Comments on: Newspoll: 58-42

By: Stephen Hill

Stephen Hill — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:38:50 +0000

ps Bishop v Smith education debate tomorrow on ABC Radio Brisbane – streaming on http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane

What time? what program? I’ll make sure I’m listening

By: Bread and Circuses

Bread and Circuses — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:15:29 +0000

Spot on Pinch Me! The dessicated coconut has basically ridden on the wave of Labor’s reforms and the mining boom but done little of note himself except for the GST. The rest of it has been all bread and circuses pandering to the base instincts of the masses. I think history’s judgement will be that he was basically a dud who dudded Australia.

By: ICMore

ICMore — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:22:44 +0000

The Ruddslide is coming, it doesnt matter how many times the Journo’s and lib hacks tell themselves how clever Johnnie is and that he will somehow resurect the situation, its not really going to be like that, surely some of them remember telling themselves that in the lead up to the recent SA, WA, QLD and Vic elections, not to mention their NSW “win”

By: Rates Analyst

Rates Analyst — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:23:43 +0000

Rudd seemed to do well in The Great Debate at least in part because he finally got some balanced airtime. He got to be equal with Howard.

Swan could do very well for much the same reason.

Everyone knows Costello reasonably well. Even just standing toe-to-toe with him (metaphorically) for a while will do wonders to Swan’s image. Swan doesn’t need to “win” the debate to do very well out of it.

If Swan comes out of it looking like Costello’s equal, he’s just made a huge gain.

By: Scorpio

Scorpio — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:15:36 +0000

With regard to the upcoming debate between Costello and Swann, I think Costello is on a hiding to nothing here in every respect.

The Liberal campaign strategists have got to be nuts.

For one, if Costello somehow is able to come across as a like-able, competent operator, across all aspects of his portfolio and demonstrates a superior ability to be PM material, it will be better then the Lazarus awakening.

For two, Swann is not going to give him any opportunity whatsoever to let any potential abilities that Costello has not already exhibited to date, to shine through. Swann knows Costello inside out and is well aware of every button he needs to press to undermine Costello in the debate.

Buttons; Watch to see Swann continually needle Costello, pushing hard on the “turn on agro” button. Costello showed during the Insight interview that this button is Costello’s main weakness.

Once Costello loses it, then it is all over red rover for both him and the Coalition. Costello is taking a high stakes risk that he can stay calm, on message, and look Prime Ministerial all at the same time. Costello will find that too far beyond him, I believe.

Button two; Swann is not going to have the debate bog down on economic jargon. His strategy will be, at every opportunity, turn the debate towards Costello’s PM ambitions and what his platform and policies will be after any proposed handover. This is Costello’s biggest vulnerability. He is not prepared for this type of debate, will potentially derail Howard’s Presidential type campaigning and make himself look a proper “goose”.

Costello’s best way of handling the debate is to suddenly come down with the mother of all doses of the flue the day before and have Minchin step in to take his place thereby derailing Swann’s tactics.

All in all, not a good move by Costello, but a brilliant wedge by Rudd yesterday. Talk about playing with their minds, I wouldn’t want to be a Liberal operative at present trying to find some way of pulling this out of the fire. They are covered on all counts and have nothing left in the locker.

The suggestions of a number of posters that they should graciously accept defeat and try to undo some of the damage they have inflicted on the electorate would be the wisest move they could make and would ensure that they had enough of a base left to keep them in the game over the next 6 years.

By: LaborVoter

LaborVoter — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:14:32 +0000

I’m sick of people whinging and crying about the Worm going up for Rudd as soon as he opened his mouth without saying a word.

The worm registers positive or negative feelings. Did you ever think maybe Howard is so tired and old and Rudd is so fresh and new simply seeing him imposed positive views???

Stop crying about it and realise the fact the worm is human influenced… and Howards on the nose!

By: passthepopcorn

passthepopcorn — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:12:25 +0000

for me, it’s not enough for el rodente to just lose the election – it has to be the biggest swing ever, so that the howard myth is destroyed. it would be icing on the cake for him to get booted out of bennelong. bring it on.

By: Pinch me

Pinch me — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:00:07 +0000

If these figure hold up it will be the biggest swing in a single election in over 50 years (1969 – 7.1% to Labor, 1975 – 7.4% to you know who). Howard would be responsible for the worst 2PP result of any party in post war history (record currently held by Labor with 43.1% in 1966). The journalistic lowbrow analysis of Howard’s “supreme political skills” and “cleverness” will be shown for the shallow and trite fluff that it has always been. Howard was gifted the elections of 96 and 04, stole it in 98 with 49% of the vote and I presume he had nothing to do with Sept 11 or the itinerary of the Tampa.
Howard will go down in history for entirely different reasons than those espoused in the monotonous chorus of praise from the Howard ‘lovers’ and sycophants during the dark period of his reign.
Praise be to almighty Kevin.

By: passthepopcorn

passthepopcorn — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:40:41 +0000

yep, will, i think EB would be electoral poison to malcolm.

By: Pathological Logic

Pathological Logic — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:36:43 +0000

BV @ 684,

You’re thinking about it too much. I think it’s much simpler than that – Abbott knows full well the extent of what’s coming, but he has to play the booster card. If a prominent Lib basically says “We can’t win” their swinging vote will completely collapse.

Oh, wait, it has already.