NEWS WRAP

Stimu-less or stimu-more

• Bold & blue budget blueprint | Democrats are pushing for a wide-scale expansion of the US social safety net in a US$3.5 trillion budget proposal expected to be voted on this week. While it is likely to be voted upon along party lines, the critical vote from Democratic Senator Joe Manchin remains unsure as he claims a massive budget stimulus could lead to “overheating” amid indicators of a labour shortage, a sharp drop in unemployment and an eight-year high in inflation. READ MORE HERE
   

• Florida flip-flops | Several Florida school districts are enforcing compulsory mask wearing in defiance of Governor Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mask mandates. In response, DeSantis has threatened to withhold the salaries of school board members enforcing the rules. The governor (and 2024 hopeful) faces multiple parent-led lawsuits over the constitutionality of the ban during a record-breaking COVID-19 surge and rising hospitalisation of children. READ MORE HERE
   
• Cuomo to go | Facing likely impeachment, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned after an investigation by the state’s attorney general said he sexually harassed 11 women. Despite denying the accusations, Cuomo faced calls to resign by the president and most Democratic leaders in New York. His replacement, Lt Gov. Kathy Hochul, will become New York’s first ever female governor. READ MORE HERE
   
• Reconciliation redux? |  Democrats are considering raising the debt ceiling through reconciliation, a move Republicans are balking at. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen asked for it to be raised through a regular order parliamentary procedure, a response that would require further bipartisanship after the recent passing of the infrastructure bill. The brinksmanship echoes the 2011 episode when the US government nearly defaulted and their credit rating was downgraded. READ MORE HERE
   
• Dixie: Hearts and records broken | The Dixie wildfire in Northern California is now officially the state’s second-largest wildfire and is expected to continue burning for much of August. The near 500,000 acre burn has destroyed at least 400 structures and prompted the evacuation of thousands. READ MORE HERE
   
• Gunning for gold | With the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games wrapped up, Team USA took out top spot finishing the games with 113 total medals and 39 golds. The United States just pipped China's 38 gold medals by winning three golds on the final day. READ MORE HERE

WEBINAR | 18 AUGUST

Behind Trump the Great and Powerful- with the Washington Post's Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker 

Trump’s last year as president was marked by incompetence, tragedy and ultimately, a violent test of American democratic institutions and social cohesion. How did the government of the world’s most powerful nation get so much so wrong? Who were the voices around Trump during this momentous year? And where to from here, not just for the United States, but for close allies such as Australia?

To discuss these issues, please join us for a webinar discussion with The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, authors of the new book and New York Times #1 best seller I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year, in conversation with United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman and Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe.

WHEN:
Wednesday 18 August, 11am AEST (Sydney)

COST:
Free but registration is essential.

You can also subscribe to have event invitations and reminders sent straight to your inbox, so you never have to miss an event!

ANALYSIS

A Christian nation no longer

Associate Professor David Smith
Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy

In a new article in Religion, State and Society, I examine why Australian Christian conservatives are losing policy battles even when they win elections. Compared to the United States, Australia does not have a strong link between Christianity and nationalism. I show that, if anything, the concept of Australia as a “Christian nation” has declined over the past decade. This makes it harder for religious traditionalism to piggyback on the electoral success of exclusionary nationalism.

The rise and fall of the Christian right

Religious adherence is declining in Australia, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the end of religious influence in politics.

In her book Nations Under God, Anna Grzymala-Busse shows religious groups can continue to shape policy even in countries where people are averse to their involvement in politics. They can do this when they are seen as being “above politics”. Religious figures are powerful when they appear to be giving non-partisan guidance to political figures, legitimised by a strong relationship between church and nation.

Australia’s history has not created the kind of fusion between Christianity and nationalism that we see in places like Poland or the United States. But during the prime ministership of John Howard, politicians increasingly blended Christianity into a conservative vision of the Australian nation. This in turn created a favourable environment for religious influence.

In 2008, the Human Rights Commission conducted the Freedom of Religion and Belief in Australia Inquiry. An analysis found 40 per cent of public submissions included the “assertion that Australia is a Christian nation”. That assertion is much rarer today.

Even large churches are now conscious of being in a national minority on issues like marriage and sexuality. In 2017 the Turnbull government announced a Religious Freedom Review in response to conservative worries about the implications of changing marriage laws. In my analysis of the 15,500 public submissions to the review, I found just four assertions that Australia is a Christian nation or country.

The term “Christian nation” was used 101 unique times across print media (in reference to Australia) from the beginning of 2016 to the end of 2020. It appears to be in decline as a term. It appeared 35 times in 2016, 34 times in 2017 (the year of the same-sex marriage referendum), 16 times in 2018, seven times in 2019 and eight times in 2020. Furthermore, nearly half the times it was mentioned, it was by someone refuting the claim that Australia is a Christian nation.

When Australians do refer to their country as “Christian”, they are usually talking about heritage, rituals, holidays and census numbers. These may involve implied racial boundaries.

But Australians generally lack the classic ingredients of true religious nationalism: a sense of being “chosen” by God or of a sacred covenant between God and the nation.

This is an excerpt of Associate Professor David Smith's article published in The Conversation. 

BY THE NUMBERS

1.8% decrease in life expectancy

Sarah Hamilton
Research Associate for Data Insights

Life expectancy in the United States dropped to 77.3 in 2020, one and a half years lower than life expectancy in 2019 prior to the pandemic. This 1.8 per cent decrease in life expectancy has been the biggest drop since yearly recording began in 1960 and pushes life expectancy back to where it was 17 years ago in 2003. 

The impact of the pandemic was worse for minority groups, with Hispanic Americans decreasing by three years and Black Americans life expectancy decreasing by 2.9 years.

VIDEO

US Politics and Policy Series

Did you miss this months US Politics and Policy Series? The United States Studies Centre Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Ashley Townshend and Perth USAsia Centre CEO Professor Gordon Flake spoke with special guest and United States Studies Centre Visiting Senior Fellow from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ambassador Jane Hardy about the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific strategy.

Catch this and other recent webinars on the USSC YouTube channel!

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

#BipartisanInfrastructureDeal