🚀 go-pugleaf

> Anyone who has run a campaign will tell you that the most effective way of
> getting someone's support is to knock on their door and ask for it. And
because
> the short campaign period does not give a candidate enough time to knock
on all
> the doors in the riding, it's best if they secure their nomination at
least a
> year in advance, and then take the time they need to meet the people they
want
> to represent.

Sheer volume precludes the feasability of a candidate directly knocking on
the door of every elector during a 4 year term. Alberta allots one MLA per
33K electors. At an average household elector population of 2, to talk with
every citizen, a candidate must visit 11 households per day - an average of
2 hours per day. 365 days a year. For 4 years. No single MLA or MP has
accomplished this feat in the history of Canada. If you believe you can be
the first, now's the time to run for office.

> I guess what I'm saying is all parties know the value of door-to-door
> canvassing. If they're delivering flyers without knocking, it's a sign
that they
> either don't have the time or the resources (that is, a sufficient number
of
> campaign volunteers) to cover the riding. But there is no excuse for
writing
> "Sorry I missed you" on a flyer when you haven't even knocked on the door.

Doug, election campaigns are not permitted to run prior to the writ period.
Thanks to Canada's policy of called elections, as supported by the federal
Liberals and opposed by the Alliance, the writ period is usually 1 month and
called at a time specifically chosen to catch the opposition party off
guard. That's why Ralph called his right on schedule at 4 years and Chretien
called his at 3.5 years. Ralph isn't afraid of Nancy MacWho and her
socialist-Liberal goons like Chretien was of the Alliance. But I digress.
Again, during the writ period, 550 households must be visited per day, for
30 days. That's 25 houses per day for each of 22 volunteers. Only the very
largest of election campaigns will have 22 volunteers at its disposal solely
for door-knocking. Let me ask you: did one of Nancy MacBet's Hidden Party
candidates manage to knock on your door, or even leave a pamphlet?

If I were running for office, I'd focus on 1000 ardent supporters prior to
the writ, encouraging them to volunteer during the writ. Recruiting election
volunteers is a difficult and time-consuming task, but results in a strong
campaign and strong constituency office that will work more effectively for
its constituents.

> To my mind, the most objectionable Tory tactic is the argument that only
> government MLAs have sufficient influence to accomplish things and help
the
> people of the riding.

Can you cite any evidence to support your allegation? No Tory should claim
this, nor should any member of any party. If they are, then they, like
Chretien and his dictatorial cabinet, are seriously confused as to the
nature of our democracy. In fact, a good opposition member, at the
provincial or federal level, can work in cooperation with the sitting
minister to pressure the government to move good ideas along more quickly.
As for "helping the people of the riding", MLA and MP offices are mandated
to be politically impartial. Obviously, a Tory office will tend to have
Tory-minded employees/volunteers, and this applies to any party, but these
employees must work for ALL consituents, not merely those of similar
political views.

Now, as for "sufficient influence", I would assert that if Nancy MacWho and
her Hidden Liberals aren't elected in Alberta, it has more to do with their
lack of honesty and trustworthiness (look at their federal counterparts for
hundreds of great examples of how corrupt a socialist party can become) than
anything Ralph and his Tories have done. Of course, the fact that Ralph
Klein has done for Alberta what no premiere, Liberal especially, has done
for any province in the history of Canada, certainly can't help Nancy
MacWho's campaign, eh?

To speak further to your objection, the federal Liberals routinely pull the
representation scare tactic: "Vote for us or you won't get your welfare
cheque or waterfront." I find this highly objectionable. The federal
Liberals go one step further into the realm of Third World politics by
pitting regions against each other and promoting division in Canada with
remarks and policies that affront the West. Raping the rich,
under-represented West to feed the poor, over-represented East is a clever
tactic to maintain Liberal power, but will ultimately result in widespread
socialism, poverty, and the destruction of the nation.

> Taken to its logical conclusion, this is an argument in
> favour of a one-party state. If Alberta had a stronger democratic culture,
this
> would be obvious.

Klein wins because Alberta is doing well under his leadership. We had enough
of the Liberals with Getty, who threw billions at "diversification" and
accomplished jack. This reality spells bad news for Nancy MacBeth, as does
the fact that no one knows what her Hidden Party stands for other than the
fact it bears some vague resemblance to the federal Liberal-socialists.

Doug, what would you say to a proportionally representative democracy in
Alberta and Canada, where party seats are proportional to the population
that voted for them? Would you support such a motion?

> The fact that I had to explain to a Tory party worker who
> phoned me last night what multi-party democracy is about (I'm sure he
enjoyed
> the lecture) has only increased my level of despair.

Sounds good. Would you agree to a multi-party democracy in the House of
Commons too, where the Chretien and his corrupt Liberal seals would be
forced to vote FOR their 1993 campaign promises, instead of against them as
they did last week with the Ethics Commissioner accountability motion by the
Alliance?

Perhaps your level of despair stems from the fact that Nancy MacWho hasn't a
chance in hell, door knocking or not. Nancy has only one person to blame for
that, and it aint Ralph.

Santa.