The single thing that has frustrated candidates running for president in the US is that Trump has made wild allegations and promises that are a mixture of half truths and bald face lies, but because he is telling voters what they want to hear, he seems to get away with it.

It appears that Shorten has decided to latch onto this strategy and abandon honesty and good governance and replace it with populism, half truths and bald face lies.

The prime example recently is the allegation that the coalition wants to privatise medicare. The interview with Leigh Sales showed that even Shorten couldn't provide anything to back it up.

Other examples include:
Reversing bipartisan targets to reduce company tax,
Back flipping on savings it blocked in the senate,
An unachievable (without economic ruin) 50% renewables target,
A housing tax that according to labor won't drop house prices, but make housing more affordable, punish investors that rent out houses, but won't push up rents or reduce housing construction,
etc.

Maybe it's true that BS baffles brains.

Unfortunately it's something that Shorten and Turnbull are both doing. Abbott showed scare campaigns work, and because of that the tactic seems irresistible.

The worst aspect is that Shorten's virtually ignoring the one issue that could win him the election: the NBN.

But Shadow, I have to ask: are you trying to be trump?
You refer to "Reversing bipartisan targets to reduce company tax". Is he actually planning to raise the company tax rate? If not, it's not reversing anything; it's merely abandoning bipartisan targets. And it's about time! Reducing company tax rates is an extremely expensive way to attract business investment; other cheaper methods make more sense.

Back flipping on savings it blocked in the senate was a cynical strategic move, but it's unlike Trump. Trump would never let his opponents set his economic agenda!

A 50% renewables target is far from unachievable, and would not cause economic ruin. If funded with concessional loans, it would actually bring electricity prices down.

And the claim of "A housing tax that according to labor won't drop house prices, but make housing more affordable, punish investors that rent out houses, but won't push up rents or reduce housing construction" is very Trumpish! Tax changes preventing new negative gearing on old houses don't amount to "a housing tax" at all. Nor do they "punish investors that rent out houses", as it doesn't apply to properties that are already negatively geared.

However because of that the phasein effects would be slow, so the bit about it not dropping house prices would probably be true (and if a drop occurs it would be only about 1 or 2%, well within the natural variation and quickly recoverable from). But the demand to buy existing houses to rent out would be lower, and the exemption for new housing would encourage more of it, so it's very likely that it would make housing more affordable than it would otherwise be. And because it wouldn't reduce total housing supply, it wouldn't push up rents either.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with "telling voters what they want to hear". Politicians know what happens when they tell voters what they don't want to hear. Politicians should be listening to what the voters want, and providing for their needs and demands. Trump is probably the first politician to address the needs of the people, rather than the needs of a political party and the big business and other elites who have been stuffing up the world for for too long. Comparing Trump with the idiot Shorten is unbelievable.

HAHAHAHA

Shallow minister has forgotten
Core and non core promises
Never ever GST
Children overboard
No cuts to ABC and SBS
No cuts to pensions, health or education
Full support for the NDIS and Gonski
The death of Whyalla
$100 roasts
Even promises they keep (boats, carbon tax) are predicated on lies.

Everything that comes out of the mouths of the lying liars in the lying liars party and their lying supporters like shallow is utter BS and the evidence is clear. The lieberal party can do nothing but lie.
Put them LAST! Dont reward liars!

I am about to accuse influenza vaccines of being responsible for giving many Australian citizens influenza. People having received influenza vaccines are more contagious to southern hemisphere people than for people to have contracted influenza out of the northern hemisphere. Further arguments on the next post.

Jobs and growth in the medical health industry supports concerning fears of humans to want to live long, prosper and stay healthy.
Has the health industry gone overboard with vitamins that have been recently stated by several media documented television programs that vitamin supplements not only don't work, too much intake of certain vitamins cause harm to humans.

Commercialised doctoring programs are promoting vitamin supplements, I suggest are mixing truth with lies, programs are looking after people's health programming entertainment propaganda.

Jobs and growth selling snake oils. A snake being the bible's Garden of Eden creature of choice on the tree of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve where influenced by a snake to bite the forbidden fruit of knowledge.

The health care industry provides employment “Jobs” to service people who are in most instances are made sick by influenza vaccines and or are healthy having undergone various tests which when finding probable indications of early signs of cancer, deciding to treat healthy people with drastic treatments that may create long term complications.

The Mosley program attachment seen on SBS1 April 18, suggests in some instances, health care spends a lot of money of treating healthy people at the expense of treating truly sick people.

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2016/04/airdate-michael-mosley-do-we-need-health-tests.html

I suggest, for the benefit of jobs, no person involved in: education; health industry; health care training and research industry wants to complain in fear of losing their own employment.

Politicians, government bureaucratises don't really care, as I say, money to pay for: doctor visits; medical testing; hospitals; Medicare payments are invented bank credits. That politicians go on about government deficit fears because governments want excuses not to solve other problems in society, exampling: bad schooling leading to mental illnesses, propaganda.

I also suggest the Michael Mosley mentioned program of mixing truth with lies about DNA testing.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-19/flu-quiz-vaccinations-contagion-and-misconceptions/7425882

ABC1 television news story on May 19, 2016. Story narrator Sophie Scott says, Age care workers are being “immunised against the flu and unwittingly spreading it amongst the elderly”. Professor Robert Booy: National Centre for Immunisation Research, said, “age care workers are not getting flu vaccines nearly enough. At best, one in two are getting a flu jab every year”. Sophie Scott said, “last year a deadly aid strain of the flu resulted in 103 flu outbreaks in NSW nursing homes alone, that led to 60 deaths during the outbreaks” The story gets complicated, “health carers taking leave when sick is a better way to manage outbreaks”, which means health care workers are working while sick.
Heath Minister, Sussan Ley support of health workers to be immunised against the flu, yet Sussan Ley makes no suggestions that heath care workers should stay away from other humans while being contagious.

Eastern Australia had a warm autumn, ending in early to mid May. I heard afternoon channel 9 news reader say in early May, “now that the warm weather is about to end, it's time for doctors to give out flu vaccines”.

Soon after that announcement, the cold weather came, I quickly got the flu.

An elderly woman who lives in an old age home, was given flu vaccine against written down instructions not to give her flu vaccines because she consistently causes her to contract flu. A doctor merely walked up to her and poked her with a vaccine needle. She reports, using her words, that every one in the old age care home has the flu.

Cold moist air on windy days carries the flu easier than warm dry windless days.

By the time Australia receives influenza vaccines around mid May, I assume the northern hemisphere has passed cold weather climate influences and that influenza is no longer an issue that could be carried by commercial aircraft into the southern hemisphere.

Any fear stories about 1918 high death toll placed on influenza, maybe about how Europeans during the First World War were starving, aiding the high death toll.

By many people contracting the influenza via flu vaccines, are we creating more opportunities to create dangerous new influenza strains?
Because humans suffering from influenza, seek medical help from doctors, doctors paid to provided services, provide antibiotics.

Warnings about increased antibiotic prescriptions.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-16/prescriptions-for-coughs-and-colds-increasing-superbug-threat/7513688

Science advancement is good political and capitalist investment in science medicine propaganda.
Medical treatment companies making remedies have increased pills and products up for sale.
Chemists sell more products, hiring more staff.

Are humans becoming too scientific for our own good?

Aidan,

You forget that labor have always employed scare campaigns such as the campaign against work choices. Abbott was a good learner, the difference that made his so devastating is that he had truth to back up his campaigns.

Shadow,

Both parties have long used scare campaigns to some extent, not always successfully.

The scare campaigns against the Howard government were particularly unsuccessful. Indeed an unsuccessful scare campaign is thought to have helped Howard oust Keating. It wasn't until after Australia had Workchoices imposed on it that it turned against Howard.

Abbott wasn't any more truthful – think hundred dollar roasts and the Whyalla Wipeout. The difference is Abbott was relentless.

BTW I'm currently watching 730 on ABC and they're reporting on the Labor and Liberal scare campaigns, to the music of Little Lies by Fleetwood Mac!

_________________________________________________________________________________

steve101,

Your imbecilic rants have nothing to do with Shorten, Trump or scare campaigns. They do not belong on this thread. You should NEVER EVER hijack others thread with your off topic crap.

And have you even read the links you post? Australian flu vaccines do not use the live virus, so your accusations have no credibility.

Trump has more character than Shorten or Turnbull. Trump says what he means and means what he says. The other two speak with fork tongue.

Dear runner,

John Howard has called Donald Trump "Too unstable."
Christopher Pyne called the "Trump Phenomenon,"
"Terrifying," and "Kind of weird."
Still Americans seem to like "characters," that are
different. And Trump is a great salesman. He gives
the people what he thinks they want.

Shorten on the other hand has stated that Donald Trump as
US President will be difficult to work with. Shorten has
also labelled the US Presidential hopeful as "barking mad"
over his views. Which means that Mr Shorten has put himself
on a collison course withe the possible US President
calling the billionaire out for his "extreme" views.

You like the man?

I guess you recognise a kindred spirit.

runner, I don't think Trump says what he means and means what he says at all.

But if what he says really is what he means, he's far more dangerous than I think he is!

"Trump has more character than Shorten or Turnbull. Trump says what he means and means what he says. The other two speak with fork tongue.'

Excellent!...and not surprising at all that runner would laud a barking mad orange-faced narcissist who even freaks out his own hard-right party.