# POLL for politically astute Americans **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 9, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813 "2005-12-09T02:43:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/21 "2005-12-09T16:33:33Z")
> [@Queuing](#): > > Thank you all taking time to answer my question. > > The story on her is that she was a MP (member of Parliament, sort of like your house of representatives) who was caught on camera saying something like “Americans, I hate those Bastards”, as well as calling Bush stupid, the american electorate stupid for electing him, went on a political satire show on CBC (publicly funded network) and stuck a pin through the head of a George Bush doll, and said that would be the place it would hurt him the least. She was a member of the ruling Liberal Party at the time (but not anyone really important, just a backbencher), the Leader of said party (also our PM) Paul Martin asked her to apologize, she never did, so he kicked her out of the party, forcing her to sit as an independent. To this day she has refused to ever apologize or even attempt to make amends. > > The reason I asked this question was because someone in this thread [Canadian election GD thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=346400) is trying to say that Canadians have a superior attitude towards Americans, that Americans know it and don’t like it, one example of such is Parrish, and that is part of the reason for the softwood lumber dispute and refusal to take Canadian beef. I say hell no, most americans won’t have a clue who she is, that Canadians have no such attitude, and that it has nothing to do with the trade disputes. > > Thank you for proving my point (even if it is with a statistically insignificant number). I recall the incident, but not the name. I usually dismiss exremists from both ends of the political spectrum as I subscribe to the idiom that “cooler heads will prevail”. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/22 "2005-12-09T16:38:42Z")
Never heard of her until opening this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Flipshod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f19dbf/32.png) [@Flipshod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipshod)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/23 "2005-12-09T20:21:55Z")
Never heard the name. ---
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/24 "2005-12-09T20:23:03Z")
Ah, so maybe the incident is recalled better then the actual name? And you knew it was a sitting Canadian politician? ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/25 "2005-12-09T20:41:34Z")
> [@Queuing](#): > > Ah, so maybe the incident is recalled better then the actual name? And you knew it was a sitting Canadian politician? Yes, that pretty much describes it for me. I remember the incident, but had forgotten the name–I did remember that it was a woman though, do I get points for that? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/26 "2005-12-09T20:52:09Z")
If by “politically astute” you mean “watches The Daily Show” I can qualify. Never heard of her. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/27 "2005-12-09T21:46:44Z")
Forget this Parrish person, what I want to know is…what the heck is this “Canada” everyone’s going on about? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/28 "2005-12-09T22:03:45Z")
Who? ::revises self-identity component labeled “politically astute American”:: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/29 "2005-12-09T22:04:44Z")
I read the paper every day, and I’ve never heard of her or her comments. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/30 "2005-12-09T22:12:49Z")
The name and the comments seem vaguely familiar. Or maybe her name sounds like someone I went to high school with. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/31 "2005-12-09T22:13:05Z")
I would consider myself quite politically astute and I have not heard of her. Of course, considering the whole softwood/beef problem I would say she has a point. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/32 "2005-12-10T07:18:05Z")
> [@](#): > > The reason I asked this question was because someone in this thread Canadian election GD thread is trying to say that Canadians have a superior attitude towards Americans All of them? Wow. Someone would make such a silly generalization? > [@](#): > > …that Americans know it and don’t like it… Well, see, you know that’s wrong right away. The idea of _all_ Americans knowing anything is really unthinkable. It’s even more bizarre to think that all Americans would ever _agree_ on anything and unanimously not like something. > [@](#): > > …one example of such is Parrish, and that is part of the reason for the softwood lumber dispute and refusal to take Canadian beef. But I like Canadians. I don’t know Carolyn Parrish, but we’re even. She doesn’t know me. So I can’t take it personally. In fact, if she doesn’t like a lot about America right now, I think she shows promise. Certainly at least hindsight. > [@](#): > > …I say hell no, most americans won’t have a clue who she is, that Canadians have no such attitude, and that it has nothing to do with the trade disputes. I do not know who is calling the shots on the softwood lumber disputes or on our refusal to take Canadian beef. We have a lot on our plate right now and it really is possible to know about a lot of things and still not know about things that are important. This is new to me. Do you know what agency or bureau is making these decisions in the US? It doesn’t matter what Dopers know, but it might matter what and who the people making the decisions know. We do have people in positions of power who can be very vindictive, but they usually get over it if there is money to be made. Most Americans actually like Canada and Canadians a lot, I think. There’s a rumor that you’re not all alike. Any truth to that? ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Jass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4da419/32.png) [@Hugh\_Jass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Jass)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/33 "2005-12-10T18:33:00Z")
Another “politically astute” 'merkin checking in with a “dunno who that is” vote. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/34 "2005-12-10T21:48:38Z")
- - - I browse through the St Louis MO newspaper and a couple other online news sites, and don’t remember seeing anything about Parrish or what she said. If she’s wanting to run a tub-thumping campaign, she’s going to have to hit a little harder than that… ~ ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/35 "2005-12-10T21:59:17Z")
I read about it at the time, but I didn’t connect her name to her comments when you mentioned it in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/36 "2005-12-10T23:06:07Z")
Remember the incident, remember it was a female politician and she was reprimanded somehow (as in horrific skittering away backwards by other politicos), but didn’t recall the exact name. Which is weird since Carolyn’s my real first name. ---
**Author:** ![PsychoWench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@PsychoWench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PsychoWench)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/37 "2005-12-11T00:44:35Z")
The quote I remebered from her most was the one about “coalition of idiots” which really amused me. Of course it helps that I’ve always been in rather liberal schools so great things like that were always brought up in government and history classes. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/38 "2005-12-11T03:22:10Z")
Yeah, I remember reading about her when this story was in the news. But it wasn’t prominent enough that I remembered it just from hearing her name. In general Americans have little to no opinion at all on Canada, as it’s seen as a place wholly irrelevant to us. I’d say American opinion has little to do with the Canadian beef/softwood lumber issues, most Americans don’t have opinions on those issues at all. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/39 "2005-12-11T04:09:34Z")
I’ve heard the name, she is Canadian. As I have heard the name she probably slammed the US for the Iraq invasion or is right winged and slammed the natives for wanting some sort of denied right. Just really don’t know, should I care? Jim ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813/40 "2005-12-11T04:12:35Z")
> [@Queuing](#): > > Thank you all taking time to answer my question. > > The story on her is that she was a MP (member of Parliament, sort of like your house of representatives) who was caught on camera saying something like “Americans, I hate those Bastards”, as well as calling Bush stupid, the american electorate stupid for electing him, went on a political satire show on CBC (publicly funded network) and stuck a pin through the head of a George Bush doll, and said that would be the place it would hurt him the least. She was a member of the ruling Liberal Party at the time (but not anyone really important, just a backbencher), the Leader of said party (also our PM) Paul Martin asked her to apologize, she never did, so he kicked her out of the party, forcing her to sit as an independent. To this day she has refused to ever apologize or even attempt to make amends. > > The reason I asked this question was because someone in this thread [Canadian election GD thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=346400) is trying to say that Canadians have a superior attitude towards Americans, that Americans know it and don’t like it, one example of such is Parrish, and that is part of the reason for the softwood lumber dispute and refusal to take Canadian beef. I say hell no, most americans won’t have a clue who she is, that Canadians have no such attitude, and that it has nothing to do with the trade disputes. > > Thank you for proving my point (even if it is with a statistically insignificant number). I wanted to answer without reading the thread. Now I know what this is about, I am leaning towards, I don’t need to care. Glad we could help prove your point at least. I must of heard of her here on SDMB as the softwood lumber dispute never makes the news I read. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-politically-astute-americans/334813.md?page=3)