Friends, Canada has spoken, and it's hard not to view the election results there as a rebuke of President Trump. Not only has Trump called repeatedly for Canada to become the "51st state", but he has also threatened Canada with draconian tariffs (equal to those he wishes to impose on Mexico, for reasons no one understands). Canadians, not surprisingly, took offense. Now, don't get me wrong: I support a political union between the United States and Canada, and I support the concept of tariffs, especially reciprocal tariffs. However, there's no question that Trump handled Canadians -- who, let's face it, can be rather defensive about their sovereignty and nationhood -- roughly, and with a minimum of tact and consideration. Canada was never likely to choose incorporation in the United States, especially as a single state rather than ten states (one for each province). When DJT was elected U.S. president, that pretty much reduced Canadians' interest in joining the Union to nil. Trump, however, seemed to think that, by threatening Canada with tariffs, he could bully the Canucks into embracing 'Merica, in all its glory. Well, what happened instead is that Canadians reacted with horror and pique, electing a liberal, Trump-hating government instead of a conservative, America-friendly government, as all polls predicted just a few short months ago. Quite simply, this depressing result is...Trump's fault. It's a timely reminder that bluster can't always carry the day. Hopefully Trump will learn this lesson and apply it going forward.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy6lg3p7ero
Dr. Waddy from Jack: I have a lot of respect for DJT's gutsy streetwise cannyness and brashness but I agree with you, he does carry it too far sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI never had heard of any speculation on Canada joining the U.S. ( except for some thought that the common sense western provinces , except for BC, might want to join us somehow to get free of leftist Quebec and Ontario) before DJT brought it up. At first thought he was just playing games.
My attitude: why fix what ain't broke? We had an outstanding relationship with Canada. I lived just across the river from it and went there lots of time. Its sometimes said that Canadians are not speaking Russian today due to our friendship with them. That is historically plausible but the Canadians are hard fighters who fought along with us in both World Wars. If part of the rationale for tariffs is to motivate Canada and Mexico to help us fight border incursion then Canada deserves far less motivation than Mexico. The southern border was a far greater source of invasion than is the northern and from the get go the Canadians have appeared ready to cooperate with us.
How could any country not be miffed when the chief executive of a bordering country casually muses publicly about absorbing it? "What da....?" Its a shame we have offended Canada so and I hope we admit it and make up for it. The Canadians are a graceful, civilized people and I would guess they would be favorably receptive.
If the Canadian Western provinces were to seek union with us, as long as Canada were to be willing, I think they would be a distinct asset to us.But such a transaction should not come at our volition.
RAY TO DR. WADDY
ReplyDeleteAs penance for having offended Canada, I think Trump should offer them Maine. In fact, they can have Oregon and Washington also.
RAY TO DR. WADDY
ReplyDeleteAll joking and wishful thinking aside, as anyone ever entertained the idea of the possibility that the Trump administration has a "mole" or two, or more, embedded here and there? What a bad idea to alienate Canada at this time, or any time. What goes through Trump's mind when he thinks this stuff up, or more importantly who are his advisors? Are they really who he thinks they are. Maybe he was advised to not make these decisions, and did it on his own, nor matter what the consequences?
Ray from Jack: Dang, I hate to see how the left has messed up the State of Washington. I was stationed across the bay from Seattle for 9 months in the Navy in 1970. It was the friendliest place in an often then unfriendly U.S. for us. It was a down to earth place then. Probably Oregon was too.In a way I would be glad to see us trade the entire left coast for the Canadian western provinces. Trouble is, there are still alot of good , sensible people in Oregon and Washington but they are second class citizens now.
ReplyDeleteI would guess most of the rest of the U.S. would be glad to see N.Y. drift out to sea. We are a pariah state and I hope America takes an object lesson from NY on how it IS possible for there to be a one party far left dictatorship in our own country. Canada would be ill advised to take us on. But Maine: I think that's a pretty solid place (?).
RAY TO JACK
DeleteI was raised out on what is now "The left Coast" in Oregon. and in California where I went to High School. (You must have been in Bremerton). I'm sure you know that the hippie movement started out in California (San Francisco) and spread up and down the coast, before it moved East. But, that was in Western Oregon and Washington.
The folks over in Eastern Oregon and Washington are a different breed, very unhappy with being ruled from Salem and Portland, and Seattle. Of course, good people live out that way, as you say, so all is not lost.
I live in Kansas now, and we have a Democrat governor, although she is fairly sane, believe it or not. Some best friends live in Idaho, and tell me that state remains conservative for the most part, and of course a lot of "Mormons" (LDS) there. I have a feeling more states than we realize are purple, rather than deep blue or bright red.
RAY TO JACK
DeleteWhere do you get your news? I watch Fox in the evenings, but I think they have become too much political theater, regardless of their support for Trump.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: I watched the President's Cabinet meeting today. What an impressive group and what a positive and constructive ambience obtained. Pam Bondi at one point faced the camera and directly scorned the MSM for its fully to be expected guaranteed far left biased coverage of the meeting . Gotta love that!
ReplyDeleteJack, I agree that the Canadians will probably be forgiving and conciliatory in the long run. That seems to be in their nature. Maybe a few more years of liberal misrule will even cure them of neo-Marxism. Let's hope. Will Trump learn a lesson from the election returns and dial down his incitement of Canadians? Perhaps. Just when you think Trump has turned the corner and become a more statesmanlike figure, though, he has a tendency to wheel out more asinine gibes. He's an enigma. I will err on the side of optimism and express the hope that, by constantly keeping our friends and enemies alike off balance, he may, in the end, extract better terms from them than a more conventional politician ever could.
ReplyDeleteRay, you are probably right that we have a much better chance of losing some of our bluer states than we do of gaining a single Canadian province, or Greenland, for that matter. Maybe we can Make America Great Again by subtraction??? I don't see why not.
Yes, you really have to wonder whether anyone is telling Trump, "Gee, it sure would be swell if you needled those Canucks a little more," or whether his imperialistic blustering is entirely self-generated. Or is it all a smokescreen that's intended to make it easier for him to enact his domestic agenda?
Ray is right that all those Left Coast states are, like New York, dominated by their littoral conurbations. Their interiors are beautiful, sparsely populated, and, politically speaking, deep red. Another fine reason to redraw our outdated maps and create, oh, 200 red states and 10 blue ones.
Ray from Jack: Yeah it was Bremerton. That area was far more my kind of place than our homeport of SanDiego. I'm a North country woods and mountains guy.
ReplyDeleteI get most of my broadcast news from Fox but there are those other two channels (I can never keep their names straight) News max(?) and one other. One of them has Cuomo and that's when I switch but otherwise they are not bad at all. The commentator one of them has on at about 8pm Est. is really good. I also do put on MSNBC at times to get a laugh, except when they have Sharpton on. He completely disgraces that channel. I had to deal with far too many NYC Sharpton admirers in my prison career; though many inmates expressed derision for him.
I also use Breitbart and Drudge alot and Town hall and RealClearPolitics for commentary. I read the journal Commentary whenever I'm at our library.Then there is that History Prof from NY state from whose blog I learn alot.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Some realignment of our state borders could bring justice to alot of common sense Americans trapped in ever more totalitarian leftist states. How could it be accomplished? Perhaps in court using " equal protection" rationales(?) But now, as a practical matter the only solution for most is to bail out of these seditiously haughty blue dictatorships . But often that ain't easy.
ReplyDeleteI do think it quite possible that the U.S. will split up someday due to irreconcilable cultural differences but perhaps extended Maga will drive the far left to ground.
I see ILLinois's thuggish Gov. JB Pretzles is "mad as hell" and excoriates all Dems who are not. Oh be still my beating heart! I wish him well of this stance: its fun to watch these smug America haters squirm and if the party they have disgraced beyond measure chooses to thereby commit Hara Kiri America can but bid them good speed.
Dr. Waddy from Jack:There is plenty of room in common sense America for those of good will in blue states who have "woken" finally to the totalitarian convictions of the far left which has stolen their once loyal Dem party. As long as they take care not to try to turn their new homes into facsimiles of their old, they should be alright.
ReplyDelete". . . America cannot but bid them good speed ." Jack
ReplyDeleteRay from Jack: Good point that some states may be more purple than we have previously perceived. The doctrines which dominate red and blue states are, I think, incompatible and irreconcilable. Both seek the destruction of the other and one will probably win eventually. Within some purple states this conflict is very pronounced. Wisconsin appears to be a good example of this; Pennsylvania is perhaps another.
ReplyDeleteLincoln's "House Divided" metaphor may well be once again germane.
Ray from Jack: The other channel I like is Newsnation.
ReplyDeleteJack, I find it interesting that many of these purple states are effectively turning into judicial dictatorships, rather like our federal government. The wrinkle is that many State Supreme Court Justices are elected rather than appointed, making these judicial elections in many cases far more consequential than who (temporarily) controls the governorship or the legislature.
ReplyDelete