Yeah, I agree. I enjoy joshing and teasing but things have been too awkward btw the US and Canada for the past few years - it just felt disrespectful - not like teasing.
I don’t agree that what Trump said in his first term about disinfectants helping with Covid was actually that dumb. I think he was trying to get people to consider hydroxychloroquine which did have some possible value.
I agree the 51st state thing never made any sense, but I’m not clear that he was actually serious about it. I think it was just his way of dissing Trudeau.
Thank you, Brad, for clarifying your position. Trump has made so many ridiculous statements & put in place so many destructive policies, it's difficult to say which one is the stupidest, but certainly the idea of Canada as the 51st state is right up there among the worst.
I'm all for the US being more assertive regarding our own interests but I don't understand why Trump sunk Pierre Poilievre and his Conservative Party's chances in this next election.
Trump could have achieved much of what he wanted with a friendlier partner in Poilievre than he'll ever get with an adversary like Carney; and the animosity Trump's brash utterances have engendered among Canadians in general means a new Liberal government will have even less reason to be accommodating.
Part of Trump's appeal is his self confidence and unconventional approach...but sometimes he lets his oversized ego get in the way of achieving his goals.
Brad, I know you have a unique perspective on this issue, but aren't there more important topics to cover right now? We have a wannabe dictator in office and his threats to annex Canada are the least of our worries and I think you've been too kind in your assessment of him.
You make good points. It's funny to watch the same people who claim we can't have South American immigration because it would give Democrats easy electoral victories, suddenly want a country with massive socialist majorities as a State (2 Senator/however many Reps).
I'd say it also gives away the lie that MAGA isn't a completely racist movement. The biggest difference they see between Canadians and South Americans is - well, these people (Candians) look like us and *those* people don't. Nevermind that Hispanics are generally more conservative, as Anne Coulter explained to Vivek - "I could never voted for you" applies just as easily, and for the same reason, to Hispanics.
Certainly Trump was indelicate in his comments about Canada becoming the 51st US state. He likes to provoke people to reveal what they really think.
I don’t believe he was trying to torpedo the Conservatives. But they have to find a way to win that is not based primarily on how bad the Trudeau government is. You have to convince a majority of voters that what you offer is better not less bad.
In the US the Republican Party usually runs its national campaigns like that. We are less bad. And they often lose. Don’t emulate them.
While it still remains to be seen, I think Trump has realigned the US political landscape into a new majority. He only has one term left to prove it has staying power beyond him.
How can Canadians do something similar? ‘We are not Americans’ won’t be good enough either.
The proposal is so outrageous that it's almost worth considering. If carried out, it would make Trump's current tenure in office so unbearably miserable that he wouldn't want to run for a third term.
However, it must come with the caveat that once Trump is out of office, our politicians leave - no ifs ands or buts, WE'RE OUT. The U.S. and Canada go back to being two countries.
The downside of the idea of Canada becoming "the 51st state" is that the number of flaming lefties/socialists currently in office up here that have accustomed themselves to following due process (or at least have accustomed themselves to making a pretense about following it) would become like " crack addicts falling off the wagon" when confronted with their suddenly unrestricted opportunity to flout it and not have to explain themselves.
Nah, Trump always opens with the big bid as the anchor and then lets the other side talk themselves down to a counteroffer that's still higher than what he'd have gotten if he'd asked for what he really wanted outright from the start. What we'll probably get from Canada is some increased military spending and more cooperation on immigration and national security. Though I hear Alberta also has a separatist movement that's sending a delegation to the White House soon to open talks about becoming our 51st State, so maybe we actually can just adopt their more conservative provinces. I imagine that would be a massive legal mess to sort out, but from what they say they have more in common with Montana than they do with Quebec and if so then they'd fit right in.
Trump's deal making skills have landed him in bankruptcy court 6 times. His business credit is junk, just like his morals.
His negotiating skills are only what he claims them to be if you believe him rather his actual business history. He believes trade is a "win-lose" proposition, which makes him a thug, not a businessman. Thugs don't "make deals," they loot.
Slamming our allies with tariffs, tanking the world financial markets, destroying our own dollar and future borrowing, then fleeing from his own policy and reversing course *without getting anything in return*.
Then he gave Big Tech a loophole for Chinese imports with - nothing in return.
Let me just get MAGA responses out of the way; Tariffs are going to make us wealthy and are great, now that he stopped them it was the plan all along, it's 4D Chess, the real target is China - except we've cut ourselves off from trade and pushed other countries towards China.
This was easily the stupidest episode of American history follow closely by - hey, let's ignore the Supreme Court and joke about it on TV. Rule of law? Pahhh. Who needs it? Let's just do stuff and tell people to believe us.
That's only going to work for the MAGA heads who'd jump off a cliff if Trump told them too. This keeps up Republicans are getting slaughtered in mid-terms next year and Trump's Presidentcy is effectively over.
You aren't aware that 'Anchoring' is a fairly standard negotiating technique?
Seriously dude, you don't need to read "The Art of the Deal" or like Trump to have a passing familiarity with the practice. I've been following the coverage and so far even his tariffs are paying off in trade concessions. Say whatever else you will about the man, he got pretty solid results last term and his moves seem to mostly be paying off this time as well. Your dislike of him is really immaterial to his results.
Yeah, I agree. I enjoy joshing and teasing but things have been too awkward btw the US and Canada for the past few years - it just felt disrespectful - not like teasing.
NO! CANADA will be 53 rd state, after DC and Puerto Rico. Don't you know anything?
Mrs. Redneck asks the same question with some regularity.
I don’t agree that what Trump said in his first term about disinfectants helping with Covid was actually that dumb. I think he was trying to get people to consider hydroxychloroquine which did have some possible value.
I agree the 51st state thing never made any sense, but I’m not clear that he was actually serious about it. I think it was just his way of dissing Trudeau.
Thank you, Brad, for clarifying your position. Trump has made so many ridiculous statements & put in place so many destructive policies, it's difficult to say which one is the stupidest, but certainly the idea of Canada as the 51st state is right up there among the worst.
I'm all for the US being more assertive regarding our own interests but I don't understand why Trump sunk Pierre Poilievre and his Conservative Party's chances in this next election.
Trump could have achieved much of what he wanted with a friendlier partner in Poilievre than he'll ever get with an adversary like Carney; and the animosity Trump's brash utterances have engendered among Canadians in general means a new Liberal government will have even less reason to be accommodating.
Part of Trump's appeal is his self confidence and unconventional approach...but sometimes he lets his oversized ego get in the way of achieving his goals.
Perhaps what Trump wanted from Canada wasn't an ally and trade partner, but a bogeyman he can use to stir up his base.
Brad, I know you have a unique perspective on this issue, but aren't there more important topics to cover right now? We have a wannabe dictator in office and his threats to annex Canada are the least of our worries and I think you've been too kind in your assessment of him.
You make good points. It's funny to watch the same people who claim we can't have South American immigration because it would give Democrats easy electoral victories, suddenly want a country with massive socialist majorities as a State (2 Senator/however many Reps).
I'd say it also gives away the lie that MAGA isn't a completely racist movement. The biggest difference they see between Canadians and South Americans is - well, these people (Candians) look like us and *those* people don't. Nevermind that Hispanics are generally more conservative, as Anne Coulter explained to Vivek - "I could never voted for you" applies just as easily, and for the same reason, to Hispanics.
Bravo. Do drive by one day
Certainly Trump was indelicate in his comments about Canada becoming the 51st US state. He likes to provoke people to reveal what they really think.
I don’t believe he was trying to torpedo the Conservatives. But they have to find a way to win that is not based primarily on how bad the Trudeau government is. You have to convince a majority of voters that what you offer is better not less bad.
In the US the Republican Party usually runs its national campaigns like that. We are less bad. And they often lose. Don’t emulate them.
While it still remains to be seen, I think Trump has realigned the US political landscape into a new majority. He only has one term left to prove it has staying power beyond him.
How can Canadians do something similar? ‘We are not Americans’ won’t be good enough either.
3 minutes into the Margaret Trudeau interview and I could understand why Pierre "helped her out the door." Beautiful, but irrational and boring.
Yeah, I would have kicked her out, too. :)
The proposal is so outrageous that it's almost worth considering. If carried out, it would make Trump's current tenure in office so unbearably miserable that he wouldn't want to run for a third term.
However, it must come with the caveat that once Trump is out of office, our politicians leave - no ifs ands or buts, WE'RE OUT. The U.S. and Canada go back to being two countries.
The downside of the idea of Canada becoming "the 51st state" is that the number of flaming lefties/socialists currently in office up here that have accustomed themselves to following due process (or at least have accustomed themselves to making a pretense about following it) would become like " crack addicts falling off the wagon" when confronted with their suddenly unrestricted opportunity to flout it and not have to explain themselves.
Thanks for this, and how tragic for Canada. Trump is evil, and few seem to want to stop him. These are scary times.
Nah, Trump always opens with the big bid as the anchor and then lets the other side talk themselves down to a counteroffer that's still higher than what he'd have gotten if he'd asked for what he really wanted outright from the start. What we'll probably get from Canada is some increased military spending and more cooperation on immigration and national security. Though I hear Alberta also has a separatist movement that's sending a delegation to the White House soon to open talks about becoming our 51st State, so maybe we actually can just adopt their more conservative provinces. I imagine that would be a massive legal mess to sort out, but from what they say they have more in common with Montana than they do with Quebec and if so then they'd fit right in.
Trump's deal making skills have landed him in bankruptcy court 6 times. His business credit is junk, just like his morals.
His negotiating skills are only what he claims them to be if you believe him rather his actual business history. He believes trade is a "win-lose" proposition, which makes him a thug, not a businessman. Thugs don't "make deals," they loot.
My favorite Trump "negociation"?
Slamming our allies with tariffs, tanking the world financial markets, destroying our own dollar and future borrowing, then fleeing from his own policy and reversing course *without getting anything in return*.
Then he gave Big Tech a loophole for Chinese imports with - nothing in return.
Let me just get MAGA responses out of the way; Tariffs are going to make us wealthy and are great, now that he stopped them it was the plan all along, it's 4D Chess, the real target is China - except we've cut ourselves off from trade and pushed other countries towards China.
This was easily the stupidest episode of American history follow closely by - hey, let's ignore the Supreme Court and joke about it on TV. Rule of law? Pahhh. Who needs it? Let's just do stuff and tell people to believe us.
That's only going to work for the MAGA heads who'd jump off a cliff if Trump told them too. This keeps up Republicans are getting slaughtered in mid-terms next year and Trump's Presidentcy is effectively over.
You aren't aware that 'Anchoring' is a fairly standard negotiating technique?
Seriously dude, you don't need to read "The Art of the Deal" or like Trump to have a passing familiarity with the practice. I've been following the coverage and so far even his tariffs are paying off in trade concessions. Say whatever else you will about the man, he got pretty solid results last term and his moves seem to mostly be paying off this time as well. Your dislike of him is really immaterial to his results.
Name 1 trade concession he's gotten, from any country.