Guelph's Going to Protest Trump Too

You may have heard about the more than 200,000 people that are heading to Washington D.C. this weekend to protest incoming President Donald Trump. You may have read about the quartet of Guelph women who are going to join them. But if you can't make the trip yourself, or even go to a solidarity march just down the road in Toronto at Queen's Park, then there's good news. The Royal City's going to show their anti-Trump colours too.

Top 10 National/International Stories of 2014

To borrow a Rocksidean phrase, it's been another busy year, and since I'm an internet journalist with a seasonal dearth of creativity, it's that time of the year for lists. Again, Guelph Politico will count down the stories of the year in two lists, the National/International stories and the Local/Provincial Stories. Going first is the Top 10 on all matters of federal and global importance, with wars and rumours of wars, pestilence and politicking, and political quakes in Alberta and Quebec all making the cut. To widdle this year 2014 down to just 10 big things was a bit of a chore, but I'll leave it you, the reader, to decide if its reflective of your experience.

Guelph Politicast #4.7 - Dave Regos, Producer of DIVIDE IN CONCORD

We are no strangers to water issues here in Guelph. Whether it's our system of water use monitoring, or the ongoing battle between local conservationists and a certain bottling plant south of the city, Guelph has been at the forefront of the debate in the ways we use, protect, and replenish the world's most valuable resource: drinking water. At the intersection of municipal politics and water protection is a new documentary called Divide in Concord, which chronicles one woman's quest to ban single-serve, non-reusable bottles of water in her hometown Concord, Mass. That struggle is coming to Guelph this weekend when Divide in Concord screens at the Guelph Film Festival.

#McConnelling?

When this popped up last night on The Daily Show it seemed so bizarre that it had to be made up, but if you go to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell's YouTube page, there it is. The above video is either an example of media savvy in extremis, or a complete and utter lack of self-awareness, it's a very thin line. What Jon Stewart and The Daily Show writers picked up on was how ripe the video is for parody, and they have challenged viewers to go #McConnelling by putting the video to a piece of music of their choice. As Stewart predicted, the video seems to work with just about everything as evidenced by the other videos posted below.

Movie Review - Mitt

Mitt Romney was the candidate no one wanted, but still, everyone agreed that he would be the Republican nominee in the 2012 presidential election. Romney wasn’t the most charismatic, he wasn’t that convincing, and in a time of deep economic recession, no one liked the idea of a rich white guy calling the shots. He was a Mormon, the son of a rich business executive and governor, and he himself had made millions - some would say - buying up companies, firing everyone and selling them for parts. It’s not hard to paint Mitt Romney as unlikeable, but that’s part of the reason that Mitt is such a surprise.

Top 10 National/International Stories of 2013

Last week, I looked at the Top 10 Local and Provincial stories of 2013, and, as promised, we now open our scope wider to the national and international stages. I believe I said that last week's list was easier to compile than this one, but the struggle with the National/International Top 10 was a "Sophie's Choice" of which stories make the cut and which to leave off. A couple of the stories below could be easily separated into their own categories, but since the year was jam-packed with activity, I can be understandably forgiven to fold a couple of things together in order to create a more inclusive picture of the year that was. So, without further ado, let's look at the national and international news that made the head of the headlines in 2013.

Remembering that Day in Dallas

Today marks 50 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy while on a campaign swing through Dallas, TX. Like with a lot of tragedies, the weather that day presaged anything but doom. On a bright and sunny Texas afternoon, Kennedy and his lovely wife were driven down Elm Street, through Dealey Plaza, with the top down on the Presidential limo when three shots rang out, the third one fatally wounding the young President. To merely say it was a day that changed everything sounds like something of an understatement. Franklin Roosevelt called the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941 - a day that would live in infamy, but November 22, 1963 would truly be a day that would live in infamy. 

Thoughts About the Zimmerman Verdict

In what was another sterling example of how the law and justice are sometimes not the same thing, last night's verdict in the George Zimmerman trial found the would-be neighbourhood watch enforcer not guilty of second degree murder against teenager Treyvon Martin. To some, it will seem like Zimmerman got away with murder, to others it's a vindication of Zimmerman and his "second amendment rights," a man unfairly pilloried due to a misunderstanding. The truth, as usual, is somewhere inbetween, but one thing is undeniable, if George Zimmerman wasn't walking around armed like some kind of urban cowboy cop wannabe, Treyvon Martin would have celebrated his 18th birthday this past February. 

He's Actually Doing It!

As of right this minute, right now, Rand Paul is standing up in the well of the Senate House in Washington D.C. actually filibustering. To those of you who are maybe not that political, this doesn't sound like a big deal, but the filibuster, in the full Mr Smith Goes to Washington understanding of it, is as rare as bipartisan support these days. Granted, Paul is basically doing it to be a dick.

Lessons from "Lincoln"

I finally got the chance to see Steven Spielberg's award-winning Lincoln the other night. How could a dyed in the wool politico wait so long to see such a seminally political movie? Sue me, I'm busy.

Anyway, there's much to recommend the film: production design, cinematography, and yes, the tremendous performances. But this is not a film review blog, although I do have one of those, for these purposes let's focus on the politics the film explores.

The focus of Lincoln is predominantly on the passing of the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the measure that effectively, and legally, eliminated slavery in the United States. With the Civil War nearing its end, there was concern amongst abolitionists that President Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, which declared all slaves in rebel territories freed, was only valid as a measure under Lincoln's emergency war powers. When the war was over, any slaves declared free may find themselves enslaved again. So enshrining the freedom of African-Americans across the entirety of the United States was a priority.

In Memoriam

 Hopefully this is the last word on the U.S. Election, and appropriately, it's a remembrance reel. From last night's Real Time with Bill Maher, one last chance to remember all the misanthropic, malcontent, and misguided politicians that made the 2012 election season more memorable. Click on play after the jump:

Pierre Poutine Strikes Again?

There were a number of issues with Florida as voting got underway Tuesday morning. There was the mysterious case of Florida Governor Rock Scott's dead set refusal to allow early voting to carry on, there was the case of the ballot machine touch screen that made every vote for Obama count for Romney, and there was an incident eerily familiar to Canadians in at least one Florida county, a case of the robocalls.

From the Tampa Bay Times: 

"This message is from your Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections," a woman says in the prerecorded call. "The general election is tomorrow. If you want to vote and return your mail ballot, please take it to any ballot dropoff site by 7 p.m. tomorrow. If you decide to vote at your polling place, please bring your mail ballot with you so it can be canceled and you can avoid delays." 

Twitter Breakdown

Donald Trump got a lot of press - and let's face it, that's what we likes best - about his now deleted, explosive and borderline treasonous reaction to Barack Obama's re-election on Tuesday. "He [President Obama] lost the popular vote by a lot and won the election. We should have a revolution in the country," Trump Tweeted as the vote was still being counted before adding, "Lets fight like hell and stop this great and disgusting injustice! The world is laughing at us."

But would you believe that Trump wasn't alone as high profile conservatives tweeting crazy things on election night?

Four More Years, And The Aftermath

Oh, what a night! Tonnes of surprises, and some other things that were not so surprising. On the one hand, Barack Obama, a man that had been written off so many times, beat handily Mitt Romney, a man who has been written off so many times... And although the election, like the campaign, was really close, there were some big winners and losers of the this past U.S. election. Let's break it down.

The Trumped Card

He said it was going to a "bombshell" and he said that news organizations like Fox News would want to cover it "big time," but what Donald Trump delivered was yet another instance of his seemingly bottomless capacity for idiocy and self-promotion.

On Monday, Trump called in to "Fox & Friends" and told them that he had a "bombshell" about Barack Obama that he was going to announce on Wednesday. As we all know, Trump is an avowed "birther" that has squandered precious time, money and air on the subject of the President's alleged (and untrue) status as a non-American. So when he went on air Monday morning, even the most Trump-skeptical, Obama-loving, left-crazy liberal were wondering what the real estate mogul and reality TV host might have on the President. 

It turns out he's got nothing. Or rather, he'd like to bribe Obama into self-incriminating. 

The West Wing Reunites for an Important (and Funny) Message

I don't know anyone that loves politics - left, right, up, down, whatever - that doesn't love The West Wing. It seems that the website Funny or Die feels the same. And in this time of tremendous partisanship is seems fitting that we get another dose of the administration of Jed Bartlett.

The video, part reunion special and part educational video, features such West Wing regulars as Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Bradley Whitford, Martin Sheen, Mary McCormack, Richard Schiff, Melissa Fitzgerald, Joshua Malina, and Lily Tomlin. It also does a pretty good job of copying Aaron Sorkin's signature dialogue patter and includes a little in-joke involved real life judge Bridget Mary McCormac, sister of actress Mary. 

 But enough with the preamble. For the first time since the series was cancelled in 2006, let's tune in now to an all new episode of The West Wing:

The Mitt Hits the Fan

It was roughly this time in 2008 that the event called "The Great Recession" began rolling. Lehman Brothers, a huge financial services firm, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 15th, 2008, thus beginning a domino effect of big banks and financial firms shuttering their doors, filing for Chapter 11 or announcing that suddenly their huge profits were really huge deficits.

As the world fell (or seemed to), then Republican Presidential candidate John McCain boldly said that he would suspend his campaign in order to return to Washington to work directly on the crisis. However, while he was in Washington, attending meetings on the crisis on all levels, instead of looking like a leader, he looked like he was barely paying attention. By contrast his opponent, then Democratic candidate Barack Obama, said that a president must be able to balance several priorities at once, and in those same meetings, looked attentive, active, asking follow-up questions and making notes; in other words, he looked like a working president. September 2008 is more or less seen as the point in the last election where McCain had officially lost his bid to become President of the United States.

Welcome to September 2012, a point where many, even Republicans, are saying that Mitt Romney lost his presidential bid.

Compounding on a series of gaffs already jamming the political pipeline is this week's release of a tape from a Romney fundraiser in Boca Raton. In it, Romney basically dismisses nearly half the electorate as moochers, beggars and parasites, people so hopelessly attached to the government teat that they'll vote for Obama out of sheer reflex. They can never be convinced to look to alternatives, because they're too busy being a leech to society, riding high on the government hog and not knowing the important American value of pulling yourself up by your boot straps. He also said, to somewhat less fanfare, that he'd be having an easier time if his father had been born an actual Mexican rather than just being born there.

I'd say that Mitt Romney shouldn't give up his day job, but running for president is his day job.

Heart of Darkness?

This week, the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Charlotte, North Carolina. But despite the eagerness of American Democrats to put on their pageant and get the word out about the awesomeness of four more years of Obama, there's still some lingering insanity from last week's Republican National Convention, and it comes in the form of action superstar and former Texas Ranger, Chuck Norris.

Any recent cool points Norris bought for himself appearing as one of the ensemble in The Expendables 2, paying off his debt as a Mike Huckabee supporter in 2008, have all been lost in an instant with this video, which, to say the least, is the worst Romney infomercial ever to hit the internet.

To break it down succinctly, Norris and his fembot wife are concerned that America is "going down the path of socialism of something much worse." They want to encourage evangelicals to get out the vote invoking that quote from Edmund Burke about how evil triumphs when good people do nothing, and further suggesting Obama's re-election will plunge the United States into 1,000 years of darkness. There was also a salute to Saint Ronald Reagan in there somewhere.

But why take my word for it? Let's go to crazy already in progress...

The Old Man and the Chair

So what was that?

It was pure entertainment, that's what it was. Amongst a media event so scripted, it might as well have been overseen by a Hollywood filmmaker, the Republican National Convention brought out an actual Hollywood filmmaker to open an evening of important speeches on its final night. Now laying aside the irony of how the party that chastises "liberal Hollywood" for its dalliances in politics while beatifying the few members of Hollywood out as conservative, I'm sure no one in the Republican National Committee foresaw the events that transpired last night.

Making his entrance like the Hollywood legend that he is, to the tune of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as if he were about to present an Oscar, the following 12 minutes were as memorizing as they were unexpected.

Ryan Rebuttle

It didn't take long for the Obama-Biden ticket to start cranking out the counter spin to today's announcement of Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wi) as Governor Mitt Romney's running mate in this fall's U.S. Presidential election. Surrogates on behalf of President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden sent out two e-mails in eight hours to supporters in an effort to start deflating the GOP's celebratory mood, by attacking Ryan on his background and policy, particularly his proposed federal budget, Roadmap for America’s Future, which includes new tax cuts, deep spending cuts and privatization of entitlements like medicare.