What Canada's Conservatives can teach America's Republicans

The Republicans in the US could learn a thing or two from Canada’s Stephan Harper’s Conservatives. Early on in the emergence of Canada’s new Conservative Party from the wreckage of the Progressive Conservative and Reform Parties, the leadership recognized that if they were going to win elections they’d have to drop divisive policies and shut their most extremist members up. In 2004 they voted to accept that Canada is a bilingual country (a reality that conservatives had long denied) and not to bring up the subject of abortion and other equally emotional issues, like same sex marriage. They also seem to have recognized that to bring up the subject of capital punishment would only cost them votes despite the fact that a majority of voters appear to support state executions.

This is something they had to do if they expected to ever form a government. That many Canadians suspected that Harper’s Conservatives had a “hidden agenda” and would act to criminalize abortion, bring back capital punishment, ban same-sex marriage, etc. played a large part in their managing to achieve only minority status in two federal elections. However, the few extremists in the party who did make headlines were very quickly and effectively shut down. It was only after voters had relaxed enough to realize that it was highly unlikely that Harper would allow such divisive issues to come to the fore that he was given a majority mandate (the fact that the federal Liberal party had self-destructed also helped).

In other words, the American Republican Party needs to work to rid itself of the image that it is a party of wing nuts. It is gratifying to see that the senate candidates who expressed views that are repugnant to any thinking person (legitimate rape—whatever the H that is—can’t cause pregnancy and rape is part of God’s plan) were defeated. But, there are a lot of members remaining in the Republican Party who can’t seem to grasp basic science and reason. Instead of denying the reality of global climate change, for example, and dismissing scientists with pejorative comments, they could present their plan for dealing with the issues. Instead of focusing on whether the current president is an American citizen or a secret Muslim, they could tell voters how they would deal with the issues in other than vague and meaningless slogans. They should distance themselves from radio commentators who characterize female university students who want access to birth control as “sluts.”

Harper’s Conservatives appear to have realized that all citizens have a vote and need to be convinced to support them in elections. To that end, government ministers have made an effort to reach out to minorities. They speak at ethnic community centres, eat dim sum, and work with ethnic community leaders. Compare that to the dismissive and condescending attitude many Republicans appear to have towards minority groups, especially those of recent immigrants. There were some interesting comments made on Fox news about how the white middle class male is becoming a minority in the USA. Instead of lamenting that fact, political parties who ignore it are hitching themselves to a dwindling block of voters.

While I oppose many Conservative policies I still feel that communication is possible and that I can debate the issues with them. I have no idea how I could ever hold any sort of conversation with someone who seems to think that God is going to unleash Armageddon unless I vote the way they think I ought to—and someone who suggests that anyone who holds views that differ from theirs are not “true” Americans—or that the world outside America’s borders is filled with envious and resentful enemies seeking the destruction and subversion of their country. I think a lot of Americans would be stunned to learn that most of the world’s population has absolutely no desire to become American citizens and harbours no feelings one way or the other towards the United States except to wish that they’d stop meddling in the affairs of other countries.

In any case...Canada’s Conservative Party has one huge advantage over their American counterparts: Canada has no television network devoted to 24 hour coverage of lies, misinformation, disinformation, and the promotion of nut-case viewpoints. Yes, I'm saying that FOX News Network is the American Republican Party’s single largest handicap. FOX helps spread the image that the Republican Party is completely divorced from reality. For example, it does not matter what President Obama does: FOX will characterize it in the most negative light it can, even if some Republicans have earlier supported the same policies and actions as the president, and, even if they have to lie to support their opinions. They would gain some credulity if they could occasionally give credit where it is due instead of digging so hard to convince their viewers that the opposite of what the “lame stream media” reported had occurred. It is FOX news that is creating the illusion that America is a deeply divided country.

Frankly, I don’t think that America is divided at all—at least not in the way the pundits would have us believe. I suspect that Americans, like most humans on this planet, are more concerned with loving their families and friends, gaining in self-respect, contributing to their societies, and just getting along than they are with the opinions of the political classes and their minions and apologists. Any political party that can’t “get” that is doomed to failure.

And that’s my two cents on the election this week.