Progress anyone?

I’m early with this post, but I can’t help myself. This subject has been bouncing around in my head for a couple of days. When an idea is begging to get out, you just have to roll with it.

In my last post I mentioned I was given a President Obama T-shirt as a gift from my wife. We both had followed the 2008 US presidential election and were overjoyed, and relieved, when Barack Obama took office. Many people are inspired by President Obama and will likely continue to be for years to come. One can imagine once his term(s) in office conclude, he will remain a fixture on the US political scene and maintain a high profile.

I received a number of looks from students and faculty as I walked around campus wearing this shirt. I felt I was getting looks of ‘Where did you buy that?’ by many people. I admit, I wore this T-shirt with a certain amount of pride. Curiously, there were some people who’s expression became slightly more wrinkled as their eyes fell on Obama’s likeness. Did they not agree with the politics of the man, or simply that I’m an Obama ‘booster’ on the wrong side of the border. That’s one beauty of political democracy, or at least our definition of it. Opinions are free to sway either way. So, what’s available to me on the north side of the 49th parallel?

Well everyone, here he is smiling in front of you. It’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a photo that appears to be reaching out for the PETA vote. The kitten does not look convinced and already looks bored only weeks out of the mothers womb.

Media lampooned Stephen Harper in the 2008 election campaign for his series of ‘armchair chat’ commercials wearing his v-neck sweater. They seemed contrived and staged just like the T-shirt above. (this T-shirt does not exist, the photo is just an overlay) I thought I might as well fashion a shirt just as contrived as those sets of commercials were. I could have found a better photo featuring Prime Minister Harper, but it is a shirt I would still choose not to wear. Over and above his politics, he’s just not that likable nor does he inspire “PROGRESS” like the US President.

Come to think of it, I can’t think of any politician in Canada I feel strongly enough about where I would wear their likeness on my person. I’m sure they’re mostly nice people. I don’t hold anything personal against any one of them. Any politician I have seen so far in Canada does little to inspire. There is one hope, but his political feet are barely wet.

Maybe it’s celebrity culture in the US that allows politicians to elevate in the hierarchy of citizens minds. Image politics has been huge over there for a while and it’s something they have learned to do very well (for better or worse). Americans voted 53 per cent in favour of Obama’s rise to the American presidency. It was a decisive win for an american political system that had seen its series of mistakes. Canadians did not go out in droves for Stephen Harper in 2008 as only 37.6 per cent of Canadians voted for him. It would appear many people in Canada at the time were not sold on the idea of Harper for Prime Minister. I guess 15.4 per cent is the difference between getting your likeness on a T-shirt and largely being ignored.

Luckily, we avoided the need for another election this past Friday and politicians won’t have to project their image too deliberately for a while. Maybe by the time were ready for an election that will actually be about issues, we’ll have someone who is T-shirt worthy.