The Big One’s Coming In.

Written By: - Date published: 11:34 am, February 4th, 2020 - 70 comments
Categories: Bernie Sanders, elections, social democracy - Tags: , ,

Remember how as a kid you’d build sand castles below the high water mark and then spend your time trying to shore it up against the incoming tide? Remember running at the back of a receding wave to throw hopeless handfuls or bucketfuls of sand on top of your newly worn and rounded creation? Remember gouging out a ditch on the seaward side of your sand castle knowing it wasn’t going to work, but doing it anyway? And remember how sometimes you gained a brief respite as that last wave didn’t wash up the beach with quite as far as you’d expected…meaning you got to bolster your heap with two buckets of sand and even a stone or three before the next surge.

Today, the kids, the defenders of things built on sand are liberals.

Now sure, like as when I was a kid, I’ve misjudged which wave would be the one to inflict irreparable damage on hopeless structures. So following the SNP’s decimation of Scottish Labour in 2011 and the Independence Referendum in 2014, I thought the tide was coming right up that beach when Jeremy Corbyn was elected as leader of UK Labour in 2015.

I had also hoped David Cunliffe would mark the beginning of the end for liberalism in NZ. The same hope was vested in Jean Luc Melenchon and his La France Insoumise in the French Presidential elections of 2017.

Each and every time, while a social democratic alternative to liberalism has gained ground, it has failed to repeat what the SNP achieved in 2011 by running on erstwhile and wholesale abandoned Labour values of old. And the reasons for that aren’t very hard to fathom. In all cases bar Scotland, entrenched political establishments saw it coming, and so ran down the beach to, as it were, scrape out ditches and stack rocks against the incoming wave.

Specifically, concerted media black-outs and smears have assailed social democratic politicians, and in the case of NZ Labour and UK Labour, half of the parliamentary party fought against the party and its social democratic leader during election campaigns. In New Zealand, the Andrew Little’s and Grant Robertsons’ went one better and ousted David Cunliffe following NZ Labour’s electoral defeat. In the UK, and only thanks to the greater degree of democracy put in place by Miliband, the liberals within UK Labour, not for want of trying, couldn’t jettison Corbyn.

Last time around in the USA, the establishment fell before a charlatan and game show host who simply made all the right anti-establishment noises. This time around there’s Bernie Sanders. As at the time of writing, I don’t yet know the caucus results from Iowa. I won’t be surprised if Bernie Sanders wins it and the Iowa Caucus later comes to be seen as the event that marked the beginning of the end for liberalism in the US. And that’s a wave that washes around the world.

Here’s the other side of the coin.

If Sanders doesn’t win the Democratic Party nomination, then Trump will likely win a second Presidency and the US establishment will plunge itself into fascism. And understand. That won’t be Trump’s doing. Trump will merely be the impotent figurehead of a liberal establishment coming to its natural fascist destination.

I don’t want to end this post on a dark note. So grab your tissues…

They have tried a media black out on Bernie’s campaign. It hasn’t worked. They have tried smearing Bernie as sexist. It hasn’t worked. They have tried smearing his campaign as anti-semitic. It hasn’t worked. They have tried and failed to promote any number of alternatives to Sanders. No-one’s listening. 

And now (or so it seems) they are positioning a billionaire to take the reigns from Joe Bye and Done on Super Tuesday. Because, y’know, US democracy is still the best democracy money can buy. They haven’t been listening

update –  Lots of shananigans in Iowa and results not being released until tomorrow. Pete Buttigieg gave a hammy “victory” speech before a front row of carefully positioned African Americans while Joe Biden’s lawyers pinged a “stiff” letter off to the Iowa Democratic Party demanding “answers” and…Bernie Sanders’ campaign released their internal polling taken from 40% of representative Precincts that showed a second vote tally of –
Sanders – 29% Buttegeig –  24% Warren – 21% and Biden 12%

 

70 comments on “The Big One’s Coming In. ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. RedLogix 1
    4 February 2020 at 11:39 am

    I firmly backed the Bern in 2016 and it's wonderful to see him breakthrough. Although this election I've found both Gabbard and Yang are the ones with interesting new things to say that seem highly relevant to the near future.

    Someone speculated that Bernie could select Gabbard as his running mate; that would tick all my boxes nicely. Together they would simply show up the Trump for the low-rent gambler he is.

    • Bill 1.1
      4 February 2020 at 11:46 am

      The establishment smears of Gabbard have been downright disgusting and the media black out of her troublesome.

      CNN have disbarred her from their town hall with no reason given, but brought in some joker whose name I can't remember who polls at about 0%. They may have done the same to Yang – I can't remember.

      Anyway. Gabbard's foreign policy is streets ahead of most. So, would she be better as a VP (she'd certainly lock in a lot of former Trump voters in a Presidential Election Campaign)…or would she better served as Foreign Secretary (or whatever the position is called in the US)?

      I'm sticking to what I said a while back, that barring some absolute catastrophe, Sanders will be the next President of the USA and both Gabbard and Warren (in spite of her recent bullshit) will play major roles in a Sanders Administration.

      edit. I’m away to geek out on Iowa caucus results now 🙂

    • Andre 1.2
      4 February 2020 at 12:07 pm

      The problem with Gabbard as veep nominee is that her popularity is waaaay underwater with Democrats and Dem-leaning independents. In that group, she's 40% unfavourable, 20% favourable, and 40% no opinion.

      https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-ups-and-downs-of-candidate-popularity-in-4-charts/

    • Phil 1.3
      4 February 2020 at 12:18 pm

      Bernie could select Gabbard as his running mate; that would tick all my boxes nicely.

      No fucking way is Bernie going to nominate a closet-republican as veep.

      • RedLogix 1.3.1
        4 February 2020 at 12:22 pm

        Sure, definitely not in the primaries. But in the election that matters it's the whole nation his ticket has to appeal to.

        • Phil 1.3.1.1
          4 February 2020 at 12:40 pm

          You're completely deluded if you think the potential republican/independent gains made by having Gabbard on the ticket get anywhere near close to the losses you'd make on Democrat turnout in that scenario.

          • Bill 1.3.1.1.1
            4 February 2020 at 12:49 pm

            You know how that's a kind of inverse echo of 2016 arguments from the centrists that goes, "if we tack to the centre, then for every potential Democratic voter we lose, we will pick up two soft Republicans in the suburbs…"

            As strategies go, that worked out really well, yes?

            • RedLogix 1.3.1.1.1.1
              4 February 2020 at 12:59 pm

              Clinton was not so much centrist as just disliked.

              Besides how did tacking left work out for Corbyn? We can play this game all day 😄

              [Fixed typo in user handle]

              • Bill …
                4 February 2020 at 1:23 pm

                As mentioned in the post – social democrats get smeared across corporate media and even have to contend with bullshit coming from within their own party. (Cunliffe and Corbyn both being examples of that happening in spades).

                The main difference for Sanders is that he doesn't have to contend with arseholes in a parliamentary caucus in the way Cunliffe and Corbyn did.

                It's easy enough to argue that UK Labour's policy platform was fine.

                But when they exposed the Tories on the NHS, corporate media twisted it into a Russia thang. And besides there was Corbyn as a terrorist sympathiser. And as an ant-semite. And "not fit to be a leader" etc. – all coming from pop/corporate media day in and day out over years.

                And Brexit. I missed that one. But he should never have sought a consensus with the liberals within UK Labour (and should also have forged an alliance with the SNP the moment he became leader).

                But if you think being social democratic loses elections because social democratic policies don't draw support, then I can only assume you haven't been paying much attention Red.

              • Adrian Thornton …
                4 February 2020 at 3:58 pm

                "Clinton was not so much centrist as just disliked"…uumm no she was in large part disliked exactly because because she is a status quo centrist.

                • Dennis Frank …
                  4 February 2020 at 4:07 pm

                  Don't let your partiality fog your vision. I hope Sanders wins, but I'm a centrist on the bipolar frame, so I ought to point out that your logic is flawed. Don't you know she was to the right of Nixon?? She was a Goldwater Girl.

                  No self-respecting centrist would support someone that flakey. Going for the Wall St crowd showed she was still a conservative. The fact that Democrats believed her crap just proved how thick they are.

      • Bill 1.3.2
        4 February 2020 at 12:45 pm

        What?

        The woman who resigned her position as vice chair of the DNC to endorse Sanders in 2016 is a closet Republican? I thought she was a Putin plant (according to Hillary Clinton)…an Assad apologist…an Islamophobe…a cultist working for the guy whose name I can't remember…and allegedly much else besides, but…a closet Republican?

        So her support of medicare for all and free college and ending regime change wars to invest the saved expenditures in American society is indicative of her being a Republican?

        And her support of re-regulating Wall Street and he stance against private prison and in favour of legalising weed and ending the "war on drugs"…that's all dyed in the wool Republicanism?

        Anyway.

        Joe Biden would choose a Republican as VP (He is on record as saying he would). Warren was a Republican until in her late 40s and is now (it seems) wholly owned by the Corporate Democrats. And then there's Pete "CIA" Buttigieg and a billionaire or two in the running….and the cry is NOT TULSI! ?

  2. mosa 2
    4 February 2020 at 11:59 am

    Bernie and his grassroots supporters aren't owned by anyone.

    Wow what a fantastic campaign message.

    I wish we could be inspired like that here.

    I would love to have a feeling of hope that we can change too.

    Now that the evil empire is stirring realising the threat could be real after ignoring it for four years they will be coming for him with all their firepower.

    Bernie and more and more Americans are ready for the fight.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZyUE5vMZUk

    • RedLogix 2.1
      4 February 2020 at 12:11 pm

      Hope is an act of defiance; it is always our best bet.

      • Ad 2.1.1
        4 February 2020 at 2:50 pm

        Fear is lower in the amygdala than hope.

        So fear wins in the search engine algorithms.

        Repubs do fear far better than Dems and social dems do hope.

        Hope is just a pain in the ass.

      • gsays 2.1.2
        4 February 2020 at 7:40 pm

        Hope is what you have when you have no agency, no influence, no power.

        Fuck hope.

  3. Ad 3
    4 February 2020 at 1:58 pm

    He seems to have a better campaign ground game than last time.

    • mosa 3.1
      4 February 2020 at 3:07 pm

      " He seems to have a better campaign ground game than last time"

      That is a considerable understatement.

  4. Kevin 4
    4 February 2020 at 2:58 pm

    That second advert was probably the best I have seen. Anywhere.

    • Cinny 4.1
      4 February 2020 at 3:17 pm

      Absolutely outstanding, unifying, emotive and a call to action, superb. Gave me goosebumps.

      Bernie is their only hope. May he take out the Iowa Caucus today.

  5. Macro 5
    4 February 2020 at 4:15 pm

    Iowa Caucus Results 2020: Live

    Initial results are being reported for caucus alignment popular vote totals. 3m ago

    Candidate Final vote
    Pete Buttigieg 1,000
    Bernie Sanders 842
    Elizabeth Warren 605
    Joseph R. Biden Jr. 592
    Amy Klobuchar 579

    These are not the final votes as such (although it says so above) these are preliminary votes as they come in.

    see here:
    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/03/us/elections/results-iowa-caucus-democrats.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

  6. Tiger Mountain 6
    4 February 2020 at 4:20 pm

    Go Bernie! am a supporter since 2016.

    Bernie’s campaign is doing well using the “Bern” app https://theintercept.com/2019/04/29/bern-bernie-sanders-organizing-kickoff-bern-app/
    to assist door to door and friend to friend organising as long form articles like this one illustrate…https://theintercept.com/2020/01/26/bernie-sanders-iowa-super-tuesday/

    The thing is these, and articles from other sources, inevitably quietly point out that Trump uses similar methods, house to house in the bible belt etc. Bernie is on “last chance power drive” sacrificing his remaining years on this mission. He can only do it with a movement, which has steadily arisen in its modern form since the Dubya years, and Bernie is the only 2020 mainstream candidate such a united movement could support. If against hope he gets past the DNC and Trump and the Electoral College and voter suppression–whew!–and is President, he will need massive popular support to get anything at all on the agenda done.

    Dare to hope after so many electoral set backs lately? Well the Americans are going to end up with a totally stacked Supreme Court and Trump for life if they don’t get their arses in gear!

  7. Phil 7
    4 February 2020 at 4:27 pm

    It's 4.20pm NZT and the first caucus results are dribbling in. At this stage, Mayor Pete is on for a very good night and may take win over Bernie. Joe Biden looking very vulnerable (please let this continue!) and in a fight with Klobuchar for 4th place (!!!) with Warren clear in 3rd.

  8. Dennis Frank 8
    4 February 2020 at 5:27 pm

    ""We are on paper in many cases," not the app, as was planned, said one Iowa Democrat. "The whole system largely broke."" https://fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/iowa-caucus-2020-election-live/

    “Des Moines County Chair Tom Courtney tells @ajjaffe that technology issues appear to be contributing to the delay. Courtney says in his county, an app created for reporting results was “a mess.””

    "Polk County precinct chairs are being advised to take pictures of the results and text them over to the Polk County executive director, who is driving them to the HQ, according to a Democratic operative familiar with the situation".

    Dunno about driving the results in. To be genuinely retro, they ought to do it on horseback. 🙄

  9. Tiger Mountain 9
    4 February 2020 at 5:56 pm

    Darn, just as Bernie had his nose in front in very early voting on NY Times coverage, the land of the free manages to mangle vote counting again…

  10. Macro 10
    4 February 2020 at 6:07 pm
    • A refresher on how caucusing in Iowa works : Iowa Democrats gather at 1,678 precinct locations around the state (gyms, churches, homes, etc.), and sort themselves into groups based on which candidates they support. Officials at the caucus sites tally up the people in these initial formations, and groups that comprise at least 15 percent of all participants at those sites become “locked in” to support their candidates, who are then deemed “viable.”
    • If voters’ first-choice candidates aren’t viable, they can either choose new candidates to support, try to lure other voters from non-viable groups into their camps, or trudge home listening to sad Charlie Brown music. Officials then count everyone again, use the final vote total to assign each viable candidate a certain number of county delegates, and then plug those numbers into a mathematical formula to estimate their “state delegate equivalents”—how many delegates each candidate will get at the Iowa state convention. The simplest process imaginable.
    • This simplest-imaginable process is slightly different than it has been at previous caucuses . Iowans will only be counted in two “rounds” this year, and supporters of viable candidates can no longer change their minds, which should cut down on chaos during the process. Another major change is that instead of just announcing the final delegate results, the party will also be reporting the results of both alignment rounds. This should significantly increase chaos afterthe process, as campaigns scramble to spin whatever victories they can from three sets of results.
  11. Dennis Frank 11
    4 February 2020 at 6:08 pm

    It's starting to look like the Iowa Dems are on a crash & burn mission: "Biden general counsel writes to Iowa Democratic Party about “considerable flaws” in caucus reporting system." https://fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/iowa-caucus-2020-election-live/

    Not just the app crashing. "The party's back-up telephone reporting system likewise has failed." I copied that from a screen shot of the Biden gc letter. You can imagine voters stateside thinking "Jeez, if they can't even run their own caucuses properly, why would anyone trust them to run the country??" No wonder Biden is spooked. He must be hopping mad!!

  12. mike 12
    4 February 2020 at 7:10 pm

    when burn looses everyone here will decide that the breakdown in counting was engineered to let the 'liberals' figure out a way of gerrymandering it.

    those freaked out on a belief that their own ideas are never to blame for their losses have populated the political landscape since time immemorial. they cling to their 'holier-than-thou’ blinkers tenaciously even when they lose lose lose. everyone’s to blame but them. Of course they can ride some violent wave that carries them in. in which case mothers and fathers need to coral their babies because horrifying dictatorship is sure to follow.

  13. Chris T 13
    4 February 2020 at 7:20 pm

    I have serious doubts the US are going to vote a guy in who will be nearly 84 when his term finishes.

    None of my biz' though.

    Be pushing it to not need a walker, given the standing up the Prez needs to do.

    • McFlock 13.1
      4 February 2020 at 7:46 pm

      Walkers? Done before.

      Between FDR's polio and whatever dolt45's malfunction is, I go with FDR.

      Yesterday, December 7th, a day we remember bigly, Emperor Hightoe, tremendous guy, very nice, made Trump Pearl Harbour the biggest in Hawaii by bombing the plane holders, ugly buildings, what sort of plane can't handle rain, very deadly things, the generals came to me and said, they said to me "this means war", so sad, they don't get it, I phoned Hightoe and said to him "you're a smart guy, I'm a smart guy, let's do a deal", so he's promised to investigate the wrongdoings of Hunter Biden over there, very bad things, I don't know what's going on but there must be something trmendous if they're looking into it, right, …

    • Muttonbird 13.2
      4 February 2020 at 9:43 pm

      How horribly ageist of you. Do you think your dear old parents are good for nothing also?

    • Cinny 13.3
      4 February 2020 at 10:03 pm

      If it were a problem, then why are the youth overwhelmingly supporting him?

  14. Sanctuary 14
    4 February 2020 at 7:31 pm

    America, the world’s greatest democracy that cannot even organise a local election.

    • Andre 14.1
      4 February 2020 at 7:34 pm

      That's at least partly because organising the elections is specifically devolved to the locals, rather than coordinated at a national level.

  15. adam 15
    4 February 2020 at 7:55 pm

    I see the usual players from the liberal left are being the best arseholes they can be on this tread. Concern trolling and getting their blame on.

    Must be hard for the hard core supporters of liberalism to realise they are actually wrong, and their woke blame game shitfuckery and the russians stick is just not working. But at least you have the war criminal h.r.c – to worship.

    Just look at the exit polls Bill put up, I've seen a few more. All have Bernie winning and Buttegeig second. Any other result will be a lie.

    • Bill 15.1
      4 February 2020 at 8:43 pm

      I watched a fair bit of Status Coup reporting live from the Sanders' campaign hall.

      He interviewed a wide range of Sanders people "passing by" and it's pretty clear from his straw polling that Sanders did really well. There was some really odd shit reportedly going on with assigning delegates though – like, people didn't know the "rules" (or were "at it"?)

      • adam 15.1.1
        4 February 2020 at 10:13 pm

        I flicked over to him too.

        Was good to see the range of people he was interviewing. Was hooked on Laura Flanders -the link to her has gone down but it was a really good watch.

        Again diverse with some cool stuff – she covered the first sign language caucus. Loads of disabled participating, oh and a caucus in a mosque – another first.

        The other good thing is the Bernie camp was happy to talk to her.

        In a couple of instance is was interesting to see the Bernie camp and the Biden camp working together to make sure votes were being counted correctly. Some Biden supporters were suggesting the counts were off in relation to exit polls and pre caucus polling.

  16. Bill 16
    4 February 2020 at 8:09 pm

    Jesus wept.

    In addition to the update I added to the post…

    So people had been asking who developed the app used in Iowa and the Democratic Party wouldn't say, citing "security" as a reason for secrecy.

    Well, Lee Fang who's a reporter for the Intercept is reporting that three different sources are saying the app that was used was developed by a company called Shadow who have obvious ties to the DNC and that part of their funding for the app came from Pete Buttigieg's campaign.

    https://twitter.com/lhfang/status/1224572119549267968

    • Bill 16.1
      4 February 2020 at 8:19 pm

      I hate trying to embed twitter feeds, so I'll cut and paste and link below.

      Three different sources say a firm called "Shadow" developed the Iowa Dem caucus app. They haven't responded to comment, neither has Iowa Dem Party. The firm was paid by both Nevada & Iowa Democratic Party, disclosures show. Also by Mayor Pete's campaign

      &

      Replying to

      @lhfang

      So, Pete was in the #StopSanders mtg with DNC heads, Pete's complaint stopped the Des Moines Register poll from coming out the day before the caucus and Pete funded the app that prevented the caucus results from being reported? #MayorPete looking pretty shady.

      https://twitter.com/lhfang/status/1224561674679488513

      Sooo. Bernie Sanders peeps denied victory celebrations and msm get to discount the Iowa result as dodgy and so not really a boost for Sanders. Of course, on the other side of the coin is the very healthy social media in the USA that enjoys a lot of penetration. 😉

  17. Dennis Frank 17
    4 February 2020 at 8:29 pm

    "David Yepsen, the host of “Iowa Press” on Iowa Public Television, offered a short obituary to the the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses after tonight’s results debacle." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/feb/03/iowa-caucuses-latest-live-news-democrats-bernie-sanders-joe-biden-elizabeth-warren-buttigieg-updates?page=with:block-5e38feca8f086a28115a5197#block-5e38feca8f086a28115a5197

    The guy must be pretty sharp: he predicted the shambles last year! "Sorry I was right. RIP caucuses." Tweeter Dave Wasserman testifies: "My hat’s off to the dean of IA political journalists, @DavidYepsen, who presciently predicted when we were teaching at @UChiPolitics last spring that Dems’ new bells and whistles would create a results reporting mess."

  18. Ad 18
    4 February 2020 at 8:48 pm

    Maybe the next one.

    (Actual quote from every hard left US activist since … FDR)

    • adam 18.1
      5 February 2020 at 1:35 am

      So you're no longer a social democrate Ad?

      Now you going to admit you are a left liberal, devoted to liberalism over social democracy?

      Because that is all I can take from your snide comment.

      Oh and Bernie has won – so what is the issue with you then?

  19. Cinny 19
    4 February 2020 at 9:54 pm

    Have I got this correct please?

    It's a new system as all candidates results were to be released instead of just the front runners, which hasn't happened before.

    As well the counts are determined by paper, app and photos. Currently those three set's of data aren't matching up, so they are double checking.

    • McFlock 19.1
      4 February 2020 at 10:02 pm

      Sort of, from what I gather.

      Basically, the counts are fine at each caucus meeting (e.g. the local school hall).

      There was an app to collate all the results centrally. That shat itself.

      There was a backup telephone reporting system. That got overloaded.

      Some caucus chairs resorted to hand-delivering the results, with at least one deliverer beginning the drive before the results were in and receiving a pxt of the result form en route.

      So now they have three different modes of result delivery, and they have to collate the results so there are no double counts and all results are verified.

      That's the problem as I understand it: the collection of votes at a local level is fine and robust, it was the centralised collation that spat the dummy. So it's a case of letting the dust settle and then sorting it all out properly.

  20. Sanctuary 20
    4 February 2020 at 10:05 pm

    Worth remembering the United States supported a coup on Bolivia because of "irregularities" in the election there.

  21. Sanctuary 21
    5 February 2020 at 7:03 am

    What an utter disaster for the Democrats, and in particular the DNC – who, like the anti-Corbyn UK PLP, make their main claim to centrist legitimacy on the basis of administrative competence and "electability."

    Well, they've utterly flubbed the first and most simple of tests of their competence with a piece of scandalous incompetence that undermines the authority of DNC.

    Apparently the software designed for uploading results – a phone app – was developed in haste, in secret, not tested properly, and by a company that was founded by ex-Clinton aides who are actively hostile to the likes of Bernie Sanders and known supportes of Pete Buttigieg. I have seen rumours that in at least one case a caucus chair refused to use the app after the app flicked 200 votes to Pete Buttigieg when the chair knew no one had voted for him. Just a rumour, but a flavour of what sort of atmosphere of distrust this disaster is feeding.

    https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/04/a-voting-app-by-shadow-inc-takes-center-stage-at-chaotic-iowa-caucuses/

    What a fucking shit show of bumbling incompetence, a needless "solution" looking for a problem and jaw dropping stupidity.

    Worse, the same app is apparently going to be used in Nevada (update – Nevada has ditched it) – and in California, the entire voting process is being done via an app – an app that has candidates on multiple pages where it is not clear how to navigate to those pages. And you guessed it, "B" for Buttigieg is on page one, "S" for Sanders is on page three.

    I cannot for the life of me understand why the US as a whole insists on relying of software for voting when their election officials have a track record of utter incompetence in the area.

  22. Andre 22
    5 February 2020 at 7:56 am

    Some commenters here appear to be blaming the DNC for the Iowa debacle. This is inappropriate. Everything to do with the Iowa caucuses is handled at the state level, not the national level.

    It's a good illustration of a downside of devolving responsibility down to a local level. Multiple local systems each coming up with their own different systems increases the likelihood of one or more of the multiple different systems screwing up badly.

    • Sanctuary 22.1
      5 February 2020 at 8:21 am

      However, the app was created by a company engaged by the DNC specifically due to rule changes made by the DNC.

      The company is literally called Shadow. I mean, WTF were they thinking?

      The CEO and other founders of Shadow are ex-Clinton aides with an extensive online record of heavily attacking Sanders.

      The husband of the CEO is a senior member of Pete Buttigieg's team

      Buttigieg's campaign has paid money to Shadow.

      None of these things have anything to do with the devolution of responsibility.

      • Anne 22.1.1
        5 February 2020 at 9:09 am

        Gotta side with Sanctuary here. Utter effing incompetency with a dash of covert prejudice thrown in. That's the way it looks to me.

        God Almighty what can you say about America these days? An incompetent president, incompetent administration, incompetent officials at the highest and lowest levels, incompetent software merchants, incompetence everywhere.

        Set aside the trade talks with the Yanks until the country has learnt how to be big boys and girls again.

      • Tiger Mountain 22.1.2
        5 February 2020 at 9:46 am

        There may be no DNC fix whatsoever, maybe as anne says “covert prejudice” on behalf of Mr Buttgieg and supporters, but make no mistake, the DNC wants to sink the Sanders campaign. Mayor Pete maybe put money into the software because he is wealthy and wanted to do the local Democrats a favour.

        It looked off though that the scheduled weekend Des Moines Register poll was pulled from publication due to Buttgieg one way or another. And his early declaration of victory in Iowa when the tabulation had basically been placed in crisis check mode. The early screenshots I took from NY Times showed Sanders clearly in front and Buttgieg in third.

        But whatever, chill time perhaps “instant news gratification” and 24hr max attention spans are the plague of our time.

        • Sanctuary 22.1.2.1
          5 February 2020 at 10:12 am

          I agree, I mean at some point incompetence and corruption can become indistinguishable.

  23. Macro 23
    5 February 2020 at 11:45 am

    The Borowitz Report is in:

    Florida Offers to Help Iowa Count Votes

    TALLAHASSEE, Florida (The Borowitz Report)—Calling the delay in the release of the Iowa caucus results “a threat to democracy,” the state of Florida has offered to help Iowa with the vote-counting process.

    Harland Dorrinson, a spokesman for Florida’s official electoral commission, said on Tuesday morning that “Florida stands ready and willing to restore credibility to Iowa’s vote-tabulation procedures.”

    Dorrinson added that Katherine Harris, Florida’s former secretary of state, was eager to “roll up her sleeves and clean up Iowa’s mess.”

    “Just say the word, Iowa, and Katherine Harris will be on the next plane out,” he said.

    For their part, Iowa Democratic Party officials said that they were already making great progress in counting the caucus results, and that early returns indicated that a white person had won.

  24. Billy 24
    5 February 2020 at 11:58 am

    love it. yes

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    11 hours ago

  • Government will consider recommendations of Intelligence and Security Act review
    The Government has received the first independent review of the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says. The review, considered by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, was presented to the House of Representatives today.  “Ensuring the safety and security of New Zealanders is of the utmost ...
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    14 hours ago

  • Govt expresses condolences on the passing of HRH Princess Siu’ilikutapu
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
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    14 hours ago

  • Govt expresses condolences on the passing of HRH Princess Sui’ilikutapu
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
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    14 hours ago

  • Security support to Solomon Islands extended
    Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have today announced the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) deployment to Solomon Islands, as part of the regionally-led Solomon Islands International Assistance Force (SIAF). “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long history of working alongside the Royal Solomon ...
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    17 hours ago

  • Minister Mahuta to attend the first Korea-Pacific Leaders’ Summit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to the Republic of Korea today to attend the Korea–Pacific Leaders’ Summit in Seoul and Busan. “Korea is an important partner for Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific region. I am eager for the opportunity to meet and discuss issues that matter to our ...
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    2 days ago

  • Agreement between Indo-Pacific partners for supply chain resilience
    Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor joined ministerial representatives at a meeting in Detroit, USA today to announce substantial conclusion of negotiations of a new regional supply chains agreement among 14 Indo-Pacific countries. The Supply Chains agreement is one of four pillars being negotiated within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework ...
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    2 days ago

  • Celebrating Samoa Language Week 2023
    Our most spoken Pacific language is taking centre stage this week with Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoa Language Week kicking off around the country. “Understanding and using the Samoan language across our nation is vital to its survival,” Barbara Edmonds said. “The Samoan population in New Zealand are ...
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    2 days ago

  • Nationwide test of Emergency Mobile Alert system
    Over 90 per cent of New Zealanders are expected to receive this year’s nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system tonight between 6-7pm. “Emergency Mobile Alert is a tool that can alert people when their life, health, or property, is in danger,” Kieran McAnulty said. “The annual nationwide test ...
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    2 days ago

  • Whakatōhea and the Crown sign Deed of Settlement
    ENGLISH: Whakatōhea and the Crown sign Deed of Settlement A Deed of Settlement has been signed between Whakatōhea and the Crown, 183 years to the day since Whakatōhea rangatira signed the Treaty of Waitangi, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little has announced. Whakatōhea is an iwi based in ...
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    3 days ago

  • New Chair appointed to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO
    Elizabeth Longworth has been appointed as the Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, Associate Minister of Education Jo Luxton announced today. UNESCO is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting cooperative action among member states in the areas of education, science, culture, social science (including peace and ...
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    3 days ago

  • Tourism transformation starts with people
    Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
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    4 days ago

  • Tourism transformation starts with people
    Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
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    4 days ago

  • Te ao Māori health services cheaper and more accessible for whānau
      Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions    Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support  are ...
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    4 days ago

  • Te ao Māori health services more accessible for whānau
      Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions    Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support  are ...
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    4 days ago

  • Government’s work for survivors of abuse in care continues
    The Government continues progress on the survivor-led independent redress system for historic abuse in care, with the announcement of the design and advisory group members today. “The main recommendation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Abuse in Care interim redress report was for a survivor-led independent redress system, and the ...
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    4 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for the Horn of Africa
    Aotearoa New Zealand is providing NZ$7.75 million to respond to urgent humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The Horn of Africa is experiencing its most severe drought in decades, with five consecutive failed rainy seasons. At least 43.3 million people require lifesaving and ...
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    5 days ago

  • Two brand new mental health facilities opened in Christchurch
    Health Minister Ayesha Verrall has opened two new state-of-the-art mental health facilities at the Christchurch Hillmorton Hospital campus, as the Government ramps up its efforts to build a modern fit for purpose mental health system. The buildings, costing $81.8 million, are one of 16 capital projects the Government has funded ...
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    5 days ago

  • Government invests more than $24 million in regional projects
    The Government is continuing to invest in our regional economies by announcing another $24 million worth of investment into ten diverse projects, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan says. “Our regions are the backbone of our economy and today’s announcement continues to build on the Government’s investment to boost regional economic ...
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    5 days ago

  • Budget 23 supports the growth of Māori tourism
    An $8 million boost to New Zealand Māori Tourism will help operators insulate themselves for the future. Spread over the next four years, the investment acknowledges the on-going challenges faced by the industry and the significant contribution Māori make to tourism in Aotearoa. It builds on the $15 million invested ...
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    5 days ago

  • First Bushmasters ready to roll
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the first 18 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles for the New Zealand Army, alongside personnel at Trentham Military Camp today. “The arrival of the Bushmaster fleet represents a significant uplift in capability and protection for defence force personnel, and a milestone in ...
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    5 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for the people of Sudan
    Aotearoa New Zealand is providing NZ$3.5 million to help meet urgent humanitarian needs in Sudan, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The severe fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has had devastating impacts for civilians. At least 705 people have been killed and 5,287 injured. ...
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    6 days ago

  • Clean-up at Hawkes Bay facility to help region deal with cyclone waste
    Repairing a Hawke’s Bay organic composting facility devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle is among the latest waste reduction projects getting Government backing, Associate Environment Minister Rachel Brooking announced today. “Helping communities get back on their feet after the devastating weather that hit the northern parts of the country this year is ...
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    6 days ago

  • 8% pay boosts for GP & community nurses
    About 6,100 more GP, community nurses and kaiāwhina will be eligible for pay rises of 8% on average to reduce pay disparities with nurses in hospitals, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. The top up comes from a $200 million fund established to remove pay disparities between nurses ...
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    6 days ago

  • Govt turns the sod on new Jobs and Skills Hub for Hawke’s Bay
    New Jobs and Skills Hub to begin construction in Hawke’s Bay The Hub will support the building of $1.1billion worth of homes in the region and support Cyclone Gabrielle rebuild and recovery. Over 2,200 people have been supported into industry specific employment, apprenticeships and training, by these Hubs across NZ ...
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    6 days ago

  • Community Housing Aotearoa Conference Speech
    Tēnā koutou e nga maata waka. Kia koutou te mana whenua tēnā koutou Ngā mate huhua o te waa, haere, haere, haere atu ra. Hoki mai kia tātou te kanohi ora e tau nei, Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Tēnā koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ...
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    6 days ago

  • New mental health tool launched for small business owner-operators
    The Government has launched a new tool to help small business owner-operators manage and improve their mental wellbeing, Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today. The Brave in Business e-Learning series is another tool the Government has delivered to support small businesses with their mental health and wellbeing. “A pandemic, ...
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    6 days ago

  • TAB partnership helps secure future of racing industry
    Minister for Racing Kieran McAnulty has announced the approval of a 25-year partnership between TAB NZ and UK betting company Entain that delivers at least $900 million in guaranteed funding for the racing industry over the next five years. Entain, a UK based group that operates multiple sports betting providers ...
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    6 days ago

  • Government project delivers more reliable and resilient water source to Northland
    The Government has delivered the first of three significant water security projects in Northland, boosting regional business and climate resilience, with the opening of Matawii reservoir today, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced. A $68 million Government investment supported the construction of the reservoir, along with two other water storage ...
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    7 days ago

  • Trade Minister to US to attend Ministerial meetings
    Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor will travel to Detroit tomorrow to represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting from 24 – 29 May. Whilst in Detroit, Damien O’Connor will also host a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Ministers ...
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    7 days ago

  • Murihiku Regeneration energy and innovation wānanga
    I want to start by thanking Ngāi Tahu and the Murihiku Regeneration Collective for hosting us here today. Back at the  Science and Innovation Wananga in 2021, I said that a just transition in New Zealand must ensure Iwi are at the table. This is just as true now as ...
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    7 days ago

  • New Ambassador to Mongolia announced
    Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced the appointment of diplomat Dr James Waite as Aotearoa New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Mongolia. He is currently the Deputy Head of Mission at the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing, a role he will continue to hold. “New Zealand and Mongolia share a warm and ...
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    7 days ago

  • Government commitment to Māori Education continues
    Biggest-ever investment in property with more money for new sites and modernisation Roll-out of learning support coordination in kaupapa Māori and Māori Medium Schooling Boost in funding for iwi and schools to work together on Local Histories content Substantial support for Māori Education has continued in Budget 2023, including ...
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    7 days ago

  • More students to benefit from next round of Creatives in Schools
    Applications for the next round of Creatives in Schools will open on Friday 16 June 2023, Minister of Education Jan Tinetti and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni announced today during a visit at Te Wharekura o Mauao in Tauranga. “The Creatives in Schools programme funds schools and ...
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    7 days ago

  • Speech to WasteMINZ conference, Hamilton
    Tena koutou katoa and thank you all for being here and welcoming me to your annual conference. I want to acknowledge being here in Tainui’s rohe, and the mana of Kingi Tuheitia. I hate waste. So much so that when we built our home in Dunedin, I banned the use ...
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    7 days ago

  • Extra boost for Southland’s Just Transition
    Southland’s Just Transition is getting a further boost to help future-proof the region and build its economic resilience, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods announced today.  “This Government is committed to supporting Southland’s just transition and reducing the region’s reliance on the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter at Tiwai Point,” Megan ...
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    7 days ago

  • PM concludes successful Pacific visit, confirms intention to visit India
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has concluded a series of successful international meetings with Pacific region leaders in Papua New Guinea. Prime Minister Hipkins secured constructive bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, PNG Prime Minister James Marape, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and United States Secretary of ...
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    7 days ago

  • Agreed statement from NZEI, PPTA and the Minister of Education
    On Friday 19th May, Minister Tinetti facilitated a meeting between NZEI and PPTA with the Ministry of Education to discuss options for finding a way forward in the current stalled collective bargaining. The meeting was constructive, and the parties shared a willingness to work towards a solution. The following was ...
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    1 week ago

  • Five community energy projects kick start
    Eighty-nine households will soon benefit from secure, renewable, and more affordable energy as five community-level energy projects are about to get underway, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods announced today.    Five solar projects – in Whangārei, Tauranga, Palmerston North and Christchurch – are the first to receive funding from the ...
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    1 week ago

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