Two weeks ago, I wrote here that Ralph Klein's announcement that he would retire in October 2007 was done "to avert a potentially disastrous leadership review vote" at this weekend's convention. Obviously, even that was not good enough. About 45% of the Alberta Tory grassroots felt the same way I did: that Klein had been in power for too long, and worse, that he had been basically running a rudderless and visionless government for years now.
I spoke this week to a friend who was going to the convention. He thought it was unlikely that Klein would get less than 70%. I told him that it may appear that way, but after attending the Parti Québécois convention last summer when Bernard Landry was dumped, I had learned that public expressions of support mean nothing. No one knows what a person is going to do when they step inside that voting booth. (If everyone who was wearing a pro-Landry button had voted against a leadership review, he would still be leader today.)
This is a truly sad and embarassing ending to a political career, which, if not for this bout of hubris, would have gone down as one of Canada's best, at least from an electoral perspective. Four straight majority governments is a record anyone would die for.
But because Klein and his people coveted the Premier's job so much, and because they grew so out-of-touch with the will of the members of their own party, they have paid the ultimate price.
The leadership race should be interesting, what with talk of Preston Manning entering the fray.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:04 PM
