The year ahead

Informed speculation suggests a federal election will be held in the second half of this year, though views differ as to whether it will be sooner or later.

Dennis Shanahan of The Australian, who is always well plugged into government’s line of tactical thinking, wrote on Monday on the likelihood of a federal election in the second half of this year ($) rather than the first half of the next, that being the full extent of the window for a normal election of the House of Representatives and half the Senate. This basically boils down to a view that the government’s perceived current dominance means the sooner it goes the better, tempered by a desire to avoid an election in winter.

An unidentified Liberal MP quoted in The Australian ($) said they were “almost certain” they were “almost certain” the election would be in August or September, although another felt November more likely since an earlier election would be seen as too opportunistic. Why November would be a whole lot better on that count is unclear, since there seems to be no particular obstacle to Morrison holding out until May next year, by which time it will have been a full three years since the last election. For what it’s worth, the latter MP was also quoted saying it “also depends on if Labor ditch Anthony Albanese and get someone more electable”.

In more definite news for the year ahead, the Western Australian state election is set for March 13 — I am presently furiously hard at work on my election guide, which I can assure those of you who like that kind of thing will be a classic of its genre. As for opinion polling, the silly season proved no obstacle to Newspoll last year, which opened its account with a poll conducted from Wednesday, January 8 and Saturday, January 11, so there may be action on that front this or (probably more likely) next weekend.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

3,782 comments on “The year ahead”

Comments Page 67 of 76
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  1. Since it kind of sounds like annual boosters will be needed anyways, how about a compromise? We can all get the AZ vaccine for round one, and then Pfizer’s next time.

  3. C@tmomma says:
    Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 7:15 pm
    lizzie @ #3224 Thursday, January 14th, 2021 – 5:15 pm

    Just saw Trump on News with his pouty little mouth and his sideways tilted head, mouthing clichés about peace…

    …..but the one thing I think I can contribute about them is that they are all so feminine! Trump speaks in a girly voice, he pouts like a girl, he does a little half twist around as he speaks…like a little girl! The evil monster probably knows that it disarms people’s psychological defenses and makes them more receptive and open to him. Ugh!

    The use of expressly gendered language to criticise Trump is very unfortunate. It is indisputably sexist. Perhaps Trump infantilises himself as a part of his act. Perhaps he just is as baby-like as people say he is. However, it does not follow that “The evil monster” is “like a little girl”. Here C@t is equating the infantile with the female. This is sexist to the core.

    This is not the first time that C@t has used supposedly feminine characteristics to defile a nominally male figure. For mine, I ascribe very positive values to females and to nominally female attributes.

    The use of such attributes to describe and accentuate the profound flaws, dishonesty and corruption of the failed POTUS is really highly incongruous, especially considering his very conspicuous misogyny and the near certainty that he’s raped numerous women and sexually trafficked many more.

  4. Hello bludgers

    Just been telephone polled by a mob called Media Reach for the WA state election.

    Not heard of them before.

    Usual range of questions on voting intention, issues etc., approval of McGowan v Kirkup.

    Asked me about the two main party candidates in my seat (Riverton) then threw up a third name. never heard of the Greens candidate until today.

    The Labor candidate Dr Jags called by again yesterday. Second visit. He is putting in the hard yards.

    Stay safe people.

  5. AR that is a sensible approach. The Northern Hemisphere is hurting badly in their winter and need all the Pfizer they can get. We have advantages and time they don’t so we can afford to be less precious about things.

    Also the AZ vaccine appears to have a reasonable result if the part vaccine is followed by a full dose. If we can’t get more Pfizer then that seems a reasonable alternative for now.

  9. Spray @ #3160 Thursday, January 14th, 2021 – 9:19 pm

    Does anyone have the link that was posted here a few days ago, to a guy delivering a passionate and sweary rant about Trump supporters? He was a Southerner and described himself as a liberal.

    His main theme was to ask “just what the hell they want that this country hasn’t given them”. Can’t find it anywhere on social media.

    Think GG may have posted it with a caption like “get this guy on the radio” or something similar.

    One of these? (You may have to scroll.)
    https://twitter.com/Lesdoggg/status/1348360474178449408
    https://twitter.com/drewmorgcomedy/status/1348891282425278465

  11. N

    The thing to do is not to make excuses about vaccine supply but instead negotiate urgently for more supplies of vaccines that we know work.

    Our government doesn’t seem to be doing this.

  12. a r

    Actually we simply don’t know how long these vaccines will provide protection for.

    The pertinent question is this. If we have millions of people taking the AZ vaccine, how long will it be before it is safe for them to take a more effective vaccine and achieve better protection.

  13. The head of Germany’s vaccine regulator on Thursday described the success rate of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as excellent, after some Australian scientists voiced scepticism about its efficacy.

    This from Reuters:

    Speaking during an online press briefing, the president of Germany’s Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), Klaus Cichutek, said there had been some debate over the best usage pattern for the vaccine, but added:

    Still, the efficacy remains outstanding and excellent.

    The AstraZeneca shot, co-developed with Oxford University, was shown in a trial to have efficacy of at least 62%, with Britain’s healthcare regulator identifying an efficacy of 80% under a certain administration pattern.

    That compares with efficacy of about 95% for vaccines developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech as well as by Moderna.

    Some Australian scientists have proposed delaying mass inoculation using AstraZeneca’s vaccine and considering a different shot instead.

  14. davidwh

    “Also the AZ vaccine appears to have a reasonable result if the part vaccine is followed by a full dose”

    This conclusion cannot be drawn from the data we have. Lets consider the reasons to be sceptical.

    1. The “half dose” was not strictly speaking a half dose. It was variable – the result of a manufacturing error. At least that is what I’ve read (sorry can’t find the link).

    2. The subgroup that got a half (first) dose was only a couple of thousand people. There weren’t enough people within this subgroup who caught symptomatic covid and hence there is a wide confidence interval. Hence, don’t be surprised if the results of new trials are considerably below 90%. It would be consistent with the uncertainty in the data we now have.

    3. There are only speculative answers given as to why a half first dose may be more effective. In other words, the mechanism. The science isn’t settled on this.

    4. The accidental “half first dose” subgroup didn’t include people over 55, whereas the rest of the trial (full dose) did. One reading of this is that the vaccine is far less effective for older people and that the older cohort dragged down the average figure for the people who got the full dose.

    The optimistic interpretation of point 4 is that the AZ vaccine might be “ok” (ie 80+ %) for younger people. But not good at all for older people. And if this is the case, then the evaluation as to where the age cut off should be will be one of the things that may delay the vaccine’s approval.

  15. davidwh says:
    Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 11:41 pm
    N the only given with this virus appears to be uncertainty. We have a long way to go yet unfortunately.

    Indeed.

  18. When Kim Dine took over as the new chief of the US Capitol Police in 2012, he knew he had a serious problem. Since 2001, hundreds of Black officers had sued the department for racial discrimination. They alleged that white officers called Black colleagues slurs like the N-word and that one officer found a hangman’s noose on his locker.
    https://www.propublica.org/article/no-one-took-us-seriously-black-cops-warned-about-racist-capitol-police-officers-for-years

  22. ‘ But then, when the pandemic began, the tone of the posts suddenly changed. The anti-vax moms became louder, and there seemed to be more of them. They began posting rants about how masks mandates and social distancing rules were “tyrannical,” and violated Americans’ civil liberties.’- how Qanon infiltrated mothers groups.
    https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/09/the-terrifying-story-of-how-qanon-infiltrated-moms-groups/?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=naytev&utm_medium=social

  24. Just one of many Australian success stories ..

    https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/australia-deforestation-land-clearing-conservation/13054460

    More than 43 million hectares were lost in these fronts between 2004 and 2017, an area roughly the size of Morocco or six times the size of Tasmania.

    “Nearly a million hectares of forest has been cleared just in Queensland and New South Wales and just in the hotspot areas,” Dr Martin Taylor, Senior Scientist with WWF Australia, told Hack.

  25. For the “Oh Shit!” page.

    Reading further reveals the article is not what I thought

    the “Howards” turns out to be “Howard Springs”

    Now transferred to the “That’s All Right Then” page.

  27. Peter Oborne, is a highly respected journalist.
    “I have talked to senior BBC executives, and they tell me they personally think it’s wrong to expose lies told by a British prime minister because it undermines trust in British politics“

  28. Good morning Dawn Patrollers

    Australians are being promised a two-stage strategy to protect the population from COVID-19 under a federal commitment to pursue herd immunity while making vaccines available as soon as possible. Another announcement?
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/pursuing-herd-immunity-australia-s-two-stage-strategy-to-protect-community-20210114-p56u6a.html
    The editorial in the SMH says that the real confusion about vaccines comes from the Morrison government’s own ranks. Too right it does!
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-real-confusion-about-vaccines-comes-from-the-morrison-government-s-own-ranks-20210114-p56u6n.html
    And the AAP reports that voters in controversial Morrison government MP Craig Kelly’s NSW electorate are brewing plans to run an independent candidate against the backbencher at the next federal poll.
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7086229/nsw-group-plots-plan-to-oust-craig-kelly/?cs=14329
    Vaccine deniers are a minority in Australia, but a successful rollout hinges on facts and honesty, writes Tom Aechtner.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/14/vaccine-deniers-are-a-minority-in-australia-but-a-successful-rollout-hinges-on-facts-and-honesty
    Record daily German COVID-19 death tolls have sparked Angela Merkel’s ‘mega-lockdown plan’.
    https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/record-daily-german-covid-19-death-toll-sparks-merkel-mega-lockdown-plan-20210115-p56u94.html
    Cait Kelly reports that a leading health expert has said that the federal government must step in and take over management of hotel quarantine or risk further coronavirus lockdowns. Good luck with that!
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2021/01/15/hotel-quarantine-australia-coronavirus/
    Australians have just had a reminder that they are in a global queue for the best vaccines to shield them from COVID-19, and there is no easy way to jump to the front, writes David Crowe.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/why-we-needed-more-shots-in-the-quest-for-a-vaccine-20210114-p56tzx.html
    Immunisation expert Peter McIntyre argues that scientists are wrong to claim the AstraZeneca vaccine is a “second-best option” and its rollout should be paused.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/comparing-vaccines-is-tricky-especially-at-warp-speed-20210114-p56tzn.html
    An unimpressed Liam Mannix says that the government’s refusal to answer simple questions leaves a vaccine vacuum.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/government-s-refusal-to-answer-simple-questions-leaves-vaccine-vacuum-20210114-p56u26.html
    NSW cases of the highly transmissible coronavirus variant have doubled within a week but Health Minister Brad Hazzard is confident the state’s current quarantine system can handle the more contagious strain, reports Mary Ward.
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-s-mutant-coronavirus-strain-cases-double-in-a-week-20210114-p56u4s.html
    IOOF are never far away from troubles.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/senior-ioof-executive-accused-of-inappropriate-touching-in-unfair-dismissal-claim-20210114-p56u0h.html
    With insolvency protections being wound back and JobKeeper ending in just two months, accountants are being prepared to deal with a wave of traumatised small business owners who have to wind up, writes Emilia Terzon for The New Daily.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/small-business/2021/01/14/insolvencies-covid-australia/
    Josh Frydenberg has warned Google it should be paying Australian news websites, not banning them from search results, after the company admitted to intermittently blocking some content.
    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/pay-for-content-don-t-block-it-frydenberg-warns-google-over-news-results-20210114-p56u48.html
    Drumroll … trumpets, red carpet: we are rolling out Australia’s Top 40 Tax Dodgers for 2021. Michael West unveils the villains and the heroes of the tax scene, including new gongs this year for Lifetime Achievement Award and UnAustralian of the Year.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/revealed-australias-top-40-tax-dodgers-for-2021/
    Nick Toscano reports that the Chinese government has rejected pleas from its own steel industry to lift bans on Australian coal cargoes, keeping dozens of ships holding 8 million tonnes of the commodity stranded offshore.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/beijing-rebuffed-pleas-from-chinese-steelmakers-to-lift-ban-on-australian-coal-20210114-p56u0c.html
    Recent Australian government attempts to seek retribution against China’s trade bans and restrictions are looking increasingly like own goals, suggests Elizabeth Knight who reckons our diplomatic divorce with China is getting more expensive.
    https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/australia-s-diplomatic-divorce-with-china-is-getting-more-expensive-20210114-p56u5n.html
    Requests for information and documents from the environment department and related agencies are becoming increasingly delayed, redacted, refused and more costly, a new analysis has shown. The opacity of this government is beyond a joke!
    https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7085970/environment-information-requests-stifled-conservationists-say/?cs=14350
    More on this from The Guardian.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/15/australias-freedom-of-information-regime-labelled-dysfunctional-in-scathing-audit
    The AFR’s Tom Richardson writes that the acceleration of the structural shift away from credit to debit card usage could spell a “bloodbath” for credit cards as buy now, pay later companies snatch market share from traditional payment heavyweights.
    https://www.afr.com/markets/equity-markets/buy-now-pay-later-growth-heralds-credit-card-bloodbath-20210112-p56tfm
    Staff at the Australian offices of the big four consultancies face the same “brutal” work hours as those described in a viral email leaked from EY’s Hong Kong office last week, according to past and present employees.
    https://www.afr.com/companies/professional-services/borderline-slavery-staff-lambast-brutal-hours-at-big-four-consultancies-20210114-p56tz9
    Luke Henriques-Gomes reports that the mother of a child with special needs has won a two-year battle against Services Australia after the agency demanded she pay back more than $27,000 in carer’s payments. The AAT had a bit to say about Centrelink’s treatment of the lady.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/15/woman-wins-two-year-battle-with-centrelink-after-it-demanded-she-pay-back-27000
    As Josh Frydenberg ponders the corporate regulator’s future leadership personnel and structure, a big question hanging over the Treasurer is whether a lawyer or an economist should lead the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, writes John Kehoe.
    https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/should-a-black-letter-lawyer-or-light-touch-economist-lead-asic-20210106-p56s1f
    The global pandemic has helped increase the wealth of some of the world’s richest billionaires who used philanthropy for political gain, writes Professor Carl Rhodes.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/pandemic-profiteers-go-woke-to-grab-political-power,14693
    The AIMN’s “Grumpy Geezer” tells us how the Trumpists are thriving in Oz.
    https://theaimn.com/the-trumpists-are-thriving-in-oz/
    Lisa Cox reveals that Chevron’s Western Australia LNG plant is facing calls to shut down until its faulty carbon capture system is fixed.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/15/western-australia-lng-plant-faces-calls-to-shut-down-until-faulty-carbon-capture-system-is-fixed
    Matthew Kean has written an op-ed in which he tells us why Twitter was right in banning Trump. Kean has a lot going for him – a potential leader of the NSW Liberal Party perhaps?
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/twitter-was-right-to-ban-donald-trump-20210113-p56twa.html
    As the ugliness that is the United States insurgence continues to unfold, many Australians remain secure in their complacency that it could never happen here, warns Michelle Pini.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/morrison-crew-backs-capitol-coup,14696
    The Associated Press tells us that, enduring his second impeachment, Trump stands largely silent and alone. A fitting end.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/enduring-second-impeachment-trump-stands-largely-silent-and-alone-20210115-p56u91.html
    And Mitch McConnell’s openness to convicting Donald Trump in a US Senate impeachment trial is a seismic signal to his caucus that could prod other Republicans to break with the President in the coming days and weeks. An even more fitting end perhaps.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/mcconnell-s-signal-to-republicans-could-open-floodgates-against-trump-20210114-p56u2l.html
    Matthew Knott says his double impeachment a permanent stain, but Trump still gets off lightly.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/double-impeachment-a-permanent-stain-but-trump-still-gets-off-lightly-20210114-p56u0v.html
    Graham Richardson sums up Trump by writing, “Donald Trump was never up to the task. He was a wealthy bogan with no knowledge of economics outside the construction industry. He was not well read, knew only how to shoot from the hip, and had no sense of occasion. He let America down.”
    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/trumps-brand-of-politics-needed-division-to-thrive/news-story/72aa890a76c8f6ed89284ce7fc6fda4e
    The Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty writes that Trump’s stench will cling to Republicans long after he’s gone.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/trumps-stench-will-cling-to-republicans-long-after-hes-gone-20210114-p56u4c.html
    By staying above the fray, the next president of the United States is exhibiting the deliberate approach to politics that became the trademark of his march to the White House.
    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/biden-tries-to-stay-above-the-fray-as-trump-is-impeached-over-riot-20210114-p56u3u.html
    A second impeachment is just the start of Trump’s legal woes, explains Professor Thomas Klassen.
    https://theconversation.com/a-second-impeachment-is-just-the-start-of-trumps-legal-woes-153036

    Cartoon Corner

    Peter Broelman

    Simon Letch

    Cathy Wilcox

    David Rowe

    Matt Golding



    Andrew Dyson

    Glen Le Lievre

    Johannes Leak

    From the US











  29. It’s obvious Bushfire Bill, self-appointed judge, jury and executioner of Progressive commentators, knows nothing about Brian Tyler Cohen. He couldn’t even spell his name correctly. Not to mention knowing how hard BTC works to make videos and podcasts and do live streams every day, 7 days a week. He even live streamed the House Impeachment votes, despite it also being his birthday. If that’s not working hard on behalf of the people who listen to him, then I don’t know what is. Added to that fact is that what he says is very enlightening and perceptive and informative.

  30. OK, the WWF figures appear to include ‘reclearing’ numbers – which, for example, would include purposely grown tree plantations, such as pine forests.

    This article
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-10-08/deforestation-land-clearing-australia-state-by-state/12535438
    distinguishes between clearing of primary forest and reclearing (which is effectively ‘farmed’ trees, which obviously does include native vegetation). It also notes that there has been a net increase in tree cover over the period studied. (I note there’s some ‘are trees trees?” discussion about that).

    We should be growing and harvesting plantation trees, whether these trees are pine or eucalypt.

    I’m not supporting, for example, Queensland’s land clearing practices, but there’s more nuance there than the WWF portrays.

  32. Which Senators Are Likely to Convict Trump?

    Impeachment Conviction

    It takes a two-thirds majority of those present at the trial to convict Trump. That means 67-33 if all the Senators turn up to vote.

    Yesterday, I came up with 14 Republican Senators who were likely to strongly consider convicting Trump.

    My list, in alphabetic order, includes Burr, Collins, Crapo, Grassley, Lee, McConnell, Murkowski, Portman, Romney, Sasse, Sullivan, Thune, Tillis, and Toomey.

    While researching my list for other names, I found a couple of helpful articles by others doing the same thing.

    Slate List
    The Slate asked the question, What the Republican Senators Most Likely to Convict Trump Have Said About Impeachment?

    “Most Powerful Reported Supporter” Mitch McConnell (1)

    “Usual Suspects” Lisa Murkowski, Sue Collins, Mitt Romney (3)

    “Trump Critics” Pat Toomey, Ben Sasse (2)

    “Reluctant Trump Critics” Shelley Moore Capito, Richard Burr, and Mike Lee (3)

    “Unlikely But Possible” Rob Portman, Roy Blunt, and Todd Young (3)

    “Wild Cards” Jerry Moran, Mike Rounds, Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis, Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst, Tom Cotton, and John Thune (8)

    That’s a list of 20. But I solidly rule out Blunt and Cotton, and highly doubt Ernst.

    https://www.thestreet.com/mishtalk/politics/which-senators-are-likely-to-convict-trump

  33. lizzie @ #3327 Friday, January 15th, 2021 – 7:01 am

    Peter Oborne, is a highly respected journalist.
    “I have talked to senior BBC executives, and they tell me they personally think it’s wrong to expose lies told by a British prime minister because it undermines trust in British politics“

    Excellent entry in the “Complete Crap” competition.

    Groucho Marx would have loved this —

  35. Judging by the cryptic comments from a couple of members of Congress who havent mentioned any names.

    Im thinking the two qanon reps who are now in Congress, could very well be part of aiding the insurrectionists.

  36. The Age
    @theage
    ·
    32m
    Premier Daniel Andrews revealed that the state had approached the Commonwealth about using Defence sites, but that the ADF had not been enthusiastic about the idea.#covid19
    Victoria’s army bases ‘not suitable’ as quarantine sites
    Premier Daniel Andrews revealed that the state had approached the Commonwealth about using Defence sites, but that the ADF had not been enthusiastic about the idea.
    theage.com.au

    https://amp.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victoria-s-army-bases-not-suitable-as-quarantine-sites-20210114-p56u5w.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&__twitter_impression=true

  37. The man who was photographed carrying a Confederate flag in the Capitol during last week’s riot has been arrested, according to multiple reports.

    The AP reports:

    Prosecutors say a Delaware man photographed carrying a Confederate battle flag during a deadly riot in the U.S. Capitol has been arrested after authorities used the image to help identify him.

    Federal prosecutors say Kevin Seefried, who was seen carrying the flag, was arrested in Delaware along with his son Hunter Seefried. Prosecutors say both entered the Senate building through a broken window.

    They were charged with unlawfully entering a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and degradation of government property.

    Court documents say the men were identified after the FBI was told by a coworker of Hunter Seefried’s that he had bragged about being in the Capitol with his father.

    Many Americans reacted with horror to the picture of a Confederate flag in the Capitol, with a number of people noting the flag never made it into the building during the US Civil War.

    According to an AP count, more than 100 people have now been arrested in connection to the violence at the Capitol.

  38. Victoria @ #3335 Friday, January 15th, 2021 – 4:30 am

    Judging by the cryptic comments from a couple of members of Congress who havent mentioned any names.

    Im thinking the two qanon reps who are now in Congress, could very well be part of aiding the insurrectionists.

    This was mooted on the Bulwark podcast the other day from memory. Nothing would surprise me at all.

  41. Dozens of people on a terrorist watch list were in Washington for pro-Trump events Jan. 6, a day that ended in a chaotic crime rampage when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, according to people familiar with evidence gathered in the FBI’s investigation.

    The majority of the watch-listed individuals in Washington that day are suspected white supremacists whose past conduct so alarmed investigators that their names had been previously entered into the national Terrorist Screening Database, or TSDB, a massive set of names flagged as potential security risks, these people said. The watch list is larger and separate from the “no-fly” list the government maintains to prevent terrorism suspects from boarding airplanes, and those listed are not automatically barred from any public or commercial spaces, current and former officials said.

    The presence of so many watch-listed individuals in one place — without more robust security measures to protect the public — is another example of the intelligence failures preceding last week’s fatal assault that sent lawmakers running for their lives, some current and former law enforcement officials argued. The revelation follows a Washington Post report earlier this week detailing the FBI’s failure to act aggressively on an internal intelligence report of Internet discussions about plans to attack Congress, smash windows, break down doors and “get violent . . . go there ready for war.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/terror-watchlist-capitol-riot-fbi/2021/01/14/07412814-55f7-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html

  42. Fess

    It is of no surprise,. One of them even gave clues over her Twitter feed so she is looking like a very likely candidate. The other one I am thinking of is the one who said yesterday that on the 21st January she would be tabling impeachment papers for Biden.
    Saddest part is that they are women. I expect better from my gender. Lol!

  43. Confessions @ #3261 Friday, January 15th, 2021 – 7:57 am

    Dozens of people on a terrorist watch list were in Washington for pro-Trump events Jan. 6, a day that ended in a chaotic crime rampage when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, according to people familiar with evidence gathered in the FBI’s investigation.

    The majority of the watch-listed individuals in Washington that day are suspected white supremacists whose past conduct so alarmed investigators that their names had been previously entered into the national Terrorist Screening Database, or TSDB, a massive set of names flagged as potential security risks, these people said. The watch list is larger and separate from the “no-fly” list the government maintains to prevent terrorism suspects from boarding airplanes, and those listed are not automatically barred from any public or commercial spaces, current and former officials said.

    The presence of so many watch-listed individuals in one place — without more robust security measures to protect the public — is another example of the intelligence failures preceding last week’s fatal assault that sent lawmakers running for their lives, some current and former law enforcement officials argued. The revelation follows a Washington Post report earlier this week detailing the FBI’s failure to act aggressively on an internal intelligence report of Internet discussions about plans to attack Congress, smash windows, break down doors and “get violent . . . go there ready for war.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/terror-watchlist-capitol-riot-fbi/2021/01/14/07412814-55f7-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html

    Sounds like 9-11 all over again… Intelligence Agencies: ‘There are people training in Florida to fly planes that they have said they want to attack New York and the Capitol with!’
    Everyone else: ‘Nah, it’ll never happen.’

  44. The Ever Longer Arm of China’s Communist Party

    It’s widely known that China’s government exerts strong control over state-owned enterprises. What’s less known is that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has vastly increased its influence over privately owned companies since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012.

    The new form of state capitalism is so different from the old one that it needs a new nickname, Jude Blanchette, who holds the Freeman chair in China studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, writes in an article appearing in the winter 2020 issue of China Leadership Monitor. Instead of “China Inc.,” he dubs it “CCP Inc.”

    He cites an interview given by Hao Peng, party chair of SASAC, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Council, who said, “Regardless of whether state-owned or private enterprises, they are all Chinese enterprises.”

    More –
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-14/the-ever-longer-arm-of-china-s-communist-party?srnd=premium-asia

  46. Victoria @ #3262 Friday, January 15th, 2021 – 8:05 am

    Fess

    It is of no surprise,. One of them even gave clues over her Twitter feed so she is looking like a very likely candidate. The other one I am thinking of is the one who said yesterday that in the 21st January she would be tabling impeachment papers for Biden.
    Saddest part is that they are women. I expect better from my gender. Lol!

    Let her table them. Then watch her stand there, lonely like a cloud, surrounded by a small band of crackpots like her, while everyone else laughs at her behind their hands.

    You know, it puzzles me why, when a Republican states they are going to do something as serious as table documents of impeachment, for no good reason, that people take them seriously!?!

    What is it? People think they are better at being successful at doing this sort of thing? The Radical Right have Progressives well and truly bluffed? Seems like it.

  47. C@t:

    Plus the obvious inherent racism in law enforcement is plain to see with the insurrectionists. Everyone keeps saying ‘imagine if they were BLM protesters’, because they were white people, their terrorist intentions weren’t taken as serious threats.

  48. Call the Senate Vote on Trump’s Removal and Be Done With It

    Lawmakers shouldn’t dawdle. The country has no time to spare.
    By Michael R. Bloomberg

    The most important thing now is for a Senate vote to happen as quickly as possible, so that the specter of this president and all the ugly division he represents does not hang over the new Biden administration.

    We must wash our hands of the Trump presidency and be done with it — the sooner the better.

    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is reportedly open to convicting Trump in an impeachment trial, has said that he will not bring the chamber back into session until Jan. 19 — perhaps because he believes the extra time will lead more Republicans to join him. Regardless, the next day — come hell or high water — Trump will no longer be president, so the outcome of a trial is actually less important than the vote, for two reasons.

    First: The Biden administration must have the chance to start with a clean slate. That can’t happen until we put the vote behind us.

    Second: The public deserves to know where their representatives stand on this historic matter — with the Constitution or the con man who subverts it? With democracy and the rule of law, or with dictatorship and mob rule?

    Let’s call the roll, without delay, and let the public serve as the final jury in 2022.

    Full article –
    https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-01-14/trump-impeachment-senate-trial-should-start-as-soon-as-possible?srnd=premium-asia

  49. GOP House leader opposes efforts to oust Rep. Liz Cheney after she voted to impeach Trump

    House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy does not support efforts to remove Rep. Liz Cheney as conference chair after her vote to impeach President Trump Wednesday, his spokesperson said.

    Several House Republicans have been hammering Cheney, the party’s third-ranking House leader, for her vote to impeach Trump.

    Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump ally on Capitol Hill, told reporters he thinks Cheney should be ousted from her leadership position after she said she’d support impeaching the President.

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