Canada 2015-25 and Beyond: New Hope or Phantom Menace?

[Max Peck]

I have to wonder if this fixation with acquiring territory (Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal Zone) is purely a Trump thing, that hopefully dies with him, or if it's becoming a MAGA/GOP thing that will persist until it's accomplished by one means or another. In the long term I've taken it as a given that at some point the USA is going to absorb Canada -- it's a natural outcome of climate change, if nothing else -- but until recently I never considered it to be an existential threat that might come to pass in my lifetime.

[IceBear]

Same. I do think it started as a joke, but now it's taken on a life of its own with his followers. I wouldn't be surprised if he does annex us in the next four years. He'll try his economic warfare, and then when we retaliate with tariffs of our own, he'll claim its against national security and get the military involved

[Rumpy]

It's a weird thing because nobody else as far as I can remember as been so fixated. I don't believe for a single minute that he meant it as a joke, not with the air that it's taken. It's so snide and arrogant. To be coming from a President-elect where words have impact, it's 10X worse due to visibility and position as a leader . I've always predicted that it would take on a life of its own with his followers, given that much of what he says is taken as gospel, which further encourages him.

[stimpy]

Time to reopen my Tin Foil Hat business before them new tariffs hit......

[IceBear]

It's a weird thing because nobody else as far as I can remember as been so fixated. I don't believe for a single minute that he meant it as a joke, not with the air that it's taken. It's so snide and arrogant. To be coming from a President-elect where words have impact, it's 10X worse due to visibility and position as a leader . I've always predicted that it would take on a life of its own with his followers, given that much of what he says is taken as gospel, which further encourages him.

Well, not a joke, joke. More of a way to shake the Canadian government originally to get his way

[Rumpy]

More like because he can throw his weight around to get what he wants.

[IceBear]

More like because he can throw his weight around to get what he wants.

Yup, and I know Trudeau wanted to avoid the tariffs, but when he went down so quickly to kiss the ring that just emboldened Trump.

[Roman]

I see this all as the same bluster ' and mexico is going to pay for it' type of hyperbole. Great for sound bites and the talking heads but has zero substance to it.
If the world is upset at Russia for trying to annex Ukraine how do you think that will play out for the US trying it on us up here?

[waitingtoconnect]

I have to wonder if this fixation with acquiring territory (Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal Zone) is purely a Trump thing, that hopefully dies with him, or if it's becoming a MAGA/GOP thing that will persist until it's accomplished by one means or another. In the long term I've taken it as a given that at some point the USA is going to absorb Canada -- it's a natural outcome of climate change, if nothing else -- but until recently I never considered it to be an existential threat that might come to pass in my lifetime.

I think such a merger may happen organically but if it’s by force then it will never happen. Canadians have to want to join the United States.

From what I can see there are some in Canadas business community who would like to join but not many beyond that.

This article suggested it in 2014. And it’s not a new idea.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story ... da-105610/

[Holman]

It's a smokescreen. As long as the media is fixated on Trump planning to acquire Greenland or Canada or the Canal, no one is looking at the crony deals and kickbacks that will be the real point of his administration.

It also excites the MAGA base, because potential conquest is what tough guys do.

[GreenGoo]

Honestly guys. I get that it is annoying but really...

He just spews crap and when he gets a bite from the media, he runs his mouth to see how much mileage he can get out of it. He's not even smart enough to do it as a smokescreen. It's purely about attention from the media. That's it. That's as much as his brain can think ahead.

It's as if he's a Pavlovian dog but Pavlov is also one of his dogs, so he and media ring each other's bells until they run out of saliva.

[IceBear]

I'm just not sure I buy that he's mentally competent to be that cunning

Edit: or what Greengoo said

[Rumpy]

I see this all as the same bluster ' and mexico is going to pay for it' type of hyperbole. Great for sound bites and the talking heads but has zero substance to it.
If the world is upset at Russia for trying to annex Ukraine how do you think that will play out for the US trying it on us up here?

I don't think it's bluster at this point. He's said it way too often, like he's some sort of broken record. He's OBSESSED with it. And what's particularly disturbing about all of it, is that he's willing to disturb the peace we've had between both countries. This guy was elected and now he's going to cause us trouble by just being in proximity. No thank you. I consider what he's said and done to be a diplomatic faux-pas.

[LordMortis]

It's bluster. He has no urge to use the military against anything not domestic, much less against an ally or 3. His desire to avoid active military a means of "keeping peace" is something his large isolationist base appreciate (as would I under different circumstances). That said, his art of the deal is still so far beyond unacceptable you can't see unacceptable from where he stands.

He's made my nation in to "Dogs" by Pink Floyd.

[Holman]

I see this all as the same bluster ' and mexico is going to pay for it' type of hyperbole. Great for sound bites and the talking heads but has zero substance to it.
If the world is upset at Russia for trying to annex Ukraine how do you think that will play out for the US trying it on us up here?

I don't think it's bluster at this point. He's said it way too often, like he's some sort of broken record. He's OBSESSED with it. And what's particularly disturbing about all of it, is that he's willing to disturb the peace we've had between both countries. This guy was elected and now he's going to cause us trouble by just being in proximity. No thank you. I consider what he's said and done to be a diplomatic faux-pas.

He has a set of Greatest Hits that excite the base and massage his ego. He plays them every chance he gets.

He was already promising to "Lock Her [Hillary Clinton] Up" even before his first election in 2016, but he never took anything but rhetorical action against her even when he was president. This is like that.

Surely he is more obsessed with her than he is with Canada, which he seems only to have noticed a couple of months ago.

[Rumpy]

I see this all as the same bluster ' and mexico is going to pay for it' type of hyperbole. Great for sound bites and the talking heads but has zero substance to it.
If the world is upset at Russia for trying to annex Ukraine how do you think that will play out for the US trying it on us up here?

I don't think it's bluster at this point. He's said it way too often, like he's some sort of broken record. He's OBSESSED with it. And what's particularly disturbing about all of it, is that he's willing to disturb the peace we've had between both countries. This guy was elected and now he's going to cause us trouble by just being in proximity. No thank you. I consider what he's said and done to be a diplomatic faux-pas.

He has a set of Greatest Hits that excite the base and massage his ego. He plays them every chance he gets.

He was already promising to "Lock Her [Hillary Clinton] Up" even before his first election in 2016, but he never took anything but rhetorical action against her even when he was president. This is like that.

Surely he is more obsessed with her than he is with Canada, which he seems only to have noticed a couple of months ago.

Well, you have a point. But I do wish he'd have more respect for our Country. I do feel like he's way more aggressive this time around as compared to his first term. Remember, he did want higher tarrifs the last time around too, only companies banded together to point out how foolish it was going to be, and he eventually backed down. I feel like he's full-steam ahead this time around.

[Holman]

I see this all as the same bluster ' and mexico is going to pay for it' type of hyperbole. Great for sound bites and the talking heads but has zero substance to it.
If the world is upset at Russia for trying to annex Ukraine how do you think that will play out for the US trying it on us up here?

I don't think it's bluster at this point. He's said it way too often, like he's some sort of broken record. He's OBSESSED with it. And what's particularly disturbing about all of it, is that he's willing to disturb the peace we've had between both countries. This guy was elected and now he's going to cause us trouble by just being in proximity. No thank you. I consider what he's said and done to be a diplomatic faux-pas.

He has a set of Greatest Hits that excite the base and massage his ego. He plays them every chance he gets.

He was already promising to "Lock Her [Hillary Clinton] Up" even before his first election in 2016, but he never took anything but rhetorical action against her even when he was president. This is like that.

Surely he is more obsessed with her than he is with Canada, which he seems only to have noticed a couple of months ago.

Well, you have a point. But I do wish he'd have more respect for our Country. I do feel like he's way more aggressive this time around as compared to his first term. Remember, he did want higher tarrifs the last time around too, only companies banded together to point out how foolish it was going to be, and he eventually backed down. I feel like he's full-steam ahead this time around.

I understand. He's a moron with moronic political ideas, and this time there are fewer guardrails.

I do expect that his most economically catastrophic ideas will generate soft-pedal pushback from those who know how to direct his attention elsewhere. If nothing else, people with a lot to gain and lose have learned that he must be manipulated in order to safeguard their holdings.

[Rumpy]

Yeah, and that's what's so scary about it. I feel like we're facing a crisis like we never have.

[Holman]

Yeah, and that's what's so scary about it. I feel like we're facing a crisis like we never have.

I'm not being glib, but welcome to the club. Somehow the USA has decided to flirt with stupid authoritarianism, and the rest of the developed world has been taken by surprise.

It sucks.

[Rumpy]

Yeah, it definitely does. It's going to be a rough 4 years, if he manages to last that long.

Hopefully something miraculous happens and he's forced to resign.

[hepcat]

Come on grease and salt! You’re our only hope!

[Kraken]

Come on grease and salt! You’re our only hope!

He's slipping faster cognitively than physically. Soon they'll have to do what they accuse the Biden administration of doing -- restrict his public interaction and spin what they can't avoid. The difference being that while Biden was trending vague and sleepy, trump is stark raving mad. They have to to prop him up through the midterms but it's going to keep getting harder and harder, and after that he's no longer necessary.

Or he could die and save everyone a lot of trouble.

[Roman]

Well, you have a point. But I do wish he'd have more respect for our Country.

He doesn't even respect his own country. Its all bluster and won't / can't happen FFS.

[IceBear]

WTF...I just heard a snippet of an interview of Ford on FOX News and the FOX guy was offended that we don't want to join the US.

[Holman]

WTF...I just heard a snippet of an interview of Ford on FOX News and the FOX guy was offended that we don't want to join the US.

Being offended on behalf of the Right is Fox's entire brand.

[IceBear]

Too many seem to share that now for my liking...including quite a few of my coworkers apparently...sigh...so f'ing mad right now...almost want to quit

[hepcat]

So you know Canadians that want Trump to absorb Canada into the U.S.?

[IceBear]

So you know Canadians that want Trump to absorb Canada into the U.S.?

No, I work on an international team and most of the Americans I work with don't really see a problem based on comments

[hepcat]

Ah, okay. I was surprised that it sounded like you had Canadians longing for American stewardship.

[Kraken]

Well, we couldn't very well make the entire country one state. Especially a mostly-blue state. We'd have to gerrymander your provinces to turn 3/4 of them red before they'd be eligible for statehood.

Out of idle curiosity, if Canada's provinces all became states in their current form, how many would be blue vs. red?

[GreenGoo]

Yeah, and that's what's so scary about it. I feel like we're facing a crisis like we never have.

I'm not being glib, but welcome to the club. Somehow the USA has decided to flirt with stupid authoritarianism, and the rest of the developed world has been taken by surprise.

It sucks.

Don't worry, our incoming conservative government is going to also be lead by an incompetent and a province decidedly out of sync with the rest of the country. We are headed for our own pains irrespective of America's shenanigans, although there is some correspondence (2nd meaning) between the two.

[GreenGoo]

Out of idle curiosity, if Canada's provinces all became states in their current form, how many would be blue vs. red?

Literally all of them would be blue red. Even the ones that think they are red blue. Because America's ideas about right/left are decidedly out of step with the rest of the world.

P.S. Colours are reversed up here.

[IceBear]

Well, we couldn't very well make the entire country one state. Especially a mostly-blue state. We'd have to gerrymander your provinces to turn 3/4 of them red before they'd be eligible for statehood.

Out of idle curiosity, if Canada's provinces all became states in their current form, how many would be blue vs. red?

Probably our prairie provinces - Alberta is our Texas - would be red. I do think there were 13% of polled Canadians that said they'd be fine with joining the US (maybe that number is wrong, but I remember being surprised with how high it was) and most of those were young men from Alberta. Now that Trudeau is gone, that number is probably a lot less...think a lot of them just said that to "Fuck Trudeau!"

[IceBear]

Don't worry, our incoming conservative government is going to also be lead by an incompetent and a province decidedly out of sync with the rest of the country. We are headed for our own pains irrespective of America's shenanigans, although there is some correspondence (2nd meaning) between the two.

Yup. not looking forward to that, especially with all the cuts he's proposing to health care and pensions

[Holman]

Out of idle curiosity, if Canada's provinces all became states in their current form, how many would be blue vs. red?

The liberal leaning areas would be lumped together into one state while the conservative areas would be divided into a dozen or more Dakotas with two senators each.

[WYBaugh]

Why would anyone want to join this shit hole country?

[GreenGoo]

Why would anyone want to join this shit hole country?

Because you hate the same things they hate. Bathrooms are for 1 gender only, dammit.

[hepcat]

Why would anyone want to join this shit hole country?

We're going through a rough time with idiots running the show, but hopefully that will change. We're still far from the worst country in the world.

[WYBaugh]

Why would anyone want to join this shit hole country?

We're going through a rough time with idiots running the show, but hopefully that will change. We're still far from the worst country in the world.

It was an older Trump comment. And just a joke.

[hepcat]

Why would anyone want to join this shit hole country?

We're going through a rough time with idiots running the show, but hopefully that will change. We're still far from the worst country in the world.

It was an older Trump comment. And just a joke.

Ah, okay. I was hoping it wasn't an indication that you were giving up.