Election Day Hangover

 Well, the results are in.

The Results

Whether the party you voted for won or lost, some changes were made. Not with the big story, heavens no. But, as with most things political the real story is on the side. Where most will miss it. I suppose there is still a shwack ton of mail-in votes to be counted. Maybe a few seats will change. The numbers there are not high enough to swing things either way. 

For me, the first interesting thing is that the NDP party has picked up two seats in Alberta. Two little orange bits floating in a sea of blue. Why is this interesting? There is no way to know for sure why that is. I have some theories. Because of course I do. Firstly, the NDP has done a really good job of being that uncomfortable thorn in the UCP's side. Secondly, Janis Irwin (everyone's favorite MLGay) did a lot of work for Blake Desjarlais. Janis has a huge level of visibility thanks to hard work like being out there and willing to answer questions. Thirdly (is this a word?) Maybe the landslide against Kenney starts here. 

The next interesting thing, Both Annamie Paul (leader of the Green Party) and Maxime Bernier (leader of the PPC Party) were unable to win their seats. I think for Paul it was a matter of choosing the wrong riding to run in. To her credit though, she did run in the riding she lives in. She did not pretend to live in her elderly mother's one-room apartment, but I digress (Nice try Kenbabe). She was however running against a well-known and trusted former television personality. As for Maxime, I don't think he realized that the vocal minority is just that, the minority. And this minority has all the attractions of the Bates Motel. Just because you yell the loudest it doesn't mean you are right. 

Now I am going to say something that may be unexpected. After watching all of the speeches after the results were read, I must say that Erin O'Toole may be the only one who is truly looking to grow his party. His concession speech rang a lot of the right bells. He spoke of inclusivity and what needs to be done for his party to gain popularity outside of their strongholds. The other side of that coin is that by being inclusive of these groups and becoming more "central" in that way may lose the party's diehards. The small move towards the left has already allowed for other parties such as the PPC and the Maverick party to go after those who feel left behind by those same open arms. I guess that is something to watch for in the next election. Which will hopefully be longer than two years. 


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