US vice presidential candidates have no detectable effect on the presidential election outcome, says Prof. Paul Quirk
“It takes a severely deficient candidate in the second spot—think Sarah Palin, Senator John McCain’s running mate on the Republican ticket in 2008—to move the needle a point or two downward,” Quirk said.
Will mudslinging be effective in Alberta’s election? Prof. Emeritus Richard Johnston offers his insights
Professor Emeritus Richard Johnston believes the smear tactics might be successful against Smith because she has hours and hours of recorded talk shows and podcasts and a number of controversial statements.
Prof. Emeritus Philip Resnick says the idea of King Charles as Canada’s next head of state seems “ridiculous and absurd” to Canadians
“The political class does not seem to want to touch it at the moment,” Mr Resnick told The National. “They see it as kind of radioactive or a third rail.”
Prof. Michael Byers estimates a six to 10 per cent chance of casualties from falling space junk if trends continue
Prof. Byers asked: “Is it permissible to regard the loss of human life as just a cost of doing business, or is it something that we should seek to protect when we can?
A majority of Canadians think the time has come to move on from the monarchy, says Prof. Emeritus Philip Resnick
Part of the political reticence in Canada around formally breaking with the British monarchy stems from fears that “opening up” the Constitution to do it could be a slippery slope, with provinces demanding constitutional changes on other issues, Prof. Philip Resnick said.
Op-Ed: “King Charles’s coronation: Should Canada become a republic?”
Prof. Emeritus Philip Resnick’s article on whether or not Canada should “retain a British monarch as our official head of state” was featured in the University of British Columbia Magazine last month.
Prof. Paul Quirk comments on Kamala Harris’ influential role in Joe Biden’s past and future presidential runs
In discussing Vice President Harris’ history campaigning for numerous Democratic candidates in key seats and governorships, Prof. Quirk says “she was an effective campaigner, attracting favorable media coverage of her rallies and other events with those candidates.”
Visiting Prof. Swaran Singh on India, China & US relations: “both sides agree on the need to begin a new chapter of confidence building”
“As [India and China] learnt to deal with their bilateral and historic problems,” visiting Prof. Singh notes, “they now need to learn ropes of engaging each other in their new avatars as major powers and especially in their interface in regional and global fora.”
Prof. Yves Tiberghien shares thoughts on new Japanese government initiative that pays families to move out of Tokyo
Discussing the need for such an initiative to begin with, Prof. Tiberghien says that “in part it was young people moving to better paying jobs than farming in the city,” contributing to both overpopulation in urban areas and dwindling cities in rural zones.
Prof. Paul Quirk discusses critical significance of Wisconsin Supreme Court election
If Republican candidate Dan Kelly wins, “not only will the Republican districting remain in place,” says Prof. Quirk, “but Wisconsin may be vulnerable in 2024 and thereafter to a reprise of the 2020 Republican efforts to overturn the state’s election results.”