Lindsay

Sigh. Liverpool down 1-0. It's been coming all half.

It's on my to read list!

Yes, and winning a 2nd Slam is such a validation, it shows how good you are as a player.

The first 20 minutes have been pretty crap!

Agreed. I'm also hoping that we will go out and beat them!

I didn't know about this book but I am going to get a hold of it!

I don't think the mid terms are going to be where they cross the Rubicon and refuse to surrender power. I think 2028 is the time for that. A hostile Congress is a pain but hardly insurmountable.

Voting is even more important because of that risk. If the margins aren't big enough, that will make it easier for them to claim the system is rigged.

The revolution often happens after they gain office. Trump's regime is doing so many outrageous things that it's hard to keep up and therefore we're not looking at the big picture and putting all those puzzle pieces together. When you do, it's terrifying.

We forget how many fascist regimes did it with the support of a large part of the population. We think they need to gain power via a revolution. It isn't so. Hitler won office constitutionally. A general strike against the rising power of Mussolini failed, leading the king to give him office.

It is fascism. Just because there's room for it to get worse doesn't mean that this government hasn't been a staggering change in the practice of government in the USA.

Which is why I'm happy our 2 major parties agreed to take those temptations away from themselves and set up the independent electoral commissions to run elections.

The temptation to cheat is high.

On a sideline re the US Senate, I fail to understand why the Democratic party hasn't tried to give the varying US Territories statehood, particularly Puerto Rico and DC. DC would surely provide 2 Democrat Senators. The Republicans would certainly push for it if DC always voted for them!

Yes, the electoral college is a built in gerrymander. Understandable when it comes to electing Senators, we also elect Senators by a quota per State or Territory. But the House of Representatives and the Presidency should be 1 vote, 1 value.

Ours are just the elections. Usually 2 ballot papers since most Parliaments in the country have 2 houses. Local elections are 1 ballot paper. Referendums are separate and rare.

Postal voting is available when living overseas. Some hoops to jump through.

Correct. We are so lucky here in Australia, we don't live under all the restrictions Americans do.

The decision to outsource the voting process was one of the better ones our politicians have ever made. I think compulsory voting was a good one too, particularly given the fines aren't high and you don't actually have to vote, just sign for the ballot papers.

All votes are cast on paper. They are counted by hand, by the independent electoral commission which runs elections in Australia, organises electoral boundaries (so no gerrymandering), etc. Candidates may choose scrutineers to observe the counting and question decisions re individual voting papers.

Australian expats can just vote at the embassy.

It just took me a while to add some more details. I think it's good for Americans to see how the rest of us do it. Voting is painless here.

Many hospitals and aged care facilities are designated voting locations for the residents and patients. Voting is compulsory in Australia. Technically, it isn't. But you must collect your ballot papers or you will be fined. What you do with them is your business. Most people vote.

There's also certain venues open before election day so you can vote early if you can't vote on the day. Postal voting is standard and you just need to register for it. Around 25% of voters vote early and that percentage is increasing. I always vote postal, it allows me to research the candidates.

In Australia voting day is Saturday. Booths are open from 8am to 6pm. They're everywhere since most public schools are used as electoral booths. Other public places such as council halls can be used to. You can vote at any booth in the State, not just your local one.

I don't see how right wing candidates are going to help the Liberal Party in the cities. They might help with the One Nation flank attacks.

Reversion to the mean should favour them?

Agreed, but he wouldn't be there for that long. I agree the Bucks might not be terribly keen on the offer. It depends on how valuable they think the picks are. And Giannis would need to want it too.

With absolutely no detailed knowledge, I've always thought the numbers seemed pretty reasonable, probably on the low side.

When I saw the headline, I thought you were taking a screenshot from a years old article!

And they might not have won the 2024 election. Republicans who opposed Trump were massacred at the ballot box by their party's supporters - so the others took the hint and supported him.

It's not like the party hierarchy liked Trump in the first place. Democracy in action can lead to dictatorship.