Rosie O'Donnell and Canadian Politics
I had to laugh when I saw Rosie O'Donnell on Global National this evening.
She was lamenting that Canadians were stupid in voting in a George W. Bush into the north and that many Americans looked up to Canada with their great form of government and that now the Americans have nothing good to look at.
Well there are many things to say about this and I guess I should voice my opinion on the election at this moment too. I'm disappointed that Harper got elected in but more so I'm saddened that the NDP didn't get more seats. Contrary to what people believe, Jack Layton wouldn't spend all of our money. As well, the election showed that there needs to be electoral reform because the way in which the seats were distributed was not representative of how voting was.
Anyway, Harper will have to be moderate or the parliament will not work and he will not be able to push any of his policies forward. He promised swift change to many things and if he is unable to get any policies forward he will be seen as ineffective. He promised things like reducing the GST and lowering taxes and people are going to want them to occur quickly. Harper will not be a ditherer but may end up being a lame duck and the newest Joe Clark.
Contrary to what people believe, we have not elected a Bush as a PM....maybe a dick but not a Bush. For starters, the Conservatives do not hold control of all three portions of government like in the States (president, house and senate). Because Canada has a minority government it will be much more difficult to push through policies that the 'Commander in Chief' has because it will have to pass through Parliament. Harper, to his credit, doesn't think with his 'gut' like the leader to the south does. As well he doesn't rely on fake participation in the armed forces or 'national guard' to gain popularity. Furthermore, his father did not lead the way. To my knowledge, I don't think Harper has or had problems with the bottle like some people have either...
So we will have to wait and see what Harper holds for the country. Am I apprehensive? Yes. Do I think we elected Bush? No.
As for Rosie O'Donnell, I have to say, that nobody cares what you think. You are not the #1 primetime talk show host that you once were. Nobody even knows what you are doing now. It will go unnoticed except for a likely toss around the Right-Wing radio talk shows in the States for a laugh.
Think before you speak next time...or become more influential again. Otherwise it's a lame-duck statement.
posted by David @ 10:59 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Small correction, if you're talking about the US government, the three divisions are Executive (ie, Presidency), Congress (House and Senate), and Judiciary (Courts, mostly the Supreme Court).
I agree that Harper's not Bush, I'm afraid that he might want to be Bush's friend though which can lead quickly into being his lacky, which would not benefit the country. The NDP did alright for itself, gaining a decent number of seats but I would have liked to have seen them perform better as well. One just has to look at the States to see that harshly Conservative governments spend more money and raise more debt than any socially conscious party ever will.
I stand corrected on the three divisions of american govt.
However, with the likely nomination of Alito to the supreme court it is quite likely that they republicans will have control of all three branches.
Personally, I can't decide what I think about Harper and the Conservatives. And although I'm a HUGE socialist by nature, I'm also not sure if Layton was prepared to lead the country.
I'm going to take a "wait and see" approach before I voice any major opinions. Most notably, I'm apprehensive about the future of our health care and the development of US attitudes, culture, and policy. I am, however, happy that Harper is an advocate for marriage and children. David, it sounds like you may just agree....
Post a Comment
<< Home