This week’s Justify Your Existence is Jacques Grondin, a member of the Montreal Ron Paul Meetup Group. Despite being a Canadian citizen, and not an American one, he’s campaigning for Paul here in Montreal, trying to raise his profile among American expatriates and Canadians who will be affected by this presidential race.
Montreal isn’t part of the U.S. Why campaign here?
Grondin: It’s a dilemma. Most of the people we talk to are Canadians and not Americans. But there are plenty of Americans in Montreal, plenty of tourists. Pierre Trudeau was very popular in the U.S. John F. Kennedy was popular in Canada and around the world. Paul fits into that class.
You’re Canadian. Why not get involved in Canadian politics, instead?
Grondin: There is no Ron Paul in Canada. The closest thing you’ll find is the Canadian Action Party, and I’m a member of that, as well. But getting into the White House is a bigger goal.
Also this week is a short profile of Matthew Forsythe’s blog at comingupforair.net. He’s an accomplished illustrator who likes to make sketches of the world around him. (He’s already put out the welcome mat for readers.)
I think the interest in American politics is the level on the Circus-Richter scale it reaches and then the impact it has on the rest of the world. Canadian politics, other than the cash payoff here and there is rather boring. It’s not boring per say, politicians, tend to stay in the realm of politics and stick to screwing that up. You rarely hear of politicians who stand for family values playing footsie with strangers in public men’s room.
I find endlessly entertaining in a Jon Stewart kind of desperate fashion.