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Will Obama and Harper get along?

PukeGreen said:
The title of this thread is telling... the word "will" assumes implicitly that Obama will win. To many of us small-L liberals all around the world the concept that Obama may lose the US election seems unthinkable. But the reality is that there's a good chance McCain will be the next US president. McCain and Obama are still roughly 50/50 in polls, and US voters are so easily spooked these days that I could see many potential Obama voters being easily swayed between now and November -- due to say, a terrorist attack or a major verbal "gaffe" on Obama's behalf -- into believing that the safe vote is to go Republican again. It seems difficult to imagine after 8 years of stunning incompetence, but such is US politics in these days, where votes are based on emotion and the closest thing to news that most people watch is American Idol.
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Never underestimate Democrats snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Besides entire segments of the US are still fighting the civil war and would never vote for a black man. The very fact that Obama is a candidate has mobilized this faction of the GOP base. McCain has a very good chance of winning. I wonder who Harper wants in more, McCain or Obama. Probably McCain.
 
McCain has strong ties to Canada, with one of his daughters living here, plus Republicans are generally more supportive of NAFTA. I'd say Harper and McCain would get along very well. It's the Obama Harper relationship that needs further consideration.
 
McCain's chances of winning the general election would probably rise as the economy goes south. Despite little base in reality, Americans often feel the GOP will be better for the economy even though, in reality, a Dem administration has usually been better.
 
Admiral Beez said:
McCain has strong ties to Canada, with one of his daughters living here, plus Republicans are generally more supportive of NAFTA. I'd say Harper and McCain would get along very well. It's the Obama Harper relationship that needs further consideration.
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I've worked with his daughter in the past.
 
Darkstar416 said:
McCain's chances of winning the general election would probably rise as the economy goes south. Despite little base in reality, Americans often feel the GOP will be better for the economy even though, in reality, a Dem administration has usually been better.
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One just has to watch Reagan's Morning in America ads on youtube to see that American's associate Carter's years of Democrat rule as an economic failure, and hail Reagan, inspite of crazy Reaganomics as a period of economic success.
 
Admiral Beez said:
One just has to watch Reagan's Morning in America ads on youtube to see that American's associate Carter's years of Democrat rule as an economic failure, and hail Reagan, inspite of crazy Reaganomics as a period of economic success.
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All you have to do is remember the years 1993-2000 to see that Americans associate Democrat President Bill Clinton with economic success.

Americans positively associate Republicans with only one issue related to economics: cutting taxes. When it comes to other economic issues like:

1) social security (remember W's plan to gut the social security system with private plans);
2) affordable health care (do the Republicans even have a health care plan?);
3) domestic spending (money for rebuilding America's infrastructure rather than rebuilding Iraq's or Afghanistan's);

the Democrats trump Republicans in terms of American perception of economic issues.
 
shumoon said:
All you have to do is remember the years 1993-2000 to see that Americans associate Democrat President Bill Clinton with economic success.
Click to expand...
Well, if Obama wins it with Hillary as VP, and then gets himself wacked (the Secret Service must be thinking this over, never has there been such a target for the KKK, etc), we could have Clinton years again.
 
Ed007Toronto said:
Considering the current state of the economy you don't think they might change their minds this time around?
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Yes... the perception (which I personally don't agree with) is on shaky footing thanks to Bush, but the person I quoted was talking more about general historic attitudes in American's eyes of the Democrats vs the Republicans in regards to the economy (not specifically this election cycle).
 
Considering the only thing they will need to address are trade issues and foreign policy in regards to the war, I think Obama could theoretically get along fine with any Canadian PM regardless if it ends up being Dion or remains Harpie.

Obama isn't particularly pro-war, Harpie may be a right winger but has no power in this field effectively, and Dion would agree. On trade Obama is a free trader, so that makes either Canadian party happy unless its the NDP or Bloc, and neither will form a majority.
 
Then again, with Harper it doesn't matter either way because he wants to be an American. I get the feeling Harper doesn't care about Canada at all, and would rather it be part of the US. So he'll lick whoever's rear he can in regards to the US Presidency.

Just another reason why Harper is the lamest Canadian PM ever.

I don't buy Harper's faux-Canadian soverign message. When he pretends like he wants Canada to control the NW passage, its because he wants Alberta's oil engine to benefit from the tax revenues from oil found in the Arctic. He just seems so single-minded.
 
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