Why PC MLA Jonathan Denis Owes Us a Coffee.

Why are Paul Hinman and the Wildrose Alliance running away with Calgary Glenmore?

Well, as we here at the Alberta Report pointed out a month ago, the conditions were right - as long as they did the work.

In a constituency set to record one of the worst voter turnouts in Alberta election history, what really turns the tide is your ability to visit doors, phone voters, and run an effective e-day mechanism.

Never underestimate the power of zealotry. The Hinman campaign and WRA hacks like our friend Wildrose Jane trucked in activists from across the city and beyond.

NDP types may well remember the 2000 Edmonton Highlands by-election where Mason "Won by a Mile" as the morning papers said. Well, the Dippers did it then.

Old timers may recall a certain Pincher Creek by-election where the NDP type of campaigning was pioneered - the party bussed folks in from across BC and Alberta. That's where they pioneered the current NDP vote-numbering system later modernized by Stephen Lewis. As one veteran put it: "When we rang their bell the first time they slammed the door in our faces. When we rang it the next time they shouted at us to leave. When we rang it the third time they locked in shocked incredulity - you guys are really serious!"

Garth Turcott became the first NDP MLA to sit in Alberta's Legislature.

The Wildrose Alliance won't like it, but their campaign had a similar type of zeal. They were on a mission (from God - like the Blues Brothers?). They can be proud of the win. It's a convincing one - and Paul Hinman is an admirable MLA.

The pretentious DRP was about as useless as a hat full of busted assholes. No Green candidate - barely a whisper of a NDP campaign - all of the right conditions for dissent... yet beaten by a Mormon from Cardston (though yes, he grew up in Glenmore). Maybe that'll put their voter-trickery-schemes to bed. But we doubt it.

As for Paul Hinman, let's hope he represents his constituents well in the Brian Mason mold and doesn't suffer the fate of Garth Turcott.

Garth lost - and never returned to politics.

Okay, so here's who owes us money/coffee as a result of the Paul Hinman prediction:

from @JonoMLA - Jonathan Denis, PC MLA, Calgary Egmont
@albertareport I don't bet money on anything but I'll bet a coffee on a Colley-Urquhart victory :)5:48 PM Aug 17th from TweetDeck in reply to albertareport

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And two others. They know who they are. We'll collect. :-)

Mason's Stache Doesn't Make the Cut

Brian
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

CALGARY - Alberta's NDP Leader Brian Mason's mo is no more.

Yup, we mean it. The patented cropped-English-style-tickler was pared back prior to Mason's appearance at the Calgary & District Labour Council Labour Day BBQ over the long weekend.

An insider source told the Alberta Report today that the no-mo move shows that Mason is prepared to make the tough decisions.

"Mason is bearing it all for the electorate," she said. "He's showing voters that he's prepared to make the tough cuts - and just like Stelmach's carbon capture scheme, it was time for the cookie duster to hit the trail."

The Mason soup-strainer had been in full effect for the extent of his political career, which hits the 20 year-mark this year with a celebration at the 2009 Alberta NDP Convention this weekend.

Articles abound on the death of the political mustache. But Mason's lip warmer was a bristly reminder that he was no Conservative.

In fact, Mason's flavour-saver proved to be an inspiration on the Alberta political scene, leading to a 12% rise in soup-strainers upon candidates for public office in Alberta since 1989.

On the federal scene, 'stache-laden leaders have risen 100% since the ascendancy of Mason's power stache in 1989, despite the stache-bashing of naysayers.

The man who made the Alberta political scene safe for mustaches couldn't be reached for comment, but Winston Churchill was once told by a woman that she did not like his politics or his mustache. The prime minister replied, “Madam, you are not likely to come in contact with either.”

We don't know how that's relevant. But it's damn funny.