Following his father\'s resignation, Bill Bennett was elected on September 7, 1973, as the British Columbia Social Credit League Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for South Okanagan.\n', '

His father was also named William but was usually called "W.A.C." in the media or "Ceece" by his friends. To distinguish the son from his father, he was usually called "Bill." Some in the media referred to the younger Bennett as "Mini-Wac,"[citation needed] which was derived from another of his father\'s nicknames, "Wacky." The nickname was created by his opponents but also embraced by some supporters.\n', '

He was elected the leader of the Socred Party in November 1973, at a convention in Whistler, British Columbia. This convention also changed the name of the party to the British Columbia Social Credit Party. Bennett set about establishing a political organization modelled closely on and using staff lent by Bill Davis\'s Ontario "Big Blue Machine." Bennett\'s organization was called the "Baby Blue Machine." He embraced a new coalition of Liberals, social conservatives, and the corporate sector, unlike his father, who had appealed to the populist base.\n', '

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