It’s kind of burying the lede to just remark PP is likened to “Trump light.” He has likened himself by exclusively pulling from Trump’s playbook, with the divisive rhetoric, outright untruths, dog-whistling, name calling, verb the noun slogans, and quite literally “Canada First” signs he still hangs in his speeches.

In Alberta he’s repeatedly espoused support for Danielle Smith’s insane policies, her personal hero and inspiration being the real “Trump light,” Ron DeSantis. Nevermind they have openly acknowledged (before the craziness) they’d rather work with Poiliviere, and he’s been heralded in the MAGA circles as Canada’s Trump moment (with a complete absence of the irony).

If he put on 200 lbs and lost all natural skin color, he’d be a slightly more articulate Trump impersonation.

Especially online - detection becomes possible over sustained interactions for only the most critical (at best), but you don’t get that online, and especially not on drive-by commenting, which is the norm for media/social media.

Phony consensus and bad rhetoric are one system prompt away, and the only thing I’d argue is there probably is no escaping it, even for the most civic minded and informed people. Your best bet in the coming months is an awareness it’s happening largely undetected, that we’ve all fallen for it, and explaining it to as many people as possible.

The big problem will be the vast majority thinks they can tell, that they’re uninfluenced, and that they have the inside line.

Two things can be true at the same time, and it can all run cover for each other.

Sure, it’s absolutely valid that Trump has massively helped Liberals in the polls.

It’s also true that the Conservatives attempt to emulate Trump’s populist rhetoric also blew up in a post Trump victory, as they themselves drew the comparisons.

Except the can of pop is every can of pop that has ever existed.