The US election continues to ignite Canadian fascination

I can still recall Harper throwing Canada into its 2008 federal election. I was the only student in my fifth grade class who could name every leader from each major political party. Only a few students knew who Stephen Harper was, but everyone was aware of the John McCain versus Barack Obama debate going on down south. This isn’t to say that the 2008 American presidential election wasn’t worthy of attention. On the contrary, this was the first time that an African American presidential candidate had gotten as far as becoming his party’s nominated candidate, let alone becoming president of the United States. However, it seems that every American election is a historic one, at least from the Canadian perspective. American politics, in general, seem to be more interesting to Canadians. So, on behalf of the nation, I pose this question: why are Canadians so obsessed with American politics?

To begin, it’s pure comedy. Canadians love a good laugh and American politics have consistently provided great humour. From Bush indignantly saying, “They misunderestimated me” to pretty much every single Sarah Palin interview, there is simply no way to keep a straight face when discussing American politics. I’m sorry, but NDP MP Pat Martin asking to be excused from the House of Commons because his underwear was too tight simply doesn’t cut it.

If Canada wishes to reach the American level of political comedy, they need to go quail hunting and shoot a 78-year old attorney Dick Cheney-style.

According to the Bell Media polls for 2015, the top ten most watched late night talk shows in Canada are all American, including The Daily Show with John Stewart, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Not only are these shows American, but they are comedic satire news shows. This means that even if Canadians aren’t invested in US politics, they are inevitably exposed to them from an entertainment perspective. In fact, Canadians are so taken with American shows that it would not surprise me if it was John Oliver’s sketch on the 2015 Canadian federal election that made some Canadians realize that they needed to go vote the next day.

Through these various talk shows, it is evident that American politics are entertaining. It is not simply because the hosts are excellent comedians, but rather because they have excellent material to work with. Indeed, American politicians have personalities enhanced by extensive media coverage, forcing viewers to discuss personality over policy. Presidential charisma has been acknowledged throughout history with leaders such as Bill Clinton, and the most charismatic of them all, John F. Kennedy.

Presidents become celebrities because they merge the social world with the political world. You know what’s even better? Celebrities who go on to become presidents. For instance, Reagan was a Hollywood actor prior to taking office. Don’t even get me started on Donald Trump (although not president at the moment, and hopefully never) who is a business leader made famous by his self-help books and role as host in the reality TV show The Apprentice.

These kinds of personalities know how to make a show out of everything they do. Watching any of Trump’s rallies proves this. When has a Canadian candidate ever hired three girls to sing a song about how great that leader is? Never. The most entertained that I ever felt in Canadian politics was when Trudeau and Brazeau stripped (nearly all the way) and punched each other to raise funds for cancer research. What makes it even more exciting is knowing that Brazeau was put under the spotlight a few months later during the Duffy scandal.

That brings me to my next point: American politics contain lots of drama. People love drama, they crave it. Drama makes politics more exciting and more important than the politicians themselves. I can assure you that every 90’s kid has heard Bill Clinton say, at least once, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Scandals have been a significant part of American politics. Although Canada has had its share, it’s just not the same –and Americans agree. Nearly every American scandal has reached the ears of Canadians, but the only Canadian politician to “make it big” was Rob Ford, as he was able to make an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Now, I don’t wish that Canadians had more to brag about drama-wise, or even comedy-wise, when it comes to politics. On the contrary, I wish Canadian politics were simply acknowledged for what they are a little more often.

So why are Canadians so obsessed with American politics? To say that it’s because the United States are our neighbours and their politics ultimately affect ours is only true for some. Most people are disconnected, and know more about Frank Underwood from House of Cards than they do about Justin Trudeau. To the Canadian public, American politics is a never-ending reality TV show. Canadians feel as though they are at a safe enough distance to consider it a detached reality. However, if politics is a TV show, then the citizens of the world constitute the live audience. What they don’t realize is that ultimately, they are writing the script.

Featured image courtesy of Tess King