TORONTO – “L’America”, the northern half of the Western Hemisphere, is one “sick puppy”, politically and culturally speaking of course – in every sense of the word. 

In the USA, after months of intense discussions, organizational wranglings and “judicial reviews” purposed to determine who the choices from which the public might select its leader, the presumptive Republican candidate, now confirmed, emerged: Donald Trump, the voice of the people, the voice of God – a fundamental principle of democracy, like him or not.

Then, BAM, an attempt to undo that process via violence resulted in confirming the opposite “intent”: that the disastrous performance, at the debate, by President Joe Biden would result in the abject defeat of the Democratic Party in November. Its savants (please insert the word sarcasm at any point) kicked into action.

These savants, past and current elected big wigs, along with those possessed of money, began a surreptitious campaign to undo the damage Biden’s performance foreshadowed for them. From their perspective, as in Trump’s case, the people got it wrong. By hook or by crook, Biden must abandon his post – the oligarchs cannot not tolerate a democratic wind in their camp.

A full blown treacherous campaign, led by vacuous Hollywood actors and Wall Street financial gurus, has surfaced to oust Biden. The main players, Vice President Kamala Harris first among them, are now proposing a political version of an International Soccer Tournament Knock Out Round to select a replacement. Impatience is the order of the day.

Centuries of human effort to achieve a governance model of checks and balances to restrain and contain the tendencies of a “privileged class” will be washed down the drain. We can forget policymaking designed to make the best use of resources for the greatest number of people.

A similar cabal now appears to be simmering in Canada (the Great White North) where 40% of the land mass (The Artic) is always under ice. Here, impatience has been kept at bay, thanks in part to the iron grip Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has on a Party that is generally considered to be his personal retinue. Unlike Biden, historically, he has demonstrated little patience with “pretenders” – real or perceived.

In Trudeau’s case, it would seem the oligarchs, such as they are, fulfil a tenuous role that is weak primarily because it cannot function without him. Members of that group surge periodically in the Press and the Media to be “smoked out” and dismissed as having little support in the public domain. Besides their personal “popularity is measured in single digits, and within the polling margins of error.

Nonetheless, polling numbers continue to paint a gloomy picture of Liberal chances at re-election. In Canada, despite considerable socio-economic advantages, “issues” pertaining to growth and well-being, as they relate to outcomes of competent administration, taxation, long-term planning, still matter.

The behemoth that is the economy of the USA seems impervious to these considerations, despite the political rhetoric. Not so in Canada. Variations of the theme highlighting the importance of exploiting our prodigious human and natural resources remain current. Here, the impatience is not so much associated with the ageism of our leaders as it is with the ageism of our governments. Cabals will face the same “day of reckoning” as in the USA.