Saturday night I watched, courtesy of CNN, a live Broadway performance of Good Night and Good Luck, a play about journalist Edward R. Morrow and Joseph McCarthy.
For those who are too young to remember who either of these men was, Edward R. Murrow was a renowned World War II correspondent, and Joe McCarthy was a United States Senator who, following World War II, led a movement that alleged widespread communist infiltration of American institutions, including government, academia, Hollywood celebrities, and the media.
It was a dark period in American history, denying due process, blacklisting thousands of individuals, accusing innocent Americans of communist ties without a shred of proof, and impacting both freedom of speech and democracy.
Edward R. Murrow, following his stint as a war correspondent, was a news anchor for CBS Television. In that role, he regularly became a thorn in McCarthy’s side, condemning his attacks on the American people and American institutions while most other members of the media ducked.
As I watched the performance on Saturday, named after Murrow’s famous sign-off to his news broadcasts, “Good night and good luck,” I could not help but see a mirror image of what is happening in the United States today. I was not alone in that.
One former cable anchor put it quite succinctly. “McCarthyism and Trumpism have a lot in common, the abuse of power, the lack of due process, the attack on journalists. Also, there’s an ideology – an ideology based on lies.”
Donald Trump shares many of the traits of McCarthyism, but he goes much further. Truth doesn’t matter to him. He says what he wants to say, and the veracity of what he says or the damage that results is inconsequential to him.
He uses his power to exact revenge on those who do not pay homage to him. He pardons felons who never should have been pardoned simply because, at one time or another, they licked his boots. He defies the courts, abuses his power, threatens the sovereignty of other jurisdictions, attacks academic institutions, and truly believes that the world revolves around him, allowing him to do whatever he wants.
This past week, trainloads of military equipment were pouring into Washington on the pretext of celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army. In reality, it will be a huge military parade, not coincidentally on Donald Trump’s birthday, that he will view as empowering and honouring him.
Trump will be up there, taking the salute in a manner seldom, if ever, seen in the Western World but often witnessed in despotic countries such as China, North Korea, and Russia.
Then, of course, there is the gong show currently front and centre in the United States. Three days ago, Elon Musk and Donald Trump were the best of friends, patting each other on the back, extolling their mutual virtues. Trump even gave Musk a “key” to the White House.
A day later, they were at war; Musk called Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” omnibus legislation dealing with Trump’s agenda that will sharply increase the debt in the United States, as a “pork filled, disgusting abomination.” Then he dropped hints that suggested the Epstein files, containing the names of those involved in a major underage sex scandal, would not be released by the Trump Administration because Trump himself was on that list. Finally, he called for Trump’s impeachment.
Trump, on the other hand, has been more subdued but has said he believes Elon Musk has lost his mind, and he threatened to cancel his government contracts.
I saw this sudden feud as so ludicrous that I wondered whether it was some kind of smokescreen to grab the front pages and cover up something else. After all, they are both showmen and both more than capable of subterfuge.
I mentioned that to a good friend of mine who offered to bet me $20.00 that I was wrong. I declined the bet, but still….
The bottom line to me is that because of Donald Trump’s authoritarian leadership, the uncertainty from one day to the next about where he stands on a given issue, and the pre-school antics of two of the most powerful men in the United States, we are looking at an erratic and somewhat dysfunctional administration immediately next door to us.
These are the circumstances and the reality under which Canada must deal with the Trump Administration. This should bother us very much.
I cannot think of any Canadian Prime Minister who has had to face a game-changer as serious as the one we now face with the United States. Mark Carney has his job cut out for him in dealing successfully with such an unpredictable and chaotic adversary.
I am conscious of comments directed at this writer, as well as other media, asking why we continue to write about Donald Trump.
My answer to this is that as a demonstrated unstable, untruthful, power monger, Trump is potentially a clear threat to Canada and therefore we should watch him very carefully. He, and what he does, is very much our business.
Recently, Trump doubled tariffs to 50% on aluminum and steel, which is a near-death threat to those industries in Canada. Prime Minister Mark McCarney declined to impose immediate retaliation on the United States, and many Canadians are wondering why.
Negotiations, especially those at the level of the serious issues between Canada and the United States, cannot be held in public.
It may be then that the Carney government is on the cusp of a new and better deal between our country and the United States. If that is the case, it is understandable that the Prime Minister would not want to rock the boat. He will be safe for years to come if he can pull it off. However, without quick signs of success, Canadians will wonder if Mark Carney is capable of dealing with Donald Trump and is instead showing serious signs of weakness by not matching American tariffs.
The jury is still out on that.
Hugh Mackenzie
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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Keep the light shining and a trained eye on the dangerous sociopath and his enablers, not for the sake of watching the next train wreck/bit of reckless entertainment But rather for our own safety.
I sincerely hope the boycott of American goods, visits, and vacations stays strong. What I believe is required is to be patient, persevere in whatever ways we can.
Within Canada, the more our premiers can forge unity in their responses, the better. I do not mean the absence of opposition. However, we Canadians need our legislators to act with good faith in their work.
Trump continues to do what he wants, with few controls and limits. Until the other branches of the US government step up and reign him in, nothing will change. That will require support for Trump to fall much further than it has. As his chaotic moves put more pressure on cost of living, employment and business profits, that support decline will accelerate. It may be another 6-12 months, but the damage to the US’s reputation/trust will long outlast him.
Big picture, Canadian governments need to move quickly on nation building projects, especially for trade diversification and energy security.
Trump reflects the mentality of one third of America, and that should concern us all.
Keep on shining the light Hugh.
“unstable, untruthful, power monger” and reminding us about the grand military parade President Trump has planned for his birthday celebration, threatening retaliation against those who dare to disagree with him, even Elon Musk and now in California, calling in the National Guard to suppress dissent with his anti immigrant directives. His aggression is a virus. Canada( and Ontario) must find a way together to strengthen our immunities to repression of freedom of expression and engage in useful conversations with each other -everyone.Including Indigenous rights holders, environmental defenders and “ordinary” constituents.
In my opinion, you are absolutely correct to continue writing about Trump.
Rarely has another global leader had the power to wreak such havoc here at home. Canada should care about Trump because his policies can hurt our economy, strain trade, weaken global alliances, and influence Canadian politics. What happens in the U.S. often impacts us directly.
McCarthy and Trump both used fear and scapegoating to gain power—McCarthy targeting alleged communists in the 1950s, Trump focusing on immigrants, the media, and the “deep state.” Both attacked institutions, ignored evidence, and built loyal followings through media.
The key difference: McCarthy was a senator with limited power and quickly fell from grace; Trump was president with global influence and remains a dominant, dangerous political force.