There is nothing a politician loves more than a boost from the media—especially a newspaper that normally disses him. Vice President Mike Spence considers it a win if the New York Times just mentions his name. For the newspaper to suggest that he might be a Republican candidate for the
Continue readingTag: American politics
Babel-on-the-Bay: The Trump Technique.
The media were all atwitter the other day when they got some leaked transcripts from the White House of conversations President Trump had with other countries’ leaders. They got them and did not understand them. They did not seem to understand the technical term for the technique he was using;
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Cabal.
Writers search every day for the right words to describe the calamity in the American White House. You can hardly call it an administration. Though there is a school of thought that it might be referred to as a maladministration. It struck me that Mr. Trump might be attempting a
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Our poster-boy PM is the answer?
Despite the wild ravings of Rolling Stone Magazine, our Prime Minister has to whip Canada into shape before taking on the added burden of the American presidency. Donald Trump’s job is safe, for now. In corporate terms, Justin Trudeau might be able to pull off a reverse takeover, (That is
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Missing Sean Spicer.
President Donald Trump has no sense of balance. He also has very little sense of humour. We counted on his press secretary to give us that bit of fun that made the White House scene safe for family entertainment. But Sean Spicer is gone. He has been replaced. It takes
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Who’s congratulating Trudeau?
Stephen Harper’s PMO had a revolving door for communications people, so it is not too surprising if we do not remember one of them. This is in reference to an op-ed in the Toronto Star last week by someone named ‘MacDougall.’ What was noticeable about the article was that he
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The history of image politics.
It must be your age that determines when history began. Reading an op-ed in the paper last week, there was a public relations guy who thought that image politics only went back to the time of American President Ronald Regan. He must have missed the lecture on the image of
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A purchased presidency.
Is it possible to place a price on the American presidency? Can its worth even be determined? Whatever the price might be, it probably is nowhere near the damages being done to America’s honour and reputation by Donald Trump. And why nobody has thought to sue him remains a mystery.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The NRA’s ‘Call to Arms.’
Anywhere but America, this would be considered an act of treason. Why anyone involved in directing the National Rifle Association of America is not locked away at this time is the question? Instead the argument rages as to the truth of a recent advertisement created to support the NRA. To
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Rule of law beats bigotry.
We should all get down on our knees and thank whatever God we worship that we live in a land ruled by law. This argument over a multi-million-dollar settlement and an apology for Omar Kadr is a disgrace. It is not a political decision. It is a legal settlement for
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The tremors of Trump.
Each year at this time, we do a little introspection. While Canada Day 2017 is as joyous as ever, we feel it is the impact of the American President that causes those ground tremors we are feeling. The man seems to stomp a lot. At first, we were under the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Inviting President Trump.
In politics, you are not always able to dine with people you like. All to often you have to deal with the position rather than the person. And in the case of someone such as the President of the United States of America, the position outranks the person. And what
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Trials of Trump’s Translators.
The news that there is a serious search underway to replace President Trump’s loyal White House spokesman Sean Spicer is sad. That poor befuddled man has become something of a favourite of the media. And where else would you find someone with the experience required, stupid or vain enough to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The anger factor.
A reader on the west coast asked the other day if we are seeing anger in Liberal ranks directed at Prime Minister Trudeau’s disrespect for the party? What was strange about the question was that most of that anger is building on the west coast. The flash point will be
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: How would Harper have handled Trump?
When listening to Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland give her very important speech on the new world order, there was one disturbing thought. It was a silly question as to how would our previous prime minister have handled the situation? The one thing for sure was that Stephen Harper
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Trials of Trump’s Trekkees.
We knew that U.S. President Donald Trump would be a continuing problem as long as his followers remained loyal. They certainly kept mute as mounting evidence of his narcissistic personality complex became irrefutable. (Maybe they were unaware that it meant he only loved himself.) They appear to think he is
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Trump’s travels as ‘The Ugly American.’
U.S. President Donald Trump has been out of the country this week. Life in Washington has been more peaceful. While Congress is despairing, trying to make sense of his budget, they have sent Trump to the Middle East and Europe on a pilgrimage to find his true religion and meaning.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: When the Pope meets the Antichrist.
The arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump in Rome needs a Cecil B. DeMille style Hollywood epic production. It would have trumpets and bass drums, rolling black clouds in the sky, flashes of lightening. We would see a Donald Trump dressed in black, towering over the gargoyles of Hell in
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The darkening clouds of the Trump presidency.
President Donald Trump took his case to the graduating cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy the other day. They did not rise up in support. They were surprisingly polite. And probably dumbfounded. Trump’s problems are not their concern. When you are commissioned as a junior officer of the United
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Spicer embarrasses all press secretaries.
Donald Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer is earning press secretaries a bad name. You would like to think it is not because he is totally incompetent. He might just have an impossible task for an impossible client. President Trump does not make the job any easier. We used to refer
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