Calgary supports Barack Obama

[Crazy4Calgary]

Found this Metro Calgary article/poll kind of interesting!! Feel free to share your feedback!

Obama landslide in Calgary
Exclusive Ivrnet/Metro poll shows overwhelming city support for Democrat candidate
DARREN KRAUSE/METRO CALGARY
November 04, 2008 05:40




It seems even in the heart of Canadian Conservative support, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s message strikes a chord with the citizenry.


According to an exclusive Ivrnet/Metro News poll, 79 per cent of decided Calgarians would cast their vote in favour of the charismatic DNC hopeful. Longtime senator and war vet, Republican John McCain, tallied 21 per cent of decided Calgarians.


“I wasn’t surprised that Obama was ahead, but I was surprised that he was ahead by so much,” said Janet Brown, independent public opinion research consultant, noting the Alberta poll results favoured Obama more than an August 2008 nationwide Gallup poll, which found that 67 per cent of Canadians wanted to see Obama elected, while 22 per cent preferred McCain.
“I thought McCain would have more appeal here than in other parts of Canada.”


Brown said Canadians often feel their political spectrum is quite complex, with a wide gap between Liberal and Conservative ideologies, when that gap is far greater in the United States.


“Words like socialism, redistribution of wealth and government regulation — these aren’t bad words here in Canada,” said Brown, adding that even typical Conservative party policies in Canada aren’t distant from those of the U.S. Democratic party.


Ex-pat Steve Mesler, 30, a permanent Canadian resident with U.S. citizenship who makes his home in Calgary year-round while training for the U.S. Olympic bobsled team was also somewhat intrigued by Obama support in the city.


“It’s surprising to me considering how politically conservative the city and province are,” Mesler, who voted democrat, told Metro.


“But Calgary is a youthful and vibrant city and Barack Obama appeals to the younger generation.”


Among 18 to 34-year-olds, Obama captured 87 per cent of decided Calgarians.


Across the province support was statistically similar, with 77 per cent of decided Edmontonians and 75 per cent of other decided Albertans favouring Obama.


A total of 900 Albertans (300 in Calgary, 300 in Edmonton, and 300 elsewhere), aged 18 and over, were surveyed by Ivrnet through automated telephone interviews between Oct. 28 and 30, 2008.


Overall results for this survey are accurate to within +/-3.3 percentage points, 19 times in 20. Regional results are accurate to within 5.7 percentage points, 19 times in 20.


Survey results were weighted to reflect actual population distribution in terms of region, gender and age.

[Wooster]

Of course - every province and probably every city over 100 000 in Canada would be in favour of Obama.

on CBC.ca's local calgary site had 84% for Obama today.

[240glt]

Yes, I would imagine that every major city in Canada would post similar results

[freeweed]

I did my part last month, and gave some money to the campaign. A pointless gesture as the man had more money than god by that point - but it got me some cool buttons and stickers and lawn signs.

In 40 years they'll be pretty neat conversation pieces.

[Rusty van Reddick]

Yes, I would imagine that every major city in Canada would post similar results

Yes, they would. None of Canada is remotely "red state" and that includes Alberta (and Calgary).

The thing is, nobody is claiming that any part of Canada would be "red state" except for Alberta. This is why surveys like this are important.

[MalcolmTucker]

Yeah, on value surveys, Alberta is more liberal than the most liberal USA state, Massachusetts. We would likely be around as blue as the bluest states Hawaii (74%) or Vermont (67%). We would be a safe Democratic state. (with 5 reps, 2 senators, and 7 electoral college votes). We would likely end up with a 2(r)/3(d) rep split, and 2(d) senators (depending districting whether rural Alberta was one seat or whether Calgary and Edmonton would contribute a bit to each to create 2 rural seats)

If we were a state, our city and state governments would be mixed however, since they would operate on our own axis, likely with a perpetual Democratic governor, with a split state house and senate.

[JBinCalgary]

im glad he won

[Coldrsx]

interesting how my perception of the USA went from blah to acceptable overnight.

[wild wild west]

Hardly surprising...even during the 2004 US election, when it was not as blatantly obvious that a regime change was badly needed, stories came out indicating that most Calgarians - and most Americans living in Calgary - were Democrats.

[lubicon]

Hardly surprising...even during the 2004 US election, when it was not as blatantly obvious that a regime change was badly needed, stories came out indicating that most Calgarians - and most Americans living in Calgary - were Democrats.

Which I find interesting seeing as a huge chunk of the Americans who live in Calgary work in the oil patch. Talking to my co-workers in our US operations (Texas, Wyoming, and Louisiana) they are all feeling very depressed this morning over the results of the election. By and large they are all Republican supporters.

[Rusty van Reddick]

Which I find interesting seeing as a huge chunk of the Americans who live in Calgary work in the oil patch. Talking to my co-workers in our US operations (Texas, Wyoming, and Louisiana) they are all feeling very depressed this morning over the results of the election. By and large they are all Republican supporters.

There is no reliable estimate of how many Americans live in Calgary but if we take census figures for sources of immigration and then allow a very generous proportion of those who are here as non-immigrants, there are about 20,000 (not close to the oft-mentioned "80,000" figure or the "50,000" that was mentioned in some outlets yesterday) Americans here.

I'd say the biggest SINGLE employer for those Americans is the U of C. And among them I'd guess that 90%, probably more, lean democrat.

[CorporateWhore]

they are all feeling very depressed this morning over the results of the election.

Now they know how the rest of the world has been feeling the last 8 years.

[Riise]

Yeah, on value surveys, Alberta is more liberal than the most liberal USA state, Massachusetts. We would likely be around as blue as the bluest states Hawaii (74%) or Vermont (67%). We would be a safe Democratic state. (with 5 reps, 2 senators, and 7 electoral college votes). We would likely end up with a 2(r)/3(d) rep split, and 2(d) senators (depending districting whether rural Alberta was one seat or whether Calgary and Edmonton would contribute a bit to each to create 2 rural seats)

If we were a state, our city and state governments would be mixed however, since they would operate on our own axis, likely with a perpetual Democratic governor, with a split state house and senate.

Very interesting, thanks for converting/estimating this data Kyle!



I'd say the biggest SINGLE employer for those Americans is the U of C. And among them I'd guess that 90%, probably more, lean democrat.

What is the draw that the UofC has for these expats? Tenure or possibly research opportunities?

[lubicon]

There is no reliable estimate of how many Americans live in Calgary but if we take census figures for sources of immigration and then allow a very generous proportion of those who are here as non-immigrants, there are about 20,000 (not close to the oft-mentioned "80,000" figure or the "50,000" that was mentioned in some outlets yesterday) Americans here.

I'd say the biggest SINGLE employer for those Americans is the U of C. And among them I'd guess that 90%, probably more, lean democrat.

I would agree with you here Furry. The U of C is likely the single largest source of American expats and they would likely be overwhelmingly Democrats. I always thought the 75-80 000 number seemed unrealistically high, maybe it is closer to 20 000 like you say. Still, the largest concentration of Americans in Calgary would be in the energy industry (though spread out amoungst dozens of employers), and I would think they would be more Republican.

[Bad Grizzly]

Are you guys sure the UofC is the largest employer of Americans? There seem to be an awful lot of Americans in the oil industry.

[mersar]

Are you guys sure the UofC is the largest employer of Americans? There seem to be an awful lot of Americans in the oil industry.

U of C's academic staff is roughly 2500, and I wouldn't be surprised if a quarter to a third of them are American. And many of those academic staff members have spouses that also work on campus in other positions.

I'm sure there are a lot in the oil industry in Calgary, the difference is how many oil companies there are (several hundred?). Even looking at the big guys (such as CNRL or Encana, which both have at least the same size workforce in Calgary as U of C's academic staff, if not larger), I'd doubt they have that many Americans in their Calgary offices each.

[freeweed]

People in the oil industry are resoundingly stupid (people are in general, but trying to keep this on-topic).

Obama is far more right-wing than our federal Conservative party (as is practically any US politician), yet folks here are still stuck in the "right vs left" mindset. So they think "of course the Republican party represents my views!".

I know of few Canadians who'd be in favour of such things as the Patriot Act, or Guantanamo, orwho honestly believes Iraq had any involvement with 9/11, or who are staunch creationists - yet many of them seem to think the US Republicans would be a good fit to their political ideology.

Many of them told me today that Obama is pretty much right with the NDP in terms of socialism.

I think most of us are no better than the average American voter - willing to listen to a couple of attack ads and soundbites, and make our decisions based on that. Irrespective of the actual policies. I just today had a cow orker try to convince me that the current Republican administration is for small, low-spending government. When I pointed out the amount of the current US deficit caused by the war in Iraq (do they hit a trillion this year or next?), I was confidently told that this was a result of Clinton's policies.

Politics makes everyone stupid.

[Bassic Lab]

People in the oil industry are resoundingly stupid (people are in general, but trying to keep this on-topic).

Obama is far more right-wing than our federal Conservative party (as is practically any US politician), yet folks here are still stuck in the "right vs left" mindset. So they think "of course the Republican party represents my views!".

I know of few Canadians who'd be in favour of such things as the Patriot Act, or Guantanamo, orwho honestly believes Iraq had any involvement with 9/11, or who are staunch creationists - yet many of them seem to think the US Republicans would be a good fit to their political ideology.

Many of them told me today that Obama is pretty much right with the NDP in terms of socialism.

I think most of us are no better than the average American voter - willing to listen to a couple of attack ads and soundbites, and make our decisions based on that. Irrespective of the actual policies. I just today had a cow orker try to convince me that the current Republican administration is for small, low-spending government. When I pointed out the amount of the current US deficit caused by the war in Iraq (do they hit a trillion this year or next?), I was confidently told that this was a result of Clinton's policies.

Politics makes everyone stupid.

Most democrats are considerably left of the Conservative Party on most issues. Ambivalence over gay marriage and socialized healthcare (which most Tories would change if they thought they could get away with it) does not make Canadian politics significantly left of the Americans. The political centre in both countries is in nearly the identical place. It is a myth of modern Canadian nationalism that we are some how considerably left of the Americans:previous. If any thing the NDP rhetoric on trade is far more liberal (in the classical sense) than much of what the average rust belt Democrat says.

[freeweed]

Most democrats are considerably left of the Conservative Party on most issues. Ambivalence over gay marriage and socialized healthcare (which most Tories would change if they thought they could get away with it) does not make Canadian politics significantly left of the Americans. The political centre in both countries is in nearly the identical place. It is a myth of modern Canadian nationalism that we are some how considerably left of the Americans:previous. If any thing the NDP rhetoric on trade is far more liberal (in the classical sense) than much of what the average rust belt Democrat says.

Err... I haven't seen a Tory seriously argue for scrapping healthcare in decades. A few discuss reforming it and possibly privatizing portions. Our "right wing" party does not consistently pander to the religious right (when was the last time ANYONE even discussed what church a Canadian politician went to), nor do they try very hard to outlaw abortions every 2 years. The Conservative party, while they did try to forestall the inevitable with the gay marriage issue, at no time attempted to re-write the Canadian constitution to explicitly outlaw the practice forever. In Canada we don't have anywhere near the anti-immigrant hysteria - sure, you can find some idiot neighbour who hates "coloureds", but we're not trying to wall off the port of BC just because a few slip through every year.

Look at our drug laws. Our drinking laws. Our incarceration rates. Our racial problems. The US has had the Democratic party in power just as often as we've had the Liberals. Can you imagine Quebec even existing in the US? A full, distinct, language-independent province? The feds would have long since passed down the edict "conform or be assimilated". They're having trouble even DEBATING bringing in Spanish as a secondary language, and at least that's spoken by a lot of people in more than just one state. Canadians are just a lot more tolerant of others in general. Some may have been dragged kicking and screaming, but even the staunchest PC supporter I know has gotten over the gay marriage thing - in the US they continually re-visit it, and try everything they can to outlaw the practice (California, one of the most socially liberal places in the US, just banned it yet again).

It's not a myth, it's something that is recognized by nearly every western country on the planet - the US is generally a lot more to the right than just about everyone else, certainly when it comes to social issues. Economically.. well, they haven't been very conservative there for nearly a decade. The whole right/left thing has gotten rather meaningless lately in that respect.

[Wooster]

One of the national papers did an article the other day on whether Obama would be good for Harper. While he said that it might spur on a liberal insugence, in fact, Obama and Harper will likely see eye to eye on a number of issues, and perhaps even Harper could be an ally in selling Canadian style healthcare to relucant conservatives in the US. It will also allow Harper to shake off the reputation that he was just a Bush-lite with him out of the white house.

Good assessment freeweed. Certainly there are perhaps a handful of issues that the conservatives here would be 'further to the right' than American democrats, but probably not that many.

To put it another way, it's inconceivable that a republican platform would fly in Canada.

[shreddog]

One of the national papers did an article the other day on whether Obama would be good for Harper. While he said that it might spur on a liberal insugence, ...
Last night on CBC Calgary, they were interviewing someone from the Liberals (didn't catch their name) and the message he keep reiterating is that yes, the left in Canada will get a bounce due to Obama.

Again, reinforcing the view that the Dems = Libs+NDP.

Having lived a number of years in the US and seen much of the Dem policies first hand, nothing could be further from the truth in my mind. How do the Liberal followers equate Obama's views on gay marriage (against it) and war in Afganistan (for it with an uncoming surge) to those policies that they hold dear?? I have never heard a Dem of significance fighting to implement nation wide child care or pharma care - hell they're only now warming up to a reduced form of nationwide health care. Also, where are the Dems who are advocating for an increase in immigration to levels comparable to Canada??

IMHO, Canada and the US a very different politically and anyone who tries to equate their parties to our's (Cons=Rep, Dems=Libs/NDP) is to say, naive.

[lubicon]

Are you guys sure the UofC is the largest employer of Americans? There seem to be an awful lot of Americans in the oil industry.

I think the point Furry was making was the the U of C is likely the single largest employer of Americans in Calgary. The oil industry is probably the largest employer by sector, but these employees are spread out over dozens of companies.

[softee]

I found this article on the CTV website, this seems like a good place to post it, of course Americans and Canadians probably have different opinions as to what equates "liberal" and "very liberal".

Canadians prefer Obama over own leaders: poll
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080629/poll_us_canada_080629/20080629?hub=Politics

Updated Sun. Jun. 29 2008 11:00 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A new poll suggests Canadians would prefer to vote for Barack Obama rather than cast a ballot for their own political leaders, while 45 per cent of Americans envy Canada's health care system.

The bi-national survey, conducted by the Strategic Counsel for CTV and The Globe and Mail, showed that here in Canada, Obama was more admired than Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- or any other national leader.

"Some would read (the results) as an indictment of our political leaders," the Strategic Counsel's Peter Donolo told CTV.ca. "Others would say it's an acknowledgement of the phenomenal nature of Obama's appeal. He really is a prototype of his own; he's broken the mold."

Stephane Dion trailed far behind the other leaders, just ahead of Republican presidential nominee John McCain:

* Barack Obama: 26 per cent
* Stephen Harper: 21 per cent
* Hillary Clinton: 16 per cent
* Jack Layton: 9 per cent
* Gilles Duceppe: 6 per cent
* Stephane Dion: 5 per cent
* John McCain: 3 per cent

Obama appealed to people across Canada's political spectrum, with 24 per cent of conservative-minded voters choosing him and 28 per cent of liberal thinkers.

"I think there's a sense in Canada that we're in a rut with our political situation, and I think there's a fatigue with the nature of politics in Ottawa as we watch it through question period -- the very cranky, minority-government style politics. There's a little more envy than usual south of the border," said Donolo.

This recent poll by The Strategic Counsel surveyed 1,000 Canadians and 1,000 people in the United States.

When it came to health care, 45 per cent of Americans felt Canada had a superior system, while 42 per cent thought the United States should stick with its own.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of Canadians, 91 per cent, felt that Canada's health care system was better than the United States.

Canada tilts to the left

When Canadian respondents were asked how to define their political views, regardless of how they actually vote, slightly more than half described themselves as liberal:

* Very liberal: 12 per cent
* Liberal: 39 per cent
* Conservative: 38 per cent
* Very conservative: 3 per cent

Respondents in the United States were slanted in the other direction, and also had more people who considered themselves on the extreme right of the political spectrum:

* Very conservative: 10 per cent
* Conservative: 47 per cent
* Liberal: 30 per cent
* Very liberal: 7 per cent

"In general, I think on a lot of issues the United States are a more polarized society," said Donolo. "When you look at the number of how many hardcore conservatives there are in the U.S., it's a pretty significant number."

Gay marriage

The same poll also suggested Canadians are far more liberal than Americans, with 70 per cent supporting gay marriage.

When it came to gay marriage, 68 per cent of Canadians backed supported it, while 28 per cent were against it. In 2005, when the government was considering whether to repeal the gay marriage bill, 55 per cent were in favour of gay marriage.

"I think this points to the reality being a lot less threatening to people than the concept. As people have gotten used to the issue, there's been less anxiety over it," said Donolo.

Aside from being more politically right-of-centre, Americans also appear to be more religious.

Respondents in the United States went to religious services more frequently than Canadians:

* Every week or almost every week: Canada 23 per cent, U.S. 46 per cent
* Once a month: Canada 8 per cent, U.S. 11 per cent
* A couple of times a year: Canada 27 per cent, U.S. 16 per cent
* Never or hardly ever: Canada 42 per cent, U.S. 27 per cent

Technical notes

The poll was conducted between June 12-22 by The Strategic Counsel for CTV and The Globe and Mail.

The sample size was 1,000 people in each country. A proportionate random national sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.I found this article on the CTV we

[AJphx]

I did my part last month, and gave some money to the campaign.
Are you a US citizen?

[freeweed]

Are you a US citizen?

No. Anyone can purchase items sold at campaign headquarters.

[wild wild west]

/\I bought the Mrs. some DNC paraphenalia when I was down in Denver...does that count?

[freeweed]

/\I bought the Mrs. some DNC paraphenalia when I was down in Denver...does that count?

That's what I was originally referring to. That money goes towards the campaign, is my understanding.

[wild wild west]

Ah, I see.