It may be a couple of years away, but the unofficial campaign for the next Alberta provincial election is well underway.

Wildrose Alliance supporters knew it when Paul Hinman won the Calgary-Glenmore by-election. The media knew it when Danielle Smith was chosen as new party leader. And when the two competing parts of the WAP came together soon thereafter, thus solidifying the coalition and the party overall, the rest of Alberta knew it.

Evidence of what to expect when the real race begins came early. The New Democrats were congratulatory, with a ‘the more the merrier’ response. The ne’er do-well Liberal opposition (think of an old beater with several coats of paint stuck in quicksand, perpetually spinning its wheels in futility - Lot’s of impressive noise, but sinking…) played the ‘scary’ card right away, saying that many Albertan’s would find Wildrose Alliance values ‘extreme’.

Swann tries spinning the ‘evil, far-right’ web by bringing up issues such as abortion. Keeping in mind that by electing Swann as their leader the Liberals have effectively moved so far to the left that they are now directly competing against the socialist ND’s for votes, his early tactic of seeing this as a right vs. left issue isn’t just old and tired, but misguided.

The fact is, the other party leaders haven’t figured out how to deal with Danielle Smith and her Wildrose Alliance party. Perhaps most telling is the response, or more accurately the lack of response, by Progressive Conservative leader and Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach on Smith’s victory.

It comes across as everything from ignorance to aloofness. Some see it as Stelmach and the ruling empire not taking the WAP seriously.

The truth is the PCs are between a rock and a hard place. They can’t really use the same ‘scary’ card as Swann’s Liberals without making themselves look too far left. That would all but justify the main reason given for many P.C. defectors who have found a home with the Alliance.

Given Stelmach’s superior public speaking skills, one can easily imagine a tragically comical sound bite from the campaign trail:

“…sure, we’re right. But we’re not THAT right. I mean, we are to the right of the Liberals, but the Alliance is really right. We’re kinda right, right? They are really right. Not overly right, but too right. We’re to the left of that. But right. Not too right, more left than that right, but still right. Definitely not really right, but right enough…”

As well, it would insult the intelligence of the average Albertan who knows better. Calling a party whose policies are based on traditional Albertan values and directly on their opinions and views as ‘scary’ would be akin to a self-inflicted wound.

Besides, Smith being well-known for her libertarian stance on issues defuses that. She isn’t afraid to face that issue head on however, as shown by a line in her acceptance speech:

“Perhaps understandably, we've been doing a lot of cringing and ducking to avoid being labeled "extremist." We should now stop. It's undignified. Our grassroots party is about common sense ideas, timeless ideas that reflect the mainstream values of average Albertans.”

What Swann, ND leader Brian Mason, and Unsteady Eddie are about to realize if they haven’t already is that the foundation for the next provincial battle will not be primarily left vs. right or liberal vs. conservative.

It will be a choice of Big Government vs. Small Government, Government control and restriction vs. Libertarianism/social conservatism, out of control spending vs. fiscal responsibility.

The collection of libertarian and social conservatives who make up the Wildrose Alliance share many traditional Albertan beliefs and values, perhaps none so much as their faith in small government.

With Smith as leader along with a true grassroots system in the party, and policies which promote the end of big spending and out of control bureaucracy, the fastest growing party in Alberta is changing the paradigm of the political scene.

The socialist NDs, socialist Liberals, and the out of control, fumbling, old and stale P.C.s all represent Big government, which is in direct contrast to what Albertans believe in.

The Wildrose Alliance, with its fiscally conservative and socially responsible small government polices, give Albertans a fresh, new alternative.

To the other party leaders, that is scary indeed.