WEBVTT - Why do Democrats keep choosing the wrong candidates?

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<v Speaker 1>From The Australian, here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey.

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<v Speaker 1>It's Tuesday, November 3, 2026. What's fair when it comes

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<v Speaker 1>to the tax treatment of investment properties? The Australians are

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<v Speaker 1>revealing today the construction sector's worried the government's rule about

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<v Speaker 1>new builds being exempt from negative gearing and capital gains

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<v Speaker 1>tax might discourage investors from renovating or renewing houses. The

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<v Speaker 1>Australian's economics editor Matt Cranston is reporting this morning on

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<v Speaker 1>a $ 170 billion black hole in the May budget. That's

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<v Speaker 1>the one that's already caused months of headaches for the government.

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<v Speaker 1>Those stories are exclusives live now at theaustralian.com.au. The midterms

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<v Speaker 1>are on in America and you'd expect voters to give

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<v Speaker 1>the widely unpopular Donald Trump the kind of walloping presidents

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<v Speaker 1>can usually expect in congressional and state elections. But The

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<v Speaker 1>Democrats are fracturing over candidate choice and tactics, and the

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<v Speaker 1>Republicans can't decide whether to embrace Trump or disavow him. Today,

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<v Speaker 1>Cameron Stewart on what to watch in the wild ride ahead.

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<v Speaker 1>The Democrats seem to have a knack for choosing the

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<v Speaker 1>wrong candidate, whether it's Kamala Harris or Hillary Clinton. Cameron

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<v Speaker 1>Stewart is the Australian's chief international correspondent, and he's been

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<v Speaker 1>in the United States as Americans prepare to vote in

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<v Speaker 1>the midterms. Cam, have the Democrats done a better job

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<v Speaker 1>this time of choosing candidates who Americans actually want to

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<v Speaker 1>vote for?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it depends where you look at it. Sometimes they've

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<v Speaker 2>chosen the right candidate. The problem for the Democrats, Claire,

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<v Speaker 2>is that there's effectively a real power tussle between the

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<v Speaker 2>left wing of the Democrats, the one that's represented by AOC,

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<v Speaker 2>Bernie Sanders, et cetera, and the more centrist wing of

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<v Speaker 2>the Democrats, you know, the Bill Clinton sort of world,

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<v Speaker 2>if you like. And they're having a rumble about who

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<v Speaker 2>should take precedence. And so what you've actually seen is

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<v Speaker 2>the Democrats have chosen some candidates who are quite to

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<v Speaker 2>the left. And we've never had a better example of

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<v Speaker 2>this than what's happening in Michigan at the moment with

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<v Speaker 2>the candidate there, 41-year-old Abdul El-Saeed.

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<v Speaker 3>You might have noticed the president and the vice president

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<v Speaker 3>can't keep my name out their mouth. They don't even

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<v Speaker 3>know what my name is half the time. It's okay.

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<v Speaker 3>My job is to make sure that in a couple

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<v Speaker 3>of days, they don't have to remember my name.

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<v Speaker 2>They can go on and call me Senator. All he

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<v Speaker 2>is a Muslim. He's very left on the Democrat spectrum.

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<v Speaker 2>And Michigan is a state that has voted twice for

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<v Speaker 2>Donald Trump. And so it's a big risk that Democrats

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<v Speaker 2>have taken there. It would have been an easy Senate

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<v Speaker 2>seat to win. They can't afford to lose it. And

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<v Speaker 2>El-Sayed is only a couple of points up ahead of

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<v Speaker 2>his Republican candidate, Mike Rogers. I think that's a really

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<v Speaker 2>good example of where Democrats have taken some unnecessary risks

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<v Speaker 2>in these midterms. And if they lost Michigan and therefore

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<v Speaker 2>lost the Senate, that would be really shooting themselves in

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<v Speaker 2>the foot big time.

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<v Speaker 1>His opponent for the Democratic nomination was a woman called

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<v Speaker 1>Haley Stevens, who's now endorsing the Republican.

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<v Speaker 4>I think people are sick of this hate and division.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, they don't want negativity. I'm not trying to

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<v Speaker 4>hurt anyone. I'm still a very proud Democrat. I plan

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<v Speaker 4>to stay in the Democratic Party. Just a Democrat for Rogers.

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<v Speaker 1>What's that about?

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<v Speaker 2>It's an extraordinary moment in America. Even by American politics standards, Claire,

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<v Speaker 2>that's a big thing to say. It's an extraordinary moment.

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<v Speaker 2>So Hailey Stevens is a more traditional Democrat, pro-Israeli, and

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<v Speaker 2>El-Sayed is vehemently anti-Israeli. In fact, he said things that

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<v Speaker 2>many people interpret as anti-Semitic.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't know what else to call that except for

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<v Speaker 3>a genocide. Like when you target the Palestinian people as

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<v Speaker 3>a function of their being Palestinian and then try to

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<v Speaker 3>move them into neighboring countries because they speak the same language,

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<v Speaker 3>you commit war crime after war crime targeting their infrastructure,

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<v Speaker 3>their schools, their hospitals. I don't know what else to

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<v Speaker 3>call that.

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<v Speaker 2>He's very much of that left wing of the Democrat

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<v Speaker 2>Party who's really fallen out with Israel. So they had

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<v Speaker 2>a Barney with their primary. He narrowly won over Stevens.

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<v Speaker 2>And they've had a very uneasy relationship in the months since,

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<v Speaker 2>but it came to a climax just a couple of

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<v Speaker 2>days ago, late last week. There was an outside group

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<v Speaker 2>of supporters that did an ad for El-Sayed, which was

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<v Speaker 2>a pretty nasty ad. It was saying they can't afford

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<v Speaker 2>to buy groceries because they've got to pay $ 7 to

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<v Speaker 2>the US government to bomb Palestinians in Gaza. It was

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<v Speaker 2>a nasty ad. And Stevens demanded that El-Sayed distance himself

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<v Speaker 2>from the ad. He refused to do so. And so

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<v Speaker 2>what happened on Sunday is, was she went to a

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<v Speaker 2>church service where the Republican candidate Mike Rogers was, and

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<v Speaker 2>she endorsed him. I mean, rather than just sit it out,

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<v Speaker 2>she actually endorsed him. And this is a mushroom cloud

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<v Speaker 2>over Michigan politically today as a result of that. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>the Democrats have gone nuts. Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader,

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<v Speaker 2>said it was incredibly duplicitous and a huge betrayal of

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<v Speaker 2>the Democrat ideals. Nancy Pelosi, the veteran Democrat, came out.

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<v Speaker 2>Of course, Donald Trump loved it. He invited Hayley Stephens

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<v Speaker 2>to join the Republican Party. But we just don't know

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<v Speaker 2>what impact this will have on LCA's campaign. It's an

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<v Speaker 2>extraordinary situation.

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<v Speaker 1>Usually in midterms, the sitting president loses some bark. In

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<v Speaker 1>this instance, the widespread expectation was that Donald Trump, who

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<v Speaker 1>is in the last two years of his final term,

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<v Speaker 1>would lose a lot of bark. He's polling in the

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<v Speaker 1>30s in terms of approval. All the Democrats really had

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<v Speaker 1>to do was kind of not annoy anyone, wasn't it,

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<v Speaker 1>to do well in this election?

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<v Speaker 2>Pretty much. They were the Steve Bradbury of politics, you know.

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<v Speaker 2>They just had to stay on the ice. But really,

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<v Speaker 2>they have made some big mistakes. And the other extraordinary

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<v Speaker 2>controversy is the controversy in Alaska with what they call

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<v Speaker 2>the two Dan Sullivan scandals, where the Republican Senate nominee,

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<v Speaker 2>Dan Sullivan, is running against a Democrat contender. But the Democrats,

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<v Speaker 2>the campaign team, decided to try and find another Dan

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<v Speaker 2>Sullivan to put into the race to try and confuse

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<v Speaker 2>and split the Republican vote. The Republicans wouldn't know which

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<v Speaker 2>Dan Sullivan they should vote for. So they found a

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<v Speaker 2>Dan Sullivan in a small fishing village and who actually

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<v Speaker 2>agreed to run. And so that's how it happened. So

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<v Speaker 2>it was really a dirty tricks campaign by the Democrats.

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<v Speaker 2>And the Republicans have gone nuts and they're trying to

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<v Speaker 2>work out any legal avenues to try and disavow the

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<v Speaker 2>outcome in Alaska, which is a very important state in

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<v Speaker 2>this battle. But As things stand, they're not having much

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<v Speaker 2>success because it seems like it's not illegal to actually

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<v Speaker 2>have someone with the same name to go on the ballot.

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<v Speaker 2>So there's an extraordinary situation in Alaska, and that might

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<v Speaker 2>even delay the result in Alaska, which is one of

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<v Speaker 2>those states that the Democrats are desperate to win. So again,

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<v Speaker 2>another major controversy, Claire, just on the eve of the

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<v Speaker 2>midterm elections.

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<v Speaker 1>In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy, who was a candidate for the

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<v Speaker 1>Republican nomination for president last time around, obviously brilliant, very

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<v Speaker 1>talented politician, fairly controversial. He's gone really controversial now with

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<v Speaker 1>an attack out on his Democratic opponent, a woman called

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<v Speaker 1>Amy Acton, where he got her mother to say, please

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<v Speaker 1>don't vote for Amy.

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<v Speaker 4>In the ad, Acton's mother called her daughter a liar.

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<v Speaker 4>Don't vote for people who lie.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't let her become your governor.

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<v Speaker 4>But the ad leaves out that Acton has not seen

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<v Speaker 4>her mother since she was 12, when Acton's stepfather was

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<v Speaker 4>charged with sexually assaulting her.

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<v Speaker 1>What was going on there?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that was a very nasty and a silly piece

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<v Speaker 2>of politics, really. And interestingly, J.D. Vance actually endorsed it

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<v Speaker 2>shortly afterwards, but it really rebounded on the Republican Party.

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<v Speaker 2>That's been widely panned and widely criticized. And that was

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<v Speaker 2>a bit of an own goal for the Republicans. But

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<v Speaker 2>it does show, Claire, the sort of vicious and nasty

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<v Speaker 2>nature of these midterms. I mean, you're seeing that sort

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<v Speaker 2>of dirty tricks campaign. You're seeing the Democrats do this

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<v Speaker 2>stuff in Alaska that we talked about. You're seeing very

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<v Speaker 2>nasty stuff over Israel and Gaza in Michigan. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>this is a brutal midterms campaign. And Donald Trump, of course,

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<v Speaker 2>has a unique part in the middle of it because

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<v Speaker 2>he has said People should vote according as if he

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<v Speaker 2>is on the ballot. He is trying to make it

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<v Speaker 2>about Trump. And interestingly, of course, the Democrats are desperate

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<v Speaker 2>to make it about Trump because his poll ratings are

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<v Speaker 2>very low 30s, the lowest of his presidency. Yet, interestingly,

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of the Republicans are not so keen to

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<v Speaker 2>make it about Trump because of his lack of popularity.

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<v Speaker 2>And in fact, if you look at a lot of the,

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<v Speaker 2>when I was over there traveling through the States just

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<v Speaker 2>last week, the campaign ads, Claire, the Republican campaign ads

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<v Speaker 2>really don't feature Trump. A lot of those campaigners don't

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<v Speaker 2>want the president in it, which I think says a

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<v Speaker 2>lot about how helpful Republicans think he is to their

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<v Speaker 2>actual campaign.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, there are certainly some Republicans who are disavowing Trump

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<v Speaker 1>and who are saying, well, I haven't always voted for

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<v Speaker 1>the measures that the president wants. And Democrats are saying, well,

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<v Speaker 1>too late, basically. What was your sense in America, Cam,

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<v Speaker 1>of how fired up Americans are about this? And of course,

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<v Speaker 1>this is a place where there's voluntary voting. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>are they going to turn out in numbers that would

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<v Speaker 1>actually give a proper indication of how upset they are,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, about fuel prices and the war in Iran,

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<v Speaker 1>which is so unpopular?

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<v Speaker 2>It appears that they are. I mean, the early turnout figures,

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<v Speaker 2>of course, they can vote in most states now already,

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<v Speaker 2>are very strong there. One of the strongest we've seen

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<v Speaker 2>for a midterm. So there does seem to be a

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<v Speaker 2>fair bit of passion out there. It doesn't always mean

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<v Speaker 2>it's going to go against the Republicans. That is the tradition,

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<v Speaker 2>of course, in midterms. And as you say, gas prices,

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<v Speaker 2>petrol prices in America, it's the land of the automobile.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, it's absolutely key. And especially up in those

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<v Speaker 2>northern states where they need the fuel prices to heat houses.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, Alaska, for example, a very, very big and

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<v Speaker 2>sensitive topic. The Iran war is very, very unpopular there.

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<v Speaker 2>largely because A, Trump promised no more endless wars, but

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<v Speaker 2>B also, it's very easily linked and rightly linked to

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<v Speaker 2>the gas prices. So look, Trump's on the nose, but

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<v Speaker 2>the Democrats, interestingly, when you see polls, people don't love

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<v Speaker 2>the Democrats. They haven't sort of suddenly raced into vogue.

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<v Speaker 2>We've seen the dispute in Michigan, a lot of tensions

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<v Speaker 2>within Democrat ranks as well. So it's just really difficult

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<v Speaker 2>to pick exactly where this is going to go. The

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<v Speaker 2>polls at the moment say that The Democrats will win

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<v Speaker 2>the House of Representatives, the lower house, quite easily. They've

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<v Speaker 2>only got a couple of seats to pick up there.

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<v Speaker 2>But the Senate, Claire, remains a toss-up. And what's interesting

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<v Speaker 2>is that the Democrats who need four Senate seats to

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<v Speaker 2>win are ahead in more than that. So they should

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<v Speaker 2>win the Senate in theory. But almost all of those

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<v Speaker 2>races are within, the polling says, are within the margin

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<v Speaker 2>of error. So it really still is a toss-up.

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<v Speaker 1>Trump won the last election, at least partly telling Americans

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<v Speaker 1>there'd be no more foreign wars. And of course, then

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<v Speaker 1>he started a war that is, as you say, incredibly unpopular.

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<v Speaker 1>That's also the reason why Australians are paying a huge

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<v Speaker 1>amount of money for petrol and diesel, the war in Iran.

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<v Speaker 1>What will, if the Democrats do manage to get control

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<v Speaker 1>of the House of Representatives, what would that mean for

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<v Speaker 1>the war in Iran, if anything?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, they'd be more important if they get control of

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<v Speaker 2>the Senate as well, because that suddenly stops the Trump

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<v Speaker 2>administration in lots of ways. It means that he has

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<v Speaker 2>to go to Congress for a lot more authority on actions.

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<v Speaker 2>He'll have a raft of committees, Senate committees and House committees,

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<v Speaker 2>boring into his finances, his family, his cabinet colleagues. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>the Trump administration, if you like, will be absolutely flat

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<v Speaker 2>chat just defending itself if it loses both houses of Congress.

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<v Speaker 2>But in foreign policy, Claire, the president has shown he

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<v Speaker 2>acts alone. He's got a lot of executive authority. With Iran,

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<v Speaker 2>it's difficult to see how that will necessarily change what

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<v Speaker 2>he does. And so for Australians, it might not have

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<v Speaker 2>as direct an impact as we would think, but the

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<v Speaker 2>war in Iran is critical for gas petrol prices here

0:11:58.070 --> 0:12:01.560
<v Speaker 2>in Australia. It is relevant to Australians. Inflation in America,

0:12:01.580 --> 0:12:05.120
<v Speaker 2>of course, becomes global to some degree. That's relevant as well. So,

0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:08.480
<v Speaker 2>you know, what would Trump be like in his second,

0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:11.319
<v Speaker 2>his final two years if he didn't have the Congress involved?

0:12:11.620 --> 0:12:15.350
<v Speaker 2>is a really important and open question. I mean, will

0:12:15.390 --> 0:12:18.890
<v Speaker 2>he be the classic lame duck president that just can't

0:12:18.910 --> 0:12:21.470
<v Speaker 2>really do much? He certainly can't do legislative stuff, but

0:12:21.490 --> 0:12:24.130
<v Speaker 2>he can do other stuff. Or is he a unique

0:12:24.170 --> 0:12:26.939
<v Speaker 2>character like Trump with his back to the wall, who

0:12:26.980 --> 0:12:29.619
<v Speaker 2>loves to fight from a position of adversity? Is he

0:12:29.660 --> 0:12:33.400
<v Speaker 2>going to be more erratic, more wildcard, more unpredictable, and

0:12:33.480 --> 0:12:35.599
<v Speaker 2>in some ways, a little more frightening in some aspects?

0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:42.719
<v Speaker 1>One area where Congress really does matter is AUKUS. This

0:12:42.820 --> 0:12:46.870
<v Speaker 1>is the Australia-United Kingdom-US deal for us to buy, borrow

0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:50.070
<v Speaker 1>and then build our own nuclear submarines, Cam. We've heard

0:12:50.150 --> 0:12:54.410
<v Speaker 1>hesitation about AUKUS from some Republicans and some Democrats. If

0:12:54.550 --> 0:12:57.310
<v Speaker 1>the Democrats do do well at the midterms, what will

0:12:57.350 --> 0:12:58.210
<v Speaker 1>that mean for AUKUS?

0:12:58.570 --> 0:13:00.970
<v Speaker 2>I think AUKUS is pretty safe at the moment. I've

0:13:00.990 --> 0:13:03.630
<v Speaker 2>just been in Washington last week talking to people about

0:13:03.750 --> 0:13:06.230
<v Speaker 2>AUKUS and there's a couple of people in the Pentagon

0:13:06.250 --> 0:13:09.110
<v Speaker 2>who are still sceptical. Elbridge Colby, for example, the third

0:13:09.600 --> 0:13:11.880
<v Speaker 2>most powerful person in the Pentagon, is still sceptical, even

0:13:11.900 --> 0:13:13.680
<v Speaker 2>though he claims he isn't. That's what I'm being told

0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:17.120
<v Speaker 2>in Washington. However, the rest of the American machine, from

0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:19.939
<v Speaker 2>the White House to the Hill, to both houses of Congress,

0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:23.109
<v Speaker 2>to the US Navy, is very supportive, Claire. And I

0:13:23.150 --> 0:13:26.510
<v Speaker 2>just don't think that the congressional election will change the

0:13:26.550 --> 0:13:27.950
<v Speaker 2>longer-term trajectory of August.

0:13:29.230 --> 0:13:31.709
<v Speaker 1>We talked about the Democrats' capability of choosing the wrong

0:13:31.770 --> 0:13:34.830
<v Speaker 1>candidate in any circumstance, Cam. Are they going to be

0:13:35.050 --> 0:13:37.830
<v Speaker 1>able to choose a presidential nominee to take on the

0:13:37.870 --> 0:13:40.730
<v Speaker 1>legacy of Donald Trump, whoever comes next, J.D. Vance or

0:13:40.750 --> 0:13:42.790
<v Speaker 1>Peter Hegseth or whoever the Republicans put up?

0:13:43.110 --> 0:13:46.050
<v Speaker 2>That's a great question. I mean, there's a whole bunch

0:13:46.090 --> 0:13:49.850
<v Speaker 2>of names popping up. John Ossoff in Georgia, for example. Newsom,

0:13:49.890 --> 0:13:53.050
<v Speaker 2>of course, Gavin Newsom in California. Will Kamala have another go?

0:13:53.100 --> 0:13:55.150
<v Speaker 2>Will Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan have a go? There are

0:13:55.179 --> 0:13:57.859
<v Speaker 2>names floating around at the moment. You can pick something

0:13:57.900 --> 0:14:00.239
<v Speaker 2>wrong with each of those candidates. There's no sort of

0:14:00.300 --> 0:14:02.840
<v Speaker 2>perfect candidate. Really what they need, if you like, someone

0:14:02.860 --> 0:14:06.040
<v Speaker 2>coming from almost nowhere, a Bill Clinton or a Barack Obama,

0:14:06.059 --> 0:14:08.280
<v Speaker 2>you know, someone who is a bit of a clean skin.

0:14:08.600 --> 0:14:10.160
<v Speaker 2>They haven't got that at the moment, so it's not

0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:11.800
<v Speaker 2>obvious where they're going to go. But then again, the

0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:13.699
<v Speaker 2>Republicans have got the same problem as well. I mean,

0:14:14.120 --> 0:14:15.809
<v Speaker 2>where are they going to go? You know, is J.D.

0:14:15.850 --> 0:14:18.910
<v Speaker 2>Vance going to– he's got the golden handcuffs tied to

0:14:18.929 --> 0:14:21.910
<v Speaker 2>the president. If the president's approval rating goes down, then J.D.

0:14:21.930 --> 0:14:24.430
<v Speaker 2>Vance hasn't got much chance, just like Kamala had no

0:14:24.490 --> 0:14:27.550
<v Speaker 2>chance when Biden went down. Will Marco Rubio come? I mean,

0:14:27.820 --> 0:14:31.359
<v Speaker 2>it's a fascinating contest, and there's no clear frontrunners on

0:14:31.380 --> 0:14:32.260
<v Speaker 2>either party at the moment.

0:14:33.690 --> 0:14:37.110
<v Speaker 1>Barack Obama said at a rally recently in Georgia that,

0:14:37.190 --> 0:14:38.550
<v Speaker 1>you know, he was making fun of Trump.

0:14:39.490 --> 0:14:40.770
<v Speaker 4>I don't know if.

0:14:40.730 --> 0:14:44.670
<v Speaker 5>You've noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations.

0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:54.260
<v Speaker 5>He should be on HGTV. Guys building a ballroom that's

0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:55.350
<v Speaker 5>bigger than the White House.

0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:57.940
<v Speaker 2>It's paved over the Rose Garden.

0:14:57.980 --> 0:15:00.280
<v Speaker 5>Put a helicopter pad.

0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:03.710
<v Speaker 4>On the South Lawn and there's gold everywhere. What's up

0:15:03.730 --> 0:15:04.370
<v Speaker 4>with the gold?

0:15:05.730 --> 0:15:09.810
<v Speaker 2>Everything, more gold. He's got the white ass looking like

0:15:09.830 --> 0:15:11.150
<v Speaker 2>Saddam Hussein opened.

0:15:10.990 --> 0:15:12.370
<v Speaker 5>A cheesecake factory.

0:15:12.390 --> 0:15:20.280
<v Speaker 1>There's gold everywhere. He suggested that Americans have had enough

0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:21.859
<v Speaker 1>of Trump and have had enough of the kind of

0:15:21.940 --> 0:15:25.900
<v Speaker 1>nastiness and they've seen through, they've seen behind the curtain, finally.

0:15:26.440 --> 0:15:28.580
<v Speaker 5>And I don't know about you, but I am tired

0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:32.820
<v Speaker 5>of being angry. And I'm tired of being divided. I

0:15:32.860 --> 0:15:38.940
<v Speaker 5>want friendship and neighborliness and joy and generosity. I want

0:15:39.020 --> 0:15:43.610
<v Speaker 5>everybody rolling up their sleeves in the common enterprise of

0:15:43.670 --> 0:15:49.290
<v Speaker 5>rebuilding America. I want everybody handing our country and our

0:15:49.350 --> 0:15:52.270
<v Speaker 5>world off to our kids a little better than.

0:15:52.150 --> 0:15:53.190
<v Speaker 4>They are right now.

0:15:53.610 --> 0:15:56.110
<v Speaker 5>That's what I want. That's what you want.

0:15:58.150 --> 0:15:59.010
<v Speaker 1>Do you think that's right?

0:15:59.430 --> 0:16:01.290
<v Speaker 2>I don't think that can be proven at all, to

0:16:01.330 --> 0:16:04.410
<v Speaker 2>be honest. Okay, Trump is very unpopular now. I mean,

0:16:04.970 --> 0:16:08.840
<v Speaker 2>let's remember how unpopular he was after January 6th at

0:16:08.860 --> 0:16:11.540
<v Speaker 2>the end of his first term. People completely wrote off

0:16:11.560 --> 0:16:14.440
<v Speaker 2>the concept of him coming back in any form whatsoever

0:16:14.860 --> 0:16:17.260
<v Speaker 2>and ended up winning another term of the presidency four

0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:19.380
<v Speaker 2>years later. I just think that that sort of prediction

0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:22.020
<v Speaker 2>is not accurate. I think the Democrats have their own problems.

0:16:22.040 --> 0:16:24.280
<v Speaker 2>The Democrats don't really know who they are at the moment.

0:16:24.770 --> 0:16:26.350
<v Speaker 2>They don't really know what sort of party they want

0:16:26.370 --> 0:16:29.900
<v Speaker 2>to be. They're not selling themselves well. And while Donald Trump,

0:16:29.980 --> 0:16:32.610
<v Speaker 2>while the mega movement has certainly controlled the Republican Party

0:16:33.230 --> 0:16:36.110
<v Speaker 2>to a massive degree, Trump will not be there in

0:16:36.150 --> 0:16:38.170
<v Speaker 2>two years' time. What does that mean for the Republicans?

0:16:38.210 --> 0:16:40.490
<v Speaker 2>They have to reinvent themselves to some degree because he's

0:16:40.570 --> 0:16:43.580
<v Speaker 2>a unique character. You can't just reinvent another Donald Trump.

0:16:43.620 --> 0:16:46.740
<v Speaker 2>So I think both parties are going through really formative

0:16:46.780 --> 0:16:49.620
<v Speaker 2>stages in trying to work out exactly what they stand for.

0:16:49.660 --> 0:16:52.580
<v Speaker 2>So I wouldn't actually say that one side of politics

0:16:52.700 --> 0:16:54.920
<v Speaker 2>is hugely dominant over the other or that one side

0:16:54.970 --> 0:16:56.990
<v Speaker 2>of politics has a limited future at all.

0:16:57.600 --> 0:16:59.960
<v Speaker 1>Well, you'll be analysing the results live for us, Cam.

0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:01.900
<v Speaker 1>I can't wait to find out what happens. Thanks so much.

0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:02.480
<v Speaker 2>Pleasure.

0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.540
<v Speaker 1>Cameron Stewart is The Australian's Chief International Correspondent. You can

0:17:10.580 --> 0:17:11.870
<v Speaker 1>check out all his reporting