Good luck with your election. I hope for a clear outcome where the winner wins cleanly without a voting machine or ballot counting scandal. I hope you can accept the outcome and let the winner get on with it.
There is a lot of press speculation on which candidate the citizens of other countries would support. That's kind of a silly question. We aren't Americans and we don't look at it as Americans trying to decide who should hold office in our own government. We look at things through the lens of nationalism. That works against the incumbent, because the incumbent will always be blamed for any recent issues that have troubled Canadians. We have had a lot of troubling issues, without mentioning Iraq and foreign policy. Canadians are feeling crapped on over beef exports, softwood lumber and other trade issues. The foreign policy portfolio works against Mr. Bush whose foreign policy has been aggressive and unilateral, who confuses the economic interests of some companies with the national interest, and who seems to think that people and countries who don't agree with him need to have their asses kicked. Even conservative Canadians who would support Bush are offended because he just does not seem to respect the fact that other countries have rights to decide whether to commit military forces - the lives of their citizens who are in military service - to foreign ventures. Canadians still respect the UN and don't understand what a morally corrupt organization it has become and can't understand why Bush doesn't respect it. There is a perception that Bush supports economic and cultural globalization, and is disrespectful of other cultures.
If we could take nationalism out of the process - if Canada or parts of Canada had joined the US and integrated ourselves, it would break down differently. I suspect that the largest province, Ontario would be like New York, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota in its ideology and political orientation. Parts of Canada that vote Conservative within Canadian politics - Alberta, the rural parts of the other prairie provinces would likely back conservative Republicans. A lot would depend on how the US parties managed to amalgamate with the Canadian parties and the existing local power bases. I think that there would not a clear crossover. Conservative Canadians would not automatically become Republicans, but most would. Canadian Liberals would fracture. Some would be liberal or modeate Democrats but some would support moderate Republicans. I couldn't begin to guess how Quebec nationalists might vote.
Article comments
1 - Claire
Tony, I loved hearing your speculations about Canada. I have many Canadian friends who think as you do, and some who disagree. I think this was well thought out and informative. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Oh, and...
Good luck with your election. I hope for a clear outcome where the winner wins cleanly without a voting machine or ballot counting scandal. I hope you can accept the outcome and let the winner get on with it.
Amen! (While I have my choice which is no secret, you expressed my sentiment exactly in that statement)
Claire
2 - Eric Olsen
very interesting and perceptive Tony - you have been doing a lot of really fine things lately - thanks!
3 - RJ
I support the eventual political-combination of The US and Canada.
While "Democrats" would likely garner an immediate advantage from such a merger, moderate "Republicans" (think John McCain and Joe Lieberman, Jim Jeffords and Susan Collins, John Breaux and Zell Miller) would probably eventually become the major force in such a super-state.
This new US+C would have direct access to all of Canada's natural resources, while Canada would become a part of something more important that a sparsely-populated land of economically-marginal nobodies.
Long Live The Great Nation Of Americanada!
4 - andy marsh
RJ - how would we arrange the stars?
5 - Brave Kelso
"something more important that a sparsely-populated land of economically-marginal nobodies"??
Hey, watch it. We'll stop exporting Moosehead or something eh?
Canadians have a sense that we are something different than Americans - even if we have a very hard time defining it. Our economies are largely integrated since NAFTA, we watch the same TV and movies, read the same books. But there is history, and that Molson's beer commercial (did you see it in the US?)
And about the flag. Canada has two national symbols. The Maple Leaf and the Beaver (the rodent). Canada has 10 provinces and three territories. Quebec always wants to be distinct and its symbol is a fleur-de-lis. If all the provinces and territories get counted, that would be one fleur-de-lis, and 12 Maple leaves and/or tiny beavers.
The flag would be too ugly to imagine.
6 - Mark Edward Manning
Tony, it's great to read a Canadian wax so fairly about this election. Very balanced and great entry, thanks for this.
7 - andy marsh
I would really like to see Jim carruthers comments on this post! Very informative...thank you