Comments on: Ruddmania

By: derrida derider

derrida derider — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:39:59 +0000

It’s funny how public persona or image is really often quite disconnected from private reality. Several people who knew them both well have told me that Keating was always much more loyal, approachable and humble than Hawke - but the public image was the opposite. I’ve met Turnbull, and he didn’t come across as arrogant at all.

Rudd comes across to me as a true child of DFAT - intense work ethic, genuine dedication to duty, intolerant of corruption and slack process, but also puritanical, unimaginative, prone to groupthink and with a Cromwellian ability to convince himself that what is in his personal political interest has God’s blessing (of course he can’t beat the PM for that last characteristic).

But I don’t know if the reality really is like that.

By: Boris

Boris — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 13:15:49 +0000

Russell, Turnbull does not sound arrogant to me. Howard and Costello do. And although I agree that Rudd’s tone sounds as contemptuous, humourless, passionless, pinched, it does no sound arrogant to me. Just not the word I would use for him.

By: Russell

Russell — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:00:41 +0000

“Rudd is thought arrogant by only 29% of voters” - why is that? I can stand hearing the man speak - that contemptuous, humourless, passionless, pinched tone.

Must be because the mantle of arrogant fits so neatly aound the shoulders of Malcolm Turnbull - who could compare with Turnbull in the arrogance stakes?

By: whyisitso

whyisitso — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:38:29 +0000

Sportsbet still has them 50:50, offering $1.90 for a win each ($1 bet).

Now’s the time to put $10,000 on a Labor win. You will be able to lay it off by backing the coalition in five months time at much juicier odds, making a few thousand on the election no matter what the result.

By: Rajat Sood

Rajat Sood — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:28:57 +0000

I agree Rudds vote is soft, but there have been several interest rate increases over the last 12 months. This may be more important to debt laden consumers than jobs or economic growth, especially given Howards campaigning at the last election.

By: Boris

Boris — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 06:21:59 +0000

“Though he has been running around the country as if he were already Prime Minister, Rudd is thought arrogant by only 29% of voters.”

I think there is also an underdog effect. Despite leading in the polls, Rudd is still regarded by many as an underdog. An underdog cannot be arrogant, whatever he says. I also think this may affect answers to other questions as well, although to a lesser extent.