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Its a bit late to call an early election (if that makes any sense at all) but Rob Anderson would like it to happen.

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On the weekend, a fellow said on Twitter hes already sick of the constant electioneering. Drop the writ and lets get this thing over with, he pleaded.

Anderson tweeted: Agreed!

Hes executive director of Premier Danielle Smiths office and also, according to Smith, her chief political adviser. Quite a high-level source for a public tweet like that.

By law the election is supposed to be held May 29, which means the writ would drop May 1. Smith herself has said that wont change. Her office confirmed it Monday.

Anderson is just trumpeting his partisan eagerness. But maybe, after six more weeks of escalating anger, well wish the election had been over sooner.

The culture wars broke into the open Monday, both nationally and provincially.

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre got his wish to have Twitter brand the CBC as state-funded.

The CBC said Monday it was pausing its use of Twitter. Whether this applies just to the main CBC account or to network journalists as well wasnt clear.

Ill keep using Twitter to tell readers Ive got a new column and sometimes to insert a word or two into the political maelstrom.

But if Twitter vanished tomorrow, Id be a happier human.

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Meanwhile, the gigantically irresponsible Tucker Carlson of Fox News keeps calling for the U.S. to invade Canada because he thinks were a totalitarian state.

That comes from a corner of the spectrum that favours autocrats like Vladimir Putin over leaders of democracies.

At home we have a new oddity that hardly rises to the level of crisis, but still increases the election temperature.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Jim Wells/Postmedia

The reason, as she stated it, is another one of the odd contradictions that show exactly why her handlers dont want her answering second questions.

By taking fewer questions, she suggested, there will be more questions.

Anderson himself explained that Smith is taking one question per media outlet for six weeks so she can get to more outlets during the upcoming election period.

Smith is quite right to say that allowing followups occasionally shuts out some reporters waiting in the queue. Its happened to me often enough.

But the real issue is that so many of her initial answers absolutely demand a What-the? type of followup.

But its the followup questions that keep Smith talking and getting into trouble. So she wont take any more.

On Monday, NDP Leader Rachel Notley unexpectedly got into a related spot that led to a tense exchange.

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Shes been saying she will take as many questions as we can dream up. But when a Western Standard reporter asked why the NDP wont communicate or send news releases, Notley said the party wont interact as long as the Standard is spouting homophobic and racist material.

She wouldnt take a followup from the Standard reporter; only from mainstream, accredited media.

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley. David Bloom/Postmedia

Notley said the ban applies until the Standard apologizes for slurs against her MLAs, including statements that violate Albertas human rights code and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Standard soon put up a video and story in which publisher Derek Fildebrandt said: The Western Standard will never retract a story that contains no errors, other than offending her sensibilities.

He says his publication is accredited in the Saskatchewan and Alberta legislatures and on Parliament Hill.

Some of the Standards attacks, especially on NDP member Janis Irwin, have been shocking. Notley refuses to normalize those views by treating the publication with respect.

Its already that kind of campaign; ugly before the gate even opens.

Don Braids column appears regularly in the Herald.

Excerpt from:
Braid: Alberta campaign will be long and bitter as culture wars keep escalating - Calgary Herald