Should Canada try to rekindle a political relationship with former president Donald Trump now that we are relatively assured that US President Joe Biden will likely lose the Nov. 5 vote?Following the disastrous June 27 debate, which saw Biden stumble and mumble like the aging oldster he is, some think now is the time for Canada to act, in order to, shall we say, "embrace the suck."That's a US military expression, for facing a terrible situation, by turning the tables and embracing it.A friend of mine told me the aftermath of the Biden-Trump debate, was like that long aerial scene in Gone With The Wind which depicted the wounded after the Battle of Atlanta.It was a wasteland of destroyed hope, for all to see.Can only imagine what Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un — the planet's new dastardly trio — thought of the performance.The damage done by this debate cannot possibly be overturned, even though I heard they might hold another one in September. Why bother?I noticed that the Biden handlers quickly threw Joe into another media event the next day, claiming that he is alert and “energetic.”Yes, right. As if we are that stupid. Folks, the man is on the brink of dementia. A disease I am fully versed in, because I have seen it in my own family.No, this was an embarrassing sheer face drop from JFK vs. Nixon.British commentator Piers Morgan, said on X, formerly Twitter:"That US presidential debate was one of the most excruciating things I’ve ever watched. As I’ve been saying and writing for the past year, Joe Biden is physically and mentally unfit to serve as President. He has to stand down."A New York Times editorial urged Biden to step down, calling his campaign, "a reckless gamble.".“Biden is toast — calling it now,” said Jay Surdukowski, an attorney and Democratic activist from New Hampshire.Added political activist, Cornell West: "Biden doesn’t have both paddles in the water. It's crystal clear who I'm voting for.” “Democrats just committed collective suicide,” said a party strategist. “Biden sounds hoarse, looks tired and is babbling. He is reaffirming everything voters already perceived. President Biden can’t win. This debate is a nail in the political coffin.” Germany's Bild newspaper led its website on Friday morning with the striking headline "Good Night, Joe!" The paper writes that the debate had been "devastating" for the president.In the U.K., The Telegraph website splashed with news of calls for Biden to quit after the "disastrous" debate. It writes that a group of Democrat congressmen were reportedly said to now be discussing the need to find a new presidential nominee.Italy's La Republica newspaper website leads with the headline "Biden disaster, Democrats looking for an alternative." The paper writes that "Trump's lies will weigh less than Biden's memory lapses."Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is also running president on a third party ticket, said: "I thought it was a sad evening for our country. The idea that this was the best we can produce, I think, is troubling and troubling not only for our country, but just for the whole cause of democracy and self-governance around the world."I would go so far as to say, the damage done by Biden’s incoherent display could extend until the next US election in 2028, when Nikki Haley will likely front the GOP.According to a Toronto Star piece by current affairs columnist David Olive, Mr. Trump remains very anti-free trade and fiercely anti-immigration.A second Trump presidency would be even more protectionist than the first, predicts Olive, which means, Canada would stand a better chance of securing trade deals with India and the U.K.Canadian trade talks with those two major economies have not gone well. Under Trump 2.0, they would take on more urgency, he writes.Canada too, a country normally accepting of immigrants, has seen rising concerns about the number of new arrivals.According to recent polls, something changed in 2023.An Environics public opinion survey revealed a significant increase in the number of Canadians who believe the country accepts too many immigrants, The Conversation reported. That marks a dramatic reversal from a year ago, when support for immigration levels stood at an all-time high.In 2023, Canada’s population reached 40 million — the first time in history, the population grew by more than a million (2.7 per cent) in a single year. The belief that immigration levels are too high is also driven by perceptions that newcomers may be contributing to the housing crisis.This view is strongly reflected in Canada's real estate sector, which is struggling to stay on top of the changing landscape.During a recent real estate awards banquet in Calgary, the moderator opened proceedings with a nasty Trudeau joke, that brought both laughter and gasps from the crowd..Some pundits also think that if Canadians recoil at a second Trump victory, they could choose Poilievre in 2025 as a steady hand on the tiller.There are also some who think that Poilievre and Trump will get along a lot better than Trudeau and Trump — the latter could not be further apart in philosophy and political thinking.Poilievre, on the other hand, shares conservative values with the GOP — mildly, of course. The leader of Canada's Conservative party is far more enlightened and the party’s best political attack dog.In fact, a poll released recently by Abacus Data suggests Canadians think Poilievre would be better than Trudeau at handling a second Trump presidency, according to a CBC report.Roughly 44 per cent of Canadians surveyed by Abacus said they believe Poilievre would be better placed to deal with Trump, while 30 per cent chose Trudeau."Perhaps most concerning in this poll is how Poilievre performs against Trudeau on the key policy areas," said Abacus Data CEO David Coletto in a media statement."He's well ahead on the cost of living, housing and managing the economy. He also has a 14-point lead when it comes to who best Canadians think can deal with another possible President Trump."Trump and Trudeau have had a fractious relationship.Trump called Trudeau "two-faced" after the prime minister was heard on a hot mic mocking Trump's long-winded press conference following a NATO meeting.John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, relayed in his book how Trump didn't like Trudeau and told his aides to attack the prime minister on the U.S. Sunday morning political shows, CBC reported.Later, after losing the presidency, Trump aligned himself with the trucker convoy that shut down much of downtown Ottawa."The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane COVID mandates," Trump said.A pro-oil-and-gas Trump could also try to revive the Keystone XL pipeline, or something like it — a potentially positive development for Alberta.In short, it's not the end of the world, as we know it, if this lying, womanizing, felon returns to the Oval Office. (God, can’t believe I said that.)Embrace the suck, my friends. I think that's our only option. The sooner we face that reality, the better..Due to a high level of spam content being posted in our comment section below, all comments undergo manual approval by a staff member during regular business hours (Monday - Friday). Your patience is appreciated.
