this blog has moved to a new address: daveberta.ca

Please update your RSS, bookmarks, and links to http://daveberta.ca.

Monday, August 27, 2007

if you move to alberta – adapt or leave: craig chandler.

Alberta PC nomination candidate Craig Chandler has eloquently declared his feelings towards new Albertans who choose to exercise their constitutional right to vote for a political party other than the 36-year old ruling Progressive Conservative Party of Ed Stelmach.

I wonder which point in Ed Stelmach’s five-priority plan Chander is promoting when he wrote this:

To those of you who have come to our great land from out of province, you need to remember that you came here to our home and we vote conservative. You came here to enjoy our economy, our natural beauty and more. This is our home and if you wish to live here, you must adapt to our rules and our voting patterns, or leave. Conservatism is our culture. Do not destroy what we have created.

Considering that Stelmach's Tories haven't been doing too well in Calgary lately, I wonder how excited Ed Stelmach will be with Craig Chandler carring the PC banner in Calgary Egmont?

I know I'm looking forward to the daily entertainment.

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a peice of work. Just another reason to vote Liberal.

KC said...

Wow thats quite the comment. I remember seeing something on TV where this guy and a gay Christian from Vancouver went and spent time with one another. The guy makes Maurice Vellacott look like a moderate (I hyperbolize of course but you get the idea).

Anonymous said...

It's these types of progressive ideas that will win those undecided voters back to their historic home in the PC Party.

Keep up the good work, Craig!

Anonymous said...

Craig Chandler is awesome! I've been hoping for a candidate to come along who would blatantly campaign on a platform of taking away my freedom to vote.

Ed Stelmach sure has assembled a crew of "star candidates". At the rate he's going, he'll be lucky if he's leading the honorable third party after the next election...

Anonymous said...

WTF? Conservatism is our culture?!
I find this beyond belief, even from a deluded, self-righteous, bloated, pork-barrelling, Big-Oil-bootlicking, Focus-on-the-Family-wanking corporate lobbyist.
Does he honestly think that a 47% vote share constitutes "culture" in Alberta? Of course, as the campaign manager for the AA candidate in Calgary-Egmont last election, maybe 47% looks more cultured than 8.7%.
Whadda numbnuts.

b_nichol
edmonton

Anonymous said...

I guess he's never heard of the UFA, Aberhart's version of Social Credit, the cooperative movement, the CCF originating in Alberta, etc., etc. Nor that many old fashioned conservatives never liked the Reform extremists

As one who was born in Alberta and stayed here, I take comfort in the fact that some of the worst neocons came from elsewhere; Harper, Morton, Flanagan, Thompson. So where is Chandler from? And didn't he belong to some other part previously?

Anonymous said...

Why do you have elections then? Why spend your taxpayer money when in the end you are under a dictatorship?

Anonymous said...

I agree. Chandler is fighting for the taxpayers with these types of stances! If everyone voted PC, then there would be no need to hold elections in the future (and not need to pay for any opposition parties).

Bright ideas like these could save Alberta taxpayers millions of dollars!

Skinny Dipper said...

I wish Jesus Christ could run against Ed Stelmach. I wonder what Craig would say to Albertans on how to vote.

BlastFurnace said...

I remember Craig from my days at McMaster University in Hamilton. He was the President of the campus Reform club. His stridency would make even Stockwell Day tremble -- in fact, Craig was the reason why I switched from Reform to Liberal.

But it won't matter in the end what he says. Alberta is the only province that still allows gerrymandering so the cities are actually underrepresented. Stelmach will win by a comfortable margin even if every single district in Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer goes to other parties.

Anonymous said...

This reminds me of what happened in the 2001 election when someone attached a big sign to a Tony Abbott campaign sign saying something like "We believe that people who vote Liberal or NDP don't deserve to live in Alberta!"

Culture of entitlement?

Anonymous said...

Is Craig Chandler originally from Ontario?

If Stelmach were a real leader he would step in and make it clear that this type of behavior isn't acceptable in his party. Too bad he won't.

Ed Stelmach is not a leader.

James L. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
James L. said...

I love Craig Chandler's web site video. When he announces that he's running to be an MLA, only about one table in the ballroom claps.

Anyway, as a lifelong Alberta Liberal and whose father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all born and raised in Edmonton, easterners like Chandler can kindly STFU before they pass judgments on who they believe the "real Albertans" are, and what they believe our culture is.

Craig Chandler is an embarrassment to the city of Calgary and the province of Alberta. He is despicable.

Kuri said...

Well, I'm a New Democrat and I believe I've spent a higher proportion of my life in Alberta than Mr. Chandler (including my formative years, in which I'd presumably be soaking up our culture).

And like Holly, I take pride in the progressive, working people's movements which have originated here: it took a socialist government (UFA) to get the oil revenues to come to Alberta rather than the Feds.

It's amazing that Chandler wants to get into pissing contests about what's "really" Albertan, because from the sounds of it, he can't win them.

Anonymous said...

I did not know that we were communists in Alberta.....

Anonymous said...

I agree with Dave, this Chandler fellow is nothing but bad news for Stelmach in Calgary - his escapades on the Federal political scene and the anti-gay marriage campaign were extreme even for the most conservative Albertan. Check out his goofy picture on his website - Calgary-Edgmont Constituency will be one of many nomination races to watch, but perhaps for all the wrong reasons!

Anonymous said...

This quote from his webpage is priceless:

Craig Chandler is seeking the riding nomination for the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. We all know that whoever wins the nomination will surely become your next MLA.

The hubris just reeks off of this guy.

http://www.craigchandler.ca/aboutCraig.htm

Anonymous said...

What a forward looking statement.

Beltliner said...

It wasn't all that long ago that the Tories could nominate an Inflate-a-Date in a Calgary riding and be assured of a win on election night. And Chandler has assembled a like-minded cacophonous conclave of kooks at www.pgib.ca who have already taken responsibility for Doctor No's election in the southeast marches of Ward 12 in 2001 and whose president is presently running for City Council in Ward 8.

That being said, the sands are shifting beneath the Tories' feet, and the single last solitary hope of the Tories' Calgary-Egmont EDA is that they'll be able to find some friendly, reasonable, sane South Park Republican who can crush Chandler at the nomination stage and have a fighting chance of keeping the moderate vote during the election. Would be interesting to see who the ALP, the Dippers, and the AGP have waiting in the wings to cover the Red/Green Tory vote if the infernal realm freezes over and Chandler takes the Tory nomination.

Anonymous said...

Bums and Creeps I tell you - its more Bums and Creeps coming to Alberta.

This is terrible. Who does he think he is?

Anonymous said...

I think Mr. Chandler best look for a nomination in the new Wildrose Party. He is no PROGRESSIVE Conservative

Glen said...

Naturally he has the support of Paul Jackson...

rabbit said...

I've also heard it the other way. I've heard CBC pundits suggest that to be truly Canadian one must be a bit socialist, and implying that to be conservative is to be - well - American.

Every bit as arrogant, I think, as Chander's musings.

Anonymous said...

Err, fine, but completely irrelevant.

"You came here to our home and we vote conservative...Adapt to our voting patterns or leave" is completely offensive. Period. Replace 'conservative' with 'liberal' or 'socialist' or anything and it's still completely offensive.

Anonymous said...

Chandler has a point--if you came here to ENJOY the Alberta Advantage, you shouldn't go and f##k it up by voting for socialists like the Alberta Liberals.

Anonymous said...

If you watch Chandler's website video, he talks about putting Alberta's democratic house in order.

That's what he is talking about.

Anonymous said...

WOW-such a right wing freak here in Alberta-who would have imagined? HAHA!

I was born in Alberta, have lived here for 41 years, raised kids, went to college and University, AND have worked in healthcare in Alberta for 21 years despite the dispicable reactionary planning the PCs have done to enable privitization as a good looking alternative.

My parents and grandparents and those of my husband settled this land and worked to hard and value/d democracy and freedom of choice when it came to elections.

They were of course, as all Canadians are-newcomers to the country and land.
It seems odd to me that an Ontarian "newcomer" can speak of the history of our province so righteously when he has in fact not been here, nor have his ancestors.

I hope this Chandler goes the way of the dinosaurs-because his thinking resembles something akin to what their little aggressive under-developed minds would have.

Anonymous said...

Sad that many of you actually believe the clips. Cut & Paste does occur.

From what I understand he is talking a small 'c' conservative culture, not, the Conservative Party.

Anyways, while you are just bitching and moaning, Chandler is at least fighting for what he believes. Love to see you whiners actually run for something.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the dough boy stepped in it big time-makes us PCs look stupid and obnoxious.

Anonymous said...

ED STELMACH IS NOT A LEADER!

Anonymous said...

Craig represents true CONSERVATIVE VALUES. He stands up for what he believes in and doesn't apologize. That's what people like about him.

He's like a young Ronald Reagan.

Anonymous said...

"a young Ronald Reagan"?? Oh, puke.
Not a good recommendation. Very few Albertans consider Reagan a hero.

Anonymous said...

It seems that Hubris is the future of the PC party in Alberta. Longtimers are bailing, and I'm seeing an upsurge in popularity with the Liberals. It's time for a change!

May I make a suggestion?

If you are offended by what Chandler says, please step forward. Make a donation to the Alberta Liberal Party and earmark it for the Calgary EGMONT constituency so that it can be used to fight Chandler directly on the next election. How about $10? or $20? Remember, you'll get a tax receipt.

How about getting involved with the Liberal party? All constituencies in Calgary could use your help.

Let's make Calgary a Sea of Red... and let's show the PCs that we're not going to put up with Chandler or his archetypes.

Go make that donation... TODAY!
(You'll sleep better.. I promise!).

Anonymous said...

This riding has been PC since 1971 so there's no hope of winning it despite what Taft said.

I usually vote Liberal but this time I'm taking out a membership to vote for Jonathan Dennis. I don't agree with him on much either but at least he seems like a half decent guy and not CRAZY like Chandler, who's anything but a "young Ronald Reagan". Puh-leez.

Raebo said...

Chandler's idea of a democracy is two wolves and a sheep sitting at the kitchen table discussing what they should have for dinner.
Chandler is Albertas version of Jerry Falwell.
I am a confirmed PC lifer.
This man can not be elected next election, none of us I hope want to go down this road,
Someday you might just be the sheep.