Politics
Plenty of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are obsessed with U.S. politics, Donald Trump – The Telegram
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. —
Rosie Mullaley
The Telegram
rosie.mullaley@thetelegram.com
@TelyRosie
Even as Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball announces he’s quitting, it seems nothing gets people in this province more riled up than politics south of the border.
“There’s nothing like American politics. I’m obsessed with it,” Kenny Hanlon of St. John’s told The Telegram.
“I can’t help but to look and see what (United States President Donald) Trump is up to. My girlfriend makes fun of me because that’s all I watch (on TV).”
Hanlon’s not alone. It seems the mere mention of Trump in conversation or on social media can spur emotional responses and strong opinions. Many wonder how the outlandish, Twitter-loving, wall-building, near-impeached multimillionaire businessman is fit enough to run a reality show let alone the world’s most powerful nation.
“Everyone knows he’s a crazy lunatic,” Hanlon said.
“But we all watch because I think it’s the fact that he’s such a liar and gets away with so much. I mean, the man should be in jail. So many people went to jail because of him, but he walks away unscathed.”
Love him or hate him, people just can’t turn away.
“I think many of us are afraid the far-right sentiment will spread to us,” Bob Symonds of Conception Bay South said. “I think we hate him and want to see him fall.”
Symonds keeps up on Trump, but he’s certainly not a fan.
“I keep hoping he falls into a wood chipper,” he said jokingly.
Symonds’ distaste of Trump is so strong, he said he doubts he will ever go to the U.S. again.
“For 50 years, I’ve been hearing about the greatest constitution and the three equal branches of government, but this idiot pissed on all of that. Their country will never be the same.”
Donna Bonnell of St. John’s is still shocked Trump was elected president, given his reputation with women and after he made fun of a disabled journalist.
“How did any female in the United States vote him in?” she said. “Still puzzles me, but I’m not convinced it won’t happen again.
“I think the United States deserves better.”
Jamie Pretty of Blaketown has a different view of Trump. He believes the American president has done great things for his country.
“What he might say from time to time makes him look bad, but you know what? None of us are perfect,” he said.
“I’d vote for him if I could. … I don’t base my opinion on what I read or hear. I base it on action.”
Pretty credits Trump with having strengthened the U.S. economy, with the country having the lowest unemployment rate (to 3.6 per cent) it’s seen in decades.
“Numbers never lie,” Pretty said. “As far as I can see, he’s looking after the middle class, the backbone of any country.”
Scott Matthews, associate professor of political science at Memorial University, where he specializes in American politics, said while U.S. presidents generally are seen as global celebrities, Trump stands out.
“He really is a very unusual figure as a U.S. president in all the obvious ways. The way he comports himself is very remarkable,” Matthews said. “He’s violating all the expectations of how a president is supposed to behave and sound.”
Matthews said Trump represents something quite distinctive in American politics, with a resistance to elite politics that is perceived as anti-establishment and a reflection of a global concern regarding immigration.
Another significant point about Trump, he said, is the way he’s threatening to change American democracy in ways that are concerning. He noted how Trump recently used his presidential pardon power to grant clemency to 11 individuals, inserting himself into justice matters.
“This goes to the core of a very important democratic principle, which is the rule of law,” Matthews said. “Everyone is subject to the law on equal terms, and when the president intervenes in a way that seems to be rewarding or favouring people … that offends the principle of the rule of law very directly.
“That’s an example of the really extraordinary behaviour that’s unprecedented in modern democracy.”
Matthews pointed out that the American media’s obsession with Trump has played a big role in spurring emotional engagement. He added that seeing a president often behave so irrationally and stray from political norms concerns many people in this province.
“(Trump) really is doing some shocking things,” said Matthews, who added that he offends Canadians, who value democratic principles.
“We have good reason to be (concerned), given our economic relationship and our many shared cultural elements. Many Canadians are fearful of consequences of having someone like Trump in the White House and it’s not an unreasonable position to have. … He makes things uncertain for us.”
Matthews said while Canadian politics may not seem as entertaining or as sexy as American politics, there are issues in this country worth being interested in, such as the protests over the natural gas pipeline in British Columbia.
“It’s hard to look to away (from U.S. politics),” Matthews acknowledged, “but I think sometimes we should.”
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Politics
Florida's Bob Graham dead at 87: A leader who looked beyond politics, served ordinary folks – Toronto Star
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A leader like Bob Graham would be a unicorn in the hyper-partisan politics of today.
The former Florida governor and U.S. senator wasn’t a slick, slogan-spouting politician. He didn’t have an us-against-them mentality. Sometimes, he even came across as more of a kind-hearted professor just trying to make the world a better place.
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Six months from now Kevin Falcon is going to be staggering toward a catastrophic defeat for the remnants of the BC Liberals.
But what that will mean for the province’s political future is still up in the air, with the uncertainty increased by two shocking polls that show the Conservatives far ahead of BC United and only a few percentage points behind the NDP.
BC United is already toast, done in by self-inflicted wounds and the arrival of John Rustad and the Conservative Party of BC.
Falcon’s party has stumbled since the decision to abandon the BC Liberal brand in favour of BC United. The change, promoted by Falcon and approved by party members, took place a year ago this week. It was an immediate disaster.
That was made much worse when Rustad relaunched the B.C. Conservatives after Falcon kicked him out of caucus for doubting the basic science of climate change.
Falcon’s party had fallen from 33 per cent support to 19 per cent, trailing the Conservatives at 25 per cent. (The NDP has 42 per cent support.) That’s despite his repeated assurances that voters would quickly become familiar with the BC United brand.
BC United is left with almost no safe seats in this election based on the current polling.
Take Abbotsford West, where Mike de Jong is quitting after 30 years in the legislature to seek a federal Conservative nomination. It’s been a BC Liberal/United stronghold. In 2020 de Jong captured 46 per cent of the votes to the New Democrats’ 37 per cent and the Conservatives’ nine per cent.
But that was when the Conservatives were at about eight per cent in the polls, not 25 per cent.
Double their vote in this October’s election at the expense of the Liberals — a cautious estimate — and the NDP wins.
United’s prospects are even worse in ridings that were close in the 2020 election, like Skeena. Ellis Ross took it for the BC Liberals in 2020 with 52 per cent of the vote to the NDP’s 45 per cent.
But there was no Conservative candidate. Rustad has committed to running a candidate in every riding and the NDP can count on an easy win in Skeena.
It’s the same story across the province. The Conservatives and BC United will split the centre-right vote, handing the NDP easy wins and a big majority. And BC United will be fighting to avoid being beaten by the Conservatives in the ridings that are in play.
United’s situation became even more dire last week. A Liaison Strategies poll found the NDP at 38 per cent support, Conservatives at 34 per cent, United at 16 per cent and Greens at 11 per cent. That’s similar to a March poll from Mainstreet Research.
If those polls are accurate, BC United could end up with no seats. Voters who don’t want an NDP government will consider strategic voting based on which party has a chance of winning in their ridings.
Based on the Liaison poll, that would be the Conservatives. That’s especially true outside Vancouver and Vancouver Island, where the poll shows the Conservatives at 39 per cent, the NDP at 30 per cent and United lagging at 19 per cent. (The caveat about the polls’ accuracy is important. Curtis Fric and Philippe J. Fournier offer a useful analysis of possible factors affecting the results on Substack.)
And contributors will also be making some hard choices about which party gets their money. Until now BC United was far ahead of the Conservatives, thanks to its strong fundraising structure and the perception that it was the front-runner on the right. That’s under threat.
The polls also mark a big change in the NDP’s situation. This election looked like a cakewalk, with a divided centre-right splitting the vote and a big majority almost guaranteed. Most polls this year gave the New Democrats at least a 17 per cent lead over the Conservatives.
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