The Impact of the 2004 Elections
| Published date | 01 June 2005 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200506000205 |
| Date | 01 June 2005 |
| Author | Andrew Cohen |
| Subject Matter | Values, US and Canadian |
Andrew
Cohen
The
impact of the
2004
elections
on
the
Canadian-American
relationship
Oh,
how different things might have been.
In
the weeks before the re-election of George W. Bush last November,
as the polls suggested the race was a dead heat, Canadians began to enter-
tain the idea of John F. Kerry as the next president of the United States.
Indeed, the more the media discussed Kerry's election, the more it seemed
like
it might actually come to pass. When the votes were counted,
of
course,
it
was a fantasy. But if many Canadians were convinced that Kerry would
win and even more were surprised when he
didn't,
it reflected the
unpopu-
larity
of Bush in Canada.
For
Canadians, who usually prefer Democrats over Republicans, John
Kerry
was especially appealing. Kerry represents moderation, intelligence,
and familiarity. He skis, plays hockey, and speaks French. He likes the Kyoto
accord,
the International Criminal Court, and universal healthcare, and
opposes capital punishment and drilling in the wildlife refuges
of
Alaska.
A
native of New England, which
drew
waves of French-Canadians in the
1920s,
he knows where Canada is and he
understands
its climate, physical
and
psychological.
His is a lettered, curious, cosmopolitan mind. He knows
the creases in the map of the world.
Andrew
Cohen
teaches
journalism
and international
affairs
at
Carleton
University
in
Ottawa.
He is the author oj'While Canada Slept: How We Lost Our Place in the
World,
a
finalistfor
the
Governor
General's
Literary
Awardfor
Non-Fiction
in
2003.
I International Journal | Spring
2005
| 351 |
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