For weeks Jason Kenney has been all but begging Stephen Harper to endorse his crusade to unite the right in Alberta.
He promised us his master's blessing was coming.
He's been practically quivering with excitement at the thought of being anointed by the one he served so faithfully for so long.
So I only hope Kenney was wearing diapers yesterday, when that blessing finally arrived.
And his earthly lord called on him to lead the crusade to save the province from Rachel Notley and her godless communists.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper has endorsed Jason Kenney as the next Alberta PC leader, saying the situation in the province must change.
"This province is the beating heart of the Canadian conservative movement," Harper said while addressing a federal Conservative Party Stampede BBQ Saturday evening in Calgary.
But while Kenney must have been terribly excited, judging by the way he was sweating, he couldn't have been surprised.
For what is already only too clear, is that his crusade is nothing less than an attempted takeover of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta by the federal Conservative Party.
Which has from the moment Rachel Notley's NDP came to power, been Harper's singular obsession.
In the months after the NDP’s surprise victory in Alberta, then-prime minister Stephen Harper told his closest political associates that he planned to set up a provincial wing of the federal Conservative Party to unite the right in the province. That plan was foiled by his electoral defeat last October, but sources suggest it is not dead.
Senior Alberta Conservatives say they would prefer the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties come together of their own accord. But if they don’t, their federal cousins will use their organizational and financial clout to ensure the NDP faces a united conservative party at the next election.
When he was defeated the powerful group of Cons behind the move to unite the right started suggesting that Harper himself might get involved.
If Alberta's unite the right movement doesn't get its act together, Ottawa Conservatives, including former prime minister Stephen Harper, could well step in, says one political insider.
And as you can see Jason Kenney has already been focus testing its new name.
The name appears in a couple of polls, nosecounts both done in the last week of June, ammo for Kenney's argument.
Poll No. 1. Pantheon Research. Conservatives 44% and NDP 21%. Undecided 17%.
Poll No. 2. Mainstreet Research. Conservatives 43% and NDP 23%. Undecided 21%.
Which only makes me wonder, if Kenney does manage to win the PC leadership race with the help of the Harper Party. Which won't be easy.
And if he does manage to unite the PCs and the Wildrose party. Which will be even harder.
After what is sure to be a painful birth, would he run against a Wildrose candidate for the leadership of the new party?
Or will he just be warming the throne for a last minute compromise candidate?
You know, The Great Uniter.
For let's be clear, there is nothing but NOTHING Stephen Harper would like more than to create a new Conservative Party in his own image.
Lead the battle to drive the NDP usurpers from power in his beloved Alberta.
Rehabilitate his shattered political career.
And punish the rest of the country for defeating him so decisively...
It may seem farfetched, but I wouldn't rule anything out.
For the Cons are desperate to regain control of a province they consider their own.
And while the rest of Canada has rejected the evil ideology of Harperism.
In Alberta it seems, it's still very much alive.
And the good news?
If that brazen takeover attempt fails, Kenney, Harper and their party will be finished forever...
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15 comments:
I'm sooooooooooo happy that I don't live in Alberta!
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for Stockwell Day to resurrect himself from the political wilderness. Perhaps maintaining his public profile by sucking up to his political masters with his appearances as a pundit on CBC's Power and Politics will finally pay off.
Jason and steve may have support in their own constituencies, but much of their "platform" doesn't go over well with younger voters. the religious right doesn't have enough votes to carry all of Alberta and the big issue with Steve and Jason is the right for women to control their own bodies.
Times are changing in this country. There was even a Gay Pride parade in Stenbeck a few days ago.
I'm soooooooooooooooooo happy that I do not live in Alberta also. Can you imagine the stench in that Province with bigot Kenny and Hitler Harper polluting the air. Just after the cleanup from that forest fire!!!!!! Must be so hard to breath in Alberta right now!!!!!!!! Lucky us that the stench will never get east of SK!!!!!! At least it is contained to one province!!!!! FS
After over 40 years of the right-wing stronghold, it is refreshing to see NDP at the helm ... but will they withstand the pressure to 'modify' democratic desires?
With the current state of finances in Alberta only ideologues would want to be in power and get blamed for the contraction of the economy and addition to the provincial debt. We can therefore surmise that the ReformaCons desperate need to rule over a newly impoverished people takes precedence over attempting to make the economy better. Because the last time things were really bad, old Ralphie The Drinker Klein merely chopped the budget 20% and divested himself of troublesome civil servants and programs. Jason and Stevie would like to do the same thing, expecting wild applause from the business sector while not giving two hoots about Albertans themselves. That's the long and short of it - personal power and ideology are together more important to those two than the, to them "dolts", who voted them in after believing the rubbish they spouted.
The general public are stupid to give these people the time of day, unless committing personal financial suicide is their particular passion - meanwhile business will cheer and you'll read dozens of articles about how these two social misfits are "making Alberta great again".
Kenney is a good front man which is why Harper used him to distract the crowd while he was busy implementing his own plan.Wonder who the new puppet masters are? Likely a small consortium of special interest personnel registered under Puppet Masters Inc. with a business objective of extracting as much wealth out of the province while blaming everyone else for the malaise.
Albertans have reached a crossroads, they can opt for a socially responsible vision similar to Norway's or they can aim for a Texas like scenario but with a higher cost of production and only a small captive market they will have to take their chances on global exports. Perhaps they should ask Russia, Venezuela, Africa,or the middle east how global markets worked out for them? I am sure his supporters believe they are on their way to become better than a mini Texas as Kenney is so much smarter and the global partners are so much nicer than those trading with those other unfortunates.In reality the only winners in this scenario are the puppet masters and perhaps Kenney if he doesn't get lynched in the end.
RT
hi Kathleen....yes poor Alberta. The people of that province have suffered enough. The economy sucks, then there was that catastrophic fire they called The Beast. And now along comes the beastly Kenney...
hi political junkie...that's an interesting question. My guess is that if Kenney is able to pull it off, all those old Cons will flock to him like steel filings flock to a magnet. Or hopefully, like moths to a flame. I'll be watching Doris closely to see if he's about to take wing... ;)
hi e.a.f...I like to think what you say is true. Alberta is changing for the better, and the Bible Belt doesn't have as much influence as it once did. I think Kenney is living in the past and hopefully his campaign will go nowhere...
hi FS...well Alberta is a beautiful place, as long as you don't go near the Tar Ponds, and it does have some fine people. Let's just hope it can break with the past, and bury the Harper party once and for all.
P.S. And please don't call Harper Hitler, you know I hate that....
hi anon...I admire Rachel Notley and the NDP for what they have been trying to do at a very difficult time in the history of that province. And I think they are helping steer the province in a better direction, despite all the insane hatred aimed at them. It has to be the most difficult job in Canada, and I wish them all the luck in the world...
hi anon...you're right, only ideologues would want to govern a province during such challenging economic times. As you point out they would only make matters worse by slashing and burning, because they don't give a damn about ordinary people. Hopefully Albertans will realize that Cons only make hard times worse, and that they need a right wing extremist like Kenney, who has never had a real job in his life, like they need a hole in the head....
hi RT....I don't know all the members of Kenney's cabal, but what I do know is that they include some of the most extreme hardliners in the conservative moment, like Ian Brodie, Harper's first chief of staff. And the kind of people who attend Civitas conferences, or work for the Manning conspiracy. And I agree with you, I think the province is at a crossroads, and the next election will decide whether it goes forward to the future, or goes back to the past. I'm hoping that Kenney's monumental ego will end up annoying so many people, they'll eventually run him out of town, on a burro backwards. Anyone who thinks Kenney is the future, must be out of their frigging minds...
Sorry Simon, I love your blog, but we will have to agree to disagree about that particular name calling!!!!!! A spade is a spade my Mother always said!!!!!! FS
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