Comments on: News flash: Another Lib leader bites the dust http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/07/06/news-flash-another-lib-leader-bites-the-dust/ now with extra source Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:02:31 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Gail Tuft http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/07/06/news-flash-another-lib-leader-bites-the-dust/#comment-30460 Gail Tuft Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:29:49 +0000 http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/07/06/news-flash-another-lib-leader-bites-the-dust/#comment-30460 I don't think any external tricks would be required to make the SA Liberals more incompetent and ineffectual than they have been since they lost government. Their performance in their last term of government was a mare's nest of internal squabbling and backstabbing. Since being in opposition, they have fallen for the classic "oppose anything and everything while we think of something" position while failing to present anything that could be mistaken for a policy position on any issue at all. The factional fractures and internal squabbles will keep them out of government for many years if they don't take some decisive action to sort out their internal problems which are not new and date back many, many years. I don’t think any external tricks would be required to make the SA Liberals more incompetent and ineffectual than they have been since they lost government. Their performance in their last term of government was a mare’s nest of internal squabbling and backstabbing. Since being in opposition, they have fallen for the classic “oppose anything and everything while we think of something” position while failing to present anything that could be mistaken for a policy position on any issue at all.

The factional fractures and internal squabbles will keep them out of government for many years if they don’t take some decisive action to sort out their internal problems which are not new and date back many, many years.

]]> By: Tom McLoughlin http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/07/06/news-flash-another-lib-leader-bites-the-dust/#comment-30429 Tom McLoughlin Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:01:51 +0000 http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/07/06/news-flash-another-lib-leader-bites-the-dust/#comment-30429 People may be interested in my recent post on Karl Rove's pioneering ability at the reverse smear, which could be via a deliberate fake leak, and certainly qualifies as 'rat f*cking' in the 'game' of politics. For those not aware it goes something like this: Tough electoral battle foreshadowed. Issue a smear, but a clumsy one easily rebutted, against your own candidate/ally. Huh? Against your own side? Yes, because as Karl Rove calculated for the Republican Party, the other side will be blamed for the dirty trick as the logical perpetrator, even if not in fact the one responsible for the duly exposed fraud and doubly punished for the assumed guilt. In the Karl Rove examples I read about it was not a faked email but an actual deliberate smear sheet say about an affair or whatever low rent stuff, which was easy to disprove and counter attack. The centre/centre right/centre left voters duly swing away from the perceived dirty tricks candidate. Karl Rove's business was to get them to swing to his centre right candidate. But the tactic applies in either direction. Quite brilliant really, and very wicked on so many levels. People may be interested in my recent post on Karl Rove’s pioneering ability at the reverse smear, which could be via a deliberate fake leak, and certainly qualifies as ‘rat f*cking’ in the ‘game’ of politics.

For those not aware it goes something like this: Tough electoral battle foreshadowed. Issue a smear, but a clumsy one easily rebutted, against your own candidate/ally. Huh? Against your own side? Yes, because as Karl Rove calculated for the Republican Party, the other side will be blamed for the dirty trick as the logical perpetrator, even if not in fact the one responsible for the duly exposed fraud and doubly punished for the assumed guilt.

In the Karl Rove examples I read about it was not a faked email but an actual deliberate smear sheet say about an affair or whatever low rent stuff, which was easy to disprove and counter attack. The centre/centre right/centre left voters duly swing away from the perceived dirty tricks candidate. Karl Rove’s business was to get them to swing to his centre right candidate. But the tactic applies in either direction.

Quite brilliant really, and very wicked on so many levels.

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