New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, and San Fransisco should not be deciding anything for their states. I don't know why popular vote is allowed beyond a county level.
I mean fuck, look at what happened in PA. The vast majority of the state was red and yet it didn't matter. As it is now, cities are feudal castles and rural areas are peasant villages, and we all know who decides what in that situation.
And probably Arizona (arguably) and Washington State, too…
In Australia, this is the same…
Outside the capitals, votes for Labor are fairly rare (excluding rusted-on working class areas. Pittsburgh, I suppose, as a US example. Or any “rust belt” city), yet because inner cities vote Labor, Labor wins, both federally and state…
However the suburbs here are sort of the inverse of the US…
Urban decay? Yes. High “black”populations in the inner city? Yes. But crime and dysfunction, and in particular poverty, is largely concentrated in outer suburbia.
Families live in the outer suburbs. Single, young people, and the rich, live in inner cities/suburbs…
Thus, on every electoral map here, you have a central “bullseye” of Labor or Greens (usually it’s the Greens, now), surrounded by Labor inner suburbs, surrounded by a sea of Liberal/National outer suburban and rural areas… The cities are like “bullet wounds”, was the analogy I read recently…
Thus, oddly, the demographics are the reverse of in the US, yet the political result of what part of the city ends up voting for whom, ends up the same, lol…
Yep, at least you guys have the “electoral college”, I guess. That seems to be one of the few things that makes this… Slightly less pronounced, arguably, in the US…
Spare a thought for NZ, which has more than 5 million people, yet no states, no upper house, and now, effectively no real opposition (because Ardern has an absolute majority in parliament)…
They also have special “Māori electorates”, where only Maori can vote for the representatives (Australia is looking at a similar model, with “The Voice”)…
It’s no wonder NZ is so utterly fucked.
Especially with a completely compliant media. As I’m sure our friend in this thread can confirm, if we, in our countries, thought it was bad? Spare a thought for our based Kiwi brethren, lol…
We have the same problem here in the US.
Certain cities in certain states have way too much influence on politics at both state and national level.
New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, and San Fransisco should not be deciding anything for their states. I don't know why popular vote is allowed beyond a county level.
I mean fuck, look at what happened in PA. The vast majority of the state was red and yet it didn't matter. As it is now, cities are feudal castles and rural areas are peasant villages, and we all know who decides what in that situation.
I think that applies to Georgia, too, no?
And probably Arizona (arguably) and Washington State, too…
In Australia, this is the same…
Outside the capitals, votes for Labor are fairly rare (excluding rusted-on working class areas. Pittsburgh, I suppose, as a US example. Or any “rust belt” city), yet because inner cities vote Labor, Labor wins, both federally and state…
However the suburbs here are sort of the inverse of the US…
Urban decay? Yes. High “black”populations in the inner city? Yes. But crime and dysfunction, and in particular poverty, is largely concentrated in outer suburbia.
Families live in the outer suburbs. Single, young people, and the rich, live in inner cities/suburbs…
Thus, on every electoral map here, you have a central “bullseye” of Labor or Greens (usually it’s the Greens, now), surrounded by Labor inner suburbs, surrounded by a sea of Liberal/National outer suburban and rural areas… The cities are like “bullet wounds”, was the analogy I read recently…
Thus, oddly, the demographics are the reverse of in the US, yet the political result of what part of the city ends up voting for whom, ends up the same, lol…
That’s what I meant, though.
Working class “rust belt” equivalent that always votes left. That was my point.
In Australia, that’s Geelong, Wollongong, Newcastle. In the US, I’m thinking Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Detroit, etc.
Same sort of deal with the suburbs here. Sort of.
We need an electoral college for deciding things at the state level, cities have more power than they should.
Yep, at least you guys have the “electoral college”, I guess. That seems to be one of the few things that makes this… Slightly less pronounced, arguably, in the US…
Spare a thought for NZ, which has more than 5 million people, yet no states, no upper house, and now, effectively no real opposition (because Ardern has an absolute majority in parliament)…
They also have special “Māori electorates”, where only Maori can vote for the representatives (Australia is looking at a similar model, with “The Voice”)…
It’s no wonder NZ is so utterly fucked.
Especially with a completely compliant media. As I’m sure our friend in this thread can confirm, if we, in our countries, thought it was bad? Spare a thought for our based Kiwi brethren, lol…
Guess NZ doesn't believe in equal protection under the law and I guess Austrailia is going to follow suit.
'Course we say we do over here in the States, but in practice we don't.
state electoral college now