A US Election Campaign Like No Other
Prince George, B.C. – This year’s race for the White House has arguably been the most controversial of all US election campaigns and it will be up for discussion later this week at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).
Dr. Paul J Quirk, the Phil Lind Chair in US Politics and Representation at the University of British Columbia, will give a talk as part of UNBC’s Global Fridays Speakers Series entitled: ‘Making America Work Again? The Election, the Presidency and Congress.’
“What my talk will do is talk about the institutional problems of American politics, what the difficulties have been and talk about how it’s affecting the election and what the trends are and end up with some consideration of how the US is likely to do in the future after the election when the next president is inaugurated.”
He admits it’s been an election campaign unlike no other – at least in recent times.
“In the 19th century there used to be duels and people killed each other and accused candidates of being bastard children of some miscreant and so forth so the rhetoric was extremely colourful and harsh way back then,” says Quirk.
“But in the 20th century there’s never been an election where one candidate has been so far, namely Donald Trump, out of the mainstream of politics in his manner of behaving.”
Does he think an election like this could happen in Canada?
“I think the thing to say about that is, if you asked me two years ago whether we’d have an election like that in the US I would say certainly not,” says Quirk.
“So it’s hard to tell; I think observers of American politics have been totally taken aback and shocked by the degree to which a large fraction of the Republican constituency is completely uninterested in the advice of the mainstream of the party’s leadership. So I guess I would say unless I know better why that happened all of a sudden in the US, I would never say it can’t happen in Canada.”
Quirk’s presentation will take place at noon in Room 5-123 at UNBC’s Gathering Place on Friday.
Comments
I am so glad that I am not one of the poor souls that have to pick which person I want for president this trip around.
It is n longer picking who they think will be the best person
it has now become which one do they vote for so they don’t get the worst one.
Not a position I envy them ..our last federal election was bad enough but nothing like this puppy is going to be come.
Good luck to our American neighbors
I find most people that take the sheep approach, and mock Trump, have no idea what Hillary has done, or her shady past. People have no idea how corrupt, and evil, her past stories are, because they will not read anything beyond a headline.
Seems to me that we’ve been in the same boat with some of our elections. Municipal, provincial or federal.
Baaaaaa
I think the Donald was the best thing that could have happen . He’s not only making an ass out of himself but he is eviserating the cowardly GOP that didn’t have the guts or intellect to put the run on him . The GOP has been responsible for a decade of going from grid lock to gridlock because Obama is black . It looks good on them .
It’s just like the conservatives here in canada . They didn’t have the guts or intellect to stand up to Steve the litigator. The most man hours of labour he created was in the courts defending his lunacy .
They are both crooks, and liars. Its just that Trump is not very good at it.
” I think observers of American politics have been totally taken aback and shocked by the degree to which a large fraction of the Republican constituency is completely uninterested in the advice of the mainstream of the party’s leadership.”
This has happened in Canada before, and will happen again. Anyone remember the laughing stock of Canada, the one who was the ridicule of Late Show’s in the USA? Yup Rob Ford; even with his potty mouth, his crack cocaine smoking, his drinking and driving, his Oxycontin popping ways, he still had a staunch minority religious Conservative base. Donald Trump has this same, blindly loyal, religious support in the USA as well.
ht tp://tinyurl.com/zfd4kwl
As we can clearly see, a divisive leader like Donald Trump does what he does best, and now even his Christian Right support base in the United States is becoming divided! With all polls now showing Hillary with a double digit lead, there is no way Donald Trump, and the Republicans, can win the election. Now that the Donald is attacking mainstream Republican Party leaders who refuse to support him, and so the rift within the Republican Party is getting wider. What’s happening here is amazing… it’s like watching a snake eat its own tail.
You have no idea what you are typing do you?
Rob Ford was elected because of what he stood for not what he did at night. He was highly critical of city spending and council spending habits. In fact he only claimed $14 in his first two years expenses when he was allowed to claim $200,000 per year – stating why should the taxpayers pay for his office which is mostly self promotion. he spoke out against much of Toronto city hall’s spending practices and voted against some tax increases with the statement that if councilors claimed less expenses and perks they could “save 100 million dollars easy”. People loved him for it and had the wish he could turn the city around, his nephew is taking up the torch and was voted overwhelmingly into his vacant seat and may yet be mayor in a few elections time. His second election he asked the voters to kick out the lifers in council chairs. He was one of the few councilors who would return a call no matter what the issue, often meeting city staff to resolve problems with local constituents.
Like Donald Trump, Rob Ford had always catered to evangelical conservatives. His homophobic stance against having the Gay Pride flag flying at Toronto City Hall is just one example of many that endeared him to that base. With the Donald, of course it is his anti-Muslim rhetoric that endears him to that same base in the USA’s Republican Party.
ht tp://globalnews.ca/news/1135504/rob-ford-wants-pride-flag-outside-of-city-hall-taken-down/
In an interview with CBC News on Monday, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he’s had a kind of “come-to-Jesus” moment and said he’s “finished” with alcohol and doesn’t do drugs. Of course we all know now he was lying through this teeth, when he said he “doesn’t do drugs”, but what the heck, Rob Ford’s “come to Jesus moment” was enough to secure the blind support of his 20% evangelical conservative base.
.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rob-ford-says-he-s-quit-drinking-has-had-come-to-jesus-moment-1.2430801
However, let there be no mistake; according to evangelical Republicans, Donald Trump is the chosen one, and has been anointed by God to lead that great country… what a shock it will be when these sheeple realize that no matter how hard they pray, Donald Trump being elected president “shall not come to pass”. WORD!!!
ht tps://i.ytimg.com/vi/Uk4c2uoOF3o/hqdefault.jpg
People didn’t vote for him because he was drinking on his time off, they voted for him because he represented the people. Not just “evangelical conservatives” but everyone who contacted him. He stood up for the taxpayer at city hall, and would even come to your house after hours for a beer and a chat or meet you at the pub. 20% of the vote doesn’t win you a seat or the mayor’s chair. He was branded a racist during his first term of office and yet was elected with 80% of the vote for his second term and was even thrown back in with 58% of the vote in 2014.
He wanted the Canadian flag to fly at city hall to represent all the athletes during the Russian olympics and not just the pride flag which by your standards makes him a pinko commie homophobe – and yet somehow he was still able to garner the votes from the people.
And by that note if you check ward 2 has a majority of immigrants in its voting base the largest group being Asians, I guess by your standards that would mean immigrant voters support homophobic bible thumpers
Breaking news; Donald Trump just turned christian… for the votes of course, but what does that matter?
.charismanews.com/politics/elections/58042-dr-james-dobson-donald-trump-has-accepted-christ
The Don sure has the liberal left foaming at the mouth. Hey I wouldn’t pick either one but sure like how the establishment is shook up over Trump.
It is interesting how Clintons history and ongoing irregularities are ignored by the very biased media and how the general population is taken in by that same media. People in general sure cannot seem to recognize BS anymore.
Hillary stays married to a serial sexual predator and rabidly goes after hubbies victims defending him. That says a lot about her character and of those that support her.
Then there is Watergate, Whitewater, Bengasi, Iraqi, Libya, defense of a man who rapped a 12 year old. Oh lets not forget the Clinton emails, the Clinton foundation.
Even the editor of the Citizen seems to overlook all the vile irregularities, judging by his last comment.
Amazing.
It’s absolutely sickening & grade schoolish to watch Drumpf try to “defend” his appalling actions. No real remorse or heartfelt apology & sorrow, just ” Yeah, I said & did it, sorry, BUT, look what Bill did, he’s worse than me…” When we grew up it was reinforced over & over to us by parents & authority figures that “two wrongs do not make a right”. This is a lesson that Drumpf obviously missed or maybe felt it was beneath his station. The man is a narcissistic, sociopathic, lying pig that should not be left alone with any female, let alone left to be the leader of a nation. Hey Don, karma is a reality that comes around to kick us all sooner or later.
Is sickened by people using “grade schoolish” tactics.. Calls Donald Trump.. “Drumpf”.. Pot meet kettle..
Drumpf is his family’s real surname, Drumpf mocked & belittled families that have changed surnames when they entered America. Do a little research before you write something. To compare dodging responsibility of sexual assault & harassment to calling someone by their true surname???
So detoe Bill Clintons actions and Hillarie’s vicious defense of him is okay with you.
As far as is known, Bill Clinton was (is?) a serial cheater, the charges of sexual assault that were levelled at him were dismissed. No, I am not defending Bill Clinton, but Bill Clinton is not running for President, Drumpf is. As far as Hillary’s viscious attacks on the women Bill slept with? Have you ever been cheated on? I have, while it does take two to tango let me tell you, when someone has sex with your girlfriend, knowing she is in a committed relationship, you don’t have warm & fuzzy feelings toward either of the cheaters.
No detoe, you have it wrong. Bill Clinton was impeached, disbarred from practicing law, and fined $800,000 to his victims…. So far from dismissed.
Pending pervert charges for Trump
Innocent until proven guilty.
But his buddy Epstein is a convicted sex offender.
Give it a Google
27 times Bill ditched his secret service detail to fly on Epstein’s sex plane.
Somebody should check Orange Julius’ birth certificate. I have a sneaking suspicion that tRump was born back in Doucheland. :D
His grandfather ran brothels in Alaska.
detoe here is the man that Hilary defends, what a woman and she has the gaal to say she defends women’s rights and issues.
ht tp://albertpeia.com/oxfordassault.htm
So how come Hillary gets a free ride?
Ignored by biased media? Thats so funny. Have you heard of Fox news….it’s a pretty big news service in the US. You should check it out. I love how the right wing nuts in the US complain about the biased media but fail to acknowledge Fox news
I used to find Fox News highly partisan… Now they are the closest thing to unbiased media they have in America. CNN is the new Fox News. I used to think CNN was the gold standard in news, and now I can’t even watch it for all its partisan manipulation of the news. It’s sickening to watch. If one watches a Trump speech and then watches CNN coverage of that same speech one will never view that network the same again.
They take sound bites completely out of context to push an agenda and it’s an injustice to democracy. Democracy only works when voters are informed. What CNN does is try to drive the issue with manipulation of facts and events for their own agenda and in doing so they show their disdain for the democratic process.
I lost faith with CNN when it became obvious enough they were pushing the race riots agenda for ratings, making hero’s out of terrorists, and trying to manipulate coverage of the so called Arab Spring. Their coverage of Trump now just goes to show the level of sewer they now belong to. It’s not even journalism anymore. So sad, considering this was the go to news source pre 9/11.
Channeling Alex Jones right here at 250 . Amazing ! From Ezra to Alex . Thank goodness the lunatic right is such a minority . They only sound like a crowd because they are loud and angry . Clement just slithered out of the neocon leadership race . Something to do with too much money spent on gazebos .
And thank goodness the lunatic left is a minority as well..People please don’t lean so far left or right that your brains fall out of your head..
For those that obviously haven’t a clue . Watergate was Richard Milhouse Nixons down fall . But go ahead blame Hillary . Maybe the Donald and you could blame her for the civil war as well . Maybe she has a time machine and shes messing with the price of gold . Ask Alex Jones I’m sure he’s on it .
Ataloss suggest you catch up, lying Hillary got her devious ways starting with Watergate.
Seamut, I suggest you check your “news” sources before you post links to crap & innuendo. The Clinton/Watergate story has been floating around for years & has been thoroughly debunked time & time again. Other links you provide go to conspiracy theorist websites like Capitol Blue that provide entertaining but laughable content.
Actually detoe44, Hillary was terminated at the conclusion of the Watergate inquiry. It is completely true that Zeifman accused her of being a liar and unethical during the impeachment inquiry and would have fired her if he could have during the inquiry. He has been consistent in his criticism of Hillary Rodham and at her termination advised her he could not/would not recommend her for any future considerations. He states that he regrets not having reported her actions to the bar.
The only thing Hillary’s campaign replied to was that she was not fired during her work on the House Judiciary Committee.
32,000 deleted emails! Both candidates are…totally unacceptable and not qualified.
The real question is … why are we discussing american politics ?
Ours are bad enough .. Harper . Trudeau . these 2 are cut from the same cloth as the retards in the states !
Because in this election the US foreign policy is about to take a whole different route. No matter the outcome Canada had better stay on its toes with strong leadership.
The reason they both suck and are the best that they can put into the white house isn’t anything to do with party politics. It’s a deflection tactic in order to take away from the real problems with USA and exactly who runs the country. The president is a figurehead plain and simple. He is a talking head that can take credit for good and be blamed for bad. The 2 party system allows each party to take turns at the so-called helm. Big business and big business interests truly run the country. When one party supposedly owns the house and the other one owns the senate, they can point at each other and blame each other for doing nothing and the voting public can simply blame the system. Gun control issues in the US. Business based decision. Foreign Policy issues in the US? Business based decision.
Anyone who can stand behind that orange faced bad hair day windbag and offer support, I think you’re nuts. Also can’t say much for the other candidate.
The decision to let Hillary Clinton off the hook for mishandling classified information has roiled the FBI and Department of Justice, with one person closely involved in the year-long probe telling FoxNews.com that career agents and attorneys on the case unanimously believed the Democratic presidential nominee should have been charged.
ht tp://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/10/12/fbi-doj-roiled-by-comey-lynch-decision-to-let-clinton-slide-by-on-emails-says-insider.html
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