In 2008, after the leak of a memo from our Chicago Consulate suggesting that candidate Barack Obama was speaking out of both sides of his mouth on NAFTA, Canadians learned that it is not a good idea to get involved in the race for the White House.
In light of the contentiousness of Obama-care in the U.S. mid-term elections — the first shot in the battle for the White House in 2012 — can we now agree that this was not a good idea either?
Jack Layton: Defending Canada's Health Care: Truths and Lies
And that this was not exactly a brainstorm?
Can we also agree that the worst idea ever was the suggestion that the Prime Minister himself should go down to the United States to defend our health care system. An idea that, as it happens, found its way into Michael Ignatieff’s “Your time is up” election talk in September 2009 (which itself most people now concede turned out to be a pretty dumb idea):
“Right now, while Americans are fighting for a public health care system, Stephen Harper has refused to utter a word in defence of our own.
Liberals proudly support public health care in this country — and, unlike the Conservatives, we’re not afraid to defend it.”
In short, can we now agree that it’s a good idea for Canadian politicians to stay out of U.S. partisan politics entirely — however tempting it might be to curry favour back home by being seen to stand up for our values in the United States?
