What a coincidence. Within the space of 24 hours, the Trudeau Liberals and the Trump Republicans moved to quash the electoral reforms they vowed to enact once elected.
Yesterday was Canada’s turn, with Parliamentary Reform Minister Maryam Moncef crapping on a Commons committee for doing what it was mandated to do. That was to come up with alternatives to the winner-takes-all electoral system that won the Libs the last election.
Today, it was President-elect Donald J. Trump’s turn. His supporters filed legal challenges to stop presidential election recounts in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Lawyers for Green Party leader Jill Stein admit there’s no chance the recounts will change the election outcome, which saw Trump take the Electoral College vote even though Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by a significant and growing margin.
“In an election already tainted by suspicion, previously expressed by Donald Trump himself,” Stein said, “verifying the vote is a common-sense procedure that would put all concerns around voter disenfranchisement to rest. Trump’s desperate attempts to silence voter demands for recounts raise a simple question: why is Donald Trump afraid of these recounts?”
The Michigan board split, 2-2, along party lines, meaning the Trump objection failed and the recount will continue. Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have yet to decide.
North of the border, Moncef spent today apologizing to her Commons colleagues. Moncef, on probation for falsifying her right to refugee status, will pay dearly in the first cabinet shuffle. The Trudeau brand took its second hit in as many days (Kinder Morgan Wednesday, electoral reform Thursday).
Worse, there’s the growing perception that Trudeau is just another opportunistic politician and his vow of electoral reform was electoral bullshit. The same fickle media which was fawning over Canada’s lordling short months ago is listing his broken promises and comparing him with his predecessor.
That’s not the worst of it. Canadians used to nod off when the topic of proportional representation came up. Now they’re wondering why the same people who were howling for electoral reform in Opposition are now trying to tell us it’s a bad idea.
Until this week, I dismissed the R word. Now I’m thinking a referendum on electoral reform is the only way forward.
We thought they were polar opposites, but Trudeau and Trump share certain basic concerns, such as retaining power. My pal Peter nicknames them the Trudeux.
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