Talk Elections

This psuedo-campagn is an absolute farce. John Howard is spending millions of dollars of taxpayers' money on his campaign, with the excuse he is advertising medicare, when the ads are clearly pro-governmantally biased. Mark Latham has made it a key issue in his platform to charge the lberal for all ads after July the 27th (the day he anounced te policy) that were deemed to be too political.

Latham is running onn soft politics, and his key issues are early childhood reading, politicians' superannuation and obese kids. He hasn't even announced the opposition tax plan yet, even though the budget was handed down over a month ago.

Latham is a knob, Howard is an arrogant fool and Australia i going to the Sh*thouse whoever wins.

God I am so POed at them.

Go Howard!!!!!

Until you know as much about Aussie politics as I do abut US politics, shut up mate.

(I'm in a foul mood, the last thing I want to heatr is Go Howard!. Go Latham! won't be well recieved either)

When you see that  supersoulty is VP...  Impeachment!

Hughento,

Interesting double standard you have. Foreigners can come onto a US forum about US politics and tell us (as you do on a consistent basis) how evil and sinister our President is, but Supersoulty can't comment on a race in Australia until he's "informed enough to meet your standards."

What a ing hypocrite...

I agree with you Markdel, but less  please.

Huck Finn,

Sorry...you are correct. Sometimes you can take the New Yorker out of New York, but you can't take the New York out of the New Yorker even if he lives in Florida now...LOL

I know what you mean

In fact I'm bad advisor about this thing myself. I swear too much all the time.  

*keeps this in mind for MarkDel's attitude about foreigners*

Go AU Democrats.

OK, Kevin, please tell me how exactly you were able to derive anything concerning my attitude towards foreigners from that post.

Well, you seemed to assume Hughento (and all foreigners (Foreigners can come onto a US forum about US politics and tell us (as you do on a consistent basis) how evil and sinister our President is)) is ignorant about US politics, while supersoulty is not ignorant about Australian politics.  I'm not sure if those assumptions are true or not, but I do know you made an assumption based apon whether Hughento was from the US or not.

Kevin,

You need to work on that "Reading Vocabulary" before you take the SATs in a few years.

I said that Hughento and other foreigners COMMENT on US Politics, and that if they do, then Supersoulty has the right to comment on non-US politics. Never in my post did I say that foreigners did NOT have the right to comment or that they were not capable of making intelligent commentary, I merely pointed out the hypocrisy of Hugento telling Supersoulty he wasn't qualified to do so.

You should try actually reading a post before you immediately jump to the defense of a fellow left winger...

Actually, I took it already as a part of a gifted and talented program.  But that's beside the point.


To me, however, you seemed to be saying (or implying) that hughento couldn't/shouldn't be giving his opinion.


Here are two possible scenarios:

1) Soulty made the comment just to egg on Hughento, so we should be 'yelling' at him, or talking about the purpose of this thread.
2) Hughento really was having a bad day, so he really didn't mean what he said.

:P

2) is true, i'm not sure about 1.

Basically, I don't come and type "Go Kerry!", I actually try to post with relevance. I have a bias towards Kerry, or more truthfully, against Bush. Supersoulty I think has a bias towards Howard.

I might not know all that much about US politics but I would venture to say I know a hell of a lot more ten the average american knows about aussie politics. Maybe supersoulty has an above average knowledge, maybe not. But comments like "Go Howard!", in my opinion, are pretty worthless, and considering the mood I was in at the time, I feel that my response was fitting.

But, i'd like to apologise, and to get back on topic, because it really is a farce so far-and I don't mean this thread ;)

Yet another problem with overzealous, self-expanding government.

This is always the problem with state influence: those in power tend to find new and more effective ways to secure themselves in place.

Different tone, same sentiment.

What are the Aussie Democrats like, politically and philosophically?  I always figured they were just the Keep The Bastards Honest vaguely center-left reformist party.

you'd be about right.

We only elect them to the senate though, to hold the balance of power there.

I like the concept of "keep the bastards honest," I just don't think I'd like the specific direction they moved the Senate (kinda mildly fair trade, mildly more interventionist economy).

Has anyone in Australia even heard of the Aussie Liberal Democratic Party?

lol no

they dont run anyone in my seat for the house of reps or the senate for Victoria I dont think...

I know this sounds silly, but I am supporting Latham for the pure reason that I am absolutely bloody tired of Howard and his radical government. They're cynical, nasty people and all they can run on is negativity against Labor and plundering the Treasury and using intentional loopholes in the law to bribe the electorate. It's time for a change, but alas, it is starting to into into a case of voting for the lesser of two evils. Still, Latham is light-years better than Beazley.

Me too!  

Howard:  Good economist, usually runs with a surplus.  Effective politician, at his most dangerous when behind in the polls.   Good contributor to the international arena.  Not afraid of a hard decision and with enough bottle to see it through if he thinks that he's right. (...even if he isn't) Incredible manipulator of public opinion and able to make a fear-induced campaign seem positive.  (examples are the Republican question in '99 when he managed to split the republicans and keep his queen; and the boat people election when he managed to buffalo Beasley into actually supporting him.....you'd admire it if it wasn't so blatantly cynical.)   Older man without a popular successor.

Latham:  Most popular ALP federal leader in a decade.  Has thus far failed to capitalise on his popularity and seems to be in danger of being captured by the grey men of his party.  Demonstrates amazing ineptness in the international arena, which has worried many folks.  "It's the economy stupid"!!!! Where is his tax policy?  Our tax system is a mix of concessions to interest groups and the Senate.  (...Paul Keating's "Unrepresentative Swill".  I really miss Paul...)  Where has the Wild Man from Green Valley gone?  The one who used to thunder at the government in the parliament.  That was the authentic Mark.  He is a socialist all right, but the grey men of the party (Senator Faulkner for example) have convinced him that he can't sell it.  Pity, it is at least honest which was his best feature.

My call on the election:

After the FTA vote in the Senate but before the US election on 2 Nov.  Therefore we should go to the polls on the second or third Saturday in October.  The outcome:  Howard by a nose.  

I hope that I'm wrong.  I join you in being PO'd.  Bring back Paul.

I'm tipping the last weekend in October. He'll want to leave it as late as possible without colliding with the US election or going closely after it.

If I could vote, i'd vote Latham, he is the lesser of two evils, but the election after that i'd vote Costello. If he's not the Liberal leader in the next election, i'd probably vote green or democrat and preference Labor...

I saw an interview with one of Australia's cabinet secretaries on the Sky News International that I can recieve, the guy who pulled a Clinton and admitted to smoking mariujuana but not inhaling. Anyways, he said he thought Costello would be the next Liberal leader, but what about Alexander Downer, I'd have thought that he would be a logical choice... seems like a cool headed sort of guy.

Latham admitted to smoking pot and inhaling, and enjoying it :eek:

Peter Costello, the religious but secetarian social liberal and responisible economic conservative wh has delivered surplus budgets for years whilst keeping most social programmes as good as before from Melbourne is the most likely, and imho the best candidate, but there is a possibility it will be Tony Abbott, an absolute nutcase catholic religous freak social and economic uber-conservative sydneysider :p

Downer had his go as opposition leader, and failed miserably, to be replaced by Howard. he won't become liberal leader ever again, partially because he's admitted that he never really wanted it in the first place.

Yeah, that's about it. Costello has a significant powerbase the party, but is generally electorally unpopular, Treasurers (=Taxmen) tend to be.  I have no doubt that Latham will run a "vote for Howard = vote for Costello" campaign.  ......but why is that bad?  

I would vote for Latham, if I could be assured that he wouldn't have a brain-fart and chase the latest populist issue, or issue edicts on the run.