Posts by Paul Williams
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Having listened but not seen it, the GoP will be at least relieved - she's got a common touch and it'll be interesting contrast her with Biden who, I've read, has it too plus that little bit more experience.
But because they'd released key content in advance, the trailer was better than the movie though I liked the lines about not seeking the good opinion of the media and ebaying the private jet.
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When the Mig25 defected to Japan in the mid 1980s there was shock at the fact it's avionics were largely valve driven.
For real?
The "out-spend and bankrupt them" theory was what Fretz pushed; he was big on Reagan, Kennedy too, and tended to overlook their failings in preference for their vision. Oddly Nixon wasn't indulged in the same way.
And then we have the onslaught of western popular culture. You may laugh, but Billy Joel's tour caused a minor cultural earthquake in 1987.
I'd heard that, I remember tv news from the time. Pity they got him later in his career but... Songs in the Attic's a great album... though I wonder whether your musical interests were elsewhere in '81.
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As any student of Soviet History could tell you, it was a tad more complicated than that, although I grant you, it's a widely touted theory within the right and Reagan played his part but no more than Gorby.
A lecturer of mine, the late Lew Fretz, assured us that Reagan consistently led and Gorby followed; this despite the fact that Reagan appeared barely sentient (anyone remember Spitting Image's portrayal of Reagan wandering around the White House saying "where's my cue cards, where's my cue cards?" while reading cue cards that said, ba boom, "where's my cue cards, where's my cue cards"?)
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Would you say that any of our local or national politicians are ready to be POTUS?
Excellent, I'd been wondering about the nature of her executive experience, thanks for this analysis - the answer is none IMO. I'm still of the view that Obama's contest with Hillary et al is more rigourous than anything Palin's done.
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I can't help thinking that had they known, they would have front-footed it.
Precisely. I can't imagine that they'd have managed it in this way had they known. It just does not make sense; Occam's razor!
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Russell - How many times are you going to jump the shark on Palins family. Your obsession with it is disturbing.
Sage, you'll note it's not just Russell who's interested in this issue. Not by a long shot. I don't disagree with you or Giovanni that it borders on reasonable decency, however I don't think your constant attempts to characterise quite legitimate questions as crude or prurient is reasonable.
The Kos stuff is clearly BS, we know that now, but the confusion about how Palin ended up on the ticket is not. And given her staunchly fundamentalist Christian views, the specific confusion about whether or not she was upfront about her daughter's pregnancy is fairly in the public interest (although clearly it is hard on the young woman herself).
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That wouldn't work, unless really she's only there to galvanize that base. But then she'd become a drag on the ticket with the sane portion of the independent electorate. You know, the folks who believe in evolution.
Interestingly, this very issue, of why she's on the ticket, was canvassed in a ABC (Australia) Foriegn Correspondent piece aired last night (some information here. Interesting because it was based in Colorado Springs, apparently the largest evangelical Christian centre in the US as well as a huge military base. Lots of the people interviewed, church leaders and soldiers (some of whom had served two terms in Iraq) saying they'd not vote for McCain because he'd not clearly stated his Christian beliefs... in addition, some soldier were clearly saying they'd vote for Obama given his committment to withdraw troops from Iraq.
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But let me get literal minded and very wordly. George and I are advocate of a uniform date (say, for the sake of argument, the first Saturday following the first Friday in November) every three years for general elections, thereby removing that determination from the hands of the Prime Minister.
Be careful what you wish for Craig, there's downsides to fixed terms. Look west, not far west however... just NSW. Disaster.
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Try this one. You'll need to scroll down to their "latest video" listings.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_minisite_index_skin/news_breakfast_groupThanks - news of a policy! Good gracious. A promise to wave fees for, I think he said, 16 and 17 year olds in teriary study. It's a start I guess. Modest and largely replicates existing arrangements, but at least it's something that can be measured and assessed.
The rapport between Henry and Key is charming though innit? Henry's politics are well known so I guess no one expects him to be anything other than a sycophant.
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I missed this piece by Trotter, I can't say I'm actively looking for his commentary at the moment however I agree with these statements.
I agree with Greer's summary of the Ramsey St ambition, though it's probably been updated since to be Fountain-Gate a la Kath and Kim. Interestingly, several commenters at kiwiblog responded to my questions about how Key'd do these things by saying he should bother providing the detail 'cause he doesn't need to - Ansell included! Their supporters clearly don't want to know, or worse; already know, but would rather we didn't.