I have only ever been in a room with Premier Ed Stelmach on a few occasions. All of them were leadership related, he was running, winning or holding on to it. On the other hand I was introduced to Premier Ralph Klein once, talked briefly with him at a function and was with him on an elevator one day.
Not really definitive times to give personal opinions on their personal natures. There has been no reason to get to know them and they certainly have never gotten to know me, probably neither could pick me out of a line-up, and I am fine with that.
However, in 2005 I knew what people in private said about the “real” Ralph. Now I have been learning there is also a “real” Ed. Often we hide our private persona for various reasons, some good some bad. I have met with Danielle Smith a few times and I know enough to say her public persona is very good, easy to like. I do not really know her well enough to say anything meaningful about her private one.
Conversly I met Stephen Harper at a function once, where I talked with him briefly and where I had a terrible photo taken of myself and the Prime Minister. Not one for the record books for sure or even on the facebook page. Stephen seemed quite yet gracious and his wife Laureen seemed bubbly and out going, very easy to associate with.
Now the difference between these various leaders is that what was said about them privately. Danielle, I have had a couple of private conversations with and she has always seemed very geniune and personable. Premier Ed appeared much more at ease at the Tory convention when he was not dealing with reporters questions. Whether he is a nice guy in person, I could not tell you.
Even if he is a “nice” guy the gentleman farmer some portray him, is irrelevant now. Two years ago that mattered, now it does not. The reason is simple, it is Stelmach the public figure who shows intransigence and a lack of understanding. It is Stelmach the public figure who is unpopular. He will never been seen as somehow separate from his government the way Ralph Klein was.
So the nice guy version does not count any more. Just being a nice person in private means nothing. Harry Strom was a nice man, look how it worked out for him.
Once you cross a road with the public and your personality is tagged by them it is difficult to overcome a negative. While the public likes to forgive mistakes it never forgets them. As Tiger Woods is finding out if you pierce that barrier even once you are in for a harsh road.
Ralph Klein for all of his public popularity never really recovered from his trip to a homeless shelter. The H1N1 fiasco, deficit and cuts to programs will destroy public tolerance for Stelmach because he was supposed to be about good and competent government. So far he has never shown that, wishy washy leadership is often destroyed in Canada.
We vote for tough leaders, we liked the 1990′s Ralph, we (meaning the Canadian voters) like Trudeau no matter what he did, Canadian (mostly Ontario) voters liked Jean Chretien enough to keep him in even when his party wanted him gone.
But the public turned on wishy washy leaders, they hated the Paul Martin show, they disliked Getty (who was a tough leader in private but perceived as weak in public). The public wants a Stephen Harper while they complain about him because he gets it done. You know what you are getting and he does not hide his willingness to do what it takes to win. Unlike what the CBC, opinion polls and others tell you, Canadians generally agree or at least understand the need for Don Cherry style of Rock ‘em Sock ‘em politics.
Few Albertans may admit this but the reason that Ed fails is because liberals progressives like him. Conservatives find him to be too touchy feely and not really sincere. I have friends who are liberal progressive that like Ed because he is “honest” or “nice” guy who is saddled with all those others conservatives. While my conservative friends see him as the main reason the party has gone off the rails.
Personally I think the liberal progressive ones are deluding themselves and the conservative ones do not see the larger picture. The Alberta PCs have been in power too long and it is rife with problems created by that over abundance of power. Albertans appear to want change because they are tired of the same solutions to every problem. The time is NOW, as the old Lougheed platform said in 1971, to change the messenger. In a way I see 2009 no different than 1969 in Alberta change is the watch word and everyone better get used to it.
Tags: Alberta, Danielle Smith, Politics, Stelmach, Tories, Wildrose Alliance
