In the April 8 edition of the Edmonton Journal, another article appeared on the Preston Manning issue. Amongst the many people interviewed for the article by Journal Staff Writer Mike Sadava was the executive director of the Progressive Group for Independent Business, Craig Chandler. The article is behind the subscriber wall, but I have managed to obtain a hard copy of it.
Craig Chandler is of course no stranger to Alberta Alliance members. He is the former campaign manager for David Crutcher, who finished third in the recent leadership race. He is also both a former candidate and campaign manager for the Reform Party of Canada. Chandler commented on what Manning's candidacy would mean to evangelical Christians, and the Alberta Alliance:
Craig Chandler, executive director of the Calgary-based Progressive Group for Independent Business who ran Manning's 1993 campaign in Ontario, said evangelical Christians like himself and groups like Alberta Pro Life will support him en masse.
"I think you'll see the entire social conservative movement in Alberta if Preston runs, and they'll deliver the vote," Chandler said. "They'll roll up their sleeves and they'll do the work ... If he wants this thing, it's his." ...
... Chandler predicted the Alberta Alliance party will die if Manning goes into the premier's office, because the people who support the provincial party will move their support to Manning.
Paul Hinman, the sole Alliance MLA, insisted there would still be a need for the Alliance party. But he was disappointed that Manning could seek the Tory leadership. They came close to begging him to run for the Alliance but he turned down the invitation.
So, according to Chandler, evangelical Christians will flock to Manning. That will have two consequences: (i) it will assure a Manning victory in the PC leadership contest, and (ii) it will result in a catastrophic collapse in Alliance support. If Chandler is correct, this proves that the Alberta Alliance voter base is comprised almost entirely of evangelical Christians.
The other noteworthy disclosure in this article is the fact that a group of Alberta Alliance members - including Hinman himself apparently - "came close to begging" Manning to run for the Alliance, and that Manning turned them down. This cursory rejection definitively shows that Preston Manning considers the Alberta Alliance to be little more than a fringe party, completely unworthy of support, and a total waste of time.
Based on the latest media coverage, it is now a question of when, not if, Manning will throw his hat into the PC leadership race. If Manning wins, the next election will feature Paul Hinman running against a party lead by the very person he was pleading with to lead the Alliance. That fact alone will allow Manning to make a total mockery out of the AAP.
It may be time for you Alberta Alliance members to make your political amends, and seek forgiveness - because according to Craig Chandler, and a lot of other credible people, your political Rapture will soon be at hand.
