ONE AMERICA, TWO EUROPES | 2004-09-18
John Kerry has been saying there are two Americas. According to the 2000 electoral map, it certainly looked that way. There it was for all to see, the "red" states, which ironically were the ones that voted Republican, and the "blue" states, the ones that supported the Democrats.
The red states were a picture of old, Middle America. It included the South, the Midwest, and the West. The blue states were New England, New York, California; in other words, the Northeast and the trendy West.
But this does not represent two Americas. The electorate of the blue states have exactly the same opinions of almost every issue that Canadians have. And Canadian politics is not the slightest bit different from any other European politics.
The blue states and Europeans agree on foreign policy, they agree on gun control, they agree on socialized medicine. Is there one single item of social or political outlook in which John Kerry and his voters are not entirely European?
John Kennedy had far more personal connections in Europe than he did in the United States. If it weren't for the accent, it would be difficult to tell the difference between a professor at Oxford or a professor at Harvard.
Canada is Little Europe on the American continent. So are the blue states.
There are two Europes, not two Americas.