Who cares?
I interrupt my sort-of vacation to marvel at how politically cunning the prime minister of Canada has become.
You’ll forgive me for the slacker pace of my recent postings. I have been on the mother of all road trips between Jacksonville and New Orleans and back to Pensacola Beach, with another week or so in my beloved Huntsville via Montgomery. It’s my extended birthday month celebration because it’s not every day you turn 55.
Anyway. I pulled myself away from the lovely beach to look at the Twit machine and imagine my lack of surprise when I saw the frothing and associated to-do over Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “who cares?” response when asked when was the last time he spoke with Donald Trump.
Pierre Poilievre, the terminally irrelevant leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition (I add, because he often gives the impression that he doesn’t, what’s the word, oh yes, *cares* about the dignity of his position), tried to spin this in his favour in the House of Commons. See the self-satisfied video here.
The thing is? Carney is right. The details of exactly when he last spoke to the US President are not especially relevant. It’s not even interesting. And instead of rending their garments, my esteemed colleagues in the media would do well to focus on substantive issues instead of this simulacrum of reporting.
I’ll say it again using short words: Who gives a flying fuck when the last direct talk between Carney and Trump took place? What is this, high school? Negotiations are happening between serious people. Trump is not actually that relevant to… much of anything that has to do with Canada’s interest. So, to repeat, who cares?
Unlike most of the people who opine on Canada-US relations, I spend a lot of time south of the 49th parallel. Mostly in deep red states. Every single time I’m here I actively seek out Trump supporters to ask them about their views. Why they support him. What they think of his performance. I have been working on a longer piece about that but suffice to say it’s a hell of a lot more nuanced than you’d think if your only source of information on US politics was Canadian media.
The beautiful thing about life in America under Trump 2.0 is how… normal it is. I arrived in Florida Friday before last, just as the shutdown was sort of ending. Everything was working as usual, and people were being, unfailingly, their usual friendly selves. This country is so much more, so much bigger, than the current demolisher of the White House.
Mark Carney is right to shift his focus away from one increasingly insignificant man and towards more… interesting dance partners. Maybe in time my friends in the Canadian media will catch on.