Apr 25, 2015
Democracy is a messy and inefficient enterprise. We almost always have to make decisions without all the information. Our world has gotten so complicated most of us can’t agree on the facts of an issue. Sometimes we can’t even agree that there is a problem. However, everything in this world is relative and democracy is the best model humanity has found to govern ourselves. I had the opportunity to moderate two forums this past weekend for our local ridings and saw first hand people grappling with the decisions of this election.
There is no perfect solution to the challenges Alberta faces, there isn’t a perfect party platform nor is there a perfect candidate. Each party and candidate has their strengths. Each proposed solution has its pros and cons. What makes our choice difficult is what in turn makes the job of MLA difficult -- namely balancing our competing interests. We, as voters, must balance experience against a new perspective, or balance our belief in a party versus our belief in a particular candidate.
It was fairly easy to discern the campaign strategies of each candidate. On Friday night during the forum for the Medicine Hat riding Val Olson was strongest when giving voice to the feeling of dissatisfaction many voters have and sought to remind people of nine Wildrose defections, which most people did not like. Bob Wanner enjoys meeting and talking to the public. One of his strengths is his ability to connect with people. His populist message resonated with the audience and he sought to connect his campaign to the rising popularity of Rachel Notley. Jim Black was the best speaker and the only candidate who spoke without notes. Blake Pedersen is running on competence and experience. He had a solid grasp of the issues, as you would expect an incumbent to have. On a complicated question about the behind-schedule Trans-Canada bridge project Pedersen had the best answer and demonstrated knowledge of the intricacies of the situation and an understanding of the limitations of influence an MLA has. On Sunday afternoon, Eric Musekamp, a thoughtful speaker, positioned himself as an alternative to the right-of-centre candidates in the Cypress-Medicine Hat riding. Bob Olson aligned himself with Jim Prentice as a member of his team. Drew Barnes was very well prepared and was the only candidate Sunday afternoon to speak without notes. The incumbent MLA gave an articulate and powerful defense of Wildrose ideas. The respect all three candidates for Cypress-Medicine Hat have for each other was nice to see.
And finally there is the guerilla campaign of Dave “Robon Hood” Phillips [sic]. Mr. Phillips is far from the mainstream on many issues and was disruptive in every sense of the word during Friday’s forum. Though Mr. Phillips did occasionally sum up the public’s dissatisfaction quite beautifully watching Mr. Phillips next to the other candidates it was easy to dismiss him. But I’ve thought more about his candidacy and what it means. His campaign in many ways personifies the cynicism many Albertans feel about politics and government. It’ll be interesting to see the level of voter turnout on May 5, but generally speaking the trend has been towards less and less engagement. This obviously should concern us as a democracy. For whatever reason the current political parties and system haven’t been able to solve it. Perhaps Mr. Phillips wasn’t the most articulate voice for this political disaffection and apathy, but he represents an elephant in the room that will become harder and harder to ignore.
The first rule I learned for my philosophy degree was – ‘Attack the idea, not the person.’ Sadly, it’s a rule we often forget. We may disagree over policy and we should debate the merits of each idea vigorously, but we should never call into question the integrity of candidates. Each candidate is a good citizen who cares about this community and worthy of our respect.
Medicine Hat News. April 25, 2015.