The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
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    CANADA'S MOST CONSERVATIVE CITY ELECTS A MUSLIM MAYOR

    By acanuck on Tue, 10/19/2010 - 11:46pm |

    I don't really have much spin or analysis to add. I just felt the need to share this:

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/calgarys-naheed-nenshi-becomes-canadas-first-muslim-mayor/article1762765/singlepage/#articlecontent

    Calgary! CALGARY! Rock-ribbed conservative Calgary!

    The guy was running in a three-way race, but he did beat his closest rival by a respectable seven points. And that rival was backed by funding and advice from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's political machine.

    Not only is Naheed Nenshi a Muslim (born in Canada but conceived back in Africa), there's other stuff equally eerie about the guy's resume: A Harvard-educated academic, he used his uplifting vision and charisma to put together an unlikely coalition manned by enthusiastic young volunteers.

    I give him 24 months.

    Comments

    So what the hell are Calgarians drinking?

    And how can they do this, and then elect Harper and 100% Provincial Conservatives? 

    Think maybe they got Mad Cow?


    by quinn esq on Wed, 10/20/2010 - 12:29am

    Given how Americanized Calgary is, maybe it's spillover from the U.S. "anti-incumbent" mood, which is actually more of an "anti-machine-politics" mood. Even conservatives can get impatient when partisan politicking gridlocks their city council. I'd like to think Nenshi's upset victory would lead the national Tories to question their arrogant style, but I doubt it.


    by acanuck on Wed, 10/20/2010 - 6:44pm

    Hey, just an aside, but one of the clues in the NYT cross-word today is: The fabric of a Canadian tuxedo.

    The answer: Denim!

    . Is that an inside joke? I never heard it before.


    by CVille Dem on Wed, 10/20/2010 - 3:08pm

    Jocular American term for jeans-and-jean-jacket combo. IMO, the look is more common south of the border than here. But laugh all you want; our dollar is at 97 cents U.S. and the long-term trend is up.


    by acanuck on Wed, 10/20/2010 - 6:52pm

    Hey, I'm not laughing -- I'd rather wear denim myself!


    by CVille Dem on Wed, 10/20/2010 - 10:11pm

    No, I believe you've missed my point. But we do welcome a variety of views at dagblog, and yours is certainly that.


    by acanuck on Thu, 10/21/2010 - 10:30pm