The latest fortnightly Essential Research survey includes the pollster’s monthly leadership ratings, which find Scott Morrison up three on approval to 66% and down two on approval to 25%, Anthony Albanese down four on approval to 40% and up four on disapproval to 39%, and Morrison holding a 53-24 lead as preferred prime minister, out from 50-25. There was also a six point increase in the government’s good rating on COVID-19 response to 67%, with the poor rating steady on 15%.
As it did a fortnight ago, the poll also asked about the mainland state premiers from the small sub-samples in the relevant states: Gladys Berejiklian was at 75% approval (up seven) and 17% disapproval (down four); Daniel Andrews at 65% approval (up four) and 28% disapproval (down five); Annastacia Palazczuk at 65% approval (steady) and 27% disapproval (up three); Mark McGowan at 87% (up nine) approval and 7% disapproval (down five); and Steven Marshall, who was not featured in last fortnight’s polling, at 60% approval and 21% disapproval. State government handling of COVID-19 was rated as good by 82% of respondents in Western Australia, 76% in South Australia, 75% in New South Wales, 71% in Queensland and 59% in Victoria.
Respondents were asked how much attention they had been paying to recent news stories, with 73% saying they had closely followed the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria, 68% the US presidential election, 36% the allegations of sexual misconduct raised by the ABC’s Four Corners, and 29% Joel Fitzgibbon’s resignation from the shadow cabinet. It also finds an easing in concern over COVID-19, with 27% rating themselves very concerned (down three), 44% quite concerned (down two), 23% not that concerned (up three) and 6% not at all concerned (up two). The peak of concern was in early August, when 50% were very concerned, 40% quite concerned, 7% not that concerned and 3% not at all concerned.
The poll was conducted Wednesday to Monday from a sample of 1010.
Douglas and Milko @ #1738 Sunday, November 22nd, 2020 – 11:05 pm
Probably best to right click on image required and click on “view image info”
which will then show (try different lines until desired image pops up)…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EnDlAa6VoAAJ33f?format=jpg&name=small
add #image.jpg
Sadly Douglas and Milko – we seldom post at the same time. You will probably not see this but my secret is that I can afford to stuff around with problems such as this which as can be seen is in the small hours when all the world has gone to sleep.
Au revoir. Not yet time for BK’s Dawn Patrol. ☕☕
Morrison and co. “stuff around with problems such as this”
“when all the world has gone to sleep”
Morning all. In WA the State Liberal leader and deputy leader have resigned to give “clear air” to their replacements four months out from the WA State election. Liza Harvey said Premier Mark MacGowan’s was a “do nothing” government. Really? A successful border lockdown and record infrastructure investment to stimulate local jobs is “do nothing”?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-22/wa-opposition-leader-liza-harvey-quits-as-party-leader/12908696
I suspect at this point you can write your own ticket if you want to bet on the Libs winning WA.
Trump faces pressure from Republicans to drop ‘corrosive’ fight to overturn election
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/22/trump-republicans-pressure-fight-overturn-election
Trump is just not getting any support for his Slow Coup (except from his lickspittles):
https://youtu.be/JfamNGqBZ_4
https://www.pollbludger.net/2020/11/18/essential-research-state-and-federal-leadership-polling/comment-page-36/#comment-3516327
Yeah when you call 000 in the midst of fires, floods and extreme weather just ensure you have your party membership number ready so the robot on the IVR can ‘redirect’ your call …
Inconceivably, doesn’t, won’t hold a hose!
In today’s episode of #GuiltyGladys:
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/premier-s-planning-shake-up-came-after-secret-letter-signed-by-developers-20201122-p56guw.html
Dandy Murray says:
Sunday, November 22, 2020 at 10:42 pm
…
Another problem is that power electronics don’t give system strength in the case of line faults. Everything trips off on protection, i.e. blackouts and/or islanding.
Lots of engineering challenges!
Islanding is another problem that is going to have to be solved with communication. People are still running around pretending ROCOF and Vector shift has a future. They don’t. We are already seeing false trips. We need the standards now.
The problems run deep; I think I upset the WA utility recently when I pointed out if they wanted to replace there SWER lines with local inverters the C in TNCS had to go as the service fuses will not blow in the required time for LV touch potential to be safe. We have to move to earth fault detection, can’t do that with a common neutral/earth.
We need standards; we should be deciding what the future looks like, setting standards for people like me to follow and building to it now.
In my view AEMO is doing an amazing job in very difficult circumstances, but they are not solving the problems coming in the space I play in.
If only we had power electronics when Edison was electrocuting elephants.
The Liberals and Greens running around pretending the future isn’t coming is causing a lot of problems.
Good morning Dawn Patrollers
Carrie Fellner explains how Sydney developers apparently pull the strings of the state government.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/premier-s-planning-shake-up-came-after-secret-letter-signed-by-developers-20201122-p56guw.html
Paul Cognan looks at the increasing vacancy rates in retail premises. In Brisbane it has gone to 15%!
https://www.smh.com.au/national/sleepwalking-into-a-spiral-of-urban-decay-why-we-need-to-get-back-to-the-office-20201120-p56gho.html
One of Australia’s top infection-control advisers has joined growing calls from politicians and disease experts to shift the nation’s trouble-prone hotel quarantine to dedicated regional facilities.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/just-makes-logical-sense-top-adviser-joins-calls-to-move-covid-quarantine-out-of-big-cities-20201122-p56gun.html
Nick Bonyhady writes that A 27-year-old man has become the fourth food delivery rider to die on Australian roads in the past three months, sparking an outpouring of grief from his fellow riders and calls for more protective equipment and better insurance from the sector’s union.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/ubereats-rider-killed-in-sydney-s-south-identified-as-bangladesh-student-bijoy-paul-20201122-p56gv5.html
Nick McKenzie, Joel Tozer and Chris Masters write that General Rick Burr, a former SAS chief who commanded the special forces operations in Afghanistan in 2008, said he had not heard the allegations uncovered until well after he came home.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/how-did-this-happen-chief-of-army-saw-nothing-of-alleged-atrocities-in-afghanistan-20201122-p56gu1.html
Echoes of plausible deniability have run through the financial services and the Catholic Church in the past. Now it’s the armed forces’ turn, says Andrew Mohl.
https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/defence-leadership-has-failed-us-on-war-crimes-allegations-20201122-p56grs
Alexandra Smith tells us that Australia’s first biomethane-to-gas project will see thousands of NSW homes and businesses using renewable gas for cooking, heating and hot water.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/green-gas-to-be-produced-at-sydney-water-plant-in-an-australian-first-20201122-p56gre.html
Epidemiologist Michael Toole explains how Steven Marshall’s demonising of the visa-holding Covid carrier broke the established rule book for outbreak investigation.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/blaming-and-shaming-breaks-a-cardinal-rule-of-public-health-20201121-p56gpa.html
Economist Robert Carling says that Australia’s retirement income system – based on a means-tested public pension and compulsory private superannuation – is much admired from abroad. But at home, policy activists and others with an axe to grind just can’t leave it alone.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7022814/buckle-in-for-another-round-of-national-navel-gazing/?cs=14258
Jennifer Duke writes that older renters who end up on the dole before reaching pension age are the most financially vulnerable retirees, a new report shows, as social services groups pressure the federal government to increase the JobSeeker payment.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/older-renters-on-the-dole-the-most-financially-strapped-as-calls-grow-for-jobseeker-increase-20201121-p56gnv.html
Albanese is running out of time to solve Labor’s climate crisis. He needs a plan that works for two Australias, opines Mark Kenny.
https://theconversation.com/albanese-is-running-out-of-time-to-solve-labors-climate-crisis-he-needs-a-plan-that-works-for-two-australias-150066
Labor says it does not trust the Morrison government to find ways to build wages growth if it ditches legislated increases in the compulsory superannuation guarantee due to start next year.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/22/coalition-cant-be-trusted-to-build-wages-if-it-drops-super-guarantee-labor-says
The 400,000 Australians unwittingly caught up in the Robodebt scandal will get little more than their own money finally paid back, after Scott Morrison appeared to rule out any further compensation for people hounded over unlawful debts, writes Josh Butler.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/11/22/robodebt-compensation-morrison/
The insurance industry’s woes with COVID-19 business interruption claims are shaping as a boon for the fast-recovering banking sector, explains Adele Ferguson.
https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/insurers-pain-turning-into-bankers-gain-20201122-p56gsq
The instant asset write-off has been extended to multinationals, putting an estimated 50 companies employing more than 150,000 Australians on track to benefit, explains the AFR’s Tom McIllroy.
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/more-big-companies-to-get-capex-tax-break-20201122-p56gu5
Angus Taylor wants to see the modelling behind NSW’s ground-breaking energy road map amid the risk of derailing investments in new gas power and worries about price spikes.
https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/taylor-demands-answers-over-nsw-power-plan-20201120-p56gme
In this op-ed, John Pessutto writes that for Victoria more spending is needed now but broader vision must follow.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria/spending-needed-now-but-broader-vision-must-follow-20201122-p56grp.html
Bevan Shields reveals that Mathias Cormann’s campaign to win a prized role at the heart of global economic policy has been given an important boost after Prime Minister Scott Morrison used his first conversation with US President-elect Joe Biden to push the former finance minister’s candidacy.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/biden-courted-in-cormann-s-bid-to-run-the-most-important-organisation-you-ve-never-heard-of-20201001-p5617s.html
Growing calls by business leaders for a circuit breaker in what is now a poisonous relationship with China are little more than desperation for something to change, says Jennifer Hewett.
https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/australia-still-plays-piggy-in-the-middle-20201122-p56gsk
Melodie Potts Rosevear explains the education digital divide that is opening up.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/disadvantage-and-the-digital-divide-in-education-20200930-p560tx.html
A new koala protection policy by Environment Minister Sussan Ley may put the federal government on a collision course with state governments, explains Mike Foley.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/line-in-the-sand-koala-census-to-identify-key-habitat-for-protection-20201122-p56gug.html
Apple is at it again with its rapacious business model, and it could come under investigation of the ACCC.
https://www.smh.com.au/technology/apple-s-epic-app-headache-could-be-test-case-for-regulation-20201120-p56gf2.html
The double tragedy unfolding in the United States is like a horror movie that you can’t stop watching, Writes Alan Kohler in The Australian.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/economics/americas-unfolding-double-tragedy/news-story/a833cce1d45b17cfb2bcfb54c6af19a6
President Trump gained a number of loyal followers during his time in the Oval Office, but there are reasons why his popularity may wane, writes Paul Begley.
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/trumpism-is-unlikely-to-become-a-movement,14544
Watching Diana’s fractured fairytale in The Crown breaks your heart. Watching Trump’s fractious exit from the White House makes your head hurt, says Maureen Dowd.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/diana-and-donald-the-lady-and-the-trump-20201122-p56gqi.html
Cartoon Corner
David Rowe
Peter Broelman
Mark David
Michael Leunig
Glen Le Lievre
John Spooner
Simon Bosch
From the US
RMIT economics professor David Hayward said the big jump in Victoria’s net debt would bring it back to levels not seen since the last years of the Cain-Kirner Labor government in the early 1990s.
________________
Was always going to happen. From the moment Andrews 1st took office it was only a matter of time.
.
good morning and thanks BK for the Dawn Patrol. ☕
Jesus, some of you seem to forget one simple fact in the first two years of the first Obama administration, the GFC.
You can’t change things when you are first dealing with a major issue and it was one of the biggest issues since the 1930’s Depression.
Just because we didn’t have the impact here means squat, the rest of the world did.
A number of posters on here like to revise history to suit their agenda. Deal with facts.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/22/coalition-cant-be-trusted-to-build-wages-if-it-drops-super-guarantee-labor-says
Duh!
After all, how many butlers, pages, maids, cleaners, gardeners, stable boys, even pool boys, does one need?
Sigh!
Koala Killer will be able to add a new Honour to her title: Platypus Slayer!
In NSW, when it comes to conservation developers always win.
“Their research found that since 1990, the amount of platypus habitat in Australia had declined by 199,919 square kilometres – or 22.6% – which is an area almost three times the size of Tasmania.
The sharpest declines by state were in NSW and Queensland, which respectively recorded a 32% and a 27% reduction in the areas occupied by platypuses.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/23/australias-platypus-habitat-has-shrunk-22-in-30-years-report-says
Taylormade @ #1314 Monday, November 23rd, 2020 – 7:28 am
Do you deny reality as an idiot does, or is it intentional?
Why don’t you at least try to be honest and compare the level of net debt of the federal Coalition government with that of the Victorian Labor government, seeing as how both have had to employ society-saving funding measures due to COVID-19 putting a big hole in both their budgets this year?
I won’t hold my breath, as you sound like just another shonky Liberal using weasel words in order to gull as many gullible Victorians as possible.
A Liberal picking on the powerless? Tell me it isn’t so! 😆
‘Epidemiologist Michael Toole explains how Steven Marshall’s demonising of the visa-holding Covid carrier broke the established rule book for outbreak investigation.’
https://www.smh.com.au/national/blaming-and-shaming-breaks-a-cardinal-rule-of-public-health-20201121-p56gpa.html
Taylormade says:
Monday, November 23, 2020 at 7:28 am
RMIT economics professor David Hayward said the big jump in Victoria’s net debt would bring it back to levels not seen since the last years of the Cain-Kirner Labor government in the early 1990s.
________________
Was always going to happen. From the moment Andrews 1st took office it was only a matter of time.
Yes it would be better if the federal government was pumping the money in, but Labor state governments have to deal with the partisan behavior and frankly fraud of of the federal government.
I see Mark Kenny fails the analysis test.
Of course he is writing for a pro fossil fuels world. However he does outline perfectly why Labor fails on the climate wars.
These same forces cost Labor the 2019 election.
All voters believe Labor is for acting on the science of climate. No matter how much the right wing of the party pretends otherwise.
Even when Labor caves into the fossil fuel lobby the people in Far North Queensland still think that. They just know Labor is weak.
That’s Labor’s problem. They need to convince regional and rural Labor voters that acting for the climate is job creation. However as we have seen from 2007 onwards the fossil fuel faction in the CFMEU just like their forestry brethren are willing to lie and ally with Murdoch against the Labor party.
They then blame the failure on working with the Greens. Even though all election results show taking climate action seriously and working with the Greens wins elections.
Having a major party using science to unambiguously argue for action on climate wins elections.
When Rudd promoted a serious unambiguous pro climate narrative with “The Greatest Moral Challenge of our Time” he won. Being pro climate helped win the election.
Trying to hedge bets in government and in Opposition has seen Labor fail to win ever since. Even in Queensland the Greens made a comeback as Labor lost voters.
Voters know Labor is fighting fossil fuel forces and why.
Voters want a major party that is for the environment and for jobs.
While you have Labor factions fighting that narrative and protecting billionaire mining dinosaurs instead of the workers they will continue to lose elections.
Lying to the workers so they will be left on the scrap heap is an LNP speciality that the CFMEU should have no part of. Instead we see them acting to advance the Prime Ministership of John Howard and all it’s consequences and to support Morrison in the 2019 federal election and when Joe Biden’s arrival is of benefit for Labor on the environment.
With this cancer inside Labor it’s no wonder Labor loses elections.
A faction actively working against the Labor party as it lies that its protecting workers interests.
Cat,
From BK’s morning prayers.
In this op-ed, John Pessutto writes that for Victoria more spending is needed now but broader vision must follow.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria/spending-needed-now-but-broader-vision-must-follow-20201122-p56grp.html
Pesutto is the apparent Lib saviour destined to return and lead the Vic Libs to the promised land of Ministerial office and White Cars. He lost his seat at the last Election. He seems to be endorsing Labor’s infrastructure spending initiatives.
I’m sure Taylormade is one confused dude atm.
Fear of debt brought us Crown Casino and Kennett.
I should add. I see on twitter rumours of Tanya Plibersek being the challenger against Albanese for the leadership.
It’s not going to happen. The right factions Plibersek needs are still too wary of misogyny and drug scare campaigns. On this as much as I don’t like think so they are probably right.
However it is indicative that the fossil fools faction is fighting a last ditch battle to stop real action on climate.
Read in 9news.com.au/ FewFacts: https://apple.news/AwJ0qUAkiSMyH9UMDs-12Rg
I guess if you see the gov wreck the planet, religious folks be way too far into arseholes, merchant kings …, why clean up some stuff on a beach?
GG,
Taylormade only sees with one eye. His Right eye. 🙂
Over the Tasman Sea the guy who has a lock on NZer of the Year, Dr Bloomfield, would often remind people…
Daniel Andrews announced yesterday that hotel quarantine would recommence in a few weeks with many changes attached.
One of them is that the staff employed to manage them will be arranged via the govt.
Security personnel will not be utilised if they live with aged care worker etc.
I’m still not convinced that this will be adequate.
Apparently the Kardashians have welcomed a new family member: https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2020/11/scott-morrisons-vanity-is-a-bit-of-a-worry.html
At pain of being assaulted by jumped-up Greens’ acolytes ALL DAY AGAIN, Mark Kenny correctly identifies the folly of Far Left thinking:
https://theconversation.com/albanese-is-running-out-of-time-to-solve-labors-climate-crisis-he-needs-a-plan-that-works-for-two-australias-150066
Taylormade
Andrews is a rank amateur when it comes to debt compared to your Coalition idols. Bonus marks to your lot though for having the chutzpah to claim better economic management whilst maintaining a straight face.
It continues to be a shit show
Molly Jong-FastHouse with garden
@MollyJongFast
·
3h
We are months and months and months into this pandemic and republicans are still infecting themselves and each other in the same of “freedom.”
Quote Tweet
Steven Dennis
@StevenTDennis
· 17h
These maskless pics were tweeted out by Kelly Loeffler *yesterday*, before she got a positive PCR COVID test. twitter.com/KLoeffler/stat…
Show this thread
Labor senator Murray Watt will today deliver a major speech in which he declares labor supports the mining and gas sector and supports every job in the resources sector.
Up front. Out loud.
Murray Watt is another labor caucus member from the left that is prepared to put labor’s support for resource workers and the communities that depend on it front and centre.
Murray Watt, Pat Gorman and Pat Conroy are all members from the left and far removed from the “ coal huggers and red neck” elements supposedly holding labor back.
Action on climate change and supporting workers in the resources sector are not mutually exclusive in the real world.
Cat
There is your mistake.
Far Left thinking.
You ignore the lesson of Daniel Andrews Palasczcuk and other Labor leaders on Covid 19.
That’s also ignoring why Andrews won from Opposition despite the Soveriegn Risk and drug addicts invading your homes scare campaign of the LNP and media allies.
Campaign on facts not labels helps Labor win elections
poroti
Well said. 🙂
Doyley
I see you are still propogating the propaganda.
Stop lying to workers about fossil fuels. They are not THE resources sector no matter the dominance today.
We know for fact there are many more jobs available in secure long term work in manufacturing solar panels and batteries amongst other things.
Understand and remember the thinking that stops Labor arguing over the timeline of coal and gas time line. A carbon price.
Believe it or not it’s still w orth challenging that lie. Take the coal argument off the table. Journalists have publicly accepted the “Carbon Tax” was a lie and said so to voters.
Labor can win by ditching the stupid we must promote coal fossil fuels and by returning to their sensible science and economic framework that will mirror what the Biden Administration is likely to do.
Murdoch’s lies have already failed after the Trump assault and with a President promoting real climate action from the Presidential bully pulpit even Australian journalists will be reporting the truth.
Victoria said
Daniel Andrews announced yesterday that hotel quarantine would recommence in a few weeks with many changes attached.
One of them is that the staff employed to manage them will be arranged via the govt.
Security personnel will not be utilised if they live with aged care worker etc.
I’m still not convinced that this will be adequate.
If the security guard is offered 50 hours work a week, with overtime payments, then the aged care worker could stop work
I can see the temptation to lie about living arrangements.
I note that DHHS doesn’t have in house expertise with managing staff, so they will outsource to . . . .
Thanks BK for your valuable contributions.
And for a cartoon from the Guardian about Johnson – but just as relevant in Australia (and the USA)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2020/nov/22/bullying-in-government-cartoon
It’s remarkable to me why people bother engaging with such obvious trolling? Why? What do they hope to gain apart from the experience of banging their heads against a brick wall.
Victoria records 24th day with no new coronavirus cases, no new deaths
The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed zero new infections and no deaths on Monday morning.
There is now only one active case in Victoria, who remains in hospital in Melbourne but is not in intensive care.
Phylactella
That is one hell of a pointed cartoon!
Perparim, yesterday
“The Conservatives are much worse than the Dems. No doubt about that but my point is even when the Dems have a chance for serious reform they don’t do it, they just talk about it. Take the State of Virginia for example. The Governor is Democrat and the Dems control the State House. You would think they would be pro-workers. They are NOT. Out of 51 States the state of Virginia is rated as dead last when it comes to workers rights”
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-09-03/virginia-ranked-worst-state-for-workers-rights
___________________________________________________________
What a shonky and dishonest argument – when that usnews article was written the Democrats were not in full control of the state government, and hadn’t been for nearly 25 years! Looks like a Breitbart-style RWNJ hitpiece to me
Virginia was Republican for ages until fairly recently, starting to trend blue Presidentially with Obama
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_General_Assembly – tells us that ……
“Following the 2019 election, the Democratic Party held a majority of seats in both the House and the Senate for the first time since 1996. They were sworn into office on January 8, 2020”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Virginia_elections – also tells us that ……
“The Democratic Party won majorities in both the House of Delegates and the Senate, giving them control of both houses and the governor’s mansion in Virginia for the first time since 1994”
Note that Virginia is an “off-year” state, with state elections not coinciding with Presidential or US Midterms
By all accounts the Democratic administration in Virginia has passed a crap-ton of progressive legislation since taking over less than a year ago
Confessions
Calling factual arguments Far Left is the type of rhetoric that helped Trump become President.
The fact is Labor can return to sensible policy it has had before.
It just has to have the balls to call out the carbon tax lie.
Calling people who point this out far left or trolls shows you have no argument.
You just have capitulation to either Murdoch or Credlin lies or fossil fuel interest lying.
Labor can do this without a fixed price to even avoid the tax part if it wants.
That’s not far left. That’s not trolling.
That’s pointing to a sensible return to sensible Labor policy that a Labor government passed as legislation with a suggestion a bit of weakening on up front fixed price provision can help combat the lie campaign that a market mechanism is a tax.
Barney in Tanjung Bunga @ #1496 Sunday, November 22nd, 2020 – 1:16 pm
Simon if you get the opportunity take her to this
https://southaustralia.com/products/barossa/attraction/whispering-wall
Ray (UK) @ #1424 Monday, November 23rd, 2020 – 8:49 am
Can I also make the point that there are only 50 states so how can Virginia be ranked 51st.
doyley: “Labor senator Murray Watt will today deliver a major speech in which he declares labor supports the mining and gas sector and supports every job in the resources sector.
Up front. Out loud.”
My prediction is that it will win them four fiths of bugger all in the regional areas they are targeting, and will only serve to further alienate the progressives in the (far more important IMO) leafy inner urban seats.
Labor had the balls to call out the Carbon Tax Lie when it was started. They were steamrolled by misinformation. Standard operating practice.
Michael O’Brien getting flamed on twitter at the moment about his whinging that Vic doesn’t have the same level of restrictions as NSW. Despite there being almost zero difference in the restrictions.
https://twitter.com/michaelobrienmp/status/1330332022137647106/photo/1
He was also complaining that Crown Casino can have bigger numbers than Churches attend. If they ever build a temple as big as that, I’d be happy with similar numbers going to Church…
BSA Bob
No Labor has surrendered. Despite the public airing that the Carbon Tax was a lie.
This is now on the public record.
Labor does not have the balls to prosecute its case.
Last Tuesday, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared in federal court for the first time in 30 years, representing the Trump campaign in its efforts to prevent Pennsylvania from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in that state.
It was a disaster for Giuliani. The one-time mayor and senior federal prosecutor struggled to articulate what, exactly, was the basis of Trump’s legal claims. And he admitted that he was unfamiliar with basic legal terms such as “strict scrutiny,” one of the rudimentary vocabulary terms taught to every law student during their introduction to constitutional law.
On Saturday evening, Judge Matthew Brann released his opinion in this suit, Donald J. Trump for President v. Boockvar, and the judge did not pull punches. Brann didn’t just reject the Trump campaign’s legal arguments, he mocked the campaign for its inability to present a coherent argument — or to provide any legal support whatsoever for crucial elements of their claims.
Referring to the Trump campaign’s primary legal argument, Brann writes that “this claim, like Frankenstein’s Monster, has been haphazardly stitched together from two distinct theories in an attempt to avoid controlling precedent.” And that’s just one of many scathing lines from a judge who is clearly frustrated with the incompetent lawyering on display in his courtroom.
It’s worth noting that, while Brann was appointed to the federal bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, the judge held multiple leadership positions within the Republican Party. Obama frequently had to strike deals with Republican senators to appoint GOP judges, in order to prevent those senators from blocking Obama’s other nominees.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Sunday denounced a lack of evidence in President Trump’s legal challenges against election results as “a national embarrassment,” emphasizing that Trump has had his chance to prove allegations of widespread voter fraud in court.
The big picture: Despite the president’s legal challenges in various states gaining little to no ground, only a handful of congressional Republicans have acknowledged Biden as president-elect.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) congratulated Biden on Saturday hours after a Republican judge in his state dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit — with prejudice — that sought to block the certification of Pennsylvania’s election results.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann wrote in his opinion on the suit that the Trump team had cobbled together a legal argument “like Frankenstein’s Monster,” the Washington Post reports.
What he’s saying: “And what’s happened here is, quite frankly, the content of the president’s legal team has been a national embarrassment. Sidney Powell accusing Gov. Brian Kemp of a crime on television, yet being unwilling to go on TV and defend and lay out the evidence that she supposedly has,” Christie told ABC’s “This Week.”
“This is outrageous conduct by any lawyer, and notice, George, they won’t do it inside the courtroom. They allege fraud outside the courtroom, but when they go inside the courtroom, they don’t plead fraud and they don’t argue fraud.”
“I have been a supporter of the president’s. I voted for him twice, but elections have consequences, and we cannot continue to act as if something happened here that didn’t happen. You have an obligation to present the evidence.”
Zed Seselja has been re-endorsed as ACT Liberals senate candidate in a ballot on the weekend.
This demonstrates that the hard right remains firmly in control of the party despite the ACT voters firmly rejecting Seselja’s brand of politics at the ACT election. It suggests that the new Liberals’ leader in the ACT Assembly, Elizabeth Lee who is a moderate, does not enjoy the majority support of the party machine.
“ Jesus, some of you seem to forget one simple fact in the first two years of the first Obama administration, the GFC.”
It’s amazing isn’t it Kirky. The anti Obama carping just reinforces by hatred of the faux left.
The democrats only had a straight line to legislate – control of the Whitehouse, Congress and the Senate – between 20 January 2009 and the end of 2010. During that time the no.1 priority was using federal power to stabilise the economy in the wake of the GFC and to structurally reform key sectors of America’s manufacturing industry. Obama did both of those brilliantly. In fact nearly all the credit Trump gets from certain quarters for the pre covid economy growth and Labor market is due to Obama’s fine stewardship: he delivered Trump an economy in fine shape.
Obama had three legislative priorities upon assuming office: health reform, a national carbon trading scheme and workplace reform, especially in wages. There were actually legislation that passed both houses of Congress on the first two in 2009, but the process got bogged down in ‘reconciliation’ – it was an argument between moderate ‘blue dogs’ and the left. That bickering provided all the ammunition that the right needed to astroturf the tea party into existence. It also meant that one one of Obama’s legislative objectives were achieved in that 21 month period. Such a shame that ‘the left’ held out for so long attempting to make good the enemy of perfect.
You don’t find ‘the right’ making the same mistakes. Even the most ideological RWNJ understands the value of taking what’s on the table and using that as a stepping stone to future advances, but not the left. That is a world wide problem – the left don’t have the mental acuity to understand the power and effectiveness of incremental advances achieved over time in democratic systems.
The right – especially operatives out of the Textor-Crosby school of cynical fucktardary – understand the value of setting up fault lines between the faux left and moderate because of how repulsive that is to low information, low interest unaligned folk in the the midddle (ie. the people that decided election outcomes).
And here we are. Pitiful progress across the Anglosphere for the past decade.