http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/01/15/andrew-sullivan-how-obama-s-long-game-will-outsmart-his-critics.html I'm an Australian. I don't know in great detail what Obama is or isn't doing, but I probably know as much as most Australians know about their own Prime Minister. I'd love to hear Americans' response to this art
And the winner is? Well, we don't quite know yet. Tonight, the people of Australia have sent a clear message to both major Parties... that neither Party has inspired the Australian people enough to give either of them a majority in the House of Representatives. And it seems clear that we will have a hung Parliament. So if you like anti-climaxes, this is the election for you. Whoever forms the next Government must heed that m
LOL Dr Guy, thanks. And I think the house swap sounds good. [e classic]:lol:[/e]
Most of you would know that little would make me less happy than seeing Tony Abbott as Prime Minister, but that is my prediction for the upcoming election. Rudd's support will help and maybe Labor has a rabbit still left to pull out of the hat, but I don't think they will get over the line. The Labor Party nominated three main issues as to why they felt the Rudd Government had gone off track: climate change, refugees and the mining tax. These were the issu
Dear Kevin, I thought you should know that the 24 th of November 2007 was the best night of my life. You could not wipe the smile off my face because not only had you deposed the worst Prime Minister in Australian history, you outlined a stunning vision for Australia. I didn’t agree with your recent changes to ETS policy or refugee policy, but you have every right to feel proud of your great achievements. I believe you could have b
[quote]Somebody had to I guess. Here in the colonies, the liberals do not call themselves liberals any longer, but "progressives[/quote] But which ones are the liberals who call themselves progressives???? [quote]And he makes a great save! really, good point. And I will not take your analogy to mean that all BB is evil. [/quote] Thankyou. I was worried for a sec. [quote]So we look for a way to revoke that power, and therein lies the problem.[/quote] Ye
Thanks Dr Guy. I was explaining to someone yesterday how after a few years of throwing insults at someone in online political debates, you actually end up with a certain kind of affection (if that's the right word) for them because they at least have the guts to follow through their argument. You're right that our small l liberal big l liberal thing makes things very confusing. Bllody right wingers caling themselves liberal :) Australia is an interesting example there Leauki. What Obam
Well, Keynes is a pretty good example as he is quoted by Malcolm Fraser in the essay that prompted this rant. Fraser was a Liberal PM, so were Howard and Menzies (In Australia, the Liberal Party is what we call the right wing party. We have to use the terms small l liberal and big l liberal as a result. There is debate over how liberal they all were. I would argue that Menzies and Fraser were liberal, while Howard was neo-liberal). Fraser goes through a number of different thinkers including
Just to clarify for American readers, Malcolm Fraser and Robert Menzies were 2 of Australia's most conservative Prime Ministers, as was John Howard. Neo-liberalism and libertarianism are two fairly similar, radical economic theories that threaten the very fabric of our society in ways that are to the detriment of its members. Like liberal thinkers of the past, I believe that Government has a role to play in regulating our economy so that big businesses are not able to take advantage o
"I don't deny that racism exists; that's a given. I would, however, wonder if it still exists to the degree which Gates and the other, more prominent race baiters and hustlers I mentioned above insist that it does, and without their gracious assistance in keeping the fire stoked. How many blacks in this nation in, say, the last 20-25 years, have encountered blatant, real, undeniable racism? Probably not as many as one might think, and they probably wouldn't know how t
Sorry Draginol, but right wingers actually spend quite a lot of time complaining about the left wing media. To the point that even The Simpsons have done jokes about it. It was through JU that I became aware of just how upset the American Right is about the Left wing bias in the media. In Australia, we're constantly hearing complaints from our conservative party about bias in the media, and one Communications Minister in the last Government even filed a massive complaint against the ABC for i
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I agree that the specific incident regarding Sen Wilson was not racially motivated (probably), but I think it would be naive to think that those who already hate Obama for being black wouldn't be just that bit more motivated to protest against his policies than if he were a white man. That said, I imagine most of them would have probably opposed the health care reforms anyway. However, we should remember that President Obama himself has publicly disagreed with Jimmy Carter's view, s
When I'm able to take public transport, I do. There is not public transport available to my work. Unfortunately I'm neither a builder nor a Council, so I can't build it. Either way, public transport is not feasible for my job because of the amount of things that I transport to and from work that cannot be carried on a bus/train. I agree with taxing petrol. It's a great way to make emissions get controlled at least in part by the market. If this woman opposed that, then I agree th
Probably in a similar way to the way they do in Communist Dictatorships like Australia, New Zealand or the UK.
Comparing Bush to Hitler was an overreach, but at least they were referring to the fact that the Iraq War was killing many people. At other times he was compared to Goebbles for his use of propaganda, which was an exaggeration, but not markedly so. It would make more sense to compare Obama's health care plan to Stalin or Mao, than Hitler. Cult of personality? A bit of a stretch to then compare him to Hitler...not exactly the most striking element of Hitler. Many leaders have been char
Sorry Draginol, while you definitely have a point re the scientists, that point about MPG is just silly. I did not choose to be posted to the school I was given. However, I did choose to buy a fuel efficient car for that very reason. In fact it was all the right wing thought on JU that made me think about how I could exercise my capitalist power to make a difference, rather than doing silly things like chaining myself to trees. This, along with parking and riding when possible, are the two ma
It saddens me that people do not show the same respect to Uluru that they show to places like St Paul's Cathedral. However, it saddens me much more that the Anangu people are missing out on the many employment opportunities that the Rock provides. On my visit to Uluru, I was shocked by the fact that there were thousands of dollars being made through the cultural centre, tours around the rock and accommodation, yet there was not an Aboriginal person in sight. With all the energy and money bein
Dear Ms Bligh, Although I am a Greens voter, this election I will be directing my preferences to the LNP. This is not something I thought I could ever do, but I cannot support the Labor Party as long as it is prepared to build the Traveston Dam. Dams are not the answer to the w
Thanks fs. I had forgotten in my absence from blogging how incredibly one-eyed the JU community is. It saddens me, but fortunately in real life I know right wingers who are more open-minded and interesting to talk to.
Dr Gu, since I last blogged you appear to have become illiterate. I said I had not seen much history being made in the article. Diana's death may not have been important to Americans, however I live in a country where Diana was actually a member of my royal family and her funeral was watched by an unprecedented number of people with every single TV sation choosing to air it live. Your interest is neither here nor there, it was a significant moment witnessed by millions. C
In what way have people emphasised race? I'm sorry I simply don't agree. What I was impressed with was that the campaign actually became one that was based on who was the best for the job and NOT that he was black. You yourself have said that people voted with their wallets. However, I do think it would be ridiculous to expect no one to make something of a deal of him being the first black President to be inaugurated. From here on in I don't think it will be entioned at all really. Bu
It's funny how the same people that always complained that Bush-bashing was unpatriotic or anti-American are already laying into President Obama and he hasn't even done anything.
President Barack Obama. I think Americans have voted for one of the most intelligent and capable people to have ever run for President, as well as one of the most compassionate and with a genuine interest in working with people. I congratulate you on your choice of President. I don't expect miracles, but I think that my bank balance in 2012 will be in the best possible circumstances given the financial crisis and I think that I will be proud of what our militaries do jointly. Presiden
The thing is Powell never fooled many of us from the beginning. I saw Powell's presentation to the UN and I thought he was lying then. So did everyone I've ever spoken to about it and the I recall the media informing us that people with far more clout than me also thinking the same way. This is not a view I have come to simply because Iraq was a failure, but because I was never convinced in the first place and I never had the impression that Colin Powell's heart was in it. We could go ro
I think you make good points, but I'll be happy if Republicans never learn anything from this loss. Obama did run an excellent campaign. I can't understand why Dr Guy thinks otherwise. That said, Dr you are right that the crisis would have meant they'd vote in anyone who wasn't a neo-con. Rightly so too. Or Leftly so, I don't know.
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