Why U.S.-based magazines hit newsstands so late

This blog doesn’t cover national politics. For that there is Paul Wells’ generally excellent and witty blog at Macleans.ca. Yesterday he wrote a killer post about two completely unrelated but very intriguing issues: why U.S.-based weeklies are already outdated by the time they hit Canadian shelves, and what Stephen Harper is really up to.

On the latter point, Wells riffs on George Packer’s recent article in The New Yorker on how Republicans got the upper hand in American politics. I read Packer’s piece last night and was thinking the same thoughts as Wells: 40 years after the American right drew up a game plan to take over that country, Harper is trying to do the same in Canada. From where he sits—the most powerful seat in the country—it’s never too late to start. But don’t listen to me. If you’re curious, read Wells. If you’re still curious, read Packer. Riveting stuff.