What to say about our political class. Yesterdays speech by RFK should be of more interest to progressives & liberals as he is directly attacking what they said they were against. (Big business, war, and big ag) He is talking about reforming our food system, something that desperately needs to be done, as it is dramatically impacting our health.
For instance, 20 years ago, gluten intolerance & celiacs were very rare. Now, I cannot tell you how many people I encounter who cannot tolerate gluten. (I run a market every weekend) You can't tell me that this just happened.....
The only person who is in any way addressing this is RFK, and he is joined with Trump. Somehow, I don't expect the liberals to actually look at policies and say maybe we should support Trump, because they only seem to know "Orange Man Bad".
Timely advice. Harris has shown with staff turnover in the VP office that she like Trudeau will insist on 100% compliance or there's the door. Like Trudeau the promises will remain promises and like Trudeau or Trump for that matter significant structural issues like debt and deficits will not be addressed. Apparently we need more pain. In both countries.
I actually voted for Justin Trudeau the first time around, but it didn't take long for me to realize what a mistake that was. One of first things he did was to put out the welcome mat to the world to show he's different and more virtuous than Donald Trump. Then , in an interview with the New York times, he said he wanted to make "Canada the first post-nation state". That explains his putting the interests of the world ahead of the country he's supposed to represent.
Tara, thanks so much for writing this. Aside from the great piece you recently wrote, no one seems to be interested in any of the fact in front of our eyes regarding Kamala Harris. She actively and brazenly lied to the American people about the state of the President for months. How can the gaslighting of the American public have been so conveniently memory-holed?? She was also a terrible "border czar". YES, she was in charge of the borders as millions flooded through, unvetted and undocumented. I could go on and on, but really, it is all there to see, right in front of our eyes. What a powerful institution the media is, to be able to effectively divert everyone's attention away from Harris's record.
Trying to make "Joy" the trademark of her campaign is a gift to the Republicans. As far as I can tell, there is widespread, seething anger and resentment across the US, except perhaps as Ungar-Sargon notes, among the college educated, in particular those already several rungs up the economic ladder.
For the vast majority, whose precarious situations of quiet desperation eat away at their day to day peace of mind, "Joy" is hardly what they're looking for from their government. Stability maybe? Economic and cultural? Some kind of lifeline in health care or child care or both? Some reduction in stress, inflation, and the forever wars?
Too many of them, I suspect, will hear the echoes of Obama's rallying cry "Hope" (and change) and remember, nay look around them and be confronted by, how that turned out.
(To be clear, Trump and the Republicans are no better on any metric, but I suspect their basic message of anger and aggression, rage even, will resonate more widely.)
Joy is not the only thing Harris offers. Her entire campaign is designed to address the American middle and working class anger that one of the commentators mentions here. But surely it’s not a crime to feel happy when a smart experienced charismatic politician emerges who can unify Americans and banish Trump and his abortion ban along with his Project 2025 plans. If Canadians can’t be pleased about this possibility there’s something pretty mean spirited about us. Trudeau was part of a political dynasty; nor did he have anywhere near Harris’ political experience. Harris is something new. A powerful force for change. Get used to it.
Why don’t you check out her impressive political resume? She was also the American vice president and not allowed to do much except support the president. What have you done, Lucy, in the last three years to make your country a better place?
“Resume”? Susan, the era of “credentials” is outdated and we are living in the era of trust. Im not the VP of the usa. Again, what has this VP accomplished for the country during her tenure? Please stick to the argument.
You missed my point you mean. An American vice president is not the same thing as president. They are restricted in what they can do. And Harper wasn’t a great prime minister. Is that what the readers of this column are now? Dissatisfied Harperites who think Trump is less dangerous than Harris? You’re out of your minds, as Harris said the other night.
Careful with the misinformation. Trump didn’t ban abortions - that’s false. The decision about abortions was moved to the individual states, which - considering what a divisive issue it is - is a smart idea.
Your perspective is clearly deeply influenced by the mainstream narrative. If nothing else, go listen to RFKjr.’s speech suspending his campaign and throwing his support behind Trump (the first example of a left/right alliance in history). You’ll understand what real policy issues are and maybe see how vacuous and dangerous the American left has become.
Let's skip the disses. Isn't this site about non-partisan criticism. Substance not polemics? I love Kamala. She's going to bury Trump. A worker bee not a queen bee.
It is irritating, confounding and frustrating to see the same demographics that demand authenticity in just about everything they buy to be attracted to the most inauthentic political candidates.
Also the lie of liberal progressive is that they are progressives. Progressivism was a conservative movement started by Republican Teddy Roosevelt.
But the establishment feeds the young voters the propaganda of political coolness while negative branding the actual authentic and progressive candidates.
There is a saying that in democracy people generally get the government they deserve. That seems about right. They elected the vegetable Joe Biden and now they are emotionally over the moon with a cardboard cutout called Kamala.
I think they will deserve the harm that keeps coming from their stupid choices.
While not a fan of Harris and, as a Canadian who has voted Liberal and become very disillusioned with Trudeau and his party, I would vote for Harris for the simple reason that I could not vote for Trump. How anyone could vote for someone who cannot accept the results of a fair election is beyond me. If the GOP had put Trump out to pasture after Jan 2021, and chosen a new torch bearer, maybe things would be different.
What a terrible reason to vote for someone. Maybe educating yourself on policy might be a better way of determining who to vote for. And for the record, just because the mainstream keeps telling you it was a fair election, doesn’t mean it was one. No one will ever know the truth, because the attorneys general of the 22 states that demanded an investigation, were refused. How do you know it was fair when no one checked the fairness? You know those voting machines, the ones that apparently got redeemed when Fox News settled that lawsuit for whatever that huge amount was? They have zero oversight. No one knows how they’re controlled or how much security they have. It’s all proprietary. No transparency. What could go wrong?
Good essay, Tara. I like how you’re bringing Canada into your American politics discussions, so your Canadian readers don’t feel abandoned. Also a great summation of Trudeau’s record.
It also brings the idiots out of the woodwork to make comments! Staunch anti-Trump and anti-Harris positions are so ill-informed, it’s pathetic. People, if all you’ve got to offer is ‘Trump banned abortion,’ or ‘Orange Man bad!’ or ‘Harris has a great record,’ get off Substack and go back to Global News.
Someone smart noted that this is all just theatre, and they were right. It hasn’t mattered a bit who’s been in power; the ship has been heading in the same direction under Dems and GOPs for decades. But something unprecedented happened last week, and that’s the union of Trump and RFK. I like RFK (although his stance on Israel (Trump’s too) is a major red flag), and he’s incredibly clear on policy. He’s also a traditional Democrat. So this means we have a union between the left and right in these two, which is really the only thing that could possibly bring some real change. Tara, please take a closer look at that, and link it to what could happen if our own reds and blues could get theirs heads out of their asses and see what actual cooperation could achieve.
I’m always surprised when journalists say that Harris hasn’t any policies. In many cases that criticism seems like code for an uneasiness with a black woman as president because she certainly has told people what her policies are, and in more detail than most politicians do. I don’t think the comparison to the United States makes sense either. We may have had an unpopular conservative Prime Minister in Stephen Harper, but Harper didn’t threaten our ability to hold elections nor was he a convicted criminal. I also think you over play the mistakes Trudeau has made. Most people I know are glad the truckers protest in Ottawa was ended and think Trudeau did a good job with Covid. The reaction against him seems more about disliking his personality and the fact that Canadian voters get sick of prime ministers after 10 years and want a change. I signed up for this Substack, because it offered a fresh perspective on issues other journalists weren’t talking about but more and more it feels like it’s taken up the standard catastrophizing approach too many journalists adopt to attract eyeballs. Too bad. I used to count on this column for honesty.
And exactly what has this "powerful force of change" accomplished in the last 4 years when she has been the #2 to a "president" who as it turns out has been incapable of governing for at least the last 2 years? This lady has no policy because she is just as much of a puppet for the elites as Biden was. She says whatever she thinks is going to get her elected at that very moment and once she is in office she will go back to redecorating her officespace and her donors will continue to loot our country and stymy our middle class. Thanks, but no thanks. If you like her in Canada you can have her. Greeting from a live long independent.
Overplay mistakes? I cannot wait to never see Trudeau’s face ever again. Harper was outstanding. Im college educated “ non pleb” btw. I would recommend subscribing to blackrocks.ca for further reporting.
Not a good sign quite often: if everyone around you and everyone you know agrees 100% with your political positions then one is living in a bubble. Or the country is in a really good place or really bad place with so much agreement.
For me: it is great to have anarchist, conservative, liberal, libertarian, Marxist and socialist friends. And throw in lots of environmentalists. The nice ones disagree with me and we stay friends.
In regards to smiling politicians: my favourite two Premiers were not always the friendliest dudes, WAC Bennett (Social Credit) and Dave Barrett (NDP), but so much of what makes British Columbia great from BC Ferries to the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) is from them. Ujjal Dosanjh is a distant third as he had two surplus budgets.
What to say about our political class. Yesterdays speech by RFK should be of more interest to progressives & liberals as he is directly attacking what they said they were against. (Big business, war, and big ag) He is talking about reforming our food system, something that desperately needs to be done, as it is dramatically impacting our health.
For instance, 20 years ago, gluten intolerance & celiacs were very rare. Now, I cannot tell you how many people I encounter who cannot tolerate gluten. (I run a market every weekend) You can't tell me that this just happened.....
The only person who is in any way addressing this is RFK, and he is joined with Trump. Somehow, I don't expect the liberals to actually look at policies and say maybe we should support Trump, because they only seem to know "Orange Man Bad".
The TDS is strong.
Loved the RFK speech. He did not mince words on this thoughts on the Democrats or Kamala Harris.
Timely advice. Harris has shown with staff turnover in the VP office that she like Trudeau will insist on 100% compliance or there's the door. Like Trudeau the promises will remain promises and like Trudeau or Trump for that matter significant structural issues like debt and deficits will not be addressed. Apparently we need more pain. In both countries.
I actually voted for Justin Trudeau the first time around, but it didn't take long for me to realize what a mistake that was. One of first things he did was to put out the welcome mat to the world to show he's different and more virtuous than Donald Trump. Then , in an interview with the New York times, he said he wanted to make "Canada the first post-nation state". That explains his putting the interests of the world ahead of the country he's supposed to represent.
If Americans elect her, they deserve everything they're going to get.
I am continually astonished by people’s inability to recognize modern political discourse for the bad theatre that it is.
Tara, thanks so much for writing this. Aside from the great piece you recently wrote, no one seems to be interested in any of the fact in front of our eyes regarding Kamala Harris. She actively and brazenly lied to the American people about the state of the President for months. How can the gaslighting of the American public have been so conveniently memory-holed?? She was also a terrible "border czar". YES, she was in charge of the borders as millions flooded through, unvetted and undocumented. I could go on and on, but really, it is all there to see, right in front of our eyes. What a powerful institution the media is, to be able to effectively divert everyone's attention away from Harris's record.
Trying to make "Joy" the trademark of her campaign is a gift to the Republicans. As far as I can tell, there is widespread, seething anger and resentment across the US, except perhaps as Ungar-Sargon notes, among the college educated, in particular those already several rungs up the economic ladder.
For the vast majority, whose precarious situations of quiet desperation eat away at their day to day peace of mind, "Joy" is hardly what they're looking for from their government. Stability maybe? Economic and cultural? Some kind of lifeline in health care or child care or both? Some reduction in stress, inflation, and the forever wars?
Too many of them, I suspect, will hear the echoes of Obama's rallying cry "Hope" (and change) and remember, nay look around them and be confronted by, how that turned out.
(To be clear, Trump and the Republicans are no better on any metric, but I suspect their basic message of anger and aggression, rage even, will resonate more widely.)
Every time I hear “Joy” tied wher name and campaign, I think of this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strength_Through_Joy
Tara, you are reading my mind. This is exactly what I’m thinking.
Joy is not the only thing Harris offers. Her entire campaign is designed to address the American middle and working class anger that one of the commentators mentions here. But surely it’s not a crime to feel happy when a smart experienced charismatic politician emerges who can unify Americans and banish Trump and his abortion ban along with his Project 2025 plans. If Canadians can’t be pleased about this possibility there’s something pretty mean spirited about us. Trudeau was part of a political dynasty; nor did he have anywhere near Harris’ political experience. Harris is something new. A powerful force for change. Get used to it.
Three years in and how has she done?
Why don’t you check out her impressive political resume? She was also the American vice president and not allowed to do much except support the president. What have you done, Lucy, in the last three years to make your country a better place?
“Resume”? Susan, the era of “credentials” is outdated and we are living in the era of trust. Im not the VP of the usa. Again, what has this VP accomplished for the country during her tenure? Please stick to the argument.
You missed my point you mean. An American vice president is not the same thing as president. They are restricted in what they can do. And Harper wasn’t a great prime minister. Is that what the readers of this column are now? Dissatisfied Harperites who think Trump is less dangerous than Harris? You’re out of your minds, as Harris said the other night.
She is uniquely unqualified and useless.
Held up only by a fawning media and state sponsored propaganda entities.
I wish Substack had a thumbs down
Careful with the misinformation. Trump didn’t ban abortions - that’s false. The decision about abortions was moved to the individual states, which - considering what a divisive issue it is - is a smart idea.
Your perspective is clearly deeply influenced by the mainstream narrative. If nothing else, go listen to RFKjr.’s speech suspending his campaign and throwing his support behind Trump (the first example of a left/right alliance in history). You’ll understand what real policy issues are and maybe see how vacuous and dangerous the American left has become.
Let's skip the disses. Isn't this site about non-partisan criticism. Substance not polemics? I love Kamala. She's going to bury Trump. A worker bee not a queen bee.
Strength through joy. No negativity allowed.
You read my mind.
It is irritating, confounding and frustrating to see the same demographics that demand authenticity in just about everything they buy to be attracted to the most inauthentic political candidates.
Also the lie of liberal progressive is that they are progressives. Progressivism was a conservative movement started by Republican Teddy Roosevelt.
But the establishment feeds the young voters the propaganda of political coolness while negative branding the actual authentic and progressive candidates.
There is a saying that in democracy people generally get the government they deserve. That seems about right. They elected the vegetable Joe Biden and now they are emotionally over the moon with a cardboard cutout called Kamala.
I think they will deserve the harm that keeps coming from their stupid choices.
While not a fan of Harris and, as a Canadian who has voted Liberal and become very disillusioned with Trudeau and his party, I would vote for Harris for the simple reason that I could not vote for Trump. How anyone could vote for someone who cannot accept the results of a fair election is beyond me. If the GOP had put Trump out to pasture after Jan 2021, and chosen a new torch bearer, maybe things would be different.
Still believing the talking heads on the magic box I guess.
What a terrible reason to vote for someone. Maybe educating yourself on policy might be a better way of determining who to vote for. And for the record, just because the mainstream keeps telling you it was a fair election, doesn’t mean it was one. No one will ever know the truth, because the attorneys general of the 22 states that demanded an investigation, were refused. How do you know it was fair when no one checked the fairness? You know those voting machines, the ones that apparently got redeemed when Fox News settled that lawsuit for whatever that huge amount was? They have zero oversight. No one knows how they’re controlled or how much security they have. It’s all proprietary. No transparency. What could go wrong?
Good essay, Tara. I like how you’re bringing Canada into your American politics discussions, so your Canadian readers don’t feel abandoned. Also a great summation of Trudeau’s record.
It also brings the idiots out of the woodwork to make comments! Staunch anti-Trump and anti-Harris positions are so ill-informed, it’s pathetic. People, if all you’ve got to offer is ‘Trump banned abortion,’ or ‘Orange Man bad!’ or ‘Harris has a great record,’ get off Substack and go back to Global News.
Someone smart noted that this is all just theatre, and they were right. It hasn’t mattered a bit who’s been in power; the ship has been heading in the same direction under Dems and GOPs for decades. But something unprecedented happened last week, and that’s the union of Trump and RFK. I like RFK (although his stance on Israel (Trump’s too) is a major red flag), and he’s incredibly clear on policy. He’s also a traditional Democrat. So this means we have a union between the left and right in these two, which is really the only thing that could possibly bring some real change. Tara, please take a closer look at that, and link it to what could happen if our own reds and blues could get theirs heads out of their asses and see what actual cooperation could achieve.
I’m always surprised when journalists say that Harris hasn’t any policies. In many cases that criticism seems like code for an uneasiness with a black woman as president because she certainly has told people what her policies are, and in more detail than most politicians do. I don’t think the comparison to the United States makes sense either. We may have had an unpopular conservative Prime Minister in Stephen Harper, but Harper didn’t threaten our ability to hold elections nor was he a convicted criminal. I also think you over play the mistakes Trudeau has made. Most people I know are glad the truckers protest in Ottawa was ended and think Trudeau did a good job with Covid. The reaction against him seems more about disliking his personality and the fact that Canadian voters get sick of prime ministers after 10 years and want a change. I signed up for this Substack, because it offered a fresh perspective on issues other journalists weren’t talking about but more and more it feels like it’s taken up the standard catastrophizing approach too many journalists adopt to attract eyeballs. Too bad. I used to count on this column for honesty.
And exactly what has this "powerful force of change" accomplished in the last 4 years when she has been the #2 to a "president" who as it turns out has been incapable of governing for at least the last 2 years? This lady has no policy because she is just as much of a puppet for the elites as Biden was. She says whatever she thinks is going to get her elected at that very moment and once she is in office she will go back to redecorating her officespace and her donors will continue to loot our country and stymy our middle class. Thanks, but no thanks. If you like her in Canada you can have her. Greeting from a live long independent.
Overplay mistakes? I cannot wait to never see Trudeau’s face ever again. Harper was outstanding. Im college educated “ non pleb” btw. I would recommend subscribing to blackrocks.ca for further reporting.
Not a good sign quite often: if everyone around you and everyone you know agrees 100% with your political positions then one is living in a bubble. Or the country is in a really good place or really bad place with so much agreement.
For me: it is great to have anarchist, conservative, liberal, libertarian, Marxist and socialist friends. And throw in lots of environmentalists. The nice ones disagree with me and we stay friends.
In regards to smiling politicians: my favourite two Premiers were not always the friendliest dudes, WAC Bennett (Social Credit) and Dave Barrett (NDP), but so much of what makes British Columbia great from BC Ferries to the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) is from them. Ujjal Dosanjh is a distant third as he had two surplus budgets.
Enjoy the year of elections.