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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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
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    2 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
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    3 days ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
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    4 days ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
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    4 days ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
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    4 days ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
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    4 days ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
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    5 days ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
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    5 days ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
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    5 days ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
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    5 days ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
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    5 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
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    5 days ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
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    6 days ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
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    6 days ago

  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
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    6 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
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    1 week ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
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    1 week ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
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    1 week ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
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    1 week ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
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    1 week ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
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    1 week ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
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    1 week ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
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    1 week ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
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    1 week ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
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    1 week ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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