He must have been nervous when he left Ottawa early yesterday morning to go and see Donald Trump.
He knew he would be dealing with a maniac, and that one false step could cost Canada millions of jobs.
But when the time came, Justin Trudeau made it look easy.
Starting with the now famous moment when he thwarted Trump's attempt to dominate him with his power handshake.
His decision to recruit Ivanka Trump to promote women's rights, and use her to help tame her father was simply brilliant...
As was the way he managed to avoid inflaming the orange oaf while still standing up for our values...
PM Trudeau: "The last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country" on how to govern https://t.co/OCYgz00Y0o— CNN (@CNN) February 13, 2017
Which not only impressed journalists in both Canada and the United States...
It left many Americans wishing Trudeau was THEIR prime minister or president...
Of course, not everyone was happy to see Justin Trudeau succeed.
The Mulcair Party was clearly hoping he would fail, because forget about those five million jobs, all they care about is destroying Justin.
Like he destroyed them, or they destroyed themselves...
Because that's the state they are in these days. Sad.
And needless to say nobody but nobody was more disappointed than Ezra Levant, who is flogging a new book where in his alternate reality the orange oaf Trumps Trudeau.
In his new book, Ezra Levant, the best-selling author of Ethical Oil and other trouble-making books, is here to say what no-one in the liberal media will: Trudeau vs. Trump is shaping up to be Bambi vs. Godzilla.
But then as a review of Levant's crappy book recently reminded me, that isn't the first time that smelly bigot underestimated Justin.
Trudeau vs. Brazeau, The Hampton Inn Convention Centre, Ottawa, March 31, 2012: Ezra Levant called Justin Trudeau “the Shiny Pony,” dismissing him as a ballet dancer who’d wanted to wear pink boxing gloves to the fight.
Seconds into the match, he predicted an easy first-round victory for Patrick Brazeau. Levant was wrong, of course. At the end of the unpleasantness, the Sun News personality had to step into the ring to interview the victor, as the bested and bloodied Senator from Quebec looked on.
Still, Levant tried to make the best of it: “You’re not the Shiny Pony, you’re the Stallion!” “From you, Ezra, that’s a lot,” Trudeau responded. “This must really eat you up inside.”
And I guess all those grotesque old Trudeau haters and Trump suckers are feeling the same way today...
Ouch. Some Bambi, some Godzilla.
Oh boy, when will they ever learn?
Those who would bet against their own country are nothing but LOSERS.
This is a REAL prime minister...
And it was a good day for Canada...
I am in such a good mood today because of Trudeau's success in DC. Clearly he continues to be under estimated. But that's ok ;)
ReplyDeleteTS
Ex-drama teacher--used to dealing with prima donnas of all sexs?
Deletehi TS...yes, it's amazing how Justin Trudeau keeps being underestimate. Goodness knows poor old Brazeau did and look what happened to him. And so did the Cons and look what happened to them. During my fighting career my coach used to say, to paraphrase Ali, look like an angel and then hammer them like a beast... ;)
Deletehi jrkrideau...his acting background no doubt helped him, but so did his background as a bouncer... ;)
DeleteI was very proud of our Prime Minister on his first trip to Washington!
ReplyDeletehi Kathleen...I think most Canadians were proud of the way he performed. He was up against a maniac, and he represented us well...
DeleteThank you for this Simon, it really was a triumph to have him tame the orange psychopath.
ReplyDeletendp doesn't care about jobs lost under NAFTA, they are protectionist, so they would cheer the end of NAFTA.
Idiots.
Get some brains. "Protectionist" means protecting jobs lost to outsourcing. Anyone who thinks NAFTA created any jobs has absolutely no understanding of economics. The economy has been on a downward spiral since the first FTA in 1988. So have living standards.
DeleteOutsourcing jobs = killing jobs. Outsourcing production = lost GDP.
Free trade with a country means equalizing living standards down towards what that country has. Note that one of the first things done after NAFTA was gutting unemployment insurance benefits (by the Chretien Liberals.)
But agree that the NDP sucks. They are idiots not because social democracy is wrong. They are just incompetent idiots.
Prince Charming is certainly a master at social skills. But still a Red Tory on the economy and the environment.
DeleteI know that ignorant Dippers made it almost impossible for Trudeau to carry out his promise of electoral form – threatening "political nuclear war" if he legislated simple ranked ballots as he was planning. (Self-immolating scorched Earth tactic predicated entirely on partisan hatred.)
But he better think long and hard about this one. The total conservative vote is 40% – 10% Red Tory and 30% red meat – and a majority occurs on 40%. Not only is O'Leary going to win the Conservative leadership, he is going to reach outside the conservative tent in 2019 to achieve a "landslide" majority.
I'm an aficionado of political chess. I can tell you that O'Leary is a very shrewd player. Note how he came into the leadership race: he pretended he didn't know any French and could just shrug it off. Now it looks like he's bending over backwards trying to learn French to impress Quebeckers.
O'Leary is going to make a meal of Prince Charming 2019. The math is unavoidable. O'Leary is a rock star to conservative voters. Trudeau will get hammered from the left and the right like Count Ignominious in 2011. It's going to be a bloodbath. The only thing that can stop O'Leary is ranked ballot voting. (Then he needs 50% of the vote to win.)
Just remember: you were warned.
You mean O'Leary the parachute guy from Boston? Oh boy, what fun; Ignatiev was not here to stay. O'Leary cannot find his way to Parliament Hill.
DeleteAre the Liberals going to run "just visiting" ads? Probably wouldn't be as effective the second time around, in any case. But one can well imagine that Junior will have provided the Cons with plenty of ammo for their attack ads.
DeleteAnd what will the Liberals run on? Free trade with China? "The Land is Strong"? Real, actual, bona-fide change - we really mean it this time?
O'Leary is already tearing up the Con leadership race. Look at the polls. Look at the national polls. The Cons are on the rise - right after O'Leary announced.
I'm not a Con or O'Leary supporter. Just telling you what's going to happen. There are only two things that can stop O'Leary at this point: 1) Junior gets some brains and legislates ranked ballots; 2) the Second Coming.
My bet: the Cons will be leading in the polls before summer. (The sooner the better to perhaps erode Junior's false sense of security.)
Hi Ron
DeleteInteresting the Cons are using ranked ballots to choose their new leader but not good enough for the Canadian public. Unfortunately Trudeau was the first to blink on this issue but too late to go back now. Agree with your numbers, one choice on the right trolling for the economically disgruntled near the center versus at least 3 center to left options. Like shooting fish in a barrel, what could go wrong? Hopefully lots... the obnoxious one and Trump have many similar traits including love of excess (showers excluded) and "smart" tax avoidance to name a few.If Trump can survive being under the microscope for the next 2 years then the Cons have a good shot at forming the next government but that's a Yuuuugggeee IF.
RT
People will be so disgusted by trump by 2019 O'Douchebag won't stand a chance. Best to put Chong, he would be the biggest threat to Trudeau by far.
DeleteDoes anyone here seriously think Trump will be President six months from now? Or less?
DeleteDavid, Paul Ryan still needs some time to destroy the New Deal, ok?
Deletehi anon 8:18...I was very disappointed by the way the NDP reacted. They wanted Trudeau to call Trump a fascist, which would have been crazy, and explains why the Mulcair Party is in third position and going nowhere...
Deletehi Ron...I don't agree with you when you say O'Leary will be a real threat to trudeau in the next election. I'm afraid I can't see many millennial voting for him, even though O'Leary is more socially liberal than all the other Con candidates. However, I do agree with your position on electoral reform. I do think the NDP screwed things up by insisting on a PR option and agreeing to a referendum, which would have cemented the status quo for at least a generation. In fact it's funny, I was hoping to get in touch with you after I saw what you had to say on Rabble, and when I went back to copy some of your comments for use in a post,, I saw that they had all been deleted. Some people it seems can't face the truth...
DeleteI was also proud of Trudeau. I think he handled the situation and represented Canadians very well.
ReplyDelete-MC
Keep stepping into the light MC. Shed those Con chains and be free.
DeleteJD
hi MC...well now i am really impressed with you. I was also impressed with the way your party supported Justin's trip to Washington, and was another reason I was so disappointed with the NDP, or as I prefer to call it the Mulcair Party. Trudeau was representing our country and trying to save our economy, and all Canadians should have hoped he succeeded...
DeleteThe women entrepreneur thing with Ivanka Trump was a pre-planed calculation because both men need a life line at this point.
ReplyDeletehi anon...the Ivanka meeting was brilliant, but I don't think Trudeau needs a lifeline to the same degree Trump does. Justin may have lost a few feathers recently, but in this country he still soars above them all....
DeletePicking nits... or a conspiracy?
ReplyDeleteJT wears a wedding ring and DT doesn't.
Is 'The Donald' disavowing his immigrant wife?
Is Melania a secret Muslim?
hi anon...I try to stay away from attacking Trump's family, as I always refused to attack Harper's loved ones. But yes, I hate to think what Trump might be up to in the White House while Melania is away in New York... :0
DeleteJT handled himself very well and if anything, Trump seemed rather ill at ease by it all. The way he rambled on while trying to answer the press conference questions leads me to wonder if he has ADD, dementia or Alzheimers. Couple those with his various isms, otics, ists and obias and we're left with one very sick man.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else notice how Ivanka always seemed to end up beside JT while they were in the white house? Hmm. And given that the working lunch was designed to empower woman and guested by female CEOs, I found it odd that Sophie wasn't there.
All in all it was a cordial, positive first meeting. JT didn't say anything stupid like "we wont take no for an answer" or "it's a no brainer". He killed him with kindness. Well done Justin.
JD
Sophie probably did not want to risk the Donald assaulting her.
Deletehi JT...I was surprised that Sophie didn't go with him, but I think she probably wanted to stay as far away from Trump as possible. And that did allow Justin to focus all his charm on Ivanka. Which was very smart since she is probably the only person on earth who can make Trump behave like a normal person. And that allowed Justin to perform like a true diplomat, which may have just saved Canada at least a million jobs...
DeleteThanks Simon, you're the only reason I still read Progressive Bloggers. Like you I also can't understand how some NDP supporters could hope that Trudeau would fail when so many jobs in this country could be affected. What is wrong with them? Sometimes I feel like the whole world is going mad, but you're always a beacon of sanity.
ReplyDeleteThey are bitter and hyper privileged.
DeleteThey probably also think Hillary would be worse than trump.
Amen
DeleteJLS
hi anon 4:16...thanks a lot for your kind words. Although these days I'm not sure I'm a beacon of sanity. More like a flickering candle in a hurricane. ;) But yes, the NDP did behave in a ridiculous partisan manner. They seem to believe that the only way they can get back to respectability is by tearing Justin down, instead of impressing Canadians with their idealism and good ideas. That's what cost them the last election, and until they understand that they will go nowhere...
DeleteGo to google images and type in "Trudeau and Ivanka". You can see several photos of Ivanka staring at Justin during that meeting.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/02/15/daily-show-s-trevor-noah-mocks-ivanka-trump-s-swooning-over-justin-trudeau.html
hi David...yes, there is no doubt that Ivanka was impressed with Justin. And I think that's good, for I do think she's better than the other Trumps. She and her husband are apparently a socially liberal influence on that maniac, and goodness knows the world should be grateful for that....
DeleteTrudeau has been in this business since the day he was born. Trump hasn't. Trudeau knows how to sit, how to stand, how to talk, etc. Trump does not.
ReplyDeleteJust the picture of the two of them sitting in those yellow chairs, Trudeau, relaxed at ease. Trump sitting forward, nervous. Trump was out of his league.
Jeanie Kwan may have wanted Trudeau to do all sorts of other things, but really. trump wasn't going to listen anyhow so why send thousands of jobs down the toilet just to say something which will have no effect. the NDP on this thing doesn't get it. Although the Republicans have some real moral and ethical issues to deal with, its up to them to deal with them. Lecturing isn't going to help.
If Canadians want to help, then they might want to welcome the refugees who are coming to Canada and help organizations there with time, money and signatures. Insisting Trudeau repeal the U.S.A. from the list of countries which are considered safe will simply inflame the situation so why go there, just let those coming into Canada as refugees stay. No flame outs with the U.S.A. and the refugees are safe. However, my guess is the next complaint we will hear from Genie Kwan is too many refugees coming into Canada. Jennie is really good at complaining but not having a lot of solutions. We in B.C. have seen her act before. Did a lot of damage to the B.C. NDP. she has reached her best before expiration date, some time ago.