Jeff Burgar
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith gets a 91 per cent approval rating at the PC convention in Red Deer last week. A few days later, Donald Trump wins the American presidency in what many observers are calling a “landslide victory.”
In Smith’s case, her victory was assured in the first few minutes of counting. For Trump, almost all mainstream media, the MSM, predicted before voting it would be a few days at least, and very possibly even a week, before knowing who won between Trump and Kamala Harris.
As it happened, by the time most keen observers called it a night, Trump had already been called the winner. By 5 a.m. Wednesday, it was “official.” Harris was already preparing her concession speech for the afternoon. Congress is still waiting on counts, but the American senate is already firmly in Republican land.
So, what happened? On both sides of the border?
Media can’t even be close in predicting final results. After the fact can we trust them to report on what went right for each of the parties, and what went wrong?
From our perspective, Smith’s solid win tells us, at least as far as UCP party members are concerned, “progressive politics” is, if not out the door, is shown where the exit is. Progressive policies, as in so-called wokeism, and it’s partner in arms, identity politics, will not find a home in the UCP.
Guess what? That’s the same song in Donald Trump’s America! Only in America, it’s a quite strong majority of the entire voting public feeling that way.
Harris and her gang of back-room manipulators tried the same stunts with Hillary Clinton in 2016 and failed. But the same stunts in 2020 worked. So why not guilt-tripping and fear-mongering in 2024?
Curiously, as this is written last week, it is easy to find, out there in MSM land, reasons why Trump and Republicans won. Not so easy to find why Harris and her Democrats lost.
The truth is, identity politics, in which colour, gender, capability, competency and these days even religion, are more important than your skills or willingness to work is fading. Fading in the Democrat’s American world. Add to that Justin Trudeau’s “sunny ways” and “peoplekind, colonial and victimhood” world.
Even right here in Alberta where they have never been much of an issue, except to rouse up the rabble. Or as Clinton would say, “deplorables.” Or Harris and Biden, the “garbage voters.” Which we assume, is all the rest of us who don’t buy the Kool-Aid liberal elites keep trying to make us drink.
Make no mistake. The vast majority of us don’t really take offence at those disadvantaged. We are more than willing to lend a hand to those needing such. But when entire industries dedicated to maintaining those hands as always needing more help and even extra-ordinary benefits grow and grow, a line will finally be drawn.
Why did Harris, Democrats and anti-Smithers lose?
“The problem with the world is that intelligent people are full of doubt, while stupid people are full of confidence.” – Charles Bukowski.