[poquas]

His "lack" of experience only proves my point. All he has to do to be considered a raving success is to undo everything Bush did over the last eight years!

[Psudo]

Kjorteo wrote:

With Harper and Obama, haven't they already?

Canada might be right of the USA right now, but they're still in denial about it (as JJ pointed out). They're going to need some time before they actually have to confront the issue, which is why I had the "significant amount of time" clause in my question. Now JJ says they'll probably be moving left of the USA at the next election, thus avoiding confronting the issue at all.

mtbr wrote:

only me? really.

I think CanadianJeff was less specific than he should have been. I think he means only the subset of Obama's critics that aren't interested in addressing his policies and behavior. Personally, they remind me of the Bush critics that could name 15 different occasions where he misspoke or stumbled, 5 different jokes about him looking like a chimpanzee, but not one of his economic policies.

[Psudo]

poquas wrote:

All he has to do to be considered a raving success is to undo everything Bush did over the last eight years!

Then he's already failed. He's upholding the NSA wiretapping program. Thus, something Bush did is being kept, thus "everything Bush did" is not being undone.

[bootlegga]

mtbr wrote:

only me?

really.

http://obamamessiah.blogspot.com/2008/0 ... ncoln.html
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch ... obama.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/ ... 1741.shtml
http://makingbettergovernment.com/2008/ ... -politics/

What's your point?

Try typing Stephen Harper and Messiah into Google and you get half a dozen blog/forum hits proclaiming him the messiah for the Conservative party.

[mtbr]

bootlegga wrote:

mtbr wrote:

only me?

really.

http://obamamessiah.blogspot.com/2008/0 ... ncoln.html
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch ... obama.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/ ... 1741.shtml
http://makingbettergovernment.com/2008/ ... -politics/

What's your point?

Try typing Stephen Harper and Messiah into Google and you get half a dozen blog/forum hits proclaiming him the messiah for the Conservative party.

try typing Alberta registries into Google and see what you come up with.

[Zipperfish]

The differences between the US and Canada go deeper than just the policies of the current government. The culture of Canada is simply more socialist and always has been as far back as I can remember. Perhaps it is best manifested through our socilaized health care, but the attitude exists in Canada that when there's a big problem, we expect the government to do something. Government is viewed with more suspicion in the US. Americans are more given to idealism ("life, liberty and pursuit of happiness") whereas Canada is more prudent in its expectations ("peace, order and good government").

As for an identity crisis--well, Canada is pretty much in a permanent state of identity crisis. We're forever fretting about "what it means to be Canadian."

[poquas]

Psudo wrote:

poquas wrote:

All he has to do to be considered a raving success is to undo everything Bush did over the last eight years!

Then he's already failed. He's upholding the NSA wiretapping program. Thus, something Bush did is being kept, thus "everything Bush did" is not being undone.

Ok, "most of what Bush did".

Actually not even letting Bush near Washington would be a good idea too.

[CanadianJeff]

He (Bush) is coming to Calgary tomorrow . last time he was here a few thousand people showed up to boo him. You would think one public flogging would be enough.

[CKASlacker]

Zipperfish wrote:

The differences between the US and Canada go deeper than just the policies of the current government. The culture of Canada is simply more socialist and always has been as far back as I can remember. Perhaps it is best manifested through our socilaized health care, but the attitude exists in Canada that when there's a big problem, we expect the government to do something. Government is viewed with more suspicion in the US. Americans are more given to idealism ("life, liberty and pursuit of happiness") whereas Canada is more prudent in its expectations ("peace, order and good government").

Maybe that has something to do with our roots in becoming nations - the US forged in revolution and idealism, Canada eventually morphing into a nation separate from the British crown, while still keeping many of its trappings (ie. Commonwealth country, British parliamentary system, etc.) Rightly or wrongly, Canadians value loyality and safety in government, over individual liberty.

Zipperfish wrote:

As for an identity crisis--well, Canada is pretty much in a permanent state of identity crisis. We're forever fretting about "what it means to be Canadian."

Sadly, to many Canadians simply being not American = Canadian. We like to define ourselves by our differences with the US -- probably because we have an identity crisis at some level.

[Psudo]

Australians are former Britons that are not American. How does the Canadian identity differentiate itself from the Australian?

[JJ]

Australians are not Americans by nature of the fact that they live on an island nation very far from the American continent. Canadians are not Americans in spite of a geographic reality that says they should be.

[CKASlacker]

JJ wrote:

Australians are not Americans by nature of the fact that they live on an island nation very far from the American continent. Canadians are not Americans in spite of a geographic reality that says they should be.

Aussies have retained more of their British culture, seen in some obvious ways -- dinner/supper = "tea", driving on the left, rugby and cricket as popular sports, whereas Canadians certainly are more influenced by US culture. Certainly being an island has allowed Oz to retain more of its British roots, although oddly they came close to ditching their Commonwealth status when they voted against becoming a republic a few years back.

So maybe it's a sense of loyalty that keeps Canada in the Commonwealth, in spite of the fact that we're quite American in much of our culture, whereas Aussies are more "British" despite arguably being more independent.

[fire_i]

An excellent comic, JJ! I giggled when I noticed the lack of eyes in the second panel.

To add my two cents about Canada being further to the right than the US... I would say that's inaccurate. Outside the Conservatives, all "major" parties in Canada (Greens and upwards) were more towards the left of the spectrum, most of the seats were won by candidates running for a party which had a more left-wing than right-wing program and a larger chunk of the popular vote went for left-wing parties in Canada in its last election than in the US in their last election.

I'll also voluntarily omit that, as we all know, ideas that would right-wing in Canada could be considered left-wing in the US, and vice versa.

We could say our current government is closer to the methods of the former Bush administration (ironically), but I don't think we really could ever say we're further on the right until the day the Cons get a majority running a decidedly right-wing platform, if it happens.

[mtbr]

fire_i wrote:

We could say our current government is closer to the methods of the former Bush administration (ironically), but I don't think we really could ever say we're further on the right until the day the Cons get a majority running a decidedly right-wing platform, if it happens.

yeah..that ole hidden agenda will come out

[noufie]

Zipperfish wrote:

The culture of Canada is simply more socialist and always has been as far back as I can remember. Perhaps it is best manifested through our socilaized health care, but the attitude exists in Canada that when there's a big problem, we expect the government to do something. Government is viewed with more suspicion in the US.

For better or worse, socialized medicine is coming to the USA. It will be presented as the only way we can save the auto industry. This would have happened under McCain, too.

Zipperfish wrote:

Americans are more given to idealism ("life, liberty and pursuit of happiness") whereas Canada is more prudent in its expectations ("peace, order and good government").

Can't help but hear this in Garrison Keillor's voice. I imagine Canadians see Americans like Minnesotans see Californians. Is that fair? Keep in mind that MN produced Hubert Humphrey & Walter Mondale while CA produced Dick Nixon & Ronald Reagan.

Admittedly CA today is more left-wing than MN. But it's not very useful to think in terms of a left/right political spectrum. California seems volatile from the outside: CA is brash & sometimes very innovative. But when they screw up, they really screw up BAD. See the wonderful dot com boom in the 90's & the awful housing bust this decade. Smaller MN felt some of the aftershocks of CA's economic earthquakes. So they're suspicious of CA & prefer to do their own thing. But they aren't diametrically opposed to CA's values, though a few demagogues (in both camps) would argue otherwise.

There is something very appealing about the days of Reagan & Mulroney. Reminds me of Reagan's relationship with Tip O'Neil. Again, it's not a left/right thing.