Obama’s illegitimate child

Posted by admin on Mar 10, 2009 in Issues & Ideas | 0 comments

Canadians were excited to host President Obama in their home and native land on Feb. 19. This was Obama’s first foreign trip as President of the United States. Granted, most presidents make their first international trip to Canada. In 2001, however, President Bush made his first foreign trip to Mexico and in 2005 to Europe. About 2,500 spectators lined the streets of Ottawa to watch Obama’s motorcade make its way to Parliament Hill and catch a glimpse of him. This is in stark contrast to the thousands of protestors who greeted former President George W. Bush for his final visit to Canada.

Most Canadians sadly do not follow their own country’s politics, let alone our neighbour to the south. That being said, we literally spent months listening to Obama campaign advertisements as they bombarded our televisions. It was these short sound bytes and glossy images that made admiration and adoration of Obama a staple in the Canadian household.

Just prior to our own federal election, it was found that 70 per cent of Canadians would have voted for Obama over John McCain. This survey was done on a worldwide scale, and concluded that the world would elect Obama four to one, giving him a huge majority. Furthermore, Canadians preferred Obama to any of their own leadership candidates. In 2009, Obama’s approval rating soared above 80 per cent in Canada. This is even higher than in the U.S., where it is about 70 per cent.

Why is there this obsession for Obama? Obama seems to have won over Canada with very little effort. A breeze through the bakery, an award-winning smile, six hours out of his day, and we’re in his back pocket. One would think Prime Minister Harper visits the odd bakery, he certainly smiles and spends virtually everyday here. Finally, Harper hasn’t called Ottawa “Iowa” like his American counterpart a couple weeks ago, yet there’s no pastry named after him like the “Obama tail.”

In fact, our Prime Minster has begun to make a name for himself in the U.S. with very favourable media coverage. The Wall Street Journal stated last week “there is a vacuum in conservative leadership in North America and on the world stage, and Mr. Harper is stepping into it.”

Star-struck Canadians need a couple of reality checks: First, Canada is the largest foreign supplier of oil to the U.S. Second, Canada imports the largest amount of U.S. goods. Let us all recall that stars fade. Obama has no responsibility for raising Canada and thus cannot be our adopted father, no matter how popular he is. President Bush holds the record for the highest presidential approval rating at 92 per cent, yet he also holds the lowest final rating for an outgoing president since the Gallup polls began.

Undoubtedly, Obama has earned his position as President of the United States. He has touched the hearts of people across the world with his historic election and charisma. However, his job is to look out for the interests of the American people, not the Canadian people. Celebrity status is hard for anyone to maintain. Obama is more than a celebrity as he has policies to make. Let his status be judged on his policy rather than his charm. At best, he is Uncle Obama. Uncle Obama will return to woo the crowd again when he finds the time, and perhaps next time he will even spend the night.