Open mike 05/06/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 5th, 2016 - 23 comments
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23 comments on “Open mike 05/06/2016 ”

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  1. Jenny 1
    5 June 2016 at 8:32 am

    Will the 2016 Democratic Party Convention be a repeat of the 1968 Democratic Party Convention, where the Super-Delegates handed the nomination to the pro-war candidate, arguably leading to Nixon winning the presidency.

    Trump is this generation’s Nixon, Sanders is this generation’s McCarthy, Clinton is this generation’s Humphrey.

    http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/06/03/sanders-clinton-yes-trumps-foreign-policy-ideas-are-scary-so-are-yours

    • gsays 1.1
      5 June 2016 at 8:56 am

      Hi jenny, in oliver stone’s history of the united states I recall a presidential candidate, thoroughly enlightened, compassionate, independent thinker with huge popularity and was turned down by the powers that be.
      Was that mccarthy?

    • ianmac 1.2
      5 June 2016 at 9:06 am

      Agreed Jenny. The other day I put this up re Bernie:
      “3 June 2016 at 3:18 pm

      Well! It seems that the Clinton campaign has deliberately been mis-leading us all about the Super-delegates. They are NOT to be counted until the Convention in July. They change their minds. All is not yet lost for Bernie!

      “Not on a hot mic or during a commercial break, but live on the air, Luis Miranda, (communications director for the Democratic National Committee) in no uncertain terms, told Jake Tapper that the media should not be including them. Miranda said, “One of the problems is the way the media reports them. Any night that you have a primary or caucus, and the media lumps the Superdelegates in, that they basically polled by calling them up and saying who are you supporting, they don’t vote until the convention, and so they shouldn’t be included in any count.”
      http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election/king-clinton-media-counting-superdelegates-dnc-pleas-article-1.2655752?cid=bitly “

      • Jenny 1.2.1
        5 June 2016 at 9:47 am

        Wow, just wow!

        Thank you for this, ianmac.

        Despite all the calls from right wing political pundits in the media, for Bernie to stand down before the convention, according to the figures you have supplied Sanders has more than an even chance of taking the nomination.

        In fact he is honour bound to try.

        For Sanders to give up now, as his right wing opponents want, when he is so close would be a betrayal of his millions of supporters.

    • Jenny 1.3
      5 June 2016 at 9:10 am

      The Cost Of War

      “Bernie Sanders will defend our country and take the $trillions of dollars spent on these interventionist regime change, unnecessary wars, and invest it here at home.”
      Tulsi Gabbard Serving Iraq Vet. and Sanders supporter, 2016

      “He has foresight when making these most critical decisions….”.
      Tulsi Gabbard Iraq Vet. and Sanders supporter, 2016

      “I am concerned about the problems of so called, unintended consequences.
      Who will govern Iraq when Saddam Hussein is removed?
      And what role will the US play in ensuing civil war that could develop in that country?
      Will moderate governments in the region, with large, fundamentalist, islamic populations, be overthrown and replaced by extremists?”
      Bernie Sanders Speech before congress, 2002



    • te reo putake 1.4
      5 June 2016 at 9:13 am

      The 68 convention was a watershed for the Democratic Party. Ironically, it was events there that led to the creation of ‘super delegates’ in the 80’s. In 68, it was the ordinary delegates who chose the candidate (and Humphrey was the most popular candidate, despite entering the race late). There was a chance that Robert Kennedy might have caught him, but his murder ended that possibility. McCarthy was a distant third at the time of Kennedy’s killing.

      The party did a lot of soul searching post 68 and it was eventually decided that the process that had been used till then was not really democratic and was too easily captured by the likes of Chicago’s Mayor Daley, who handpicked compliant voting delegates from his state. The super delegates were seen as a bastion of independence, who couldn’t be bought or intimidated. That’s still the case today, at least nominally. Though, obviously, the majority of them will be backing the more experienced Clinton over the newbie Sanders.

      • Jenny 1.4.1
        5 June 2016 at 9:29 am

        The super delegates were seen as a bastion of independence, who couldn’t be bought or intimidated. That’s still the case today, at least nominally. Though, obviously, the majority of them will be backing the more experienced Clinton over the newbie Sanders.
        Te Reo Putake

        I don’t think it is that obvious, TRP, especially as Sanders has said that if he is successful in his campaign to win California with a big majority, that he intends to send this victory as a big message to the Super Delegates.

        With the lessons of history, it will be a message that they simply can’t afford to ignore.

        “We must also give our convention more flexibility to respond to changing circumstances and, in cases where the voters’ mandate is less than clear, to make a reasoned choice.”
        Governor Jim Hunt, Chairman of the Hunt Commission, December 15, 1981

        What are Superdelegates?

        • te reo putake 1.4.1.1
          5 June 2016 at 9:46 am

          Well, technically, the possibility exists. But in reality, it’s not going to happen. Clinton pretty much knows all of the super delegates and most of them have supported her and her husband before her. The super delegates are the top local and state leadership of the party. They’re not going to switch to Sanders in significant numbers. And if I recall correctly, the maths says Sanders has to get the support of nearly all of them to overrule the will of the ‘ordinary’ delegates. That’s just not going to happen.

          • Jenny 1.4.1.1.1
            5 June 2016 at 9:51 am

            You may be right. TRP.

            And in that case the whole rotten edifice may well all go down together.

            As Chris Trotter posited for the Labour Party before the 2014 election, “Is it better to control the losing side? Or, lose control of the winning side?”

            As we all know Labour chose the former, over the latter.

            Thankfully as the MoU shows, this sectarian approach from Labour is on the way out.

          • RedBaronCV 1.4.1.1.2
            5 June 2016 at 12:05 pm

            If Bernie takes the remaining states with an average of around 60% (basically that means California, New Jersey as the other states to go are mainly for Bernie ) then he will pull up only a few pledged delegates short of Hillary’s total. That means the super delegates hold the balance of power and as Bernie has been on a rising tide then they should think hard.

          • Bill 1.4.1.1.3
            5 June 2016 at 12:10 pm

            ..and most of them have supported her and her husband before her..

            And most of them have also supported Obama ahead of Clinton. Whether Sanders pulls it off at the conference or not, it’s going to a good pop corn event methinks 😉

  2. Once Was Tim 2
    5 June 2016 at 1:06 pm

    Jesus frikken wept!
    Standing Room Only
    DOKTOR Pita Shambles attempts to throw Michelle Hippolite under a bus (neither particularly au fait with the idea of public service/public servants and the idea of political independence within)

    Christ I just despair sometimes.

    @ Michelle – just wip it out of the Koha contingency budget – she’ll be right

  3. joe90 3
    5 June 2016 at 3:09 pm

    The genius of Ali’s poetry..

  4. Ad 4
    6 June 2016 at 3:38 am

    People should check out the new daily updates on Werewolf.
    But only if you like actual articles of several hundred words, rather than comments masquerading as think pieces.

    Campbell’s new authors are good:

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1606/S00007/werewolf-changes-shape-into-a-daily-destination.htm

  5. Ad 5
    6 June 2016 at 3:52 am

    Check out the June 2016 ANZ Regional Economic Survey:

    http://www.anz.co.nz/resources/9/6/9676cd14-e6b3-4ba7-bc78-af8911516d12/ANZ-Regional-Trends-20160601.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=9676cd14-e6b3-4ba7-bc78-af8911516d12

    Two short term trend were noteworthy.

    Firstly commercial construction consents were down fast.

    Secondly that while the top half of the North Island was going gangbusters, the entire South Island was treading water or going backwards.

    This is only one quarter of survey. But it feels like tourism does not adequately replace our dairy reliance in the rural economy.

    Very interested in the next quarter, particularly to start thinking on whether further rural seats might as a result come into frame electorally.