And so, the dance has begun..Some contenders donned their dancing shoes for the Sweet Heart Ball that will determine the new leader of Alberta’s UCP. .More contender announcements will follow..The race is much akin to a dance, but more about the way politicians on the left dance differently than those on the right..The left dances in a Conga line: One person in front, hopping and bopping, with legs kicking out and in. .Behind the leader is a line of followers, hands on the hips of the person ahead of them, emulating the exact moves of the leader. .No one in line questions the leader’s moves. .They all follow along, regardless of what the leader does..Just like a cult. Park your egos and your personal dance moves at the door and follow the party line..It’s the only dance they know..Conservatives have a catalogue of dances. .Regardless of the music, they each do a different dance, some pirouetting, some doing a version of the limbo, others a fancy slow waltz, some hopping up and down wildly, at times paying no attention to the music..Hell, it’s not unusual to see two Conservatives dancing together, but each doing a different dance..The left congratulates themselves, and especially the person at front of their Conga line, for such a fine job of leading them around the room, because they’re not, on the whole, independent thinkers.Conservatives spend their time arguing about who has the best dance moves, because they’re not part of a cult. Because they are independent thinkers..The left has Conservatives right where they want them, forming one conservative party after another, each with ‘leaders’ who think they are the best dancer, taking shots at the other 'leaders’ dances, rather than attacking the way the left dances..Conservatives are their own worst enemies and there is nothing the left likes more than seeing them fight amongst themselves..Candidates running for the UCP leadership are not each other’s enemies..The No. 1 enemy is the Alberta NDP and the threat of another NDP government in Alberta. .No.2 is the NDP/Liberal coalition in Ottawa, an unholy union if ever there was one..Albertans don’t want to hear UCP candidates bashing each other about things they have done in the past. Save those volleys for the real enemies..Of course, it’s a race. .In all such competitions, the competitors will mention deeds that make the other competitors look bad, no matter how petty they may be..Albertans want to hear leadership candidates apologize for whatever past transgressions may have transpired and then move on. .Albertans want to hear how each candidate will make life better in Alberta once they become leader. .And not by promising to throw a few billion dollars here and a few billion dollars there on programs that will likely never see the light of day..Albertans want to know how the new leader will unite Conservatives. .Albertans want to hear how each candidate will fight the NDP and Liberals. .Albertans are cut from a different cloth than most Canadians..As Western Standard’s publisher Derek Fildebrandt said in an op/ed piece, “Alberta's conservative culture draws much of its inspiration from the American revolution, prizing liberty and restraint of government power as its chief virtues.”.Without sounding like I’m trying to suck up to Derek, but as a born and raised Albertan and someone who has read the complete story of the American Revolution, I could not agree more..George Washington had his detractors, but managed to unite the colonies, win the war and go on to help write one of the most important documents in the history of government: The Constitution of the United States..Hockey analogy, anyone?.Certainly, there are players on each team that don’t see eye-to-eye on things, but, when the puck is dropped, there is only one goal — beat the other team. Differences can be settled off the ice..There is nothing the left, with all its supports, likes more than seeing Conservatives fight amongst themselves. .The Alberta NDP have the unions. .The vile NDP/Liberal national coalition has a backroom where the real leaders are. .I’m not suggesting Conservatives form a Conga line, but the Alberta UCP — and all Conservatives in Canada — will get more outside support when they support themselves..‘United’ must be put back into the United Conservative Party.
