Two more sets of post-voting intention budget numbers, though nothing yet on their regular questions on response to the budget:
• Newspoll moves slightly in favour of Labor, who now lead 53-47 after dropping back to 52-48 in the previous poll three weeks ago. Both parties are on 36% of the primary vote, with the Coalition steady and Labor up a point, with the Greens up one to 10% and One Nation down one to 9%. The report states that Malcolm Turnbull’s net approval has improved from minus 25% to minus 20%, while Bill Shorten’s is down from minus 22% to minus 20%, although approval and disapproval ratings are not provided. Turnbull’s lead as preferred prime minister has widened from 42-33 to 44-31. The poll was conducted Thursday to Sunday from a sample of 1716.
• The post-budget Ipsos poll for the Fairfax papers, conducted Wednesday to Thursday from a sample of 1401, has Labor leading 53-47, down from 55-45 in the previous poll in late March. On the primary vote, the Coalition is up four to 37%, Labor down one to 35%, and the Greens down three from a hard-to-credit result last time to record 13%. Both leaders have improved substantially on person ratings, with Malcolm Turnbull up five on approval to 45% and down four to 44% – the first net positive result we’ve seen for either leader in a long time – and Bill Shorten up seven to 42% and down six to 47%. The preferred prime minister shifts from 45-33 to 47-35. Newspoll hopefully to follow.
Keith Olbermann: Trump could be indicted on 17 counts for just the last week
“Trump could theoretically wind up being accused of 17 separate counts of six separate crimes…in just the last week,” Olbermann explained.
The list of alleged crimes Olbermann cited included blackmail, witness intimidation, destruction of government property, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, intimidating a whistleblower and threats against private citizens.
“Donald Trump has eliminated his own benefit of the confusion,” Olberman explained. “The Trump-Russia coverup case is now about threatening people and firing people and pressuring people to keep them from investigating you and your colleagues.”
“The smoke doesn’t matter anymore,” Olbermann concluded. “Who needs Russian smoke when the White House is on fire.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/keith-olbermann-trump-could-be-indicted-on-17-counts-for-just-the-last-week/
Given the Republicans’ fondness for guns, they had better hope that the shouting doesn’t turn into something more violent.
I once read about a chap who, during the 18th century, turned up to the House of Commons and voted for 20 years with no right to do so before someone cottoned on.
A forebear of Tony Abbott, or just an inspiration.
Buried In The WaPo Report: Advisers Can’t Even Get Trump To Read One-Page Security Briefings
Trump isn’t just leaking classified info, but he doesn’t seem to know what is and isn’t classified to begin with. Perhaps he should read his one-page briefings.
That’s right – Trump demands that briefings be cut down to one page and presented in easy-to-read bullet points, and he still can’t be bothered to read them.
More via The Washington Post:
U.S. officials said that the National Security Council continues to prepare multi-page briefings for Trump to guide him through conversations with foreign leaders, but that he has insisted that the guidance be distilled to a single page of bullet points — and often ignores those.
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/05/15/buried-wapo-report-advisers-trump-read-one-page-security-briefings.html
“He seems to get in the room or on the phone and just goes with it, and that has big downsides,” the second former official said. “Does he understand what’s classified and what’s not? That’s what worries me.”
Clive does have a great (LOL) personality when he is meant to be sick.
Trog Sorrenson @ #796 Tuesday, May 16th, 2017 – 11:13 am
If the cost of a Democratic landslide is even one extra day of Trump, it’s not worth it.
The house is burning down, now’s not the time to be fiddling with the curtains. Trump needed to be gone 120-ish days ago.
Congress exasperated as White House in ‘downward spiral’
CNN) — Republicans in Congress barely had time to get their footing Monday, as another wild development, this time reports that President Donald Trump had revealed sensitive intelligence to Russia’s foreign minister and US ambassador, swept the Capitol.
Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker said the wave of negative stories related to Trump and intelligence meant the White House is in a “downward spiral.”
Republican Susan Collins, a Maine senator, put her party’s apparent exasperation more concisely in a light-hearted aside comment to reporters. “Can we have a crisis-free day? That’s all I’m asking.”
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/15/politics/congress-reactions-trump-classified/index.html
Gallup daily tracking is heading south for Trump again (netsat -19), but it really is amazing how his approval holds up around 40%. Surely at some point that will crack?
http://www.pollingreport.com/djt_job1.htm
phoenixRED @ #792 Tuesday, May 16th, 2017 – 10:58 am
I agree that Putin wants to see chaos and is getting plenty at the moment.
However that’s not incompatible with the view that the Putin-delighting chaos ends the moment Trump is replaced with literally anybody that’s halfway competent. Then it’s back to business as usual, and Putin doesn’t get any further dividends on his investment.
All it takes is for some GOP members to stand up for democracy.
Agree A R,
Mostly so far I have watched Trump with an amused sense of schadenfreude, but jokes do become old and it is not good to have America so humiliated.
phoenixRED @ #804 Tuesday, May 16th, 2017 – 11:31 am
Phoenix,
I read earlier today that Prince has ordered advisors not to put documents on Trump’s desk because he just reads and tweets them.
A R
Trump is putting a stake through the heart of the Republican Party. This will rid the world of parasites like McConnell and Ryan that are at the heart of inequality, weak economic growth, resistance to change, and lack of action on climate change.
So let him finish the job.
David Rowe has a thing about butts, hasn’t he? 🙂
Tee-hee
a r
Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 11:43 am
All it takes is for some GOP members to stand up for democracy.
*******************************************
We’ll – IF or WHEN Trump is forcibly tossed out of office – it will be interesting to see how all the Trump Disciples – “The Deplorables” – are going to handle that ????? – the past LA riots will be like a Sunday school picnic ….
Reading all this Trump news I tell you one thing.
The US has certainly achieved representative democracy 🙂
All it takes is for some GOP members to stand up for democracy.
I see where your confusion is…
Sorry, that breed of cockroaches will survive a nuclear holocaust. I wish it were otherwise.
@ Question, copy paste the data into Excel, sort it into reverse order (i.e. chronological order) then graph the positive and negative lines. Add a linear trend line and click display equation on chart.
I get disapproval = 0.0354x + 51.089
and approval =0.0284 + 42.691.
That is, the approval rating is moving at just over 80% the speed of the disapproval, it’s not that slow.
Tom Hawkins
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trumps-recent-moves-a-drag-on-gop-midterm-prospects/article/2622838
Trog
I was looking beyond midterm. They will always be around; sometimes strong, sometimes not so strong.
PhoenixRed
The deplorables need to be coaxed into understanding that Trump is a treasonous idiot, who is a clear and present danger to national security. Why i believe this latest leak occurred today
Full Essential poll is up. Open the pdf to see budget questions.
TPP: ALP 54 (0) L/NP 46 (0)
Primaries: L/NP 37(0) ALP 38(0) GRN 10(0) ON 6(0) NXT 3(0) OTH 6(0) http://www.essentialvision.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Essential-Report_170509.pdf
Labor still well ahead of Coalition in post-budget Guardian Essential poll
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/may/16/labor-still-well-ahead-of-coalition-in-post-budget-guardian-essential-poll
And by deplorables, I include House and Senate GOP reps!
**Sorry, that breed of cockroaches will survive a nuclear holocaust.**
+1
I dont see his base cracking yet. I see it hardening around their cultural rebel/antihero. And 40% is too large a demographic for many of the GOP reps to ignore. And if the base do not crack by 2020 it will be an all mighty ugly election.
But the Dems are hammering away at the weakness – National Security (Russia) and Incompetence. If that can bring out numbers for the Dems in the mid-terms it may sway the GOP to act.
I am unsure of how Trump-care will affect his base. It might be the final straw (or the iceberg) but I fear they are not able to see past tribal allegiances even for something as personal as their and their families health.
Brave Member Of Congress Says Trump Is In Desperate Need Of Mental Help After Russia Leak
Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) is speaking out and saying that Donald Trump is in desperate need of psychological help after the President leaked classified intelligence to the Russians.
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/05/15/brave-member-congress-trump-desperate-mental-russia-leak.html
Imagine the response of the Congress if Obama had shared classified data with the Russians.
Republicans would have moved to impeach. Fox News would be screaming.
And there would have been demands for Obamas resignation and criminal proceedings.
Where are Ryan, McCain, Rubio and the other House and Senate leaders now? Silence, obfuscation, denial and spin.
Understatement of the day. Lol!
2h
David Frum @davidfrum
The president should resign.
Nancy Pelosi Rips Trump: Either He’s Grossly Incompetent Or Intentionally Helping Russia
The President of the United States is either knowingly handing over highly classified intelligence to a foreign adversary or he isn’t smart enough to know what constitutes classified information.
The President of the United States – the supposed leader of the free world – is either knowingly handing over highly classified intelligence to a foreign adversary or he isn’t smart enough to understand when certain information is too sensitive to just freely discuss.
Either option is terrifying.
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/05/15/nancy-pelosi-rips-trump-grossly-incompetent-intentionally-helping-russia.html
I don’t get why anyone not a rusted on Republican would refer to them as the GOP.
They’re not Grand. Just Sad and Contemptible
They’re not even Older than the Dems let alone old in the sense of wise or developed. Just Unevolved.
And they’re not really a political Party. More a Mob of crooks, shysters and frauds.
Sad Contemptible Unevolved Mob.
‘A grotesque violation of the president’s oath’: Law experts blast Trump for sharing classified intel with Russians
As the news cycle remains dominated by the fallout of a Washington Post report claiming that President Donald Trump revealed classified intel to Russian officials in the Oval Office last week, a team of legal experts have released a scary analysis of what the revelation could mean.
“In taking the oath President Trump swore to ‘faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States’ and to ‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States’ to the best of his ability,” it reads. “It’s very hard to argue that carelessly giving away highly sensitive material to an adversary foreign power constitutes a faithful execution of the office of President.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/a-grotesque-violation-of-the-presidents-oath-law-experts-blast-trump-for-sharing-classified-intel-with-russians/
phoenixRED @ #816 Tuesday, May 16th, 2017 – 11:58 am
Nah. What’s the average age of Trump’s deplorables? Probably too old for a sustained and energetic riot. And where are they most heavily concentrated? In rural areas where it will be difficult for them to reach a critical, riotous mass; let alone find anything interesting to target in their rioting.
He only got a paltry few showing up for his inauguration, and that was when he was riding high, well before all of his scandals and incompetence had time to take off. I think the idea that there’s a large, energetic base of Trump supporters is mainly a fabrication and/or wishful thinking on Trump’s part.
So I guess I consider riots only slightly plausible. Riots of historic proportion not so much. If anything I’d be more concerned about random lone-wolf style shootings, given how well-armed Trump’s lot tends to be.
http://www.essentialvision.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Essential-Report_170516.pdf
Brian T might not want to push the Medicare Levy thing too far. Even his own supporters are split down the middle on his plan to hit everyone with Shorten’s plan to restrict it to the top two tax rates.
Just another policy position Shorten will win and Trumble will crumble on.
I wonder if Trump has studied and expanded Trumble’s strategy of “fuck up of the week” in order to get everyone to forget the fuck up of last week.
Seems to going great guns at the mo.
Comey who?
Anything around town they try and trash in protest will only act as a town beautification project.
**I don’t get why anyone… would refer to them as the GOP…**
You know the history, right?
And there were 30 people from GW Bush administration who backed Clinton. As did the Terminator. And there are significant senior republicans leading various conservative climate change groups advocating and lobbying for a carbon tax.
Ok, so right now the crooks, shysters and dingbats may hold the high ground, but I will keep using the term GOP for a little longer. Besides, its pretty easy to type.
Anyone know of a simple free power point style software option?
Or should I use Power Point online (is there a string attached to this?).
I have thought of converting PDF to PPT – would that be better?
Apologies for stating the obvious, and I’m sure everyone knows this… but Republicans are called GOP rather than REP because REP is too easy to confuse with House of Representatives.
**I’m sure everyone knows this**
You are a polite one. Whilst I knew they refer to a representative as Rep. X, I didnt know that is why they refer to the party as the GOP. I learn something every time I check into this blog.
This is just a post to refresh the page….
…didn’t really work, still got the refresh wheel spinning. Some days it’s just like that…
There was a time that the Republicans/GOP were the ‘good guys’ – abolitionist and (after the Civil War) anti-segregationist. They also tended to be fairly progressive (or at least pragmatic) on social issues.
Post-war (Second World War), the Civil Rights movement split the Democratic Party. Over time, socially conservative Democrats (especially those in ‘Southern’ states of the former Confederacy) drifted to the Republican party. The Republicans wooed them over using their infamous – but extremely successful – ‘Southern Strategy’. This is how the GOP came to be the conservative, reactionary party is it today. Lincoln would spin in his grave.
zoomster @ #842 Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 1:12 pm
Hey, how about everyone does that?
Make for an interesting dialogue won’t it.
@Question
Chaos is what the GOP base wanted and it’s what Trump is giving them. It’s all they stand for in this day and age. Why should his approval ratings go down?
kakuru @ #844 Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 1:20 pm
Karl Marx wrote a glowing letter to Lincoln!
‘Repugs’ has worked for me – more so in recent times.
Once the party of Lincoln >>>> Now that of Trump.
Simon Katich
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Super! Thanks Phylactella.