‘You underestimate Danielle Smith at your peril,’ says Rob Anderson, Smith’s chief of staff on upcoming UCP leadership vote
“You underestimate Danielle Smith at your peril.”
That is the voice of Rob Anderson, Premier Danielle Smith’s right-hand man, who is not shy about expressing his opinion.
Anderson is no ordinary political gun for hire, one of these staffers here for a good time, not a long time.
Smith and Anderson have been in the same wars together, they’ve suffered the same self-inflicted wounds, they’ve made the same comeback.
They are at the top. They were once in the far reaches of the political wilderness.
There is a book in there somewhere.
In three weeks, around 6,000-plus UCP members will descend upon Red Deer.
They are coming to Red Deer to answer a question. Do you approve of Danielle Smith as leader of the party?
Who are these 6,000 souls?
Different people have different opinions.
Almost every single person feels most will vote Yes to Smith’s leadership but no one really knows how big a majority will back the premier.
Six thousand is a big number of folks booking a room, driving to Red Deer and spending the weekend doing politics.
“I think they’re coming to support her policies,” says Anderson.
He is very confident Smith will do just fine. He says the premier feels very confident.
On the other side, there are those who want Smith to do more and do it faster and may come to Red Deer wanting to send that message.
There is the opposition who will not be in Red Deer who would dance on the premier’s political grave or at least enjoy seeing her endure some discomfort.
Among the silent majority of Albertans more likely at Costco that weekend, Anderson says Smith has “the highest support she’s ever had.”
The man adds: “I think the premier has stronger support than the Left thinks.”
For Smith’s people, the premier has given UCP party members a lot of what they wanted.
“I don’t think there’s any question Premier Smith is probably the most pro-personal freedom, pro-free market libertarian conservative premier this province has ever had,” says Anderson.
“There’s not a policy that comes forward where I don’t see her putting a lens on it to say: Is this going to promote freedom? Is this going to promote free markets? Is this going to ensure parental rights are respected? Is this going to improve the economy? Is this going to put Alberta first? Is this going to make Alberta more independent from Ottawa?”
Anderson also says she is pragmatic on such files as health care and education.
But this is not his first rodeo. Anderson is well aware not every party member will respond the same way.
His response?
“Can you satisfy every conservative 100 per cent of the time on 100 per cent of the issues? It’s literally not possible.
“We don’t live in Russia. We don’t live in Iraq. No one is getting 100 percent approval ratings here.”
And there will be a lot of people in this province opposing Smith, especially in the cities.
Anderson insists Smith is winning people over. When she first was elected leader, and she didn’t get in with a big margin, “we were getting slaughtered in Calgary.”
“Then people got to know her and she went to work, uniting the party, getting out there among the people and it got to 50/50 in Calgary,” he says, of a premier he sees as someone willing to take chances to get things done.
“The more you see her, the more you like her. Now the crowds are a lot friendlier.”
Others, including many deep-thinkers, are not as positive as Anderson.
“I’m not sure the chattering classes know very many people who are UCP members,” he shoots back.
“I’m not sure they are in the same coffee shops.”
How many UCP members like avocado toast?
Then there is the NDP and their leader, former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, who drew a big crowd and is very confident his new party can win big, especially in Calgary.
Anderson’s first words about Nenshi. Delusions of grandeur.
“It’s all about his glory. He’s made the NDP the Nenshi party. This is just his latest vanity project
“What he’s counting on in the next election is for Calgarians to have some sort of collective amnesia where they would forget he was literally one of the most ineffective and destructive mayors in the city’s history.”
He points to a tax-hiking Nenshi as mayor, as someone who promised a huge Green Line on the cheap and his vision was, says Anderson, “an absolute disaster of pure incompetence that’s blown up in his face.”
“I don’t think Calgarians are going to have collective amnesia.”
But the talk always comes back to Smith and Red Deer in three weeks.
“If anyone asks me what’s the biggest difference between Danielle Smith from 15 years ago and Danielle Smith today,” says Anderson.
“You can say what you want and it will bounce right off. Today she is made of iron.”