The Alberta Cabinet tour 2010, not exactly rock tour worthy continues to muddle along there is a sense that it is not really accomplishing what it could.
They started off with great fanfare, and a lot of questioning guesses, but it is obvious that in the foreground the great Ministers tour has come out flat. The media is jaded, the public appeared confused as to the point of these events and few if any considered them anything but a election campaign style meet and greets.
Originally the thought was that these ministers, with their various levels of high profile would become stand ins for the Premier spreading a level of good cheer and flashing the money to areas which were needed to be bucked up after a year of good news for the Wildrose Alliance.
Then things started to unravel early as bloggers and tweeters reported that the itinerary for these ministers was not for public consumption. These were meetings by stealth as ministers flittered in and out of ridings meeting with seniors groups, town councils and dropping by almost unheard and unannounced.
As the tour progressed and sheepishly tried to change perception the tour was given some better publicity through Flickr and steadily informing the media of events. In other words they moved back to the same methods of communication.
Ted Morton on the other hand was everywhere, seen and being seen across Alberta spreading the good news of split votes and budget balances. His good old Calgary conservative roots being displayed for all they were worth in the face of doubts. Or for the more cynical inside the media his credentials as the good soldier and leader-in-waiting.
Yes this tour had it all, or at least had everything but the stated purpose of getting the good news of the government unfiltered and uncut by media messengers. No this tour in fact looked like many before it where the real focus was the Tory troops, "Stiff upper lip chaps, and please no revolting."
Polling and election day will tell if these boosterism and meetings do what is necessary to batten down the hatches of the good ship Tory. Or if it is another in a long line of missteps, bad breaks, and general miscommunication that has been the Tory standard for the last year.
Knowing that some within the Tory ranks will bristle, what else can this be viewed as? A sterling success? One wonders if the subtitle to this tour should be, "What me worry?" that so often tagged the Mad Magazines gap tooth Alfred E. Neuman.
Comments
And they wonder why they are down in the Polls ? Perhaps if they corrected some of their obvious mistakes, such as with healthcare, they would do better in the next election. Healthcare costs are too high, but the Tories have made some questionable decisions in their attempts to reduce the costs.
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