Dems Wooing Irish Americans

With Brexit negotiations heating up, and Britain threatening to disregard their agreement with the EU, the Democrats have seized an opportunity to win over Irish American voters in the USA.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became a household name in Ireland overnight, when she said that there would be no trade deal between Britain and the USA, if Britain threatened the Good Friday Agrrement.

And it's no wonder that this International peace treaty between Ireland and Britain is so important to Americans, afterall it was Democrat President Bill Clinton who oversaw much of the process.

Bill Clinton pictured with political leaders (L-R) Gerry Adams (Sinn Féin), John Hume (Social Democratic and Labour Party), David Trimble (Ulster Unionist Party).

Irish Americans care much for their ancestral homeland, and many stay somewhat up to date on Irish affairs. Following on from the positive reception that Pelosi's speech received, Joe Biden has now decided to capitalise on this momentum gained with the Irish American community. He echoed the statement of the House Speaker and now looks set to improve his support with Irish Americans.

There are few places that you can go in the USA where there isn't a significant number of Americans with Irish heritage. Though stereotypically Irish Americans are pigeon-holed into Boston, New York, and Chicago, they are literally all over the place.

While the Irish American vote is significant in the North-East, these are safe blue states. It is actually in competitive states with less of an Irish American population that their vote becomes far more important for Biden's campaign.

Irish Americans may not have massive numbers in Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, or Arizona, but they have enough to have an impact on their states Electoral College results. Joe Biden has certainly moved in the right direction to getting enough Irish support to push him over the line in these states.

Comments

What's The Beef With Beef ?

The Irish Beef Industry has been going through turbulent times recently, most notably because of the proposed Mercosur deal and the prices farmers receive for their cattle. We haven't even reached Brexit yet, and are still weeks out from the latest withdrawal deadline, and beef farmers are at their wits end. But how has it got to this and can farmers cope if there is a no-deal Brexit? Farmers' incomes are under threat, not just because of the reasons outlined above, but also because of the threat to grants which keep small and medium farms in business. The recent EU elections have seen the status quo remain in the European Parliament, with parties of the right keeping their large dominance of the union. There has been some debate surrounding the EU's agricultural plan over the course of the previous five year parliament, particularly regarding the EU's farm subsidy. Now that the elections are over, the EU government could proceed with plans which could see a standard ...

Elitism Prevails

Elitism Prevails In 2013 the people of Ireland voted to retain our second house of democracy, Seanad Éireann; but it was a narrow victory and was predicated by a general understanding that the Irish electorate wanted to see this pathetic resemblance of democracy to be seriously reformed. Nine years later, that elitism that was promised to be rid from our flawed democracy is still thriving. Next month, March 2022, we will see a by-election for a Seanad seat that was vacated by the Labour Party’s Ivana Bacik when she was elected to the only truly democratic house in the state, Dáil Éireann. But despite an electorate in the millions, only some 60,000 people will be granted the privilege of voting; graduates from Trinity College Dublin, an institute with a deep history of elitism and sectarianism. Of the sixty seats in the Seanad, graduates of TCD have the privilege of voting for three of those Seanadóirí, and the combined institutes that form the National Universities...

A 2023 Election Not To Be Ruled Out

With the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Green Party coalition now entering its third year of a maximum five-year term, many are of the opinion that the trio will ride out the rather undesirable polling figures and wait until the last possible moment to call another general election. Another common opinion is that an election will be called in the second half of 2024, how late in that half dependent on the results of the European and Local elections in May of that year. Both valid points, particularly the latter; a bumper budget in October, semi-decent canvassing weather, and pre-empting the inevitable winter healthcare crisis, all make for a workable scenario for the government parties. However, strategically speaking, taking those points and applying them to October 2023 may make more sense for Martin, Varadkar, and Ryan, should they be willing to gamble their final year of the term for the prospects of another five-year stint running Leinster House. Despite current polling having ...

Séighin Ó Ceallaigh

Search This Blog