Right wing commentary on world politics from a man on a mission to prove that Conservatism transcends national boundaries. Thoughtful comments from people of all political persuasions are welcome and encouraged. Contact the blogger at elephantman.conservaglobe@gmail.com.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Ruminations on Canada

As a Yankee, I normally am not affected by elections in Canada. However, I have become rather emotionally involved in the campaign. I've almost come to think of myself as a Tory (meaning Conservative) instead of a Republican. Heck, I'm probably the only American citizen with official Stephen Harper wallpaper on my computer (Harper leads the Conservative Party). Why am I so concerned? Well, quite frankly, I am sick of the paranoid xenophobia that continually emanates from Prime Minister Paul Martin's mouth.

Now, I realize that it's hard living next to a superpower, but the level of rhetoric is getting unbearable. Case in point, PM Martin's attacks against my man Harper have included numerous allusions to the fact that Harper wants to make Canada more like the U.S. Personally, I don't see why that is such an insult. I know that the U.S.A. isn't perfect, but I get very offended when people assume that something is bad just because it comes from my country. If Canada made some great advancement, the U.S. would probably try to emulate them. However, Martin and company are so hell-bent on not being like the U.S. that they refuse to admit that anything done south of the border could possibly be good!

The last straw for me was when one of Martin's attack ads said that a Conservative Party victory would "make George Bush happy".Why should anyone in Canada care whether Bush is happy or sad?! To Canadians, Bush is just another foreign leader with little influence on society. I'm sure that Jacques Chirac would be very happy to see a win for Martin's Liberal Party, and Fidel Castro would be jumping for joy if Jack Layton and the New Democratic Party won; but nobody cares! This election is about what's best for Canada, and the opinion of any foreign leader (including Bush) is totally meaningless! The Conservative Party is interested in a stronger Canadian Military, putting a more effective police force on the streets, and lowering taxes on the average Canadian to stimulate the economy. Those aren't U.S. values, they're just plain common sense.

Stephen Harper is not trying to make Canada the 51st state, he just doesn't see the U.S. as the evil empire or George Bush as Dearth Vader. As a Yank, I would love to see a Canadian Prime Minister whose foreign policy consists of more than anti-U.S. xenophobia. Maybe then our two nations could actually negotiate and maybe even find common ground (what a novel idea!). The relationship between Canada and the United States is not a zero-sum game, and Stephen Harper is the only candidate for Prime Minister who understands that fact!

Canada does not (and should not) always have to agree with the United States. But some of us Yanks would really appreciate a halt to the paranoid xenophobia of the Liberal Party. It is insulting and demeaning, and nobody down here would get away with insulting Canada or Paul Martin that way.

Please vote for a Prime Minister with some sense!

VOTE HARPER!


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1 Comments:

At Mon Jan 23, 08:13:00 AM MST, Blogger JB said...

Martin is trying to convince people that Harper is scary, and unfortunately most Eastern Canadians are ALREADY convinced that the USA is scary. Hence, linking them is an easy tactic.

I was (for the first time in my life) actually impressed by Bill Clinton's attitude when Martin tried to suck him into a debate on the upcoming election. He stayed out of the issue with exactly the noncommitance and disinterested wishiwashiness I've come to expect from his party.

 

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