Bell: As Nenshi fires, Team Danielle Smith says he’s ‘all anger and ego’
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Published Mar 13, 2024 • Last updated 12 hours ago • 4 minute read
Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi has thrown his hat into the NDP Leadership race. Photo taken in Calgary on Monday, March 11, 2024. Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaArticle content
He wasn’t done. The man had more fuel in the tank.
Naheed Nenshi, the former Calgary mayor running to be Alberta NDP leader, raked Premier Danielle Smith over the coals Monday.
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He went for the jugular.
Smith and her people said they were salivating at the idea of facing Nenshi as NDP leader.
In this column Nenshi said the reality was Smith and her people were scared. They were terrified. Nenshi said this was awesome.
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Nenshi said the UCP were a terrible government with no idea what they were doing and no accomplishments worth naming.
Nenshi added he knew how to get under Smith’s skin in a way other NDP leadership hopefuls did not.
Tuesday morning Nenshi was on with Ryan Jespersen, who hosts a well-known podcast and the argy-bargy continued.
Nenshi said he would be positive but it was no contradiction to “call out Danielle Smith every single time. Every single time.”
“She is the most dishonest politician I’ve ever had to deal with. Frankly, she lies.”
And more Nenshi on the Smith UCP government…
“The sheer incompetence combined with the lack of any moral fibre. I will call them on that every single day.”
Tell us how you really feel, Nenshi.
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“She was polling on which vulnerable group she could go after that would actually gain her political credence. To me, that’s just disgusting,” says Nenshi.
The premier put out a statement. She held her fire.
Smith said she would do what she always does with “leftist politicians.”
Debate them and let Albertans decide.
“That’s how we won the last election and that’s how I believe we will win the next one.”
Behind the scenes, some on Team Smith offered their opinion of Nenshi’s first two days.
Two days the NDP leadership candidate says have exceeded his expectations with 10 times more people signing up than his most optimistic number.
“Entirely as expected — all anger and ego. It was a great reminder for regular folks of what he’s like,” say the Team Smith folks.
Premier Danielle Smith. Jim Wells/Postmedia file
Meanwhile, down at Calgary city hall, councillors of the conservative stripe also have some words for Nenshi.
“At least he’s showing his true colours. Most people like myself knew he was a far lefty. Calgarians know who he is,” says Dan McLean, the south Calgary councillor.
In this column Nenshi had mentioned how he could haul around his political baggage in a carry-on while Smith would need an elephant steamer trunk “of the horrific things she’s done to Albertans.”
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McLean shoots back with a wisecrack.
“The things he’s accomplished could be kept in a small bag.”
McLean says Nenshi’s popularity was on a decline at the end of his time as mayor.
“I don’t see it turning around and going up. It’s arrogance. He’s so arrogant he thinks he’s super-popular and people are scared of him but he’s not.”
Calgary Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean. Brent Calver/Postmedia
Nenshi replies his economic record in Calgary is “very solid” and he exited with a higher approval than both former premier Jason Kenney and Smith.
Then there’s Andre Chabot, long-time Calgary city councillor who ran for mayor and lost in 2017.
Chabot says the UCP really are salivating over the idea of running against Nenshi.
“It’s like: This is gonna be great. It’s going to be cakewalk for us. Nenshi is a tax-and-spend guy and everyone knows that.”
Chabot adds Nenshi is not popular in the east Calgary neighbourhood where he grew up.
Why is that, councillor?
“The people in that area know him,” says Chabot, with a laugh.
In a legislature debate on the Alberta NDP’s push for temporary rent controls, Jason Nixon, Smith’s point man on housing, said the NDP want to go “down the road to communism” in a way that would make even Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin blush.
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Nixon then said the following about Nenshi.
“I guess the fact is that even when Nenshi gets here and changes their colour to purple and changes their name we’re still going to see a socialist party across from us. It’s staggering to see that.”
Finally, Jeromy Farkas, the former councillor who crossed swords with Nenshi many times.
“He can be brilliant. He can be insufferable. The one and only time he lost is because his ego got in the way,” says Farkas.
That was the Calgary Olympic bid supported by Nenshi and defeated in a vote of Calgarians.
“If he can keep his ego in check I think he’s going to be formidable. Conservatives won’t like me saying this. Having seen him up close — the good, the bad and the ugly — underestimate this guy at your own peril.”
Then-councillor Jeromy Farkas with then-mayor Naheed Nenshi in 2018. Photo by Jim Wells /Postmedia file
rbell@postmedia.com
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