Wednesday November 9, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Wednesday November 9, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay – Wednesday November 9, 2016

Donald Trump wins, America elects an unthinkable president

President Donald Trump. Believe it.

Trump pulled off the unthinkable once again on Tuesday, this time with colossal global consequences. The Republican businessman and former reality television star was elected president of the United States, completing an astonishing rise from political laughingstock to leader of the free world.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay - Wednesday November 9, 2016

Trump’s victory, perhaps the most staggering election outcome in the modern history of major countries, was a repudiation of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who was favoured in polls throughout the campaign but was widely considered dishonest and inauthentic. And it was the biggest triumph yet for the populist nationalism that has shaken countries from Britain to Venezuela.

Trump’s win may produce a period of international political, military and economic upheaval. Even before the race was called, the Dow futures market fell by 750 points, a sharper descent than immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks. Canada’s immigration website crashed.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Justin Trudeau's fight with the forces of Brexit and Donald Trump Tuesday June 28 2016 Six months ago, Justin Trudeau went to Davos, Switzerland to pitch the World Economic Forum on a vision of shared prosperity, proper leadership and embracing diversity. A day later, David Cameron appeared on stage and tried to explain why he was preparing to plunge Britain into a referendum over its membership in the European Union. "Now, some people ask me, 'Well, why are you holding a referendum?'" he acknowledged, after explaining that his aim was for Britain to remain within a "reformed" EU. "I think it's absolutely essential to have full and proper democratic support for what Britain's place should be in Europe and that's why we're holding the referendum.Ó Oopsie. If Cameron is invited back to Davos next year, it will be as a former prime minister. He will no doubt be asked to reflect on how and why his deeply divided country decided to remove itself from the European experiment in common cause, possibly precipitating the breakup of the United Kingdom in the process. There is possibly a lesson here in how one should be careful and cautious when conducting national debates about foundational matters (like, say, electoral reform). But there are, as well, hints that what happened in Britain on Thursday night was driven by economic exclusion, political alienation and fears about immigration. Precisely the sorts of things Trudeau has seemed eager to be seen as standing against. "Simply put, everybody needs to benefit from growth in order to sustain growth," he said in Switzerland. "I believe in positive, ambitious leadership," Trudeau explained. "We need to trust citizens. "We need societies that recognize diversity as a source of strength," he added. "Not a source of weakness.Ó His is the government of the "middle class" and "real change" and 25,000 Syrian refugees. Back in January, Trudeau's appeal to div

June 28 2016

Clinton and President Barack Obama had called for a comprehensive rejection of Trumpism — his disparagement of women and minority groups, his disdain for democratic norms, his rage. Instead, a majority of white voters, and enough others, rejected their message of inclusion and incremental improvement in favour of Trump’s promise of radical transformation.

They granted immense power to an erratic, never-elected and habitually untruthful candidate whose behaviour and policy positions have alarmed much of the world — and who will face no organized opposition in Congress. Republicans retained control of the House of Representatives and appeared likely to keep the Senate. (Continued: Toronto Star)