What should the left make of the US election result?
Written By:
- Date published:
7:43 am, November 10th, 2020 - 76 comments
Categories: Donald Trump, election 2020, jacinda ardern, Joe Biden, uncategorized, us politics -
Tags:
What should we make of the election result? My responses as the results have rolled in have varied from fear to hope to optimism to happiness to what the f&*k happened?
I am pleased, so pleased that Trump lost. But why was it even close? Sure Biden dominated the East Coast and the West Coast and the North and the urban centres and he won the popular vote by over 4 million votes but how did Trump get 70 million people voting for him?
Was it a triumph for the progressive left in America? If so why was the result so close?
When you look at the tactics this suggests that the Democratic Brains Trust continues to think that the electorate can be thought of as a bell curve. There is a rich wad of votes in the middle that can be persuaded over as long as the policies are not too radical. They need to present an alternative to what the opposition is proposing, but it cannot be too different, just in case it scares the punters.
But what happened? On one side was a netherandal who has separated kids from their parents just for political kicks, has just fired the Secretary for Defence because he thought keeping Military bases named after Confederate Generals was a good idea and who took delight at trashing anything to do with addressing climate change and on the other side there was Joe. I would have voted for Joe. I can’t think of anyone who would be challenged making the decision of who to support.
This was not a battle for the middle of the bell curve. This was a fight over two completely divided parts of the electorate about who managed to get the most of their supporters to vote.
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has pointed out as much in this Guardian article:
“There’s a reason Barack Obama built an entire national campaign apparatus outside of the Democratic National Committee,” she told the Times’ Astead Herndon. “And there’s a reason that when he didn’t activate or continue that, we lost House majorities. Because the party – in and of itself – does not have the core competencies, and no amount of money is going to fix that.”
Ocasio-Cortez, who defeated a longtime Democratic politician in 2018 and who won re-election in her Bronx district by more than 50 points, endorsed the Vermont senator, Bernie Sanders, over Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential primary.
The truce is over. The failure of the party to operate an online strategy “in a real way that exhibits competence”, Ocasio-Cortez told the Times, made it hypocritical for the party to advance criticism of progressive messaging.
“If I lost my election, and I went out and I said: ‘This is moderates’ fault. This is because you didn’t let us have a floor vote on Medicare for all.’ And they opened the hood on my campaign, and they found that I only spent $5,000 on TV ads the week before the election?” Ocasio-Cortez said. “They would laugh. And that’s what they look like right now trying to blame the Movement for Black Lives for their loss.”
Grassroots activism that produced large turnout in Detroit, Philadelphia and Georgia was crucial to Biden’s win, and if the Democratic party fails to recognise that and incorporate the grassroots, the party disintegrates at the ballot box, Ocasio-Cortez said.
“It’s really hard for us to turn out nonvoters when they feel like nothing changes for them. When they feel like people don’t see them, or even acknowledge their turnout,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Naomi Klein describes the problem in this way:
I think about that moment in 2018, when the Democrats took back the House of Representatives. They were expecting their victory parade and instead had their offices occupied by the Sunrise movement and [Ocasio-Cortez] greeting them and pledging to introduce Green New Deal legislation. That sort of inside-outside pincer is what we need to be replicating again and again and again. That is a glimpse of the kind of dynamic that we will need if we are going to win the policies that are actually enough to begin to keep us safe.
What we have seen with the failure of the Democratic party to do the one thing that we look to from a political party, which is be good at winning elections. I don’t need to outline all the things we had going in our favor but this election should have been a repeat of Herbert Hoover’s loss in 1933. We are in the grips of a pandemic, a desperate economic depression and and Trump has done absolutely everything wrong.
This should have been a sweep. It should have been the sweep that we were promised. And the fact is, the Democratic leadership bungled it up on every single front. It wasn’t just a mistake. They did not want to offer people what they needed. They are much more interested in appeasing the donor class than they are in meeting the needs of their constituents, who need them now more than ever.
This boils back to who would have been better? Joe or Bernie? The polls and the doning class said Joe but you have to wonder if Bernie may have enjoyed greater success.
There is a further problem for progressives in America. There does not appear to be a downside if you want to bend the rules to breaking point. At least for the right and I say this because I cannot think of a similar situation where the left have bent the rules so egregiously. From Glynn Greensmith at Crikey (paywalled):
Look at what can be achieved when you simply deny a Supreme Court candidate a vote eight months out from an election, then force a different candidate through within days of the next one. Because you can. All you have to do is accept the charge of hypocrisy and you can change the fundamental balance of constitutional law, and potentially elections themselves.
Accountability, so underrated for so long as to be thought to be inherent in the system, is now found wilting through a prism of fanaticism, polarisation, and gerrymandering. Without electoral accountability, the structures holding civilised society together have found themselves at the mercy of the awesome power of shamelessness.
The question, then, is how to put structural integrity back at the heart of democracy.
Politicians own the ability to claim a mandate from the people after every election. But that does not mean/should not mean/was not designed to mean they then own the very essence of the concept of governance.
Maybe it is just that the electorate is hopelessly divided and bell curve analyses no longer apply. Maybe turnout is king and the Democrats should do nothing more than what Stacey Abrams has been doing in Georgia and get people enrolled and make sure they vote. And offer them hope.
The result should be contrasted and compared with the recent result in Aotearoa New Zealand. Labour should be exceedingly thankful to support from Maori and Pacifica communities. And we need to reflect on how competence and passion worked so well with the electorate. And how incompetence and passion in America nearly gave Donald Trump a second term.
76 comments on “What should the left make of the US election result? ”
- Comments are now closed
- Comments are now closed
CommentsOpinions
Recent Comments
FeedsPartyGovtMedia
- This is bad news
The speech yesterday by Treasury’s Chief Economic Advisor warning that the books are in worse shape than forecasted looks like it’s part of a softening-up process for either more cuts or a longer wait to get back into surplus. The speech was a highly unusual public preview of Treasury’s Half-Yearly ...17 minutes ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #47 2024
Open access notables Projected increase in the frequency of extremely active Atlantic hurricane seasons, Lopez et al., Science Advances: Future changes to the year-to-year swings between active and inactive North Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) seasons have received little attention, yet may have great societal implications in areas prone to hurricane ...9 hours ago - Chicken Kiev
Chatting in the supermarket this morning, I found I needed to lunge for the chicken drumsticks.Coping mechanisms: who hasn’t felt a greater need for them lately?When it all gets too much, I turn to demonstrating handy butchery hacks.It wasn’t that she’d said anything wrong, our friend, not at all. We ...12 hours ago - The year is 2024 and it’s 1984
This is written in response to the highly significant open letter from a group of economists that was today addressed to Christopher Luxon. The year is 2024, and it’s 1984. The country is reeling from a record Olympic medal gold haul, while the globe grapples with the choice of the ...13 hours ago - The IPCA has failed
Back in 2022, RNZ took an in-depth look at the "Independent" Police Conduct Authority and its handling of killings by police. These are the most serious test of oversight, and you would expect the police's use of lethal force to receive the most severe scrutiny. But despite the police regularly ...17 hours ago - Thursday 21 November 2024
The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti arrived at Parliament on Tuesday – the size is being debated but estimates range from 42,000 to 100,000. The Prime Minister is defending not attending due to some of the organisers being affiliated with Te Pāti Māori. The national gang patch ban came into force ...17 hours ago - ‘These budget cuts are counter-productive and make no sense’
I spoke to former Productivity Chair Nana this morning about the letter he and a group of other economists sent to PM Christopher Luxon to urge the Government to urgently suspend cuts to spending and investment for the sake of the economy, struggling businesses and the wellbeing of vulnerable ...19 hours ago - ACT’s Astroturfing & A Co-ordinated Attack on Te Pati Māori
Unity on the Streets / Unity at the TableAfter the Hīkoi, all three right wing Coalition leaders came together to push the idea that the 42,000 - 50,000 + strong Hikoi was somehow less potent and brave, and more illegitimate than the energy and crowd displayed.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon 20-November: ...20 hours ago - Durability of carbon dioxide removal is critical for stabilizing temperatures
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink The world is emitting over 40 gigatons of CO2 per year, contributing to an accelerating warming of the planet. The world needs to cut emissions rapidly to be remotely on track to meet our Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to well-below 2C, and we ...20 hours ago
- I Love My Leather Jacket
I wear my leather jacket like a great big hugRadiating charm - a living cloak of luckIt's the only concrete link with an absent friendIt's a symbol I can wear 'till we meet againOr it's a weight around my neck while the owner's freeBoth protector and reminder of mortalityIt's a ...21 hours ago - Throwback Thursday: Will “Auckland Transport” Survive?
With Auckland Transport’s future up in the air under Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposed CCO reform, we’ve dug way back into the archives, to unearth this post originally published in March 2010. As you’ll see, many of the debates that were being had when AT was first proposed continue to ...21 hours ago - Economists call on PM to suspend budget cuts for the sake of the economy
Nicola Willis’ budget cuts are under fire from economists for having no clear rationale and worsening the recession. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, November 21: The news at ...22 hours ago
- The end of policing by consent
National has appointed a new police commissioner. And he explicitly rejects policing by consent: Asked if he subscribed to policing by consent, he said he did not. “I don’t talk about policing by consent. I talk about trust and confidence, and it is fundamentally important that the police have ...2 days ago
- The Treaty Principles Bill: A Who’s Who
David Horatio Waterbed SeymourFringe politician and dweeb transformed successfully by ThinkTank money into a well-oiled soundbite robot.Currently programmed to say: Equal rights for all New Zealanders Equal rights for all New Zealanders Equal rights for all New Zealanders Was previously programmed to say:I am a proud libertarian andI am a ...2 days ago - Kinleith mill closure shows need for industrial strategy
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is calling on the Government to deliver an economic and industrial strategy for regional manufacturing, rather than just expressing sympathy for job losses, following the announced closure of Kinleith mill in Tokoroa. “The closure Kinleith mill in Tokoroa is not just devastating for ...2 days ago
- 27% of kids going hungry, up from 21% in a year
One in four Kiwi children live in households where food runs out often or sometimes. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, November 20: The lead: The official annual Health Survey found sharp ...2 days ago - Transport modelling is an illusion
This guest post by Tim Adriaansen, an advocate for accessibility and sustainable transport, originally published on LinkedIn and cross posted here with permission. People prefer cars, right? Probably not. Here’s why. Granted, most people in English-speaking countries use a car to get around. This simple reality underpins our transport ...2 days ago
- Young Maori take over
Neither Wellington nor Parliament has ever seen anything like it before. The Police said there were more than 40,000 but however many there were, yesterday’s Hikoi to Parliament was a monumental event. It was almost three times the Foreshore and Seabed martch of 2004 and many,many times bigger than ...2 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Hikoi Aftermath
The euphoria from yesterday’s hikoi may be transitory, but is no less valuable for that. It is pretty rare for the left to feel itself to be in the overwhelming majority, and speaking as the voice of the people. Lest that momentum be lost, the organisers will no doubt be ...2 days ago - Sabin 33 #3 – Solar panels generate too much waste and will overwhelm landfills
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...2 days ago
- What’s the time Mr Seymour?
Mr David Seymour crawling up to the ceilingThe sun don't shine the sun don't shine the sun don't shine at allMamma Pappa say you should go to school, I don't know what forNow that I've grown up and seen the world and all its liesSong: Southside of Bombay"Ake, ake, ake" ...2 days ago - Submit to defend te Tiriti!
The Justice Committee has called for submissions on National's racist and constitutionally radical Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill. Submissions can be made at the link above or by post, and are due by Tuesday, 7 January 2025. But I'd get in quick, in case National grows a spine ...2 days ago
- We need to talk about Kevin
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family has a Drunk Uncle Kevin in there somewhere. If your Kevin is anything like the ones I know, he was getting along happily enough without having to think too much about the Treaty Principles Bill apart from bloody good job, onya guys ...3 days ago - The hikoi
Like everyone else (everyone who wasn't there, anyway), I've spent the morning watching the hikoi march on Parliament. The pictures are astounding: parliament grounds and the surrounding streets are full, and there are still people backed up along Lambton Quay. The police are estimating 35,000 people, and that's a floor ...3 days ago
- Why Govt & NZ Inc should boycott & regulate Facebook
3 days ago - How should we talk about change?
A better world isn’t just possible, it’s desirable. And that’s how we should frame a lot of our conversations around making a greater Auckland. As an example take urban climate action. A climate friendly Auckland: Is free from congestion Enables people to travel how they choose Is filled with ...3 days ago
- AMA + Holiday Webworm Merch!
3 days ago - Discount Code for Webworm Merch!
Hi,So there’s a bunch of new stuff on the Webworm store (www.webworm.store) — just in time for the Holidays. Read more ...3 days ago - Trying to defuse the tension
There were urgent moves yesterday at Parliament to try and defuse the tension building up over ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill. The Bill’s author, ACT leader David Seymour, told reporters that he understood the Justice Select Committee met yesterday to discuss how long it should take to consider submissions on the ...3 days ago
- An Irritable NZ Pawn – David Seymour Admits Treaty Principles Bill will clear the way for deve...
3 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Hikoi Arrival, And Tyler Childers
Politicians like to bang on all about the need to heal society’s racial/economic divisions, but in their actions they’re more keen on stoking those divisions, with the Treaty Principles Bill being the classic example. The Bill seeks to dilute the Crown’s responsibilities to Māori at the same time as it ...3 days ago
- Socially Backwards and Fiscally Forwards: the False Ideological Divide and the “Conservative” Li...
3 days ago - Kaamos: Accepted
I appreciate that A Phuulish Fellow has been fairly quiet recently. That’s a combination of two things – comparatively little in the way of relevant material to discuss (at least until The War of the Rohirrim comes out next month), and my general work on The Secret Non-Fiction Writing Project. ...3 days ago - Here’s how governments could fix their Paris climate commitment failures
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Governments around the world face a conundrum. Virtually none are on track to meet their Paris climate commitments. That includes the United States, which committed to cut its emissions at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 but is only on track for 32-43% cuts ...4 days ago
- Unstoppable.
4 days ago - Katherine Trebeck – An Alternative Economic Narrative
The era of neoliberalism has been destructive on so many levels, with a huge growth in wealth and privilege for the one percent. A hollowing out of the state; fraying of the safety net; inadequate government investment in infrastructure; and continued environmental degradation has resulted in damage on a vast ...4 days ago - In a Manner of Speaking
In a manner of speakingI just want to sayThat I could never forget the wayYou told me everythingBy saying nothingOh, give me the wordsGive me the wordsThat tell me nothingOh, give me the wordsGive me the wordsThat tell me everythingSongwriter: Winston TongNext Tuesday, the subscription price for Nick’s Kōrero will ...4 days ago - Monday 18 November 2024
The NZNO have announced a nationwide strike for December over its pay dispute with Health NZ, who have put a 1 per cent cap on pay rises. The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti and Treaty Principles Bill remain front and centre in the media, with the impacts of the Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke-led ...4 days ago
- Shipley warns Seymour’s bill is ‘inviting civil war’
The divisive Treaty Principles Bill is not just a risk for the National Party, it’s a risk to civil order and unity, warns a National Party grandee. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on ...4 days ago - A clearer network for the City Rail Link?
This post was originally published on Linked In by Nicolas Reid. It is republished here with permission. Auckland is now just a year or so away from having the keystone of its urban rail network complete. As I wrote about here, the City Rail Link will be a literal game changer for ...4 days ago
- National’s support base is wobbling
If ACT leader David Seymour intended the Treaty Principles Bill to drive a wedge into National’s support base, he may well already be succeeding. By midnight on Thursday after the Maori Party haka in Parliament, National MPs were being deluged with emails and messages from their members calling them out ...4 days ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #46
A listing of 33 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, November 10, 2024 thru Sat, November 16, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is completely "meta" (no, not that Meta). It's about our exploring how ...4 days ago
- Grifter Eftpos Tamaki at it again
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Self-appointed “Bishop” and proto-fascist, Brian Tamaki was at it again on 16 November, blocking Auckland’s southern motorway, SH1.This time, the target of his ire wasn’t the Civil Unions Act; covid lock-downs; mask mandates; or ...4 days ago - Rip up a bill, lead a haka are words to live by
I cannot stop grabbing people by the lapels, or shoulders, or similar, and raving at them about the tiny miracles in my ears.I can hear again! There could not be a more satisfied customer in all the world.In a noisy cafe I am even catching words that Karren cannot, she ...5 days ago - Unintended Consequences
Take the baitYou pay the priceIt's much too lateFor good adviceYou know and I know that our good things' throughBecause there's consequences for what we doConsequences for me and youWriters: Kevin Robert Hayes, David Nagier, Bonnie Adele Hayes.Fallout from the first readingOne News began last night by saying that tens ...6 days ago - Thank you, driver!
Today, Saturday 16th of November, is Auckland Transport’s Bus Driver Appreciation Day! Saturday 16 November marks the third annual Auckland Transport (AT) ‘Bus Driver Appreciation Day’, and this year we are encouraging all of New Zealand to thank their driver or let the bus go first if you are in ...6 days ago
- Totally Normal: Holiday Edition
Hi,If I was to accurately sum up my mental state over the week, I’d just say that I got a huge fright from my own shadow.I’d nipped out for an 11pm neighborhood stroll, just to calm down after a day of stress and screens. The Cure and Fazerdaze’s new record ...6 days ago - We Are Not Listening
The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
6 days ago - More lawlessness from National
On Tuesday, sick of government stonewalling, the Waitangi Tribunal issued a rare court order, ordering the Minister of Health to release unredacted documents within 48 hours showing its reasoning for disestablishing Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority. The government's response to the lawful order of a court? Yeah, ...7 days ago
- National’s tyrannical “foreign interference” law
Yesterday, under cover the the biggest political fight of the year, National quietly - covertly, even - introduced anti-foreign interference legislation. The bill is the product of a years-long work-program aimed at countering shit like this and this, and there's unquestionably a need to do something to counter foreign states' ...7 days ago
- The Haka Represents The Best Of Us
A few months ago, I was in an audience watching a Haka-Kapa and as I watched children dance and sing and sway and shout and beat, I couldn’t help but think “The Haka represents the best of us.”Yes, yes - there will be a thousand voices that rush forth to ...7 days ago
- Adding up the climate cost
St Mary’s Bay housing left hanging: Climate risk is systemically underestimated in the climate scenarios used by central banks, and a new report warns 10,000 houses are set to become uninsurable in Aotearoa. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in ...7 days ago
- Auckland chafing at Bishop’s housing intensification orders
One of the major problems the Government has in implementing its ‘going for housing growth’ strategy is that it isn’t giving much funding help to councils. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and ...7 days ago - Friday 15 November 2024
The Treaty Principles Bill continues to dominate political news, with it passing its first reading in the House. Parliament was briefly suspended and Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke suspended for 24 hours after leading a haka that was joined by opposition MPs and the public in the gallery. Willie ...7 days ago
- Weekly Roundup 15-November-2024
Happy Friday, welcome to another round-up of interesting stories about what’s happening in Auckland and other cities. Feel free to add your links in the comments! This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers ...7 days ago
- Are We The Waiting?
And screamingAre we we are, are we we are the waitingAnd screamingAre we we are, are we we are the waitingForget me nots, second thoughts live in isolationHeads or tails and fairy tales in my mindAre we we are, are we we are the waiting unknownThe rage and love, the ...7 days ago - The Hoon around the week to November 15
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate news, including from COP29 this week; on the US Presidential elections, Israel vs Gaza/Iran/Lebanon, Ukraine/Nato vs Russia/North ...7 days ago
- First Tea and Toast, now Milo — why do NZ’s best beverages need so much defending?
Only two months ago, Nicola Willis had to step in to stop Health New Zealand cutting tea and toast for post-birth parents, and now Lester Levy is riding to the rescue with a welcome message for all: our health workers can once again drink Milo, and will no longer need ...1 week ago - Gordon Campbell on the folly of making apologies in a social vacuum.
Day One of the Treaty Principles Bill…and everyone got what they wanted, and did what they liked. Heated words were exchanged. Culturally appropriate acts of outrage were performed. David Seymour got to play the victim card. Willie Jackson got kicked out of class. A comically red-faced Mr Speaker bellowed “Order, ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #46 2024
Open access notables Microbial solutions must be deployed against climate catastrophe, Peixoto et al., Nature Communications [comment]: The climate crisis is escalating. A multitude of microbe-based solutions have been proposed, and these technologies hold great promise and could be deployed along with other climate mitigation strategies. However, these solutions have ...1 week ago
- The PM gets some extremely valuable legal advice for free
You can pay a great deal of money for the services of a KC. So just what would some peerless legal writing from 40 or so of them be worth, do you reckon?Priceless, that’s what. It’s not even the half of it, but this is my favourite part of the ...1 week ago - D-day for the government
The government's Treaty Principles Bill is up for its first reading today - bought forward in a rush in a desperate effort to avoid the hikoi which is currently marching on Wellington. But the Prime Minister won’t be there for it – he’s literally running away to Peru! But he ...1 week ago
- 97% of submissions did not want no-cause evictions, Trump chooses a Russian spy for US Intelligence ...
Good morning, and I’m sorry I’ve been away for a couple of days.I’ve been focusing on the Hikoi, and also testing out sentiment on the Treaty Principles Bill. It’s complicated, and the Treaty Principles Bill will be debated in the House today. The Government’s own lawyers have told them the ...1 week ago - Government must vote down ACT Members Bill that would undermine workers’ rights
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is calling on the Government to vote down an ACT Party Members Bill that would undermine workers’ rights by making it easier for employers to fire workers. Last week ACT MP Laura Trask’s Employment Relations (Termination of Employment by Agreement) Amendment Bill was ...1 week ago
- Seymour causes thousands of unjustified absences by forcing kids to fight for their rights instead o...
The State would like to remind you that they are in control. They manage your employment prospects, and can destroy the job market you and yours rely on by mass-cancelling construction projects, cutting funding, and firing a good chunk of our public servants. They wield the mechanisms that provide scrutiny ...1 week ago - The Weight of the World
As the weight of the world Hangs on your shoulders The weight of the world Starts to take over again And over again All that you once loved, now you hate So slowly relearn how to meditate To have and to hold And never let go Can you feel it ...1 week ago - Thursday 14 November 2024
The Treaty Principles Bill is set to have its First Reading in the House today, as the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti continues. More than 40 KCs have written to the Prime Minister and Attorney-General outlining their “grave concerns” about the substance of the Treaty Principles Bill, while an academic and ...1 week ago
- Trump’s return to White House brings the climate’s ‘find out’ phase closer
As we absorb the news of Trump's victory in the US Presidential election, here’s a wrap compiled just before the result of what it might mean for climate action: The UN Secretary General says the prospective departure of the United States would cripple the Paris Agreement, likening it to the ...1 week ago
- Time and Space in the City Centre
Patrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the City Centre Advisory Panel. The header image is from Walthamstow, London The city centre now has a few stretches of street where the space has been repurposed to a people and place focused design from full time traffic use. These are a great ...1 week ago
- An opportunity for a pro-growth tax switch
As the Hikoi against it swells into the tens of thousands, KCs call on National to kill off ACT’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, November 14: The ...1 week ago - Dealing to the big Aussie banks
The big question hovering over the Select Committee Inquiry into banking is what the Government will do with its findings. If yesterday’s hearing is anything to go by there is a tidal wave of discontent about the four big Australian Banks crashing through the Committee which may force it to ...1 week ago
- 20 fact briefs published in collaboration with Gigafact!
In April 2024 we announced the (renewed) collaboration between Gigafact and Skeptical Science to create fact briefs, short but credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. Our initial plan had been to publish one fact brief per week on Saturdays but - as happens ...1 week ago
- Instead of axing the HRC, ACT corruptly installed a racist, transphobic “Gay Human Rights Commissi...
On November 5th, the Spinoff published a very interesting article on Stephen Rainbow, the Human Rights Commission’s latest recruitment, and how he came to get the controversial appointment. Naturally because of the excitement of the US election, it’s flown a little below the radar. https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/05-11-2024/i-didnt-get-the-hrc-job-stephen-rainbows-human-rights-commission-appointment-just-got-weirderThe article details evidence of the ...1 week ago - Injustice for torture
Between 1950 and 1993 the New Zealand government tortured and abused up to 250,000 children in residential care facilities. Yesterday, following formal findings from a royal commission, it finally apologised for that abuse. The next step is redress and restitution - compensating the surviving victims for the appalling harm they ...1 week ago
- Voices echo
1 week ago
- NZ’s global climate rankings plummet as Govt removes agriculture from ETS
The Government has passed legislation to remove agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) while Aotearoa’s reputation on climate action plummets. ...11 hours ago - Failed boot camp experiment must end
As legislation to set up boot camps passed its first reading, the Green Party urged the Government to abandon this failed policy experiment for the good of our rangatahi. ...12 hours ago
- Gender-affirming care must centre evidence and health needs, not political posturing
The Ministry of Health has today released an evidence brief regarding the use of puberty blockers in gender-affirming healthcare, amid moves by the government to limit access. ...13 hours ago
- Release: National doesn’t care about manufacturing
The National Government is walking away from our manufacturing sector with constant reports of closures and job losses. ...14 hours ago - Release: David Parker speech – Piketty, Inequality and Climate Change
David Parker's speech from the University of Auckland's forum on Piketty, Inequality and Climate Change in September 2024. ...14 hours ago
- Release: Youth mental wellbeing no longer a priority for Child Poverty Minister
Louise Upston has revealed her diminished vision for vulnerable youth against a backdrop of snubbed advice, scrapped priorities, shifted goal posts and thousands more children projected to fall into poverty. ...16 hours ago
- Release: National’s lack of climate action taking NZ backwards
National Government’s backward-looking climate policy has seen New Zealand fall seven places on the Climate Change Performance Index to 41 out of 63 countries measured. ...16 hours ago
- Release: Simple reason for drop in emergency housing
When the Government says it has reduced the number of people in emergency housing, what it means is it is stopping people from accessing it in the first place. ...19 hours ago
- Govt’s child wellbeing strategy ‘shallow and shameful’
The Government is turning its back on children by not only weakening child poverty reduction targets, but also removing child mental wellbeing as a priority focus in their Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. ...19 hours ago
- Release: A historic win for Samoan communities
Labour warmly welcomes the Restoring Samoan Citizenship Bill as it passes its third reading, before becoming law. ...20 hours ago
- Government plan to reinstate live animal exports a “national disgrace”
The Government has taken a giant step backwards by reinstating live animal exports. ...1 day ago
- Pasifika justice as Member’s Bill passes final reading
Teanau Tuiono’s Member’s Bill, the Citizenship (Western Samoa Restoration) Amendment Bill, has passed its third reading and will become law. ...1 day ago
- Release: Minister of Education thinks New Zealand ends at the Bombay Hills
The Minister of Education has shown complete disregard for rural communities and their school bus routes in Question Time today. ...1 day ago
- Economists sound alarm on Government’s slash-and-burn approach
A group of prominent economists has released an open letter to the Government, raising grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences of its fiscal policy. ...1 day ago
- Release: Smoking numbers up under Costello’s watch
National’s repeal of Labour’s smokefree legislation has taken New Zealand further away from achieving a Smokefree 2025 and a smokefree generation. ...2 days ago
- Release: Call for Palestine recognition by NZ, Australian and Canadian MPs
Parliamentarians from Australia, Canada and New Zealand have written an open letter to their respective Prime Ministers calling on them to recognise Palestine. ...2 days ago
- Justice Select Committee opens floor for Treaty Principles submissions
Today, the Justice Select Committee has decided to officially open submissions for the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
- Power of the people on full display as hīkoi approaches Parliament
Today, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Wellington, with thousands gathering to march in unity against the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
- Hypocrisy as Te Whatu Ora contractor bill balloons
Te Whatu Ora’s bill for contracting and consulting staff has ballooned by nearly 20 percent under the National Government, breaking a promise they made during the election campaign to cut contractors. ...4 days ago
- Release: Growing pressure to scrap Section 7AA Repeal Bill
The newly released Section 7AA Repeal Bill's select committee report is further evidence that the Government should scrap it. ...4 days ago
- Government’s move to monetise access to nature a slippery slope
The Green Party is voicing serious concerns over the Government’s proposal to charge for access to public conservation land, released today. ...7 days ago
- Green Party condemns the passage of Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party condemns the passing of the Treaty Principles Bill at first reading, and is clear that the fight is not over. ...1 week ago
- Stand Up for Te Tiriti
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our country’s founding document. It forms the basis of the relationship between Māori and the Crown – and the Aotearoa New Zealand we live in today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Over 15,000 sign Labour’s open letter to Luxon
As the hīkoi to Parliament continues, Labour has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in a last-ditch attempt to get him to kill the Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Fast Track Bill threatens environment, climate and reputation
The fast-track legislation passing its second reading in Parliament is another step towards environmental ruin. ...1 week ago
- Greens join King’s Counsel in calling for Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned
The Prime Minister must answer the call from a group of senior lawyers of the King’s Counsel to abandon the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Chris Hipkins’ apology statement to state and faith-based care survivors
...1 week ago
- Release: Labour formally apologises to state and faith-based care survivors
Labour joins with the Government in unreservedly apologising for the abuse, neglect and trauma including torture in state and faith-based care and for ignoring the voices of survivors for too long. ...1 week ago
- Green Party stands in support of survivors of abuse in care
Today, the Green Party stands alongside the survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based care as the Government issues an historic apology. ...1 week ago
- Green Party calls for conscience vote on Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting he enable a personal vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt move to exclude journalist risks chilling effect
The Green Party is alarmed by the Government’s move to exclude a journalist from covering this week’s apology for the survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care. ...2 weeks ago
- Without action, an apology will be empty air
For tomorrow’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care to hold any water, the Government must not pursue the same policies that drove the abuse in the first place. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Concerns remain over tobacco interference
Concerns about the tobacco industry’s ability to interfere in government policy making remain, despite the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General to investigate the Government’s decision to halve the excise tax on heated tobacco products. ...2 weeks ago
- Urgent wake-up call on climate
The Climate Change Commission’s latest advice indicates Aotearoa needs to be stepping up on climate action. ...2 weeks ago
- Green MP’s Meme-ber’s Bill set to save the world
Break out the punchlines and dust off your meme folder: Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was pulled from the Ballot yesterday. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Poroporoaki: Ta Robert (Bom) Gillies
Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
- Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principles Bill
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ must pursue independent foreign policy
The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Winston Peters must apologise
The Deputy Prime Minister should apologise to the public servant he named and blamed for something they did not do, and for misusing the rules of Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
- Government action provides Southland farmers more time to meet plan requirements
The Government is taking action to ensure Southland farmers and growers are not affected by unreasonable regional farm plan deadlines, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard say.“Cabinet has agreed to provide more time for farmers and growers to comply with regional rules ...12 hours ago - Bill reaffirms Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending
The Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Bill had its first reading at Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. “In recent years we have seen an unacceptable spike in youth offending. “This Bill makes ...13 hours ago
- Critical milestones for earthquake buildings review
Fairer, more sensible rules about managing earthquake risks are a step closer with the passing of legislation and the appointment of an independent chair to provide expert advice, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The Government is committed to reinvigorating our cities and regions to support economic growth, ...13 hours ago
- State of the art radiology machine for Auckland
People in Northland and Auckland will benefit from a new machine for cancer treatment installed at the Regional Cancer and Blood Service at Auckland City Hospital. The MV5 linear accelerator, or LINAC machine, officially opened today targets cancer tumours with pinpoint accuracy. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says this new, ...14 hours ago
- Foreign Minister to visit Europe
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Europe for high-level talks with France, Germany and the United Kingdom next week. "Since taking office almost a year ago, the Coalition Government has emphasised the importance we place on New Zealand's traditional and likeminded diplomatic and ...14 hours ago
- First arrests made under gang patch ban
Police have made their first arrests under the new gang patch legislation, with two gang members arrested, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “Just before 11 this morning, Police in Wairoa apprehended a gang member for wearing a patch to the supermarket. He has been arrested and will now face enforcement ...15 hours ago
- Better support for victims of sexual violence
The Government is proposing two major changes to name suppression laws that will put the views of victims of sexual violence first, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “We are committed to restoring law and order and these two proposed changes will help ensure the victims of crime are put at ...16 hours ago
- Government moving forward with Regional Deals
Cabinet has agreed to invite all regions to submit proposals for Regional Deals between central and local government that drive economic growth and deliver the infrastructure our country needs, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop say. Inviting all regions to propose a Regional Deal that boosts ...17 hours ago
- MSA pilot participant update
One of the ten young men selected to participate in the Military-Style Academy Pilot has allegedly reoffended. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is disappointed but says it would be naïve to think that none of these young men would reoffend. “I’m saddened that this young person has not taken this opportunity ...17 hours ago
- Attendance rates increase, again
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that school attendance is continuing to rise. In Term 3 of 2024 51.3 per cent of students attended school regularly, an increase of 5.3 percentage points from 46 per cent in Term 3 of 2023. “This Government has prioritised student attendance and it is ...19 hours ago
- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
Ensuring New Zealand is the best place in the world for children and young people is the vision at the heart of the Government’s new Child and Youth Strategy, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says. “Childhood represents a huge opportunity to set people on a positive path towards living ...22 hours ago
- Government continues work to reinstate livestock exports by sea
The Government is reinstating the trade of livestock exports by sea while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, says Associate Minister of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard.“The Government will introduce legislation changes to reinstate the trade, enhance oversight, and strengthen requirements for exporters to identify risks and manage the welfare of ...1 day ago
- Speech to the National Quality Forum 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...2 days ago
- New Zealand’s COP29 National Statement
Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...2 days ago
- Latest Quarterly Investment Report released
The Government has released its second Quarterly Investment Report (QIR) which shows substantial work still to be done by agencies to improve investment reporting and meet the Government’s expectations, Infrastructure and Acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “New Zealand has significant infrastructure and investment needs. The Government is determined to get ...2 days ago
- New Zealand supporting loss and damage fund
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...2 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...2 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...2 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...2 days ago
- Jurisdiction of Disputes Tribunal to double
Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...2 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...2 days ago
- Significant milestone for Canterbury Road of National Significance
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news that the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has approved funding towards pre-implementation and early works on the State Highway 1 (SH1) Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS). “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of our Government’s ...3 days ago
- Health survey results to help drive change
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders. The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include: In 2023/24, ...3 days ago
- Final push needed to get to Smokefree 2025
A renewed effort to get people to quit smoking will build on what has worked to date and target the groups who most need support, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today. “The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show the daily smoking rate at 6.9 per cent and we ...3 days ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced four new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign ...3 days ago
- Next steps for Regulatory Standards Bill
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...3 days ago
- Red Tape Tipline goes live
Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...3 days ago
- Youth Parliament 2025 announced
The Minister for Youth Matt Doocey has today announced the eleventh Youth Parliament will be taking place in 2025. “Youth Parliament offers a unique youth development opportunity to young people from across New Zealand to experience the political process and learn about how government works,” says Mr Doocey. “The two-day ...4 days ago
- Police stats show promising change
After nearly a year in Government, Kiwis have seen significant change across law and order with promising early results shown across some Police statistics, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “In August 2023, I told New Zealanders that if they had not started to see a change in public safety within ...4 days ago
- Better coordination of anti-scam efforts
With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...4 days ago
- Minister to consider 7AA select committee report
Minister for Children Karen Chhour will consider the recommendations made by the Social Services and Community Committee in its report back to Parliament on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill. “I want to thank the people who made submissions and those who appeared before the committee in ...4 days ago
- Defence Minister to attend ASEAN meeting
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos. “We need to take every opportunity to engage with our international partners, given the increasingly unstable geo-political situation,” Ms Collins says. “New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to this ...4 days ago
- Launching the White Ribbon Ride
The Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour, was on hand to wish riders well at the start of the North Island leg of the White Ribbon Ride in Whakatāne this morning. The ride helps mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, ...5 days ago
- Construction to begin on next stage of Papakura to Drury
Construction on the next stage of the SH1 Papakura to Drury project will begin early next month, with the contract for works awarded to Fulton Hogan, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. "SH1 Papakura to Drury is a key project that will drive economic growth and productivity, reduce congestion, and enable people ...6 days ago
- NZ signs trade deal with Costa Rica, Iceland and Switzerland
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has signed a pioneering trade agreement that prioritises New Zealand’s sustainable exports at a ceremony during APEC in Peru today. “The Agreement on Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS), between Costa Rica, Iceland, and Switzerland was concluded in July of this year and opens up significant ...6 days ago
- Government and iwi work together on aquaculture
Five new Aquaculture Settlement Areas will help ensure Ngāi Tahu shares in the opportunities aquaculture offers for Southland’s economy, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. “The Aquaculture Settlement Areas (ASAs) I’m announcing today set aside space so the Crown and Ngāi Tahu can assess their potential for aquaculture development. ...7 days ago
- Government launches review to ensure electricity market is fit-for-purpose
The terms of reference for a review of the performance of the electricity market have been released. The review, initiated by the Coalition Government during the power crisis in winter will look at whether current regulations and market design support economic growth and access to reliable and affordable electricity, Energy Minister ...7 days ago
- Speech to Social Investment Hui: Jack and his whānau need our help
Kia ora koutou katoa. Nau mai, haere mai, piki mai. Ki te mihi atu ahau, ki te manwhenua nei, Te Atiawa, Ngāti toa rangatira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Thank you, Andy, for your introduction. Let me acknowledge you as the new Chief Executive of the Social Investment ...7 days ago
- Minister of State for Trade heads to Brisbane for PACER Plus meeting
Minister of State for Trade Nicola Grigg has travelled to Australia to attend the PACER Plus Ministers Meeting in Brisbane. “Trade plays a critical role in driving employment, economic growth, and improving the standards of living in the Pacific Region. The Government is strongly committed to supporting Pacific Island countries ...7 days ago
- Proposals to modernise conservation released
Toitū te taiao – Our environment endures The Government is consulting on proposals to modernise New Zealand’s conservation management system, aiming to protect relevant natural areas while supporting sustainable growth in tourism and regional economies, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says. “Today, the Department of Conservation – Te Papa Atawhai is ...7 days ago
- This week three parties stood together – can they withstand the storm to come?
There is plenty yet to play out, but the next election is at this rate shaping up as trio versus trio, writes Toby Manhire. A subplot of this week’s historic hīkoi mō te Tiriti has been the sight of the three opposition parties presenting a unified front. Te Pāti Māori ...17 minutes ago - All 33 malls in Auckland ranked from worst to best
From the low lows of abandon empires to the high highs of a mall done just right. This is the second in the Malls of New Zealand series, where we rank the malls in major centres. Next week: Wellington. A note from the editor: This is the hardest ranking we’ve ...17 minutes ago
- The cost of being: A clothes-mad 20-something who walks everywhere
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 27-year-old apartment-dwelling marketing exec explains her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 27. Ethnicity: Pākehā. Role: Marketing exec at ...17 minutes ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 22 November
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 22 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 minutes ago - Daily crossword, Friday 22 November
The post Daily crossword, Friday 22 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 minutes ago
- China likely to strengthen regional relationships in response to another Trump term
Opinion: Recent discussions in Shanghai provide some insight into what’s likely to be on the table The post China likely to strengthen regional relationships in response to another Trump term appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 minutes ago
- Nuclear winters know no borders
Opinion: The immediate horror of nuclear weapon explosions – the blinding flash, crushing blast wave, and radioactive inferno – is well documented.But what nuclear-armed nations either don’t grasp or won’t admit, is far more chilling: how their weapons could devastate even countries thousands of kilometres from any mushroom clouds.The collapse ...17 minutes ago
- This week’s bestselling books – November 22
FICTION1 Kāwai: Tree of Nourishment by Monty Soutar (David Bateman, $39.99)Sample dialogue, all from one chapter:“That can’t be,” replied Taona doubtfully.“You were right. The pā is unnervingly quiet,” Taona murmured.“The Hākuwai,” Motukia breathed. “Our grandfathers told us they rarely saw the Hākuwai in daylight,” Motukia muttered.“Their fight would have been futile ...17 minutes ago
- Burma the flying elephant
After about two and a half years of planning and waiting, New Zealand’s last elephant has moved to her new home at Monarto Safari Park in South Australia.Burma and her “human herd”, that is, her keepers, arrived last week, and she’s settling in well, according to Auckland Zoo’s Andrew Coers.“Something ...17 minutes ago
- NZ’s membership of Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance in jeopardy
Senior ministers in the coalition suggested NZ’s membership will be re-evaluated if it restarts offshore oil and gas drilling The post NZ’s membership of Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance in jeopardy appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 minutes ago
- Raw Politics: Six months in a leaky Bill
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not meet the Treaty Principles Bill hikoi crowd, sees “nothing” of merit in the Act-proposed law but the Parliament his Government dominates will spend six months debating a “divisive” measure.That’s because he has accepted there needs to be “aeration” of people’s views on the Treaty, ...17 minutes ago
- Taken to the brink, Govt is now close to selling big Whakapapa ski field
Bidder Whakapapa Holdings walked away from the sales process last year, but says it’s now ‘95% there’ on a purchase agreement – so who blinked first? The post Taken to the brink, Govt is now close to selling big Whakapapa ski field appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 minutes ago
- Watts nears a landmark deal on global carbon trading
A framework for global carbon trading under the Paris Agreement is finally nearing completion at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan after years of halting talks.Climate Change Minister Simon Watts is one of two ministers tasked by the COP29 hosts with landing a long-sought deal on Article 6 of the climate accord, ...31 minutes ago
- Grattan on Friday: Marles plays a defensive bat on nuclear as the government rushes to get though la...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Richard Marles is an ambitious man who hasn’t given up the dream of one day reaching the top job. But, despite being deputy prime minister, his profile is much lower than that of Treasurer Jim ...6 hours ago - NEW POLL: Kiwis Overwhelmingly Support MPs’ Expenses Transparency Law Change
62% of respondents support the extension of the OIA to cover MPs’ spending, compared to just 13% opposed and 24% were unsure. ...8 hours ago - The House: Meanwhile, a week of passing law
The political week has been packed with worthy distractions, but all week Parliament has focused on passing new laws. Here are the highlights. ...8 hours ago - The biggest difference between Hīkoi mō te Tiriti and past hīkoi: More support from non-Māori
Analysis - The diversity of voices during the hīkoi was noticeable - from tangata moana to young immigrants to elderly Pākehā from the South Island. ...9 hours ago
- The House: Samoan citizenship restoration – ‘It means we belong to this land’
When the bill to restore NZ citizenship to some Samoans passed this week, Parliament's galleries were full to the brim with members of the community. ...10 hours ago
- More Delays In Action On Use Of Puberty Blockers With Children
Women’s Rights Party Co-leader Jill Ovens says the Ministry has put New Zealand children at risk by continuing to allow “off-label” prescribing of puberty blockers at far higher rates than other similar countries. ...10 hours ago
- Police Minister adamant he wasn’t aware of gang members training at gun clubs
That is despite two papers from police that raised the matter with him. ...11 hours ago
- Shorten declares himself ‘a proud moderate’, saying Australians ‘in the middle’ shouldn’t ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Bill Shorten has declared himself “a proud moderate” in a valedictory speech declaring parliament has the responsibility to ensure the extremes of left and right do not set the terms of political debate. Shorten, ...11 hours ago
- New ‘best practice’ principles for superannuation products are coming. We asked a panel of exper...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer Studio Romantic/Shutterstock We all know how important it is to save enough money for retirement – but what about spending it wisely when we get there? Even for those who have built up a suitable ...11 hours ago
- Government accused of betraying Kiwis’ trust over lack of consultation on live exports
The government has always vowed to reinstate live exports by sea, which was banned by the previous Labour government. ...12 hours ago
- 7 things you can do if you think you sweat too much
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Freeman, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Bond University ERIK Miheyeu/Shutterstock Sweating is our body’s way of cooling down, a bit like an internal air conditioner. When our core temperature rises (because it’s hot outside, or you’re exercising), sweat glands all ...12 hours ago
- Phenergan for under 6s is now banned due to hallucination fears. Here’s what to use instead
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Macquarie University Australia’s drug regulator has issued a safety warning over the medicine Phenergan and related products containing the antihistamine drug promethazine. The Therapeutic Goods Administration said the over-the-counter products should not be given to children ...12 hours ago
- A new stage adaptation of Peter Carey’s Jack Maggs is a delightful homage to theatrical storytelli...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Campbell, Lecturer, Performing Arts, UniSA Creative, University of South Australia Matt Byrne/STCSA Jack Maggs is a delight and a homage to theatrical storytelling in Australia. Based on Peter Carey’s bestselling novel, Jack Maggs follows the ex-convict as he lands ...12 hours ago
- The government has introduced laws for its social media ban. But key details are still missing
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Angus, Professor of Digital Communication, Director of QUT Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology Ron Lach/Pexels The federal government today introduced into parliament legislation for its social media ban for people under 16 years. Communications Minister Michelle ...12 hours ago
- Archives NZ, National Library to cut 27 roles
The Department of Internal Affairs wants to bring the two organisations under the joint leadership of the Chief Archivist and National Librarian. ...12 hours ago
- Gang patch ban: Members warn of potential for violence to ‘erupt’ as new laws enforced
"I can't see this lasting unless they have a budget to lock fullas up in jail which I think is absolutely stupid, really it's ludicrous," Ngavii Pekapo, who set up a Mongrel Mob chapter 54 years ago, says. ...12 hours ago
- ACT leader David Seymour raises doubts about Waikato medical school
Government documents show ACT leader David Seymour told the government he was "dissatisfied" with a cost-benefit analysis. ...13 hours ago
- National’s Erica Stanford allegedly calls Labour’s Jan Tinetti a ‘stupid bitchR...
The Education Minister has apologised in Parliament for her remark. ...13 hours ago
- Labour backs new Police Commissioner – but warns against routine arming
The alternative to policing by consent would be a police state, which New Zealanders don't want, the party says. ...14 hours ago
- Youth on boot camp pilot re-offended five weeks after release
Children's Minister Karen Chhour said while it was disappointing, it would naïve to think none of the participants would lapse. ...15 hours ago
- In photos: People of the hīkoi, and why they marched
Hikoi mō Te Tiriti has come to an end, going down in history as the largest march to Parliament in Aotearoa. ...15 hours ago
- ‘Everything is becoming a culture war’: Jon Ronson on conspiracies and cycleways
Ahead of his appearance in Aotearoa, the acclaimed British journalist, podcaster and documentarian talks to Stewart Sowman-Lund about why people are still fascinated by the fringes. The last place I would expect to find Jon Ronson is relaxing in the countryside. The iconic British journalist and writer is best known ...15 hours ago
- Kia kaha Lebanon: NZ media only tell half your story of struggle
The United States has vetoed a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution — for the fourth time — in Israel’s war on Gaza, while Hezbollah demands a complete ceasefire and “protection of Lebanon’s sovereignty” in any deal with Israel. Amid the death and devastation, Joe Hendren reflects on his time in ...16 hours ago
- ‘Deserves a Bafta’: After the Party premieres in the UK to five-star reviews
The acclaimed New Zealand drama has just premiered on TV in the United Kingdom, and the five-star reviews are already flowing in. Six months after it was called a “blistering” “tour de force” by Australian critics, and nearly a year since The Spinoff declared it the best drama New Zealand ...16 hours ago
- Drugs are getting cheaper and easier to find in Aotearoa
New Zealanders are drinking and smoking less, but most other recreational drugs are becoming cheaper, more popular and more available, two new reports show. Two significant new surveys about drugs in Aotearoa were released this week, offering a rare insight into New Zealanders’ choice of substances, which ones are becoming ...16 hours ago
- COP29: ‘climate finance’ for the Pacific is mostly loans, saddling small island nations with mor...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Ratuva, Director, Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury Lenora Qereqeretabua, the deputy speaker of Fiji’s Parliament, at the COP29 climate summit. IISD/ENB/Mike Muzurakis, CC BY-SA As this year’s UN climate summit reaches its final stage of negotiations, Pacific ...17 hours ago
- Review: The magic of Wicked and the curse of corporate greed
The new movie musical is undoubtedly a fun watch, but it’s also proof that bigger isn’t always better, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund. Contains minor spoilers for Wicked. There’s no doubt that Wicked is going to be huge. No other pop culture event this year, save from maybe Charli XCX’s Brat, has ...17 hours ago
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
The house of representatives moved slightly to the right,the Senate moved slightly to the left while the Presidency moved slightly to the left.
Diplomacy will be the currency of the new US govt a refresh of the divisive Bullying of recent times.
Community organising to overcome gerrymandering and voter suppression is the key.
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez needs to be a Presidential candidate in 2024, she will meet the age criteria by a month apparently, along with her friends for Congress and Senate.
Mr Biden got a narrow victory, indeed significantly due to black voter turnout.
Nature may elevate Kamala Harris sooner rather than later, to President, or acting President, but AOC will be required to achieve a blue landslide.
She and her ethos reaches working class people whose pain Trump pretended to recognise, the orange tumour in human form of course never intended to actually do anything, like raise the minimum wage, to relieve that pain.
The “Yuge” vote for Trump will be analysed for months to come and interesting statistics are already emerging. But the most interesting statistics are already out there–the wealth corralled by the 1%ers, and Covid deaths–until the Democrats address that, take on the donor class, they should expect cliff hanger elections.
AOC is better off staying in Congress, working to get legislation across the line. She could still be there in the 40's or even 50's (feels weird typing that), where was she has a max of 8 at the white house.
CNN exit polls found that Biden-Harris support amongst ALL minority groups dropped compared to Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trumps support amongst minority groups increased compared to his 2016 numbers.
Biden's big gain came from white men with no college education. They made up for the drop in all the other groups and put him over the top.
How does that fit into the popular narratives?
Harris was supposed to bring out the black vote, but the black Democratic vote dropped instead.
Trump promised jobs to the angry working class white men and then didn't deliver, so they went with Biden.
But didn't Trump and his team of State lackeys make it as difficult as possible by cutting back on polling places in many of the black communities? Assuming the poorest among them don't have access to online voting they probably gave up because there was nowhere for them to vote.
That would affect the total number of votes cast, not the percentage of people whom, having cast votes, told CNN they voted for Biden vs Trump.
The total number of votes cast actually went up by huge numbers. The US had the highest voter participation rate this election since 1900, and in 1900 only white male landowners voted.
Biden received the highest number of votes ever cast in a presidential race. The second highest number of votes ever cast in US presidential race history went to Trump.
ÀOC will never be President of the US.
Big business has to much power unless you get 66% of Congess to change the electoral college to have proportional representation ie 1 man 1 vote nothing will change and that's not going to happen as voter suppression will continue to happen unless more mail in voting.
Voter suppression is endemic like voting day was moved to Tuesday so employers can keep voters at work during voting hours giving them compulsory overtime to prevent workers from voting.
This is maybe why Arizona a normally republican state has flipped as they have moved to mail in ballots for all elections.
Google is your friend.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_Day_(United_States)#History
Arizona has used mail ballots for decades, it's nothing new for this election. So it's unlikely to be a significant factor in Arizona going blue.
It's not as if there weren't less far-right alternatives to Biden. Elizabeth Warren had the smarts and the energy to formulate genuine economically-based progressive change. It remains to be seen whether Biden has.
Biden was Corporate America's choice for president.
Democrat leaders sidelined the man of the people,
America had a chance to change but Democratic rule threw it away in favor of Corporate America.
Nancy Polisi is too old, so is Biden, the world belongs to the millenials now and that should be reflected in their leaders
Do you fail to understand how voting works? How more than half of the Democrat primary voters, ordinary people, chose Biden? While roughly a quarter of them chose your "man of the people", roughly half the support that Biden got.
Do you not remember Bernie leading the primary until all the other contenders dropped out an endorsed Biden?
I remember the argument against Sanders was that he'd be called a socialist and that would be disastrous!
But then…
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/25/905895428/republicans-blast-democrats-as-socialists-heres-what-socialism-is
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/business/socialist-biden-trump.html
The GOP will always try and demonise their opponents, no Dem would ever be acceptable to them, the trick would be to appeal to their voters, not the politicians.
So?
How much did Bernie's support share increase after the others dropped out? Sweet fuck-all. So all that tells you is he entered the race with a dedicated base of cultists and was unable to attract significant support beyond that cult.
Yeah cos all the other candidates endorsed Biden?
We already know what you think about Sanders, it's tired at this point.
What is important is how does the left in the US continue to expand the electorate? Stacey Abrams and others have shown that increasing voter registration is great, as opposed to large ad spends. Meeting people where they are at and offering them material improvement in their lives has shown to be effective also.
Actually, my opinion of Sanders himself is much higher than my opinion of his cultists that can't get their heads around the realities of politics and why Sanders doesn't win contests that require winning votes from a broad and diverse electorate.
As opposed to those with some connection to reality that supported Sanders while his chances were still live, but when reality hit home, they switched their support to the best remaining option to get progress towards what they believed in.
People like Mayor Pete and Ms Warren fudged their withdrawals on purpose, they stayed in long enough to draw votes that may have gone to Sanders while intending to leave the race, and keeping that to themselves.
A straight Biden/Sanders fight would have been interesting, but it was not to be. The “Obama call” set the play really, and Rep. James Clyburn in South Carolina did the rest. Bloomberg played a spoiler role too.
Think I’m wrong? Biden’s campaign was a joke until the DNC big guns got directly involved in strategy, and Covid probably did not help either. The thing is a lot of Bernie and the movements that backed him, policies are supported by working class Americans, including Republicans as the various referenda showed on Nov. 3.
The truth is out there, for those that want to believe.
Biden’s campaign was a joke until the DNC big guns got directly involved in strategy
What part of leading a crowded field for over a year, then destroying the opposition the first time Black voters got a say in the primary, suggests his campaign was "a joke"?
Do you not remember Bernie leading the primary until all the other contenders dropped out an endorsed Biden?
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html
Bernie led national primary polling for less than a month, after Biden's poor showing in the first couple of states. By the time the rest of the field dropped out after South Carolina (the first large delegate haul and, more importantly, the first state with a "majority-minority" electorate) it was abundantly clear that the moderate/centrist part of the party was significantly more favored by primary voters than the left part of the party.
Half of the country still voted Trump despite everything. Why?
co-optedperverted by charlatans (QAnon)Neither party governs for "We The People" any longer, but instead of organising a revolution against Wall St mega-thieves, Americans have turned on each other
+100. Trump could've won with a more considered approach. Biden didn't convince many and Harris appeared to be the difference in key swing urban areas.
The politics of division, corporate media and an electorate that by design lacks the ability to think critically about the messaging makes for interesting times.
Even Harris not that great a candidate. Little support for her in California Primary …Lost her own state. Not liked by many blacks/BLM as she was 'a lock 'em up & throw away the key' prosecutor. Many call her Cop Kamala. Her selection as VP was just more of the same old pandering to 'diversity' … a shallow diversity that basically just folds minority elites into the smothering embrace of the white elite. As if a top university/rich Lawyer elitist semi-black woman knows the struggle of the masses of black working class women & can claim to represent them just by virtue of her 'blackness'. Mainline Dems are just all about the surface wokeism with no real care/policy for the ordinary working/poor/unemployed people
Even Harris not that great a candidate. Little support for her in California Primary …Lost her own state.
Harris dropped out of the primary in December. That's two months before a single vote was cast the Iowa caucus, let alone the California primary a month after that.
"Trump
could'vewould have won with a slightly more considered approach."FIFY
The Dems scraped this election against an idiot. I was impressed with Harris's mana in her speech accepting victory…maybe there is something hopeful to look forward to when she becomes president.
Was talking to a wise gentleman about it last evening and he had one word to say why 70 million people voted for Trump. NAFTA.
My memory of that agreement was scant so looked it up. An excerpt which sums up what he was saying:
And therein lies the origin of the current situation?
Most of the rednecks in the southern and central states of America probably don't understand what was done to them. All they know is they lost their jobs and many have been living hand to mouth since. Then along came this rich Neanderthal who convinced them he was going to raise their standard of living again. Even the meme MAGA was coined to fool them into thinking they were going to be front and centre of his administration. Its going to take a long time before they even begin to read the writing on the wall.
Yes. The basic problem is class warfare, as Warren Buffett pointed out years ago. The 0.01% class is winning, and the American people are losing. But they can’t see it.
Yes Anne the Bush era changed the playing field, just as Bill Birch did here.
Nailed it.
The Left ended up being totally sidelined..they were simply their as observers..I would feel far more hopeful and reassured if I thought, for one second, that the Centrists were capable of doing some soul searching..meantime inequality will continue to flourish, Americans are still going to be bankrupted if they get sick, mothers are still going to send their kids down to the shop and have to pray they don't get shop by a cop……and multiple countries are going to have to brace themselves for War in its various guises…oh yeah, and the Planet is still going to burn..maybe slower…but barely….its just everyone can hide their head under the pillow a little longer….
I was thinking about women's position in the voting for T or B. It's decision time now, if ever for them in the USA. They have to decide whether they are going to be thoughtful and opinionated, or be an attachment to some bloke or blokess with a loud mouth and a confident air. Blowhards come in all genders.
Some of the USA states are retreating into separation and cult mentality as we see at Gloriavale or whatever glorious name it is called. Which is, on the look of it, partly modelled on the Amish, with a mix of prosperity church, and patriarchy rules. The old saying of 'Keeping women barefoot and pregnant' is at the back of the male minds prevailing.
And some of the states have no doubt gone so far in their desire for control over women (and sexuality) that they've made it hard to buy contraceptives. That was the case in parts of Australia as close as the 1970's. All that thinking women have agitated for is on a slide towards the rubbish heap. It isn't being nostalgic to grab it back and say this is not for throwing out, it has lots of good wear in it still!
And then there is health and needed services. And something needed is kindness; neolib has encouraged the downplaying of this by presenting it as a falsity, an hypocrisy where people are really doing something to give themselves a buzz – a good deed is equivalent to a shot of drug. Only sick minds could draw such conclusions and spread them as 'gospel'. And don't throw that back on me just because you don't want to study what neolib proponents actually think and say.
I think the way forward now is to plan from the bottom up. What are the basics, how should they be made available, when and to what extent. Get a travelling road show going with people doing a thinking exercise, and each person set stuff down which is photocopied and the original given back for later study and amendment. Then what should be the major drive and approach to life in the country. And a talk on how to get better politics and outcomes.
It would be helpful for people trying to visualise a better society to think about the way road rules apply. With all the vehicle and people movements in the country, by following the same straightforward rules, (translated for foreigners with icons or foreign language guides). That is an example of how we can be, give way when required – many people don't understand the right hand rule but when we understand the reasons and necessity of those rules most obey – the accidents are aberrations usually.
I think the left has to watch they don't get smug. They have to be balanced – all worker demands aren't justified, employers encouraged to go for long-term employment, and reasonable targets and bonuses for smooth operation of units of workers. Workers then have skin in the game to keep a reasonable efficiency going, the targets and bonuses to be set every year. The left needs to watch for ways to get around the swingeing demands of our free trade agreements. Need bright left-wing lawyers who operate quietly and don't publish all their findings for that.
I think the lesson here is clear.
Seriously?
Some minor resolution among the left is supposed to be the lesson for a very close race against an openly racist and corrupt leader responsible for the deaths of 245,000 people and who has done more to destroy the reputation of the United States than Bush W, Harding and Hoover put together?
Some interesting 2019 commentary on the M4A (healthcare resolution).
https://www.thirdway.org/memo/will-m4a-doom-democrats-in-the-general
That commentary doesn't really go into one of the key obstacles of shifting from the existing cornucopia of crapulence, where health insurance for fully half of Americans is mostly paid by their employer. Unless the transition is designed and managed extremely well (hah!), shifting that cost burden from private employers onto the government results in a massive windfall to employers and a massive cost increase onto regular taxpayers.
Biden's actual proposal of adding a public option into Obamacare is actually a very sensible middle ground, leveraging off the strengths and reach of Medicare (and Medicaid) but avoiding the pitfalls of taking everyone out of their existing arrangements.
Yes, seriously.
69% of American voters support Medicare for all, the lesson being, that when a politician campaigns on a popular policy they win elections.
Biden ran on the reputation and 'soul' of the US and explicitly against Trump and he only just scrapped in.
People want something that materially improves their lives, and unfortunately for 70 million Americans, the 'soul' of the country isn't a big motivator for them.
You don't think that perhaps a relevant factor is that all of those in your list that won are in districts that a week-dead roadkill skunk wearing a blue rosette would win, while all those that lost are in competitive Repug leaning districts?
Not my list, and lots of those that lost in 2020 had won their seat in 2018. What happened to their campaigns in those 2 years? It seems they were the ones doing the roadkill skunk impression.
In 2018 the Combover Con wasn't on the ballot, and it's very common for mid-term elections to go against House Representatives from the incumbent's party. Which is why four of the five losers on your list were first-termers.
You posted that list with a comment clearly implying endorsement of the contents, but without providing a source. You don't want to own that?
If you click on the image, it will take you to the source.
In 2018 Trump wasn't 'on the ballot' but he was still the president, and head of the GOP. That however doesn't really explain why the other 2018 first-termers that actually won reelection in 2020 just happened to support the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.
The first termers that won re-election are in districts where a week-dead road-kill skunk wearing a blue rosette would win. So they can afford to take positions that excite a particular segment of the base, but are turn-offs to moderate swing voters in competitive districts that actually decide elections.
In 2018, when progressives had a good chance to do well everywhere, progressives still lost in competitive House Districts. But moderate Dems running in competitive House districts had much better success.
https://www.vox.com/2018/11/7/18071700/progressive-democrats-house-midterm-elections-2018
Consider Nebraska's 2nd House District. In 2018, Kara Eastman was one of the progressive left's high hopes and had a good chance given it was a midterm. She lost. 49% to 51%. This year she lost 46% to 51%, even as Biden won the District 52% to 45%.
Government run healthcare polls at 72% on Fox, that's not even the Dem base.
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/fox-exit-polls-shows-americans-liberal/
Anyway, you and are aren't going to agree on this but I'm sure we can agree that 2022 is already a worry.
There's 80% support in the United States for a national mark-wearing mandate, but that didn't make 80% of voters vote for Joe Biden or for Donald Trump.
https://mcusercontent.com/ca678077bc522bd7bd74bacbf/files/2e108f31-c9fb-4043-a20e-f139b737eff5/HHP_Oct_FINAL_PRESENTATION_10_29_20.pdf
You should grant voters more intelligence than you do.
What? I haven't said anything about the intelligence of voters?
People are less affected by the 'Soul' of their country than they are by the life-saving effects of affordable medical care.
They vote on more than one issue. Even your sample of 5 know that.
Yes, hence why they made appeals to voters on affordable healthcare, rising minimum wages, swift action on climate change etc etc.
My contention is, and the polling shows, that the ‘Soul’ and reputation of the country isn’t high on voter’s list of issues.
Best of luck with that soul thing.
They won safe seats?
thread
https://twitter.com/oldladydem/status/1325522214217723910
[…]
https://twitter.com/oldladydem/status/1325523847689461762
Looks like the reckons of an old RWNJ.
The Sanders' organisational and policy support for Biden was outstanding – and enabled the remaining progressives to stay with Biden. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez was fully integrated into that shift.
So AOC can offload on organisational grounds all she wants now that they've won, but it's not hard to imagine what would happen if they had lost and Trump was back.
Even now, if she so much as mentions socialism once on tv, she should just be thrown out the Congress doors. Trump and COVID will keep expectations about Federal intervention very low for some time, and redistribution just isn't a useful part of the conversation.
Biden won by his virtue of having the only thing that half of the country wanted: calm and competence and empathy.
What we must see in the next month is proof that Biden is more than a palimpsest for Harris and key staff to write all over. He's making all the right moves to be more than that.
palimpsest
Word of the Week!
🙂
Demonstrate that he will not be a president for the Democrat Party, because he's too all party American to be a Democrat when in office?
Like Ardern having power, but using it to progress the economy, rather than anything socialist.
Yeah – I wouldn't park any faith in a transformational Harris. She's there as identity politics because the Democrats are too craven to come out with even minimal public interest policy. Yet another lawyer when you need an economist.
So America will keep trucking down the dysfunctional path of neoliberalism, shedding jobs and grinding the faces of a larger and larger class of heavily armed poor. But the next Trump will be sooo much nicer – it'll be fine.
It's interesting looking at maps of how the vote shifted from 2016 to 2020.
https://data.tallahassee.com/presidential-election-results-compare-2016-2020/
The rotting rage papaya did significantly better in Miami-Dade county, and along the Texas border with Mexico. There's a good chance that was because Repug smears of "socialist" actually stuck with Hispanic voters in those areas. So the lesson is, don't even look like embracing the label socialist, it's a massive turn-off for huge numbers of critical voters, and it won't win any votes.
Especially since what is being advocated is not actually socialism. It might be an expanded social safety net, it might be ensuring more people get more opportunity, it might even be merely shifting the balance of a mixed economy, or whatever, but it is not actual socialism.
I have yet to find good data (and I can't be arsed trying to compile it), but I've seen asserted that in general, the surprise of the election was the Ku Klux Clown way overperforming what was expected from polling information, much more so than Biden underperforming. Unlike 2018 polling, which was generally quite accurate. This suggests that there was indeed a lot of hidden support for the Grab'em'fuhrer that survived, actually was energised, by four years of his actual behaviour.
Since the rufous loofah-faced shitgibbon seems levels beyond any other significant figure (excepting possibly Fuckwit Carlson) in shamelessly saying whatever he feels like in a way that allows the gullible to project their hopes and desires onto his words, I'm not sure there's an actual lesson there for Democrats. Certainly there's no obvious way to combat it, and trying to emulate it would be a yuuuuuge mistake.
Housing affordability in the USA is way better than NZ. Petrol, food, clothing is way cheaper. Drug laws are tending to be more relaxed. Music and culture is fantastic in many places. Their universities have most of world's best and brightest. America still has the potential to lead the world in climate change, high tech, medicine, space exploration, and peace on Earth.
If only…
Covid is the only reason Biden won . Trump was voted out Biden wasn't voted in .
Because too many people saw their job vanish offshore, their house vanish in the 2008 financial crisis and healthcare vanish out of their rural area before covid struck.
Trump gave them permission to be angry, to waive a gun around from a pick up and hate the ruling classes. He fed their ability to have a grievance but without providing any solutions. If he provided solutions he would have put money into healthcare rather than corporate tax cuts.
Labour will create the same problem here unless they stop dissing the valid concerns of the waged employees and those dependent on state support.
Already from a self selected survey apparently 20% of ACT and Nat voters think that Trump is a good idea.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/who-are-donald-trumps-supporters-in-nz-and-what-do-we-know-about-them/VFLSZUG5J6AQQZKP7M3P4OTYCA/
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/29-10-2020/complicity-with-the-inhumanity-of-trump-should-be-disqualifying-even-if-youre-from-matamata/
I do worry about this kiwi
And didn't Judith and Simon think this was a great idea that we as a country should support? Quick way to get offside with the new administration
Biden now back to 259. RealClearPolitics have removed Pennsylvania. Has not been given to Trump yet but lots of things happening today.
First working day after the election and the States are doing their own investigations as they always do. Trump's legal challenges still to come.
RCP have "removed Pennsylvania"? When did they call it PA for Biden? Coz I've been watching a lot of sites including RCP like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kgRFHaNo-Y and it was always striking that RCP had not called PA.
As for "lots of things happening today", linky? I've seen nothing, except for Biden steadily increasing his lead as the votes finish getting counted. Now up to about 45,000 vote, or 0.7%, lead in PA.
I think you are correct. I only look at RCP about once a day. However, Trump legal team e.g. Sydney Powell etc. are starting to outline their argument to the public. Give them a chance, its only Monday…..
RCP is part of the wingnut 'o' sphere.
https://twitter.com/segalmr/status/1325945054779887619
Have you read it? My US Democrat friends sing its praises along with 538 for polling data and its news aggregation is the most even anywhere. I particularly like how they "pair" alternative opinions on the same topic together. They don't seem to have an editorial opinion. They are a Equal Opportunity news aggregator (unlike Drudge).
An article listing a few of the challenges and whats is behind them…..
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/election-not-over-and-media-knows-it
Not enough info to call….so much depends on which way the courts jump
Straight from
Nosferatu'sRudy's trouser pocket after he'd finished tucking his shirt in.Can't both be right – can they
Well, no, they can't both be right. But they could both be telling porkies.
We have just had four years of one of the parties making mouth-noises with zero interest in how those mouth noises related to truth and facts. So we can be very confident he's full of shit in this instance too.
The other party, well, a bit more digging is needed to form an opinion of her credibility. But it's a reasonable assumption she places some value on her credibility, so it's unwarranted to make an immediate assumption she's full of shit.
What does the left think about the US election?
Well, how honest are the ' left' ? The US election should be viewed as a complete farce.
America needs a communalist revolution and neither the Democrats or Repulicans could ever take that road, so the election should be condemned by the left, or the left is just a poor excuse for status quo capitalism with a bit of a conscious.
This assumes that the structural integrity was there in the first place which it actually wasn't. If it had been than what the author describes could not have happened.
Except for the fact that that's exactly what it does mean. That's why the ruling party is called The Government and not The People's Administration. And most democracies have that enshrined in law somewhere.
Politicians do what they want and not necessarily what the people want.
And that, of course, is why our present democracy doesn't have structural integrity. It has, quite literally, been legislated out of existence by The Government.
To understand why it's so close you have to for a minute put aside his insanity, bigotry etc.
It was bringing back jobs. I've been watching 2015 republican establishment figures now suck him up to him label his policies "progressive" and liberal.
He ran on things that the left used to run on: infrastructure , Getting rid of trade deals like nafta that middle America hates because it stole jobs, opposing the tppa , eminent domain, opposing neocon wars, dismantling neoliberalism and establishment politics , protectionism, tarrifs and yes opposing immigration it might not go over well with academics and urban liberals but it does go over very very well with the working class indeed even in NZ many working class people were excited by the lab/nzf govt wanting to ban foreign ownership and limit immigration. Hell labour the greens and NZf all opposed the tppa at one point.
The way he talks about companies like say apple pr " apple , who cares about apple they don't make their products here, China benefits from Apple, why don't they bring their factories here" that's actually left wing rhetoric. People do think he brought back jobs, people do want someone challenging china people don't support these trade deals even here.
It wasn't a rejection of Trumps economic or trade policy it was a rejection of Him, they don't mind these protectionist anti free trade policies but they don't like him that's why I think the GOP which is now the Trump party got seats and senate and governor wins but lost the presidency, alot of people want him gone but still want that kind of politics
For a hot minute when lab/nzf were elected it looked like they could be the blue print for a left wing alternative with lite nationalism, anti foreign ownership and saying things like "capitalism had failed" but they governed pretty identically to previous govts.
The lefts challenge will be to find a progressive alternative and to ditch globalism and neoliberalism for internationalism and imho lite nationalism or it needs to think a world post automation post work or it's doomed to have to play by the rules set by the right.
But so far all the left continues to do is get everyone’s hopes up and then govern round the edges and label minor tweaks huge transformational change and that disappoint just fuels these kinds of angry populist movements
That entire third paragraph is a good illustration of how the gullible got suckered by the Fraud from Fifth Avenue. He didn't actually do any of that in any kind of way that helped ordinary people. Which anyone with even a tiny bit of savvy would have predicted from even a cursory look at his backstory of business failures, stiffing contractors, preying on vulnerable people with scams like his university, etc, etc.
He mouth-noised a lot about being great for the economy, but he wasn't. Not even before he deliberately wrecked the economy by refusing to do his job and take any action against covid. Sure, he didn't manage to break the trends left over by Obama on job creation, economic growth, manufacturing increase by himself (covid helped him with that), but he sure as shit turned around Obama's trend of reducing deficits by blowing out the budget with his massive giveaways to the wealthy. For zero discernible effect on improving things for ordinary people. If someone cared about these things, surely they'd take a few seconds to check actual facts on the matter.
But if white supremacy, deliberate oppression and cruelty to minorities, stoking division, shafting the people at the bottom to coddle those at the top is your thing, then the choice was obvious. No fact checking or research or thought needed, just listen to Darth Hater and his school of spineless GOP jellyfish. Apparently that's what 70-odd million Americans wanted more of.
What lesson should the left take from the US election? If a man is stupid he is bound to be a tory -J S Mill
As the election was close (at least to start with) then both left and right should be thinking about the Safe Harbour Deadline on Dec 8.
When there is a dispute remaining about who the winner is, if this is still the case by Dec 8, then Congress becomes involved and makes the determination Dec 14.
[Please stick to one e-mail address here, thanks]
[Please stick to one e-mail address here, thanks]