Canada, a country where Joe Biden can always laugh

There is an arrogance displayed by Canadians in regards to our American neighbours. We often accuse the Americans of a deliberate willful ignorance of the wider world around America’s borders, but the same pious finger pointing could be just as easily used to stab the motes in our own Canadian eyes when it comes to understanding our immediate neighbors. Canadians often make the assumption that sharing a common language, a similar British historical root and a long undisputed border gives us special insight and understanding into the psyche of our neighbors to the south.

This often leads to Canadians being entirely befuddled by prevailing American political attitudes. This is why the re-election of George W. Bush was such a surprise to not only Canadian media, but the general Canadian population. How Americans, ordinary Americans, perceived the Bush presidency from 2000-2004 was so radically alien to what most Canadians believed Americans felt about President Bush. Partially, the main stream media in Canada was to blame for reporting nothing but its’ own anger and angst with the Bush White House, and then, labeling the reports a fair and balanced representation of American viewpoints.

The re-election of George W. Bush was not a surprise to me only because I spent a great deal of time reading and listening to what ordinary Americans were saying outside the rarified air of NY Times, Time, Newsweek or the LA Times. CNN was not ‘representative’ of middle America, and has not been for at least a decade – if not more – and this, in spite of the fact that almost every cable company in Canada carries CNN as part of its basic or plus basic cable package.

During election circa 2012 Canadians will be once again be utterly befuddled if the Republicans manage to take the White House. I have yet to see any Canadian MSM reporting that Romney is now leading in the Electoral College, and in fact, most of the mainstream polling is reflecting a Romney lead. I have not read any Canadian news articles reporting Obama’s support among women voters is dropping.


Instead, what we get from our media is this. Bruce Springsteen endores Obama. Barack Obama gets support from Canada’s small-business bosses and how can I forget Haroon Siddiqui’s latest? And I quote, ‘It’s more than his language that makes Mitt Romney yesterday’s man.

Until Canadians learn to view their neighbours through a thoroughly American lens - we will never truly understand our neighbours to the south. I am not suggesting or endorsing Mitt Romney for POTUS, but what I am saying is this; do not be surprised if the presidential race is much closer than Canadian media would lead you to believe.