Billed as a referendum on Trump, the special election in Georgia’s 6th congressional district has now been counted and the GOP has won the day.
The Republican candidate, Karen Handel, is heading to Washington after defeating her Democratic opponent, Jon Ossoff.
In the 2016 House ballot, the GOP carried the district 62-38. The margin in today’s special election the margin has narrowed to 53-47 with voting complete at midday (AET).
Americans call it a special election but in this country we prefer to call them by-elections. And as is the case in Australia, the results tend to favour the party in opposition, in this case the Democrats with a protest vote of some magnitude being registered. Historically in this country by-elections tend to swing somewhere between three and four per cent swing against the government of the day and this can be greater if a retiring MP is well known or widely admired.
Full column here.
Clayton Oliver is a young fella playing for Melbourne in the AFL. He sounds like an actor and last night lived up to his name, going to ground not once but twice.
Twitter was all a titter leading to an interesting Twit exchange between Oliver and Damien Martyn. There is a report involved, so no further comment until that is adjudicated but if a guilty verdict goes down I’ll join the Greens.
It seems AFL has adopted the spirit of soccer.
An interesting interview with Big bad Barry Hall at Tuesday’s AFL Hall of Fame induction. He was quite clear that he should not have played in Sydney’s drought breaking premiership in 2005, having flattened Matt Maguire in the Prelim. There wouldn’t be a West Coast Eagles player or supporter who’d disagree on that one.
Hall was also regretful about his KO punch on Brett Staker in 2008, a blow that was subsequently watched around the world for its brutality. Barry said he wouldn’t want his son to watch that one. It seems the standards for the Hall of Fame (no pun intended) have well and truly been relaxed.
Gary Ablett snr in yet?
I still think Gary Ablett Senior was better than Carey, Matthews etc. His effort in the 1989 GF nearly dragged Geelong over the line another couple of minutes and they would have got there. That for me was footy was at its best. Oh and when the whistle blew the players instinctively knew whose kick it was, not like the lottery it is now.
with GASnr ….saw some state of originstuff…still don’t believe it
I can’t imagine a better game being played than the 1989 Grand Final, nor a better single performance than Ablett, who earned his God tag that day for sure. Nine goals and a Norm Smith medal in a losing side.
That was as close to a brutal colosseum as I have ever witnessed. We sat five rows back behind the goals at the Punt Road end, and watched speechless in the last quarter as Ablett dragged Geelong back from a six goal deficit. I think he kicked five in the last. He had also rearranged Dipper’s torso early on, breaking four ribs on the way through.
He dropped to earth weaping after the siren. I have no doubt that day screwed him up mentally.
Man, a two-mile sniper shot. Well done Canuck! The bullet would have traveled about 10 seconds to target. At that distance the curvature of the earth becomes an issue (as well as wind, temperature and humidity).
Didn’t have time in the US to get my nephew to take me out to the range. He dropped me at the airport before taking his younger brother with him. Wonder if I can hit something at a thousand meters let alone 3500? I can’t even see that far! (Neither could the Canadian with standard optics.)
Nice work, wasn’t it.
Talk about nice work did you see the cop from Minnesota I think it was pump the guy full of 7 shots at point blank for daring to reach for his licence and registration?
Acquitted on all charges as well. Obviously it was deemed he acted lawfully but the footage is hard to look at. One of the consequences of law enforcement where much of the population is armed.
Just to pass the time, Jack, I’m wondering how many ways “But I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings.” may be parsed, and whether the statement is any truer than “I am not a crook”.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any funnier.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/trump-poor-person-cabinet-role-170622143630875.html
And yet my dear sweet innocent Mr Baptiste, POTUS Trump continues on his winning way and is “Making America Great Again”. Goodness you do try hard my man but alas……….. Cheers