The coming Oz election thread ...

setanta

I've changed the link to a transcript of the article. (Not that it's really worth reading right, through ) The point is, Howard's now doing one of his famous "scare"/discredit campaigns. Again! Sounds like the press (some of them, anyway) are getting in on the act, too. Hmmmmm ... This has nothing to do with policies. This is typical Howard. Win at any cost. (Like children overboard) Ugghh, I hate it, I hate it!

It's not so much who Howard is worried about ... He's tapping into a well established Oz fear of being attacked, the "Yellow Peril" of the past, terrorist attacks, fear of Indonesia, etc. etc ..... The thing is, by statements like this, he's ESCALATING the loathing of Australia within the extremist elements of groups like JI, & the region. He's giving them ammunition. (We're already seen as the "deputy sherrif" of the US in the region.) And this after the Bali bombing, the bombing of the Oz embassy in Jakarta! Indonesia is our neighbour. It has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world. We have to work with moderate Muslims to defeat extreme groups like JI, not give them more reasons to despise us. And to do this for political mileage in an election! On the day that Indonesians are voting. It just takes my breath away! The man is dangerous, irresponsible & very stupid!

I would wonder if rather than stupidity on his part, it were a ploy to exploit what he sees as stupidity among the electorate.

Unlike Australia, Indonesia does not have a modern Navy, nor a naval tradition. Real threats to Australia won't come from any of the nations of the region--they simply could not possibly manage the logistics for supporting a war against a sea-girt, modern nation, even supposing the highly improbable case that they could get a force ashore. Any threat to Australia will be exactly what threatens the United States--which is to say terrorist cells. Someone with some political savvy ought to be shouting this out loud, and demanding to know what Howard has done and is doing to deal with the only credible threat--terrorist attack.

Oh, that's right, he joined the "Coalition of the Willing," he's already right on track to destroy those bad old terrorists . . . (insert emoticon of disgusted incredulity here)

Good morning, rjb! I'm glad you find this interesting, still ... It's been quite a saga!

Exactly! Or, to put it another way, he's exploiting the ignorance & fear of Australian voters re Indonesia, JI & Muslims. He thinks it's a vote winner! He's also telling the electorate that he's a stronger leader than Latham on security. He's the man to "protect" us! But, for god's sake, at what cost? This man would stoop to ANYTHING to win.

Maybe he wasn't lying straight in bed because George Bush was in there with him.

Howard sounds so much like Bush I'm beginning to think there must be some genetic link (or missing link).

The Dems, also, sound like our Dems, sort of lost, looking too much like Republicans.

Dys and I are considering putting up a Dennis Kucinich sign in the front yard.

This is what Howard "excells" at. Tapping into fears, ignorance, prejudice for political gain ... The media admire him for it because it's worked, time & time again. Apparently he's "a brilliant tactician". So the message he's sending right now: Australia will be safer from attack under his leadership, that Labor will wreck the economy if elected, that Labor will cause your mortgage interest rates to rise, that despite his support of public education Latham is about to send his 3 year old son to a private creche (?), that Latham is unstable under pressure ... & on & on ...
The awful thing is, it seems to work! Or it has in the past. Despite the majority of polled Australians saying they thought he lied about our reasons for going to Iraq, this didn't decrease his popularity & support of him in the polls. Despite the widely accepted wisdom that Oz' support of the US in Iraq has meant that we are now more of a terrorist target, he is going to keep us safer from terrorist attack! I could go on & on, but it drives me nuts just thinking about this ...

Anyway ... Yep, the gloves are off! From now on, anything goes, apparently!

Hi Diane!

He is so much like Bush it isn't funny! It's like they've both been reading the same script! (THey probably are.)It's a little like being in an echo chamber, here in Oz, We hear it first from Bush, then a repeat from Howard. Pity us poor Oz souls who are experiencing two hideous election campaigns, simultaneously! And if Bush wins, he's virtually OUR president by default! Fear & Loathing On the Campaign Trail, circa 2004!

Do tell us about Dennis Kucinich.

He is my GOD!!!!!!

If only he weren't from New Zillun....

Msolga, Kucinich was the only real Democrat running for president. Unfortunately, he never really stood a chance against the other, 'moderate' candidates.

He just might be the only real Democrat left in the Democratic Party who is willing to run on a true Democratic platform.

http://www.kucinich.us/

<sigh> We'll I'd vote for him, Diane!

<sigh> We'll I'd vote for him, Diane!

It would be great if the pres was directly elected and required an absolute majority. Preliminary polls would enable voters to send strong messages and facilitate the expression of the people's will far more effectively than the primary circus.

Sadly, the present system means a vote for an unofficial D has the same effect as vote for the official R candidate ( and v-v of course).

Latham's Approval Rises - ALP Tax and Education Policies Preferred

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finding No. 3783 - September 18, 2004


In two weeks that saw the Leader's Debate following the Jakarta bombing and the ALP tax and education policies, the telephone Morgan Poll recorded a strong improvement in Opposition Leader Mark Latham's image and a swing to the ALP.

Now, Mr Latham's approval is at an all-time high, with 64% (up 6% from early September) of electors now saying they approve of the way Mr Latham is handling his job as Opposition Leader (26% disapprove, 10% can't say). Prime Minister John Howard experienced a slight rise in approval (51%, up 1%), a special telephone Morgan Poll finds.

While preference for Mr Howard as Prime Minister decreased in the last week, more electors still believe Mr Howard (49%, down 2%) would make a better Prime Minister than Mr Latham, now 42% (up 4%).

http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2004/3783/

gozmo

Well let's hope that that's right. But I'm continually perplexed by the preference for a Labor government with Howard leading it!

Interesting. This article is from from today's Australian newspaper. The results seem to very similar to the Morgan poll you posted, gozmo. For what these polls are worth, things are looking decidedly more promising for Labor. Could this explain the recent escalation of personal attacks/scare mongering aimed at Latham by Howard & co.?

Latham guides team into driver's seat
Dennis Shanahan, Political editor
September 21, 2004

MARK Latham has lifted Labor into the victory lane for the first time since the election campaign began, with an egalitarian schools policy and a win over John Howard in the leaders debate.

Labor has now opened a narrow two-party-preferred margin over the Howard Government as the Coalition's primary support has fallen and Mr Latham's personal standing has lifted. ..

..But on the issue of who would make the better prime minister, Mr Latham has made ground on Mr Howard, despite a fall after the first week of the campaign.

Last weekend, Mr Howard's rating as the better prime minister fell from 50 to 47 per cent while Mr Latham's jumped from 33 to 37 per cent


http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10829233%255E2702,00.html

Anyone else see the Denton interview with Pauline Hanson last night???

Very scary - takes no damn responsibility for anyone she hurt - bewildered "I was too busy to know what was happening - poor me" about the appalling things said by her minions - hasn't learned a thing - apparantly too dumb to string a sentence or thought together.

What in hell is it saying that so many people have voted for her...

No, I didn't see it, Deb.
But she wasn't ever exactly famous for deep political analysis, was she? Still, she seems to strike a chord with a lot of folk. Don't ask why, I haven't a clue. Maybe they identify with her?

Fallout from the PM's "premptive attack" statement from a couple a of days go:

The PM gets reckless on security
September 22, 2004

"Pre-emption" is bad diplomacy and bad politics for John Howard, writes Michelle Grattan.

John Howard must be unpleasantly surprised. Since the "great debate" Mark Latham has held his own surprisingly strongly on national security - the Liberals' natural territory.

The Prime Minister has been pushing the issue for all it's worth, and the Jakarta bombing was expected to do more for the Government than simply cause an inevitable temporary stalling of Labor's campaign on domestic issues.

But Latham has proved unexpectedly resilient and strategic in handling the security issue, while Howard has miscued on the dangerous question of "pre-emption".

... it is quite reckless of John Howard to use the security issue in this way. The PM's set face as he marched into Sunday's news conference to take a slash at Latham suggested a cynical willingness to put short-term politicking ahead of responsible behaviour - something he often accuses Mark Latham of doing.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/21/1095651321676.html