the great debate

As temperatures rise before the next election, the race to the finish line for Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd is currently being won by the younger and fitter, naturally! A few factors are contributing to Rudd's advantage over Howard this election, in particular Rudd's approach and appeal to Australia's youth.

Mr. Howard has been described lately as old and rattled and Rudd has taken full advantage of Howard’s manners in the lead up to the election as he is determined to break 11 years of Coalition rule.
Pollster Mark Textor has reported the Prime Minister as old and dishonest, with Rudd appearing as a more desirable, generational change for the better. “Kevin Rudd is someone voters appear willing to make a long-term investment in”, reports Crosby/Textor’s internal report. Rudd has emerged as energetic and comfortable in his prospects in taking over Australia's top job. As apposed to Rudd, Howard seems to be increasingly rattled and not responding well under pressure.

David Barnett, Mr. Howard’s first biographer says the Prime Minister should step aside and retire his position as Prime Minister while still in the good graces of his fellow Australians.

As Rudd takes the lead in the Newspoll, at 56 to 44 per cent, the Howard Government is seemingly fighting a losing battle. Slow and steady is certainly not going to win any races this election, as the apparent “rattled and old” John Howard struggles to break the commanding lead of Kevin Rudd.

Mr. Rudd, 49, has succeeded in his role as Labor Leader as he represents the opportunity for generational change. Rudd has gone so far as to begin his own campaign, “Kevin07”, much resembling U.S. campaigning methods to win over the voting public. Instead of making a huff in the lead up to the election, Rudd has taken the cool, calm and collected approach and it’s
proving successful. It has become a battle against young and old this election and the release of “Kevin07” moves to capitalise Rudd’s appeal to younger voters. In browsing Rudd’s web site, www.kevin07.com.au, it is clear who his target audience is. What do many young people in Australia have? An opinion. The web site offers exactly what many young Australian’s are looking for, a voice. The homepage offers Kevin Rudd’s ear to “your say” about “your ideas, hopes and concerns”, and features imagery and videos of young people giving a voice to their concerns.

Another big issue facing both parties is the Reserve Bank’s decision on interest rates. Today the decision was announced to lift cash rates by a quarter-point to 6.5 per cent, the fourth rise in the last 15 months. HSBC Australia chief economist John Edwards said that whether the Reserve Bank kept its base interest rate steady or raised it, the change would not
make much difference to the volatility hammering Australian investors. This opinion is warmly welcomed by the Howard Government as higher rises in interest rates would certainly damage the PMs Poll statistics even further. Three years ago Howard promised low interest rates if Australian’s granted him their vote for his forth term. Australian’s trusted Howard that election yet interest rates rose.

The undeniable fact is, Rudd has proven his ability to remain strong and politically competent when under pressure. Since Rudd became ALP leader, Howard has “failed to turn around the catastrophic collapse of support for the Coalition”, according to The Canberra Times. Will the young, determined Rudd succeed the so-called clever but old Howard. Only time will tell.