For a few moments during Wednesday’s presidential debate (mercifully the last), Donald Trump appeared almost presidential. He said exactly the same things he has said at every debate, but at least he didn’t go off the rails, which was as close to being presidential as we’ve seen from him.
But, Trump being Trump, we knew that wouldn’t last long. Asked by moderator Chris Wallace is he would accept the results of the election despite his claims that the election is “rigged”, Trump refused to say. “I will keep you in suspense,” he said. Hillary Clinton, and the post-debate commentators, were “horrified”. Accepting defeat graciously is one of the hallmarks of American democracy. Even Al Gore, who actually won more votes than George Bush, accepted the results. For Trump to say that he might not accept the will of the people hints at dire things to come. He could provoke his already rabid base to go to greater extremes, perhaps claiming Clinton was not the legitimate winner, provoking public unrest. Trump, the egomaniac (or maybe megalomaniac … some kind of maniac, anyway), is playing with fire by hinting he may not accept the outcome. (Almost as a sidelight, he called Clinton a “nasty woman”, which provoked the usual Internet feeding frenzy.) This man is truly dangerous. Fortunately, his polling numbers are dipping into Hillary landslide numbers.
Hey, America, you’re great. Bet you didn’t know that.
A Toronto advertising agency has produced a video called Let’s Tell America It’s Great. The stated aim of the video is to boost America’s flagging spirits during this race-to-the-bottom election campaign. Some people like it, others not so much. Personally, I think it’s gag inducing. Americans, of all people, don’t need to be told how great they are. The whole production is so so condescending, I would be surprised if a lot of Americans found it smug. Late night comic Jimmy Kimmel sure did; as you can see here.
Postmedia puts another foot in the grave
The Postmedia newspaper empire, owners of most daily newspapers in this country (including the former rivals Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Sun) announced another quarter of major losses. Postmedia’s net loss spiked by 84% to $99.4 million, thanks to another huge loss in advertising sales, down 20%. In the past year, Postmedia laid off 800 full-time employees and amalgamated newsrooms across the country. Now, they’re offering buyouts again in an effort to cut payroll costs by 20%. There is virtually nothing left of the daily newspaper business in this country. The Edmonton Journal is a pathetic shell of a newspaper, and the Sun is worse. This is a national disaster, and a tragedy. But Paul Godfrey, CEO of the sinking newspaper ship, keeps his job and his massive salary.
Cleveland rocks!
The Cleveland Indians (or should we call them the Cleveland I-Word?) did millions of Canadians a huge favour this week by eliminating the Toronto Blue Jays in the Major League Baseball playoffs. How could I say such a thing? Am I not a Canadian? Do I not cheer for all Canadian teams? Well, no, I do not. Toronto is Canada’s most insufferable city, so obsessed with being ‘world class’ that it is almost ashamed of being located in frumpy, dumpy Canada. Toronto is a wanna-be American city, and I for one cheer on every defeat the city suffers. Adding to the sanctimoniousness, the famous architect Douglas Cardinal asked a court to rule that the name ‘Indians’ be disallowed, forcing the team to wear uniforms without the ‘I-word’, and it’s fairly insulting logo. Thankfully, the judge thought the whole thing was idiotic and threw out the case, saving Toronto and the entire country huge embarrassment.
So, thank you, Cleveland. Good luck in the World Series. Anytime you want to beat Toronto at anything, I’m there for you.
RIP
Jean Gagne, 69, Canadian pro wrestler who began his career in Stampede Wrestling, eventually becoming a manager in the WWE who carried around a sign that said, “USA is not OK” … Kevin Meaney, 60, American stand-up comic … Valerie Hunter Gordon, 94, inventor of the disposable diaper.
In This Corner 
Well, Maurice, I’d never accuse you of being progressive. Your weekly blog reads more like a diary, and your recent lapses into ridiculousness such as this hate for Toronto from your perch in the nether reaches of Edmonton are laughable.
I live in rural NS with no connection to T.O., and made the big three score and ten myself without managing to descend into vitriolic comment about other parts of Canada. Jeez, get a bit more with it, why don’t you? I have a lot of relatives in Alberta who manage to vote Liberal without being so wound up with envy of Toronto that it leads to spluttering diatribes of utter nonsense.
However, I shall break my own general rule here on criticizing other parts of the country, and state that when certain Albertans can rid themselves of their abject preciousness and navel-gazing, their long-held need to be important on the Canadian stage beyond relying on the digging up of resources as though anything more than geological luck happened to place then there, not the innate genius of Albertans themselves, the better off this country will be.
And that includes understanding the need to not use aboriginal terms to name sports teams. Americans are notoriously unaware of their past and present treatment of indigenous peoples, as they are on anything else, particularly beyond their borders.
Yet you essentially argue for the American approach by pouring scorn on others for attempting change.
Canada is trying hard to come to an understanding of the past injustices we foisted on native peoples. Yet redneck Alberta named their big hockey franchise the Edmonton Eskimos. Quelle surprise. Meanwhile Torontonians are tring to change these things – hardly the behaviour of a city longing to be American. Your skewed logic makes little sense.
If both you and Alberta want to be regarded with more than derision by other people in this country as the place with big hats and big self-important opinions, it’s time to become modern, if, that is, one wants to label oneself progressive in the first place.
Some introspection is in order, I think.
I see I have to correct myself. Eskimos are of course the CFL franchise, but the point is the same.