
I’ve boycotted political parties all my life because in my view they’re more harmful than frac’ers. Tonight, I joined Nenshi.ca and donated some funds.
Nenshi is the only politician I have any respect for. The rest are mostly lying self-serving untrustworthy scumbags, especially in CPC, PP, UCP/TBA/Wildrose/PC. All sweet and lovely before getting voted in, lies and crap after.
Nenshi will absolutely take down the “immoral and dangerous” UCP.
Go Nenshi!
Thank you for entering the fray to try to bring us back up from Take Back Alberta Hell.
From Nenshi.ca:
…
But today, we’re facing crises on every front. Too few homes and what’s there is unaffordable, while government-sanctioned utility Highest in the country in the most prosperous province
and insurance hikes make life more expensive. Albertans are being asked to accept late ambulances and closed ERs, summers filled with wildfire smoke, no action to protect against flood and drought, and growing class sizes with under-resourced teachers. We watch entrepreneurs struggle with red tape and investment is leaving our province.
The UCP’s response is to distract the public and punish the weak and vulnerable because Danielle Smith only knows how to do two things: pick fights and waste money. …
Comments from Tyee article:
Neil Lore:
Excellent article. Say what you will about Albertan politics, it hasn’t been boring for a long time. I feel like the UCP should be sponsored by a popcorn company.Perfect summation of UCP!
To the question, “Can Nenshi lead the NDP to victory?” I would ask, “Can you think of anyone else with a better chance?”
Many fear, legitimately, that he’s not really a New Democrat and won’t honour the traditions of the party…
Nenshi isn’t an NDPer and he probably won’t, but that’s okay because the Alberta NDP isn’t the NDP either (the NDP’s not the NDP anymore either but that’s another conversation). I’ve said for years that the Federal and Albertan NDP governments would both gain if the Albertan one changed its branding. I’ve also said for years that it is unclear what the NDP (the “real” one, not the Alberta one) has stood for since they elected Mulcair. Nowadays, they seem to want to be the kinder happier version of the Liberals – Crap Lite, if you will. “Tastes just like Liberal brand, but has 5% less homelessness and poverty!” “We use only high quality, fair trade, ethically sourced, organic horse sh*.” I guess there’s probably an “I can’t believe it’s not Liberal!” joke to be had there too but I’m gonna quit before I’m too far behind. Wakka wakka, indeed.
Why didn’t anyone else think of that? My guess is that Tommy Douglas reminds many within the NDP too much of what they used to believe.
I probably come across as more negative on the NDP than I actually feel right now. I have a lot of questions about today’s NDP, but they accomplished four things I value that the NDP has struggled for for decades – pharmacare, child care, dental care and anti-scab legislation. …While being the fourth place party and without electoral reform! This is the political equivalent of miracles happening behind enemy lines and without air support. This has been the most consequential NDP government in decades, and not only do they get basically no credit, but people on Canada’s left are barely celebrating some pretty big wins. None of those four policies go as far as I want them to do, but they are better than what we used to have. “5% less homelessness and poverty” is not as good as “100% less,” but that’s not attainable right now and some progress is better than no progress.
One final thing – see how I went from criticizing the NDP to praising them? Not being a partisan is incredibly freeing. Now that I no longer “cheer for any of these teams” I see things far more clearly than I used to.
…
Also quite alarming to me that the courts keep limiting the rights of all levels of our government to protect the environment. “Those who make peaceful change impossible…”
nancyjt:
Well, I watched his video, and by gum, he has my vote. Too bad I don’t live in Alberta.
I don’t really know anything about him, it will be interesting to watch this.
The election is probably 3 years away. If he is defeated by the old guard in the leadership race will he run as an ordinary MLA then? Will he work as a smart, well spoken point man with the NDP until then? Who knows who the UCP Premier will be by then, Alberta conservatives have a solid history of turfing them before the next writ drops.
Will DS destroy healthcare? Will the province really invoke the Not Withstanding Clause to punish trans kids and then spend millions going to the Supreme Court? Will PP get in before then and take away their boogy man? Will DS carry on down the APP path and try to fire the RCMP? Will oil prices be $30/barrel?
It is pleasant to read about an Alberta politician who doesn’t seem to be a venal moron for a change.
Seeking Alberta NDP leadership, Nenshi dubs himself ‘underdog’ and UCP ‘dangerous’, Joining the race just four days before the candidate cutoff date, Calgary’s former mayor said he has considerable ground to make up behind other declared NDP hopefuls by Bill Kaufmann and Michael Rodriguez, Mar 11, 2024, Calgary Herald
… Joining the race just four days before the candidate cut-off date and as a comparative outsider, Nenshi on Monday said he has considerable ground to make up behind five other declared hopefuls.
“I’m not the front-runner and I haven’t sold a single membership,” said Nenshi. …
But the three-term Calgary mayor said his experience and ability to collaborate with other governments prove he’s qualified for the job — defeating a UCP government he said is incompetent and a menace to Albertans’ lives due to its policies on trans rights, science and health care.
“We have a government that is not only incompetent, but is actually immoral and dangerous — we can’t afford any more of (Premier) Danielle Smith and her government,” said Nenshi. …
While some say the UCP and its supporters are “salivating” at the prospect of taking on Nenshi in the 2027 general election, Bratt said that excitement may be misplaced.
“They really dislike him, but they’ve never beaten him. And I think they hope that some (NDP members) may fear what he would bring to the race,” Bratt said. “I think he matches up against Smith much better than the other candidates. I just don’t know if he can win the NDP leadership.”Notably with Team Satan’s Take Back Alberta (far back into the Cave) announcing it’ll buy up memberships (I expect illegally) to control the vote and put into position the NDP leader they want it to be (someone who’ll for sure lose against UCP).
This leadership race is set to be the largest in the party’s history and the first since it formed government in 2015. The party’s last leadership contest came in 2014 when it had just four MLAs, and fewer than 4,000 ballots were cast.
…
The party will choose a new leader June 22.
‘Nenshi has a lot of supporters’: NDP rivals say former Calgary mayor’s candidacy could grow party, ‘He does have big name recognition and a lot of people are excited . . . a lot of people are getting engaged’ by Bill Kaufmann, March 12, 2024, Calgary Herald
…
On Monday, Nenshi fulfilled the expectations of many by announcing he’s seeking the Alberta NDP’s top job.
He dubbed himself an underdog due to his late entry into the contest.
…
Nenshi’s campaign didn’t provide comment on Tuesday, but on the Ryan Jespersen show, the former mayor said his efforts are gaining an early traction by already signing up 10 times his most optimistic number for party memberships.
His candidacy, he said, is an opportunity to show Albertans “NDP values are their values as well.”
“We’re appealing to people within the party and we’re inviting more people in,” he said.
This leadership contest is set to be the largest in the party’s history and the first since it formed government in 2015. The party’s last leadership contest came in 2014 when it had just four MLAs, and fewer than 4,000 ballots were cast.
…
Chestermere resident Rowan Sargeant said Nenshi’s candidacy is prompting him to do what he’s never done before — purchase an NDP membership.
“I just think Nenshi has the profile and intellect the other candidates don’t, though I think the others are good people,” said Sargeant, calling him the best chance to “keep those nutty Conservatives out.”
But he said Nenshi might not appeal to hardcore NDP supporters, though that’s a quality he’d admire.
Calgarians Heather and Jim Turner say they’ll also purchase party memberships for the first time so they can vote for Nenshi.
“I liked him as our mayor and I believe he is a strong candidate who can stand up to the UCP and win,” said Heather Turner, who’s voted NDP in the past two elections.
“I also think he would do a great job and stop these endless battles with Ottawa . . . we need some intelligence in government.”
…