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Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Designer candidate Danielle Smith should worry drifting Alberta Tories
If you were in the business of designing the perfect conservative candidate, you would be hard pressed to do better than Danielle Smith.
Looking for media savvy? Danielle Smith was the host of Global Sunday, a conservative television newsmagazine, from 2003 to 2005.
Want a candidate with policy depth? Danielle Smith was the executive director of the Canadian Property Rights Research Institute and has deep ties to the Fraser Institute.
Need someone with a Rolodex of potential corporate donors? As the outgoing director of provincial affairs for Alberta of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Danielle Smith likely knows every independent business leader in the province.
How about a candidate with a little sex appeal? Danielle Smith is an attractive 30-something female with a dazzling smile and an infectious laugh. She’s got the charisma outgoing Wildrose Alliance leader Paul Hinman insists he doesn’t have, an unfair personal assessment from a humble and decent man.
Along with that sex appeal, you would want a candidate who is a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n rock…someone with the sophistication to appeal to an increasingly urban, ethnically-diverse Alberta population and with the authenticity to appeal to rural voters. Danielle Smith looks like a big city candidate, but has spent a good part of her advocacy career working on rural issues like endangered species legislation and other land owner issues.
And if you were in the business of designing the perfect candidate to draw support away from a drifting conservative party, you would also want that person to be a true believer, a genuine conservative who could ignite passion among grassroots activists. Danielle Smith again meets that expectation. She speaks with insight and authentic emotion about a pro-freedom agenda for the province founded on property rights, the essential component of a truly free society.
Danielle Smith is expected to announce her intention to run to replace Paul Hinman as the new leader of the fledgling Wildrose Alliance. The party’s annual convention and leadership vote will take place on the first weekend of June, and buzz is growing around her likely candidacy.
Danielle Smith is exactly the kind of fresh, principled leader Alberta conservatives have been waiting for.
With the support of former MLA and party leader Hinman, star candidate Link Byfield and the rest of the growing Wildrose Alliance team of capable, passionate activists, Danielle Smith could be the first serious threat to Tory dominance in Alberta.
Ed Stelmach, Alberta’s accidental premier, should take note.
Posted by Matthew Johnston
Posted by westernstandard on April 29, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
Danielle is a great candidate and is someone who is worthy of support. However, she is not the only one that is running, my first choice may go elsewhere, but if she wins she will have my enthusiastic support!
Posted by: Craig B. Chandler | 2009-04-30 1:41:34 AM
She's a very impressive candidate. I'm extremely sensitive to the fact that there is a war on white males in general and white male politicians in particular at the moment. A lot of people, Western Standard staff included, supported Obama for no other reason than he wasn't a white male, and we know what happened next.
Too many people are too eager to show the world what super awesome progressives they are by slamming white males and white male politicians at every opportunity. I'm not going to play that game. There will be no shortage of PC morons who will support Smith because she is a woman, so I'll balance things out and oppose her for that precise reason. I will support white male politicans exclusively - even the gay ones - until there is a ceasefire in the war on white males.
I'd urge everyone who opposes the war on white males to oppose all politicians who aren't white males. Target their ridings and send money to their opponents. Make it hurt. Make them feel the consequences for attacking the most productive demographic cohort in Canada. They've been attacking us for years, let's hit back and hit back hard.
Posted by: Your Better | 2009-04-30 6:23:06 AM
Who's your candidate Craig?
And, Your Better, we need candidates who support freedom and meritocracy. Opposing all non-white male candidates is thoughtless. If you think there is a "war on white males," seek out candidates who oppose that war, regardless of the colour of their skin or their gender.
Posted by: Matthew Johnston | 2009-04-30 10:50:55 AM
You haven't told me where she actually stands on any of the issues that matter to me. I'm not going to give her my vote just because she's a highly electable woman. What is this, the Obama campaign? I want policy dammit!
Posted by: Pete | 2009-04-30 11:05:33 AM
Fair enough, Pete. I was only making the case that Danielle Smith is "highly electable" as you write.
We'll both have to wait for her to announce her policies. I know from her past work that she's a property rights and small business advocate. She's a fiscal conservative.
Posted by: Matthew Johnston | 2009-04-30 11:18:37 AM
I agree. I knew her back in the day and she's very impressive.
Posted by: Craig | 2009-04-30 6:18:12 PM
Is she running for the Social Credit Party?
Posted by: set you free | 2009-04-30 7:12:03 PM
Wildrose Alliance, set you free.
Posted by: Matthew Johnston | 2009-04-30 7:37:21 PM
YB: "even the gay ones"
"Even"? Colours showing much?
Posted by: Grant Brown | 2009-04-30 11:11:34 PM
"Even"? Colours showing much?"
They are political enemies, I've been pretty frank about that. Not all of them of course, just 93%, close enough for me. I've stated in other threads gay businesses should be boycotted. Now, would you kindly explain to me what you feel is wrong with opposing one's enemies who spare no cruelty when they attack their opponents? Have you seen how vicious these people are? If not, you're being willfully ignorant.
They attack Christians relentlessly while hiding behind the human rights commissions; I'm not religious, but my friends and family are and the gays will have to get past me first. I'm not bound by Christian morality, which really sucks for them.
Posted by: Your Better | 2009-04-30 11:44:38 PM
Sounds like an endorsement to me Matthew. You would never admit it tho would you???
Posted by: Merle Terlesky | 2009-06-14 9:33:56 PM
I'd like to see Craig Chandler as the leadership candidate.
Posted by: John Madison | 2009-06-27 1:46:27 AM
You haven't told me where she actually stands on any of the issues that matter to me. I'm not going to give her my vote just because she's a highly electable woman. What is this, the Obama campaign? I want policy dammit!
Posted by: Pete | 2009-04-30 11:05:33 AM
Has it occurred to you at all to do your own homework...or do you expect other's to tell you what you need to know?
Go Danielle!
Posted by: The original JC | 2009-06-27 8:48:17 AM
Well, why won't Craig Chandler run himself? He's the one with experience and who will unify the party.
Posted by: John Madison | 2009-06-27 9:45:26 AM
Why doesn't "Your Better" use his real name? Then again, if I said such stupid things I'd hide my identity too. Hopefully his intolerance and ignorance will bite back as karma when he's re-born a gay woman of color and REALLY understands what it's like to be discriminated against.
Posted by: C Demchuk | 2009-10-16 7:47:34 PM
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