"I got mine, now fuck off."

That, according to an American friend of mine, is the way the American dream appears to many. Trump is an obvious exemplar. But this is not the dream of a cohesive society. It is a dream of untouched, irresponsible privilege.

There are a lot of people who believe this is exactly what "makes America great" -- the source of entrepreneurial spirit, self-sufficiency, innovation, progress. But that is all a gross misunderstanding or deliberate misinterpretation of what actually made America great.

And it matters to Canadians for three very important reasons:
1) As our dominant trading partner and ally, what happens in the US, what the US values, what individuals believe all have either direct or indirect impacts on us.
2) The politics of the US loom...

...large over our own and always have. In fact, Canada's founding initiative, Confederation, was very much shaped as a response to American expansionism and the end of the Civil War. Our right-wing politics has always looked to the US for examples.
3) The world...

...has looked to the birthplace of modern democracy for inspiration and guidance for almost 200 years. America's economic, military and above all, cultural influence is truly a superpower in the world. If it fails to dream of hopeful, cooperative futures, it affects us all.

That's why it matters tremendously what happens in the wake of Wednesday's events, and in the lead-up to the following week's inauguration. And why it matters that we have politicians and parties that tacitly endorse the same messages.