Danielle Smith’s plan to meet on a Calgary stage with far-right American bloviator Tucker Carlson on Jan. 24 has generated a surprising amount of what passes for serious commentary in Canadian media lately.
Much of it, credulously citing the far-fetched excuses proffered by the Premier’s Office, is unintentionally hilarious.
According to Ms. Smith’s press secretary, “the premier participates in a variety of public and private events and does interviews with dozens of reporters, broadcasters and podcasters from across the political spectrum. Obviously, she does not subscribe to every view of every interviewer or reporter she speaks with, whether that’s the CBC, the Toronto Star or Tucker Carlson.
“The premier aims to share Alberta’s message with as many people as possible, whether they’re from Alberta, Canada or around the world.”
The Beaverton, a satirical publication, hit the right note about this nonsense: “Criticism is brewing over the baffling choice to invite a right-wing demagogue and prominent anti-vaxxer to meet with Tucker Carlson.”
I’m here to tell you why Ms. Smith is going to go ahead and appear on a stage with Mr. Carlson.
1. Basically, she agrees with him
Asked about a specific offensive view held Mr. Carlson – promoting white replacement theory, calling for violent regime change in Canada, defending Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 coup attempt south of the Medicine Line, whatever – the premier’s defenders will always say she doesn’t quite see it like that. Often though, there’s not really that much light between them. If she disagrees with anyone mentioned by her staffer, it’s most likely with the likes of the CBC and the Star. Real journalists who have some standards, in other words.
2. She’s a Tucker fan girl
After all, as The Beaverton kidded us, in her broadcasting career, she’s essentially a less successful version of the same thing, an offensively provocative far-right radio host whose unexpected political resurrection depends on the radical fringe she wound up on her radio show. Like Ms. Smith, Mr. Carlson was eventually fired by his right-wing bosses because his views were too much even for them. So they have the potential to form a mutual admiration society, one supposes, which would be pretty nauseating to watch.
3. It eases her most serious political problem
Ms. Smith’s most serious political problem right now is the Take Back Alberta insurgents who control her party. To many of them, presumably, Mr. Carlson is too left wing. If she starts to look like she’s soft on the hard right’s favoured issues, she’s going to be in trouble sooner than if she offends Alberta’s moderate middle. She’s not a moderate, but as others have pointed out, she’s moderate compared to TBA, which is about all that’s left of the UCP at this point. This is driving her rhetoric, and her policy, right now. Her appearance with Mr. Carlson will shore up that base. She’ll worry about sounding somewhat more sensible again later.
4. She can get away with it
Ms. Smith has a history of getting away with outrageous stuff. She was dismissed along with everyone else on the Calgary Board of Education in October 1998 after it descended into dysfunctional fighting, a situation for which Ms. Smith deserves much of the credit. She was rewarded with a post as a scab editorialist at the Calgary Herald. She returned to politics in 2009 with more success and was soon leader of the Wildrose Party. It looked for a time like the party could form government, but the results of the 2012 election were disappointing. She destroyed her political career a second time in December 2014, when she crossed the floor of the Legislature with several MLAs and returned to the bosom of the Progressive Conservative Party, leaving the Wildrose base feeling betrayed.
Her second political resurrection in 2022 after a long and doubtless disheartening spell as a radio talk jock is well known and need not be described in detail here. One is reminded of the words Winston Churchill may or may not have said on the topic of floor crossing, to which he was no stranger: “Anyone can rat, but it takes a certain amount of ingenuity to re-rat.”
Ms. Smith has plenty of evidence she can get away with saying or doing anything and still be a political success. To borrow a turn of phrase from Donald Trump, a politician with whom she has many similarities, she could probably stand in the middle of the 8th Avenue Mall and shoot somebody and she wouldn’t lose voters.
So she might just be right.
That’s more virtual ink than this topic deserves. But that sums up in four understandable points why Ms. Smith will be on stage in Calgary on Jan. 24 – as long as Mr. Carlson doesn’t get cold feet and decide his reputation might be irreparably harmed.
NOTE: Much has been made on social media of the fact it was Lyle Oberg, recently appointed by Ms. Smith as chair of the board of Alberta Health Services, who dissolved the Calgary Board of Education in 1998 and sent her and her fellow trustees packing. This is seen as ironic. It is said here it is not. Although her fledgling political career (seemingly) may have been collateral damage, Ms. Smith and Mr. Oberg were essentially on the same side, the government’s side, in a fight with feisty progressive trustees who were willing to stand up for public education. Dave Cournoyer’s four posts on the CBOE debacle are a good primer on what happened. DJC
I know what Danielle Smith is up to, and it isn’t good. She wants to turn Alberta into a Republican state.
Rachel Notley?? Is that you
Yes, those are the reasons that Smith is having Tucker Carlson come here. Like many of her arguments, I find the one of hers saying she doesn’t agree with his views any more than a other journalists a facile comparison. She didn’t choose to invite the Toronto Star to come from a foreign country to interview her, did she? Although maybe she now considers Ontario a foreign country too.
In any event, part of this is a power play and she is doing this because she can and she feels it may torment her supposed tormenters, like the already mentioned eastern media.
In a way it also says something about the UCP. If the party was a car, it is as if a crazy person has grabbed control of the steering wheel and the passengers are somewhere between shock, being powerless to stop her and Stockholm syndrome. Perhaps, some were initially screaming and have jumped out, but those remaining are now resigned to, or accept her antics.
This is also playing to the base and fueling the divisive culture wars that those on the populist right in the US somehow feel is a winning strategy for them. I’m not so sure it actually is. Lastly, perhaps this is also one has been right wing media personality feeling kinship for another. In any event Smith’s odd choice here says a lot about her, her party, what they are and what they aspire to be and none of it is that flattering.
DJC— Now that’s just not fair putting up ” that” picture of ‘him’ without a warning…yeesh!! He was always saying “people around the world are laughing at us”, not to be confused with the ‘US’ .. (that’s another story)lol
Another little morsel was her excuse saying well I was on ‘This Hour has 22 Minutes ” and then posted on X, saying “all I got was a liberal heat pump” wink ______ her words, not mine!! ( I am currently counting off 10 ‘)….okay then.
“So she might just be right ” ??
Bwahahaha!!!
So since the fox couldn’t get at the grapes , he is “speaking” at $100> $200,000 a pop. So my question is who is paying for this charade– Alberta taxpayers??
–David Eby ,humbly asked Taylor Swift to come and play in Vancouver…..(for his daughter)
–Danielle Smith asks Tucker Carlson to come and talk energy in Calgary…..(for DParker?) There is something seriously wrong with this picture.
BIG KUDOS to the Beaverton, positively delightful..LOL !!
Just a sidebar, as I stated previously; Melissa Lantsman on Fox with TC, Dani talking with Jordan Peterson, Leslyn Lewis +3, lunching with Christine Anderson, and in the meantime HMLOTLO/PP is piping freedom of speech to all and sundry. Nope-nada-nothing to see here folks, plus he’s already used the ” I meet all kinds of people who want to take their picture with me”
–selfie, selfie, selfie— yeah right !!
Churchill also said of a caucus colleague who crossed the floor to another party that it was “the only time I’ve ever seen a rat swimming towards a sinking ship.”
When commenting on prime minister Balfour’s efforts to disassociate himself from his party’s contending factions, Churchill said: “The dignity of a prime minister, like a lady’s virtue, is not susceptibile of partial diminution.”
If anyone knew about rats, it was Churchill. Before he moved on to overseeing large-scale imperialist homicidal atrocities, he banded together with like-minded colleagues to drive a fellow cadet, who lacked a pedigree to Churchill’s liking, out of Sandhurst. Perhaps it was his two previous failures to gain admission to the institution that cultivated the Great Man’s exacting standards.
Add Mr. Peepers to make it three…nyuk nyuk nyuk
Smith will breeze through this like she will be able to get away with anything else she does to health, education and welfare because the dupes and stooges in this province out number the critical thinkers. It is as simple as that. We are outnumbered.
Nailed it! Things are going to have to get irreparably bad in Alberta before any of her base, or even any of our so called moderate conservatives, wake up and smell Smith’s horse manure. The ignorance in this province is breathtaking.
Lynn, please be careful when using horses as a talking point; I like horses. I can say from personal experience that horse manure is much less stinky than dogs–t, which is what Smith’s opinions resemble.
MSmells more like dog manure than horse manure.
Yes lets try more liberalism and social programs it is obviously working out great for us. Life has never been more affordable for Canadians, and it’s great young people can own their own home. I am so glad we have establishment cheerleaders like David to remind us how blessed we truly are.
Ah, sarcasm. The problem with social programs not working out is that we actually have very few social programs regardless of which party is in power. We have four federal neoliberal parties in Parliament: Neoliberal Plus, Classic Neoliberal (currently in power), Neoliberal Lite and Néolibéraux québécois. As for the Greens, at least 50 per cent of their parliamentary caucus is not neoliberal, most of the time, anyway. In other words, an elite consensus, and YOU are one of its cheerleaders, cheering for more.
Please explain exactly which of Tucker Carlson’s favoured policies would solve the housing crisis.
The only leap forward working class folks ever made in this society , which we will call the broader “west” for our purposes, was when the establishment class allowed small forms of social democracy and “free” trade unions in an effort to buy off the working class and stave off communism. Like many folks who fancy themselves great men, they wrote much of this down. They also wrote down much of their response to roll back said “gains” like with the Powell memo for example.
I can understand your anger, but it is capital, not your fellow citizens that is your enemy.
It looks like our gracious host has let another troll bot through the gate. But if you are a real person Keith, and I’m being generous by giving you the benefit of the doubt, let me clue you in a bit….
One of the main distinctions between us (Canadians) and the Yanks is compassion. Yes, we believe that by helping others we help ourselves as a society, and the main way we do this is with social programs. Judging from the tone of your post and your neoliberal rhetoric I’d say if this was Jonestown you haven’t just drank the Kool-Aid, you’re serving it too. So next time you advocate for a more Yank-like Canada let me give you the friendliest advice I can: get the hell out of Canada and move to your beloved U.S.!
I do apologize to the regular readership for this rant but I’m beyond sick and tired of these American loving trolls trying to turn our great nation into something resembling the dumpster fire to the South. If that is truly how you feel, and your goal is to see this country become unrecognizable, there is no place for you in Canada, period!
Firth of Forth…..BRAVO!!!
IMHO, no apology needed, and special Thanks from my sister, for saying what we’ve been saying for the last 3yrs.
Yes, it’s the social programs that have made economic conditions so difficult for young people. Never mind a system that creates an elite in Calgary who can pay Elton John to play a wedding.
Hello DJC,
The Beaverton comment was quite entertaining. It is disheartening that, as you say, Danielle Smith can get away with meeting with Tucker Carlson, and that she generally agrees with him. Presumably, that means that many who live here also agree with Carlson, which is even more disheartening.
Even though I can see that Smith likely will carry through dismantling AHS and thereby create chaos in health care, and that Smith’s other beliefs likely will form the basis of policies here, I am have a difficult time accepting that anyone with those beliefs could actually gain elected office and usurp the power to carry out these ideas. It seems so contrary to what I have always believed Canada is.
We have always had people in Canada who are the same bent as Smith and Carlson. Canada forced people of Japanese descent or those who immigrated from Japan, into Internment camps for the duration of WW II. they lost a lot of property along the way. We placed Indigenous children in residentual schools seperating them from their parents and culture and sexually assaulted them, beat them, killed them. Canada also had the 60s scoop which took Indigenous children from their parents and “adopted” them out to whites. Canada refused entry to Jews fleeing Europe, as did the U.S.A. The people had to return on the ship back to Germany and more than a few went to the gas chambers. Canada has quite a number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and keeps on happening.
Canada is a fairly good country, however, we do have our faults and some maybe historic, but the attitude is still here amongst some.
We are seeing more of this bad behaviour these days because, Trump made it O.K. for people to say the things they do–racism, sexism, etc.
Did you see this? “Alberta is proposing legislation to make it easier to change dollar limits and rules surrounding gifts for elected officials.” They’re going to make corruption easier.
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/alberta-to-let-cabinet-decide-on-limits-rules-surrounding-gifts-for-politicians/article_c21a5b04-3fd9-5668-95b2-298b34ff57fd.html
Jerry: Of course I saw it. It’s hard to keep up with this clown car, it’s supercharged! DJC
Smith is exactly like her mentors Trump and DeSatan, they destroy everything they touch. And just like them she’s a know it all who doesn’t listen to experts. Odd how a failed talk show radio host had the time or the opportunity to be such an expert in every area.
Speaking of Satan, isn’t it intriguing how Adriana LaGrange wore his traditional colors of black and red to make her announcement about destroying public health in Alberta? Interesting choice.
Abs: Coincidence, I’m sure. DJC
I always found it extremely bizarre that a childless DINK (double income no kids, in this case) would be drawn to a school board trustee position. I find it even more bizarre that this same childless individual would take it upon herself to be the self-proclaimed champion of children and “parental rights”, and that the Christian fundamentalists that cheer her on don’t seem to even notice this irony. Talk about an individual with no skin in the game! One can only draw the conclusion that Fraulein Schmidt will follow any path that leads to power, simply for the sake of it. She will say or do anything as long as it pleases her puppet master, Commandant Parker (himself a puppet of dark American money and interests). Funny how the Christo-Fascists will overlook people of such low/non-existent moral character as long as their interests are being pushed. Or it would be funny if it wasn’t so goddamned detrimental to this province, its people and democracy itself.
Prior to the UCP AGM, many pundits, columnists and commentators had been arguing that Daniellezebub would not be comfortable with the anti-2SLGBTQIA+ rhetoric coming out of the TBA crowd and their Christo-Fascist allies. They argued that her long-time libertarianism, which advocates a “live and let live” philosophy, and the fact she has a family member who is trans-gender, would tend to mitigate against her putting forward the kind of hateful measures demanded by the so-cons.
In my view, what this pandering to the religious right really means, is that the thirst for power is more important to her than her principles.
Tucker Carlson has certainly carved out a niche for himself as a leading spokesman against US imperialism. He has tapped into a significant segment of the US body politic who think it’s time the US stop playing the role of the world’s policeman and start minding its own business. They turned out in mass in 2016 to vote Donald Trump who openly rejected the creed of “US exceptionalism” only the find out the US president has limited powers and doesn’t control everything.
Let’s ring that “Russia is the victim of American Imperialism” bell a little louder, shall we? It will resonate to great applause in rural Alberta. Well, maybe in part of rural Alberta. You will find that the pseudo ranchers of the foothills and the civil war renegades in the south are not sufficient to deliver a majority.
By all means, your poisonous toads, proceed.
DJT dropped the largest non nuclear device in world history on a cave complex that contained many innocent women and children. He is the EPITOME of american exceptionalism. Tucker literally fought in the dirty, genocidal wars overseen by Elliot Abrams in the Latin American theatre (gee his name sounds familiar re: DJT as well, doesn’t it). You just swallow whatever rage based talking points that make your world view more palatable hey ?
Good grief.
Bird: The largest non-nuclear explosive device in history was used here in Canada by the Dominion Government in 1958 to destroy Ripple Rock, a hazard to navigation near Campbell River, B.C. The largest non-nuclear explosion in history, which was even bigger but did not involve a device, also took place in Canada, in Halifax Harbour in 1917. What explosion are you taking about? DJC
I was referring to the MOAB, or mother of all bombs which trump dropped on Afghanistan. I guess technically only the largest non nuclear device possessed by the United States Military
What a funny take on the Drumpfster and Tucker Carlson. Do you suppose that Make America Great Again was a refutation of the notion of American Exceptionalism? It’s a rare instance these days when Carlson is not advocating for a war with China in his regular emissions.
Premier “Pork Barrel” is determined to jump the shark! https://youtu.be/aF8KfM0T6Ts
Any way to anticipate this? Or are we just going to keep going with the shock and awe? She’s got us all by the short and curlies. MAYBE just read what they say they will do. This for example: “Align the pre-employment program costs for students in Alberta’s K-12 system with those incurred by post-secondary students.” https://www.unitedconservative.ca/annoucement [sic]/education-and-career-training/. Whose costs are being aligned? The student’s? Am I reading that right? Also, Larry Keegstra: Johnsrude, Larry. “Liberals query funding of ‘intolerant’ ideas.” Edmonton Journal, 9 May 1997, p. 5. is still spreading the gospel to Indigenous children. Okay, he’s not in Alberta anymore but the flame burns on brightly here. On the same Edmonton Journal page, ‘a detailed accounting of children who died while in the care of the Provincial Government was released Thursday by Social Services minister Dr. Lyle Oberg’. Two possibilities here. One, nobody reads history anymore. Two, this is what Albertans really do want and always have wanted.
Once again we see these Reformers coming out of the woodwork to have their friends fill their pockets with taxpayers money and don’t care who gets hurt in the process. I certainly wish Lougheed and my father were alive to see it, you can bet they would have had something to say about it. When Klein was doing it lawyers were telling us to each put some money in a pot and start suing them, it would make them think twice about doing anything without first listening to what the people wanted. Maybe that’s what we should be doing. We know Albertans as a whole are too dumb to do it.
“There’s no reason to let a good distraction go to waste.” Moi, the Brilliant.
What better time to avoid attention to all the shenanigans that the UCP are throwing in all directions than to roll out some boogieman? Enter Tucker Carlson and let the stupid happen.
I was musing about this whole Tucker thing and wondering if this event will even take place? I mean if it does take place, who will it serve better than anyone else but TBA? TBA sponsored a Jordan Peterson event prior to the last provincial election, which was a fundraiser/political event. TBA, and no doubt the UCP benefitted from that rage-fest. A Tucker Carlson rage-harvest will surely do very well. The sponsors, likely all the UCP fattest of the donors, are bankrolling this event for the purpose of funnelling more funding into TBA. I’m sure the subject has come up of funnelling funding from the War Room into TBA’s coffers, and it’s certainly doable because there’s no FOIP requirement for transparency. But for now, Tucker is there to drum up the rage frenzy, bring in the idiots’ dollars, and keep Alberta from paying better attention to the number of ways Danielle Smith is screwing with them.
I’m rather inclined to think this might be interesting as a gauge of right wing pull in Calgary. If a large number of seats are unsold in this neo-con agit/prop fest, then I think that’s a firm thumbs down on Madame Premier. But there is always hawking sham-wow dish cloths I suppose, for a former premier with an entrepreneurial bent.
Tyrannical regimes only succeed when the populace sit back and ignore the signs of it’s presence .
Day by day , inch by inch, Smith conquers Alberta.
TB
Enjoyed the Beaverton comment. They’re onto something there.
the 4 reasons Smith is doing this, yes they all are correct.
Smith maybe testing the waters to see if she can go further with her craziness–i.e. the reconfiguration of health services or the destruction of health care in Alberta. take your pick.
It may be Smith is looking for a higher profile and this will get her one. If the current leader of the federal Conservatives looses the next federal election, he maybe shown the door by the Party, just as others have. Perhaps Smith would like to be P.M. and as the leader of the Conservatives she may have a shot, well more of a shot than being the Premier of Alberta.
Smith may be auditioning to do a road show with Carlson or seeing how she does in this venue as she plans the next phase of her various careers.
Wonder how many from Sask and B.C. will attend the “event” and will the event be picketted.
Now we just have to wait and see how much b.s. is peddled at the “fest” or if it results in Human Rights complaints. Given the continued issues in Canada regarding pro Israeli or pro Palestinian, perhaps Tucker sees Canada as a place to continue to spread “the message” and if he is, Smith may see this as an opportunity to push the envelope for her own political benefit.
Yesterday, somewhere, (sorry – not marked by me )- I saw that Trump is considering Tucker Carlson as his running mate. That would elevate Dani’s ego. DJF
If anyone wants to know the direction that Alberta is heading just follow the GOP and Tucker playbook. Dani said pre election she admires DeSantis and we now know Tucker too. I expect with the changes to AHS and Lagrange etc. abortion will be next. Freedom for everyone EXCEPT women who want control over their own medical decisions. No doubt LaGrange is rubbing her hands in glee at her plans.
How is it that someone who wants to stop children from using their name of choice is one Marlaina Kolodnicki, the premier of Alberta? Rules for thee, but not for me? Hypocritical, much?
https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/alberta-ucp-policy-resolutions-take-aim-at-parental-rights-medical-mandates-and-supervised-consumption-sites-1.6624863
This is going to be an unpopular opinion but I really think Trash Can Dani having a summit with a Swansons heir who likely works for the CIA is completely meaningless.
Most people do not care.
I’m going to say that again; MOST PEOPLE, most Albertans, do not care, at all. At all.
You know what most people care about ? Their material interests. Food. Utilities. Rent. The little things that make life bearable.
The reason why blowing up every situation like this into a identity based culture war will never work is this; the rabid right doesn’t care about your shame, the left already broadly agrees with you and the middle doesn’t care.
The middle doesn’t care because they see that the left would rather deal with ridiculous performative takes on M&Ms and clowns like Tucker who few people outside his base take seriously at all, rather than putting any effort at all into advancing the material conditions of albertans !
It’s not a serious political tactic, it is INTENTIONAL in its distraction, and a bully pulpit never looks good on the left.
Will stopping Tucker advance the material conditions of albertans? No. Is him coming here going to make them all that much worse? Again, no. Maybe do some real lifting NDP, there is a lot more to talk about than a failed Fox News personality trying to maintain his celebrity.
Nothing new under the sun. Carlson’s father was a spook engaged in disseminating imperialist US propaganda at the height of the Cold War, and the son has simply carried on the tradition. Alberta has been looted by the kind of folks who brought us the current Premier from about the time Leduc No. 1 came in, and the yokels and grifters are more than happy to have placeholders in Edmonton to carry on the old ways.
And this is the thing that far too many of us have either missed, or tried to ignore. Danielle Smith is radical-right, Q-adjacent and generally ignorant. She told us for years who she was. We should have believed her then. Now we’re stuck with “No crazy radar” Smith for another three years and five months.
I somehow have the gravest doubt that Tucker Carlson will suddenly grow a brain and decline Smith’s invitation. After all, he’s the poster-boy for paranoid delusions of either grandeur or persecution, depending on his mood. He’s also desperate for attention, money and validation (not necessarily in that order). Smith is offering all three; why would Carlson back away?
I would rather be a republican state then follow a bunch of self righteous condescending assholes , and criminals who run the country now . With the intent of ushering in Chinese police state . Stand strong Danielle Smith against this regime .
Lorne: read Firth of Forth/ our host has let another troll……
and please let that border security gate hit you on the posterior on your way out.
“If you want to be an Republican, do it in the us , we don’t have ‘states’ in Canada!!
Another troll…..sigh…
Please see my comment above. I’ll put this as politely as I possibly can: GTF out of Canada because you are clearly not wanted or needed here! If you are not part of the solution you are the problem and we all know what side of the (Medicine) line you are on.
You’d rather live in a country that has the highest infant mortality in the developed world ? A country that spends more on healthcare than anyone else and obtains the worst outcomes in the developed world ? A country that incarcerates more of its population than anywhere on earth ? A country where mass shootings have become so common they’re no longer notable ? A country with one of the highest income inequalities in world history ?
Why? You’re tired of not being able to say whatever you want without social consequences ? Guess what you can’t do that there either.
Don’t lit the door hit you on the way out and GOOD LUCK with all that.
Drove south from Edmonton on Hwy 2 yesterday. The Flaman “walking man” wasn’t walking. End times are nigh.
Lefty: Don’t panic. He’s still there, right, so no Rapture. He stopped for three days about 20 years ago. I thought we were done for and … come to think of it, maybe we are! DJC
Ask yourself this question: Why would the Alberta Premier be on stage and be asked questions by a man (1) whose former employer had to settle a $750 million claim for lying to its viewers, (2) a man who argued in a court of law that no reasonable person would believe anything that he (Carlson) stated, (3) is not a journalist, and (4) is not a Canadian? Ask yourself?
reading the crybaby opinions about our premier meeting with an american socialite and making money for the city of calgary is sooo over looked and . You have more people wanting tickets then a flames game ! This is twice as entertaining and helping build our relationship with the Americans. Reading above about insulting Danielle for doing it reads a bunch of old elite-tists and closed minds, I can guess most belong to unions, take their boosters, are ok pre-out come insults, and have no understanding Canada is the 51st State. so as long as democrats are in power in the USA…canada’s economy tanks. check the numbers OVER DECADES! you want money to make life better in Canada and ALberta ?? you need the USA neighbor ! stop thinking working with eastern canadians is helpful, all it bring is ‘red tape’ to all with some garbage french slowing it down and I worked in quebec and SPOKE french. So write your negative elite reviews of something that has not taken place because you are over opinionated on two groups meeting, and think you have the right to shut it down ! The writer of this “david” definitely should have put OPINION at the top of this article.