend many days at the next leg sitting dealing with same sex marriage either, but I do think that Morton's Bill 208 will likely be passed if it comes back off the order paper.

The main strong hold for Morton was in the south, and of course his own riding and Airdrie. Victor Doerksen ran on concern for water, plus family values etc., so I imagine he will be willing to work with Ed to address the water issue. Family values should never be a reason why people run for politics. It is a Motherhood and Applepie issue, and most thinking people would realize that all each candidate supported family values, who wouldn't ???

I have seen good, honest, clean living candidates tossed aside in favor of slimy skunks in some municipal elections, but the slime side usually rises to the top before long and the electorate is the loser when that happens.

Cowman, it seems that your main issue has been the fact that you don't care for your own MLA. Wonder if it is becausae of his work ethic, his track record as an MLA, or his personal life !!

[northfarmer]

I like Ed, I have met him several times over the years, on business and at party functions. I think he will serve us well.

I do hope that Morton plays an integral role in the new cabinet.

His talk of reworking the RCMP role in Albrta is not an issue of the RCMP not being a good force....it is about about the disproportionate amount of funding Alberta makes to the Federal force. Que has its force, as does Ont. This has been part of the reform debate and was a prov PC issue back when the bank accounts of Alberta were near empty. How a strong economy hear makes us forget the debates of the Getty and early Klien era and how to deal with a then overwhelming prov deficit...and slow economy..

As an opiion piece so eleoquently put this past summer...."the stone age did not end becasue they ran out of stones"....the bouyant oil economy will not last forever and when it does slow...watch out.....

I would suggest Morton as Intergovernmental Affairs Minister. While 56% in the same poll sunday said Harper has done an excellent job, the liberals will get a bump in the polls with there new leader in Ont and Que as was shown in the other poll.

Morton, though demonized as a radical by the fear mongerers, if working in the Caninet under the big tent leadership will keep some of us more conservative/libertarian members of the PC party from finding a home in the Alliance and splitting the right wing vote to then lend more support for the Liberals.

As a northern farmer I am proud to have another northern farmer running the province. Eddie, like our last premier, will called by his first name and not his last, and I think he will endear himself to Albertans for his sincerity and integrity. As a smart leader I am sure he will surround himself in Cabinet with the help he needs....Oberg, Hancock, Morton, and a lot of other capable MLA's that have been with him since the beginning including Knight, Goudreau and other good rural and urban MLA's from around Alberta....

Good luck Eddie..lead strong and be strong...

[northfarmer]

oh..and by the way I counted Ballots on Sat night... I am up North, not South, and Morton was a close seond in first ballots at my station...I think you will find his support spread right around the province....so I would not make too much of this being a North/South thing....and remember it was Mortons seconds that secured our Ed as Premier....

[coppertop]

I am not counting on Morton as Intergovernmental Affairs Minister because he has drawn his own line in the sand with Ottawa. The RCMP issue is just one that Morton did not clearly provide information on his intemtions, and it hurt him . Some of his own past supporters turned to either Dinning or Ed because they felt Ted needs to learn to listen and represent the population not lecture to them !!

[wilagro]

coppertop: Is your computer time a bit ahead of it's self?

[wilagro]

coppertop: No, it is not you...the server is in a different time zone. Sorry about that.

Cheers

[coppertop]

Wilagro, for a minute I thought you were suggesting that I was ahead of my time LOL !!

[northfarmer]

Coppertop, you can quit beating up on Morton, Ed won.......we need to make a clear line in the sand when dealing with Ottawa..last I checked we have a conservative Prime Minister, and Morton was a key architect in the revival of the federal conservative policy and platform.....a lot of Ted's views are a direct reflection of a large number of rural and urban tories, some of which also support Ed...myself included...if Ed turns his back on the Morton supporters that voted for him on the second ballot that would be a mistake...if they cannot find a home under the tent they will pitch their own....many ridings were close to going alliance under Ralph...that could change in Ed's favor if he plays this out strategically...

[cowman]

Coppertop: I sure hope Slelmach is more "inclusive" than you!...and I have no doubt he is?
You really need to take "politics 101"?
To rip groups like the Vietnameses, the Muslims, the Americans, the "old Money", the people who voted Reform in the past...well what can I say?
Peter Lougheed is about as "old money" as you can get? Is he evil?
How far do we go back? Do we beat people up because their grandfathers came from the USA? Do we beat people up because they voted Reform...and believed the message?...I hate to tell you this...pretty well all of Alberta voted Reform!
You like to call Ed Stelmach "the Ukarainian farm boy"! ....Come on ....how many generations does it take? He is an "ALBERTA FARMBOY"!
I think you have showed just what you really are? A rascist?
Hopefully you don't represent Ed Stelmach?

[blackjack]

...thanks for the post northfarmer... i was going to add to coppertop that it was just a short time ago a guy named harper took over the fed conservatives maybe morton's idea to gamble for the premier was a long shot but he did end up within a whisker...he definitely had the boys and even shirley srambling this past week...like you say the people have spoken...i still cannot figure how ed is going to please everyone without spending a quack of dough...on the positive side i did hear stelmach was going to have a smaller cabinet which i am all for...

[kpb]

Coppertop, upon relection this morning I believe my post last night was harsh and mean spirited and for that I am sorry.

My comments were based solely upon several postings that you have made over the last week or so. I did not say that you are a racist in my last post nor do I think that you are a racist. I do not think that anyone should be excluded from political leadership because of where they were born.

kpb