Danyl McLauchlan reviews the new election memoir by baffled sore loser Hillary Clinton. What did Hillary Clinton do after losing the election to Donald Trump? Pretty much what you’d expect: she cried; she prayed; she read books and poems (inevitably by Maya Angelou); she watched movies with her husband; did yoga with her personal instructor; … Read more
The reverberations of media misreading of the US election are being felt in New Zealand, where media need to look in the mirror, says Patrick Gower, the Newshub political editor. Freshly returned from witnessing the mind-warping American election of 2016, which saw a man by the name of Donald Trump win the presidency, Patrick Gower … Read more
Feeling depressed? Angry? Self-righteous? Victorious? Nothing? Just feeling? Henry Oliver presents a playlist for nine emotional responses to yesterday’s election. Born Against – Half Mast “Aaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuugggghhhhhhfuckaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuggggghhhhhhhhhhhfuckfuck fuckauughaaaaaaughfuckaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuggghhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuu uuuuuughfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK!!!” Public Enemy – Fight the Power “Don’t mourn, organise! There are only three years, eleven months, three weeks and three days until the next election.” Anohini – … Read more
Earlier this year I wrote that a Donald Trump presidency wouldn’t be that bad. Today I’m a whole lot less cheerful, writes Eric Crampton. I expect a lot of kiwis will be tempted to see the Trump phenomenon through an income inequality lens. While rising income inequality is a myth in New Zealand, it isn’t in America. But … Read more
The presidential election reveals a nation frightened, angry and lacking in confidence. The shockwaves will be felt far and wide, writes former NZ prime minister Geoffrey Palmer. First Brexit. Now Trump. The fault lines in the politics of western countries are becoming deep and profound. People are thinking the political institutions and methods are not … Read more
9.00pm (NZ time): Donald Trump has just appeared on stage in New York, saying he has received a call from Hillary Clinton conceding the contest. The Spinoff’s unrivalled team of experts have gobbled up all the available data and pooped them out like coffee beans from an Asian palm civet, to produce a live hazard … Read more
We’ve heard from nearly every celebrity and their dog about which presidential candidate to vote for. But which box would some of our favourite TV characters be ticking tomorrow? Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation “Ron would not like Hillary either. She is a career politician. Ron has no love of career politicians… he would certainly … Read more
With the Presidential election just days away, America is on the verge of making history regardless of who wins. Tara Ward watched as Michael Moore made a desperate, and perhaps successful, attempt to talk sense with potential Trump voters. “I think Hilary Clinton will have dead people vote.” It’s indisputable logic like this that makes Wilmington, … Read more
Yes, I’m lazy, and yes, I was motivated by the spectre of Trump, but it’s still surprising that I found it easier to vote for the US presidency this month than in the Auckland council elections, writes Madeleine Chapman. I’ve done a lot of voting in my 22 years of life. When you grow up … Read more
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have met for the third and final debate of a face-melting US presidential race. Toby Manhire distills the exchanges into a vile tongue burning hooch. Moderating the 90-minute debate at the University of Nevada is Chris Wallace of Fox News. It is being broadcast on all the world’s channels, streaming … Read more
These impassioned posts underscore the depths to which the Republican presidential candidate has fallen – and what it says about America today. The weekend release of a recording revealing Donald Trump bragging about sexual assaults saw many of his supporters in the Republican Party who had stuck beside the controversial candidate disavow him. He subsequently … Read more
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump meet again for the second of three debates in the most bonkers and disturbing campaign in the history of the universe. Toby Manhire watches and boils it down into a sticky raspberry jam. Read the five-minute version of the first debate here. Co-moderator Martha Raddatz of ABC: I’m Martha Raddatz. … Read more
The big debate might have been broadcast, streamed and live-blogged by pretty much every person alive, but only the Spinoff (probably not only the Spinoff) has digested it into a five-minute read. NBC Moderator Lester Holt: I’m Lester. That’s Donald. That’s Hillary. That’s the audience. They’re going to stay quiet. Let’s talk about income. Democrat … Read more
NZ writer and election tourist Jessy Edwards travelled to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where she spent a day soaking up the highs and lows of a healthy democracy, smoking weed with Bernie Sanders supporters, walking in a Black Lives Matter march and pissing off a Fox News reporter – and left wondering if … Read more
In a report on the aftermath of this past Tuesday’s primaries, the New York Times neatly captured the impact, allure and magnetism of Donald Trump, in adjoining paragraphs. Mrs Clinton, addressing supporters in Cleveland, did not mention the Mississippi or Michigan results, instead alluding to the vitriol in the Republican field. “As the rhetoric keeps … Read more
As Americans go to the polls in Iowa, US-Kiwi import Nik Dirga explains the fear and loathing driving Donald Trump’s rise. If you’re an American living in New Zealand, chances are you’ll get asked for your take on US politics. “So, do you think they’ll really elect Trump?” You hear this a lot lately. Now, … Read more