us politics
Categories under us politics
- Kamala Harris (2)
Teetering on the brink
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, July 23rd, 2011 - 84 comments
Over the last couple of months two potential crises have been unfolding in two very different countries. Greece and America both looked to be in danger of defaulting on their huge debts and triggering a cascade of disastrous consequences. The situation is still unfolding…
Tell Key to keep Pharmac
Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, June 2nd, 2011 - 35 comments
Like the ACC, Pharmac is a Kiwi institution that delivers benefits to everyone at a lower cost than other countries. National has got ACC on the butcher’s block. We must make sure that Pharmac doesn’t follow.
Jon Stewart v pompous twit
Written By: - Date published: 12:40 pm, May 22nd, 2011 - 9 comments
It’s just a pleasure to watch Jon Stewart at work. Here he is deflating another pompous right wing twit.
Jon Stephenson replies to critics
Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, May 12th, 2011 - 12 comments
PM John Key attacked journalist Jon Stephenson, calling him not credible over his claims on SAS links to the torture of prisoners in Afghanistan. Now Stephenson has replied to his critics, in detail.
Obama comes up Trumps
Written By: - Date published: 9:43 pm, May 5th, 2011 - 16 comments
Watch Obama do Donald Trump like a dinner at the White House Correspondents’ party.
Trump didn’t like it. Crybaby.
Alan Grayson on Bin Laden
Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, May 4th, 2011 - 6 comments
Alan Grayson lost his congress seat in the last election after a concerted attack from the right.
His open letter on the death of Bin Laden shows why the US needs him back next time around.
War Nerd on Al Qaeda
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, May 3rd, 2011 - 13 comments
The best US blog is eXiledonline. They’ve done huge work to expose the Tea Party and its shady backers. Their insight into the class issues underlying economic crisis both raw and diamond-sharp. And one of their writers, Gary Brecher aka the War Nerd, covers conflicts with eyes wide open. Here’s his take on Al Qaeda, coincidentally written last week:
America writing our laws?
Written By: - Date published: 6:34 am, May 3rd, 2011 - 22 comments
Wikileaks cables show that America has been “helping” draft out copyright law. They also lobbying to undermine Pharmac. How many other New Zealand laws are they writing?
Osama Bin Laden dead
Written By: - Date published: 3:53 pm, May 2nd, 2011 - 190 comments
3 News is reporting that “Osama Bin Laden is dead and the US is in possession of his body, according to reports from a senior US counter-terrorism official”.
The Guantanamo files
Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, April 28th, 2011 - 9 comments
The Guardian has obtained a mass of files relating to detainees at America’s infamous Guantánamo Bay. It’s an indictment of America. But because of our SAS involvement in Afghanistan, New Zealand doesn’t exactly come out smelling of roses either.
Land of the free?
Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, March 17th, 2011 - 26 comments
With so much going on in terms of large scale disasters at the moment, it is easy to lose track of the stories of a mere individuals. But there are two individuals who’s stories should not be forgotten. They are facing the full might and anger of the American establishment. Their “crime” was to tell the truth.
Shine my shoes, f*ckface
Written By: - Date published: 1:04 pm, March 16th, 2011 - 100 comments
Bill Maher takes a swipe at the ‘Undercover Boss’ and ‘Secret Millionaire’. “TV used to give Americans the reverse fantasy: what if you, normal person, were a millionaire. Now it says, oh who are you kidding? You’re lucky to hold your job frying chicken parts. But what if you were briefly introduced to a millionaire? You could touch his garments.”
Key, Beck & the end of empire
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, February 14th, 2011 - 29 comments
John Key’s support for Mubarak arose from the American far-right’s fear of Egyptian democracy. We laugh at Glenn Beck’s crazy conspiracy theories and the hypocrites who invaded Iraq to ‘spread democracy’ yet oppose free elections in Egypt because of who might get elected but there’s a deeper story here: the end of the American Empire.
Reagan’s legacy
Written By: - Date published: 6:55 am, February 8th, 2011 - 24 comments
It’s 100 years since the Gipper was born. That’s right, 100 years since the ball started rolling on a project of smiley-faced neoliberalism that we’re still suffering under.
I was going to write a tribute but John Dolan does it so much better than I ever could…
Bunch of bankers
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, February 2nd, 2011 - 13 comments
In America a federal enquiry has now confirmed what we already knew. The 2008 financial crisis was an “avoidable” disaster caused by multiple failures of regulation and good old fashioned greed. If we don’t make some fundamental changes it is all going to happen again…
Stupid but dangerous
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, January 28th, 2011 - 25 comments
The Republican Party may be entering its death throes. In an unprecedented move, there were two competing Republican response speeches to President Obama’s State of the Union address. One from Paul Ryan, the powerful Chair of the House Budget Committee. The other from a Teabagger who looked into the wrong camera the whole time.
Giffords shooting fall-out
Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, January 19th, 2011 - 17 comments
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords survived the assassination attempt but the political fall-out has just begun. In the US’s strange post-modern politics, Obama’s speech is the most popular thing he’s done, while Sarah Palin screwed up badly. Meanwhile, guns like the one used are flying off the shelves and Arizona is relaxing gun laws further.
Militant reactionarism coming to NZ
Written By: - Date published: 11:47 pm, January 12th, 2011 - 149 comments
The Great Depression saw the rise of rightwing reactionarism. Out of reactionary movements came fascist governments from Brazil to Romania. We had the 100,000-strong New Zealand Legion. The Great Recession is spawning a new wave of militant reactionarism, now reaching our shores.
Newtering the rhetoric on crime
Written By: - Date published: 1:33 pm, January 11th, 2011 - 37 comments
As has been amply demonstrated by comments on The Standard in recent days, there are many who believe that the answer to an ineffective deterrent is more deterrent; that leaving in place the likelihood that fleeing from a police car will result in your death is somehow discouraging an unknown number of drivers from fleeing. Increasingly, though, people who respond with their critical faculties as opposed to their knees are realising that the present model of law enforcement and incarceration is a failure.
Back from the brink?
Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, January 11th, 2011 - 269 comments
For years, the American Right has been ramping up its violent rhetoric. Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement have encouraged their followers to think that their guns are all that stands in the way of a socialist coup. Now, the violence has become real and the Right has, largely, baulked. Will the Tea Party’s rhetoric be scuttled?
Tea Party turns violent
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, January 9th, 2011 - 225 comments
Only one US Congressperson has ever been assassinated – Leo Ryan during the Jonestown Massacre. Gabrielle Giffords may become the second after a gunman shot her and others, killing at least one, in Arizona. This appears to be part of a rising tide of violence from America’s far-right Tea Party movement, driven on by Glenn Beck and others.
Write your own headline
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, December 20th, 2010 - 46 comments
“PM plays power games with President Obama” reads the headline! Sounds exciting doesn’t it? Alas. The actual events described are somewhat pathetic. Key went personally begging for a photo op but the President of the US was too busy doing stuff that mattered. I think I could have written a much more accurate headline. I’m sure you can too…
Stupid news makes you stupid shocker
Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, December 17th, 2010 - 50 comments
Several studies have now shown that those who watch Fox News are significantly more misinformed than those who don’t. Well there’s a surprise! Not. Serious question though, can we have both a free media and a requirement for minimum levels of accuracy and balance, or are those options mutually exclusive?
Marianne Ny: Making an arse of Swedish law.
Written By: - Date published: 4:28 pm, December 4th, 2010 - 218 comments
The Wikileaks release of US government diplomatic wires is less interesting to me than the behavior of the Sweden’s director of public prosecutions, Marianne Ny. Her charges and actions against Julian Assange indicate that she is driven more by the politics than respect for the law. I fail to see why Interpol is involved for such a minor charge. Apparently the charge is question is something pretty weird called “sex by surprise”
Who has “blood on their hands”?
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, December 1st, 2010 - 22 comments
Amongst other angry and aggressive rhetoric, American politicians have accused the leakers of the diplomatic cables of having “blood on their hands”. Will the leaked cables put lives at risk? Perhaps, but I believe that many more lives would be made safe if the actions and attitudes of our governments, and the “intelligence” that they work with, were more open to the people.
Leaked cables window into Superpower
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, November 30th, 2010 - 49 comments
Wikileaks latest coup is the release of a database of more than 250,000 diplomatic cables between American embassies, up to and including the highest security level “Top Secret”. The cables provide a full, detailed and explicit account of many of America’s diplomatic secrets and the attitudes behind them. It is a good long look through a window in to the mind of a Superpower.
Where’s the White House invite, John?
Written By: - Date published: 6:09 am, November 5th, 2010 - 38 comments
John Key proved one thing this week. When it comes to international affairs, he’s full of s**t. Despite all his claims about being best buds with Barack Obama, he didn’t even get an invite to meet him from top U.S. diplomat Hillary Clinton. He probably didn’t help future chances either by referring to Hillary as “President Clinton”. You sure are a class act John.
US midterms – deflation the risk so be afraid
Written By: - Date published: 8:59 pm, November 3rd, 2010 - 23 comments
As predicted, the US midterms have not gone well for the Democrats, as they have lost control of the House of Representatives. But they retain a majority in the Senate, so some are predicting that the most likely outcome is a repeat of the gridlock of 1994, after a similar conservative revolt led by Rush […]
Key to get White House invite?
Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, November 1st, 2010 - 45 comments
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on her way to New Zealand this week, bringing the customary promises of good will and better relations between our two countries.
The big question is however: Will Clinton be bringing the overdue White House invite for our Prime Minister? John Key has claimed after all he and Obama are best pals… and he can pick up the phone anytime. Now’s the test.
Stewart interviews some guy called Obama
Written By: - Date published: 8:19 pm, October 30th, 2010 - 15 comments
It’s a strange world we live in when comedians step out of the box and become the best political interviewers that America has to offer. But so it goes! Here is Jon Stewart interviewing President Obama. It will be interesting to see how the Stewart / Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity goes this weekend.
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