Hard News: And meanwhile ...
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Although, it must be said, that is still rather better than our own smacking parties did on Saturday
Heh - both RAM and the Republic Party got fewer party votes than they have members (assuming both genuinely met the 500-member threshold).
Good on Bill and Ben, btw. No mean feat to get more than 1 person in 200 voting for you.
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Where is Craig? Craig?
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"Brain Edwards"? Careful, Roger Douglas will try to eat him. Braiiiiins.
On a more serious note:
Pew has some fascinating exit poll numbers on Obama's victory, showing he made gains in virtually every voter group (the exception: over-65s). He also made gains over 04 in nearly every religious sub-group, mostly notably the religious but "unaffiliated" voters.
Interestingly, Obama did way worse that Kerry amongst teh gayz. I have no idea why - maybe related to disappointment at Clinton not being the nominee? Gay peeps seem to have this inexplicable love of Hilary.
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And why is it that we care about Marilyn Musgrave?
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Because too much public bitching might upset TVNZ's new owners :)
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Good on Bill and Ben, btw. No mean feat to get more than 1 person in 200 voting for you.
Agreed.
In my angst-ridden last week I even toyed with voting for them. But I thought it would’ve been wasted.
In retrospect, the fact they outscored the 2 parties supposedly representing 87% of an outraged community was quite a statement in itself.
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The Libz and the Workers Party have more in common than they'd like to admit. A party vote of less than 0.6%, for example.
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And why is it that we care about Marilyn Musgrave?
Because I find it both interesting, and cause for cheer that that the American public appears to have turned on the hardline theocons.
Musgrave's record of Christianist culture war and seedy corruption approaches parody.
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Interestingly, Obama did way worse that Kerry amongst teh gayz. I have no idea why - maybe related to disappointment at Clinton not being the nominee?
Were gat right as much of a wedge issue last time round? I can't recall anything quite so headline-worthy (and fight-worthy) than Proposition 8 in California, and Obama kept mum about that, after stating during the campaign that he was against gay marriage.
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Okay, gay rights, not gat rights. Although gat rights could be intriguing too.
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Gay peeps seem to have this inexplicable love of Hilary
Where is Craig? Craig?
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In retrospect, the fact they outscored the 2 parties supposedly representing 87% of an outraged community was quite a statement in itself.
Well said. And they basically performed as well as a third party of a similar ilk (the Kiwi Party), which put in a lot of effort, it must be said.
The demise of the Alliance was remarked on by a few (just 1700 party votes) - but if you take in all the constituent parts of the old beast the tally is quite impressive.
Greens (6.4%) + JAP (0.9%) + Alliance (0.08%) + Democrats (0.05%) + a proportion of the Maori Party's 2.2% (I assume this is where the Mana Motuhake party went?)
The only old member of the Alliance to have been completely obliterated were the "Liberals". Gilbert Myles and that other guy.
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Giovanni, last time there was a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on the table, supported by Bush (sponsored, incidentally by..... Marilyn Musgrave!). So if anything gay Americans had more to lose with a Republican president than this time round. It was more of a wedge issue in 2004. Still, I don't really think that explains it.
(Of course, the 2004 amendment died - not enough crazy congresspeoples to progress it, but it was on the table at the election.)
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Where is Craig? Craig?
Hey, Craig isn't the only gay in this village. Just... erm... the loudest and most right wing.
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Of course, the 2004 amendment died - not enough crazy congresspeoples to progress it, but it was on the table at the election.
Not on the ballot, though, right? I stand corrected anyhow, I'm just curious.
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Thought you might like this:
http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/title/?em
However, my brother insists that Obama is as conservative as all hell and there will be little or no change to the US approach to the world. 100% support of Israel in whatever they do, and just a shift of soldiers from Iraq to Afghanistan. We shall see I guess. -
The demise of the Alliance was remarked on by a few (just 1700 party votes)
They were actually up on their last election tally (For some reason, the only candidates I know personally are in the Alliance and the Libertarianz -- although this probably has more to do with Dunedin being a village rather than a reflection of my own political leanings).
The Kiwi Party should find solace in that their single issue is about as popular as legalising cannabis.
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No - US constitutional amendments are harder to do than Californian ones - you cant just stick it on the ballot and have 50% +1 people think it's a good idea.
Besides, Prop 8 was only California (although there were also anti-gay amendments on ballots in Arkansas, Florida, and Arizona), and the trend of teh gayz away from the Democrats at this election was nationwide.
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However, my brother insists that Obama is as conservative as all hell and there will be little or no change to the US approach to the world.
Well, he's already making good on his promise to get Gitmo detainees proper trials. That's a bit special.
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However, my brother insists that Obama is as conservative as all hell and there will be little or no change to the US approach to the world. 100% support of Israel in whatever they do, and just a shift of soldiers from Iraq to Afghanistan.
I understand that kind of cynicism, but I have a wee list of happiness:
- he's removing the global gag rule
- he's planning on closing Guantanamo and giving everyone there an actual trial
- he is undoing Bush admin policies on stem cell research and climate changeThese are all good things. (Also: trivial, but he talked about a shelter dog. Even *mentioning* a shelter dog is a good thing: more people in the USA might adopt some neglected mutts.)
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Well, he's already making good on his promise to get Gitmo detainees proper trials.
Obviously trying to appease his detainee base.
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Well, he's already making good on his promise to get Gitmo detainees proper trials. That's a bit special.
Shit yes and how many days did this take? I week !
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Also: trivial, but he talked about a shelter dog. Even *mentioning* a shelter dog is a good thing: more people in the USA might adopt some neglected mutts.
And he described himself as a mutt, that was kinda cute.
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__Not on the ballot, though, right?__
No - US constitutional amendments are harder to do than Californian ones - you cant just stick it on the ballot and have 50% +1 people think it's a good idea.
Also - there has never been a nationwide referendum.
The US Constitution is amended by getting a two-thirds majority in the House and the Senate to agree to something, and then getting three-quarters of the states to agree to that (some states will get their agreement in their legislatues, others would put it to a public vote).
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Meanwhile, John Ansell is going completely nutso about Helen Clark over in the comments at Poneke's blog. Gracious in victory, much? And this is an intelligent, personable, sensible guy, from what I've seen and heard from him. Gah, if anyone here gets to this level of personal attacks about Key or English, please shoot them, Russell.
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