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Created
Thu, 15/02/2024 - 04:53
The nation’s economists and economist-run authorities such as the Reserve Bank have not covered themselves in glory in the present inflationary episode. They’ve shown a lack of intellectual rigour, an unwillingness to re-examine their long-held views, and a lack of compassion for the many ordinary families who, in the Reserve’s zeal to fix inflation the Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 15/02/2024 - 04:52
How governments approach Indigenous governance is crucial to addressing the reform task set by the Productivity Commission’s recent report. The Productivity Commission’s recent review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap challenges Australian governments to fundamentally reconfigure how they engage with First Nations organisations. Modernising how government organisations approach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 15/02/2024 - 04:50
When one side in hostilities lacks an army, that side often finds its only recourse is to use what the other side calls “terrorism.” On October 7, Hamas launched a terrorist attack on southern Israel, killing some 1,100 people, a majority of whom were civilians. Such action cannot be condoned. In addition, mainstream media have Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 15/02/2024 - 04:00
Lara finally gets her star turn Poor RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel. Nobody has debased and humiliated herself more chasing the approval of Donald Trump, even going so far as to change her name from Romney McDaniel to just McDaniel because Trump despises her uncle Mitt. But it didn’t really do her any good in the end because like so many others before her, loyalty and Trump are a one way street and he has decided that he’s done with her. In some ways you can’t blame him.The RNC is a mess. The  Federal Election Commission released its year end fundraising reports and they showed that the RNC had its worst fundraising year since 2013 only managing to take in $87.2 million in 2023. According to Fox News, “if adjusted for inflation, the RNC’s fundraising was last this low in 1993 — before the 2002 McCain Feingold Act restricted political committee fundraising from corporations and capped donations from individuals.” They started off this year with just $8 million in cash. That’s bad. To make matters worse, the Democrats raised three times as much last year and are rolling in the dough.
Created
Thu, 15/02/2024 - 02:30
Can you smell the fear on the GOP? Molly Jong-Fast reflects on Robert Hur’s hit job. Democrats freaked out about the special counsel’s gratuitous comments about Joe Biden’s memory. The press obsessed over it. Republicans redistributed theories that Biden might drop out and Michelle Obama might step in. Biden himself has responded with jokes about his age. Jong-Fast writes (Vanity Fair): Now, I understand why everyone’s so anxious; another Trump presidency could be the end of American democracy. But there’s also a reason why Republicans are so obsessed with trying to get Biden to drop out. It’s not because they are concerned about Biden’s mental acuity; it’s because they know that incumbency is a huge advantage and the economy is picking up. (Meanwhile, Trump is trying to look like an incumbent president—while taking credit, somehow, for the stock market’s rise.) […] The media’s decision to seize on bad polls, especially around Biden’s age, has ratcheted up Democrats’ nerves for months. Yet polls have been wrong before. Remember the red wave of 2022?
Created
Thu, 15/02/2024 - 01:00
Dems post another pair of special election wins Former congressman Tom Suozzi won the special election on Tuesday for the Long Island congressional seat recently held by “serial fabulist and expelled former GOP Rep. George Santos,” as CNN framed it. Santos won the seat by 8 points in 2022. Suozzi, a Democrat, defeated Nassau County GOP legislator Mazi Pilip by nearly 8, a 16-point swing in Democrats’ favor. The win shaves House Republicans’ majority thinner than it was on Monday (New York Times): The outcome flipped one of the five House seats Democrats need to retake the majority in November, giving the party a badly needed shot of optimism. But Mr. Suozzi’s campaign also provided something that may prove more valuable, a playbook for candidates across the country competing on turf where President Biden and his party remain deeply unpopular. The strategy went something like this: Challenge Republicans on issues that they usually monopolize, like crime, taxes and, above all, immigration. Flash an independent streak.
Created
Thu, 15/02/2024 - 00:00

1. “Let me ponyride off your idea and add…”

2. “To horsey ride off your idea, let me just say…”

3. “No matter how much your idea wiggles and bucks, I’m holding on for dear life to say that…”

4. “Picture this: With one hand, I’m waving a cowboy hat ceremoniously, and with the other, I’m spanking your idea—all while screaming both ‘Yeehaw!’ and adding my two cents that…”

5. “I’m just a little kid and can’t keep up with your idea’s adult gait. Kneel down and let me hop on your idea’s back for a classic piggyback to say…”

6. “Your idea is dating my mom for a while, and things are going really well. Your idea decided to take me to a Cubs game, but the ramps at
Wrigley Field are especially steep. Unless your idea wants to see me make a scene in front of Dansby Swanson, maybe take a knee by the
Goose Island cart and let me piggyback off of it. This is all to make the point that…”

7. “Your idea’s not my real dad!”