I’ve admitted previously that I’m an election junkie.
I love a good election campaign: the debates, the ideas, the speculation of who will get in. I love to discuss the campaign with people who want to have thoughtful debates.
So this fall, I’m in my element. On Oct. 26, we have the provincial election. Eight days later, we get the U.S. presidential election. (As well as a bunch of other elections). And six days after the U.S. election, we have our municipal vote.
I’m enjoying two of them. The other one, I’m looking forward to its conclusion.
It should be easy to guess which one frustrates me.
The U.S. presidential race has been everything you figured it would be. An easy to mock showdown between two candidates with a combined age of more than 150. Both of them inspire people like me to ponder how Donald Trump of the Republican Party and Joe Biden of the Democrats could be the best their respective parties could find.
Trump has seemingly upped the ante on the bluster and belligerence. He’s lobbing the insults and trying to lower the level of the discourse. Biden, meanwhile, is reaffirming his critics’ beliefs about a lack of charisma and energy.
The first presidential debate earlier this month was predictable, with Trump interrupting and disrespecting Biden every chance he had. Biden wasn’t exactly presidential in his conduct, either.
I’ve seen better debates involving drunk people in bars.
If I wanted to watch a couple of grumpy old men, I'd watch the highly underrated mid-1990s comedy, Grumpy Old Men, starring the great Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon.
So when a subsequent debate was called off in the wake of Trump’s COVID-19 positive test, nobody seemed to be upset. After all, it takes a special type of person to sit through those shouting matches. And you have to question the intelligence of those who actually enjoyed it, or who thought that either candidate came off well.
I watched parts of Thursday's debate. It was better, but only after a mute button was introduced to prevent them from talking over each other. The fact that a mute button was needed to control them is rather indicative.
A lot of people love Trump. While I’m not one of them, I do get it. These are often people who have been left behind by previous leaders of both political parties suddenly. But Trump supporters now have a president who plays to them, who wants to have them at his rallies and chant and act like it’s a mutual admiration society.
He’s empowered a lot of people, although some of them are people who should not be empowered.
As for Biden, it’s a damning statement when I say that one of his best attributes is that he’s not Donald Trump. Sure, he brings experience to the table, and he’d no doubt do a better job of guiding the U.S. through the issues of the pandemic and race relations, but he’s not exactly a candidate worth getting excited about.
Perhaps his greatest asset is the person he selected to be his running mate, Kamala Harris, who had much of her education in Canada.
Regardless, if I had a vote in the U.S. election, I’d be researching the third party candidates and the independents.
The U.S. presidential election campaign has reaffirmed my fondness for Canadian politics. Yes, we’ve seen our federal elections often degenerate into attack ads as opposed to discussions about ideas and improving the lives of Canadians, but the issues we have with our elections pale in comparison to what’s happening in the U.S.
Watch our provincial election candidates’ forum last week. There were some contentious points, but at least Sask. Party leader Scott Moe would allow New Democratic Party leader Ryan Meili to articulate his points, and vice versa.
And if they were allowed to shake hands before or after the debates, you get the feeling that they would do so with respect for each other.
If Trump and Biden were to shake hands before or after their kindergarten show earlier this month, you’d think it was the most disingenuous handshake in recent political history.
As for our upcoming civic election, those of us who are fortunate enough to have such an election should feel fortunate. Many municipal elections were decided by acclamation.
In Estevan, we have a great field of candidates. I’m looking forward to the next few weeks, especially the candidates’ forum on Oct. 29, which could go a long ways in deciding who will get my vote.
In smaller communities, including Estevan, you get to have a level of connection with your mayor and councillors that you won’t get with your MLA or MP.
That’s why it’s so important to care about the civic election.
