WTF Republicans? Why can't you be like Canadian conservatives?

WTF Republicans? Why can’t you be like our Conservatives?

Watching the presidential race unfold in the United States I get the distinct impression I am a witness to history.  But not in a good way because it definitely could end badly, either at the Republican convention or later. 

We have all seen where the Trump campaign is going so no need to go into all that. Suffice to say neither he and nor his campaign are good for the country. So with that as a given, the way it is playing out among other leading Republicans is very telling, in that it shows how broken their system is, and how, by comparison, we’re doing OK here in Canada.

The other candidates including those who have dropped out and those who are still in, have called Trump out for his racism, dishonesty, being a misogynist, inciting violence, and the list goes on, and of course many others are saying the same thing. In short, that he is unfit to govern. However I want to stick with the former and current candidates who are not named Trump, because they carry weight within the party and their comments speak volumes to how absolutely polarized the political dynamic is in that country.

Consider that while they all fully realize what an absolute disaster a Trump presidency would be, not one of them is willing to say they won’t vote for him if he is running against Hillary Clinton. They are so blinded by hate for the other party, that they are willing to allow Trump to take the country to hell in a hand basket rather than stand up and say “No, for the sake of the country I would rather my party be out of power than see what it might become under Trump.”

That’s a damning indictment on their character, their judgment, and their patriotism.

Meantime, here in Canada, we have the results of a fresh public opinion poll on how Justin Trudeau is doing so far. Mind you this could change with today’s budget, but as of yesterday, it is interesting to note that while his approval numbers continue to be high, it is telling that even among Conservatives, he scored very well in several categories.

These two positions underline a key difference between American Republicans and our home grown Conservatives, and it says something good about our politics that even after a hard fought election, all but the most partisan Tories can admit that it looks like Trudeau was indeed ready.

So take a bow Conservatives. It’s good on ya to be able to admit that at least so far, Trudeau hasn’t been all that bad, whether with a progressive agenda that serves the country well or with how he is representing Canada abroad.

Of course Trudeau’s current popularity can’t last. He can’t help but lose support no matter which way he jumps on issues like the pipeline, and budgets can be troublesome, in a “you can’t please everybody” kind of way.

And of course there are differing opinions on how much he should allow the deficit to grow.  

But for now, at this particular point in time, why don’t we look at it as an opportunity to give ourselves a bit of a pat on the back, and to be grateful that despite whatever our respective political stripe is, it’s a good thing that the majority of us can be open minded enough to realize the other side isn’t always wrong.  Or evil.

Americans could learn a lot by looking north.

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