With the Canadian election just recently over and vote day for the American election just around the corner, it’s difficult not to pay attention to what’s going on. One phenomena I had not figured out was (and is) the intense interest in Barack Obama. A surprising number of Canadians actually would have preferred to vote for the American president rather than their own Prime Minister.
The reason couldn’t have been Obama’s politics. In the US he is considered to be the most liberal candidate in their history, yet Obama is still somewhat right of centre. By Canadian standards he is definitely not centre or left. Obama’s call “Yes We Can” call for change couldn’t have been the reason either. Of the paltry 59% who chose to cast a vote, the majority of the minority voted for the leader who campaigned on no change because change was too risky. continue →
