Rachel Notley Goes To Washington

In May of last year, I wrote a little piece for newly-elected Premier Rachel Notley offering my two bits on what a sub-federal government like Alberta ought to know about managing its interests in the United States (linked here).  Since Ms. Notley is in Washington this week, I thought I'd take the opportunity to do a bit of stock-taking.

In the spirit of the pile of seminar essays I just finished assessing, I'd offer a "B+" or "A-" to Premier Notley's early management of the U.S. file.

Malcolm Mayes, Edmonton Journal, April 28, 2016

I'd like to say I knew the Premier is a regular reader of my blog, or that I had a hotline to the Premier's office since a lot of what I recommended seems to have happened. I don't have a hotline and I doubt the premier is a fan. Moreover, pats on the back are hard to come by in academia, so I am going to shamelessly accept one for myself here.....

Some April Fools Election Levity....

I've started several posts on the 2016 campaign only to abandon them the next day because of some twist that makes saying anything conclusive about what's going on nearly impossible. Front and center is the soap opera (or tragic comedy) unfolding in the GOP. Every day brings a new twist in what increasingly looks like a huge train wreck headed for the GOP Convention floor in Cleveland later this summer. The Democrats continue to be more civil, but Bernie Sanders' victories continue to cast an important shadow over Hillary Clinton's mathematical inevitability as their convention in Philadelphia draws near.

If you are in a state of despair about the choices-- as I am--you could consider any number of write-in candidates, or hold out hope that a third party might enter the race.

One already has: Captain Obvious.

He's got the Commander in Chief uniform and political hand gestures down: