Hello

I am doing a project and am researching into the strengths and weaknesses of Kevin Rudd. I am discussing the strengths and weaknesses of him personally as a prime minister and as a leader.

I am struggling to find any good information and am wondering if members could please list some strengths and weaknesses for me and why?

Currently I have  Stated he is a driven man and prepared to learn. Other than that I dont have an idea.

I am not an australian either so dont know what he is like! Thankyou.

strength: capable of giving birth to live young
weakness: cheese

I think you can get what you want by sifting through older threads here and there. No strengths come to mind at the moment. Supposed workaholic, perhaps?

Strengths:

Speaks excellent Mandarin.
Articulate (to a point)


Weaknesses:

Inability to relate to ordinary people.
Inflated ego
Quick temper

I thought that "ordinary people" were the only people he could relate to, since he was always preaching about "working families".

Hlysnan wrote on Apr 9^th, 2010 at 8:26am:

I thought that "ordinary people" were the only people he could relate to, since he was always preaching about "working families".

Despite what he talks about, he comes across as a bit nerdy and smug, and those qualities make it difficult for people to relate to him.

He tries to hard to appear like an ordinary Australian, but his attempts are unconvincing. (Fair shake of the sauce bottle, mate)  

Mr Rabbit on the other hand does things like the Ironman contest for example, which was staged to have a similar effect to Kevin Rudd's speech in Mandarin before he was elected, basically to bolster a certain underlying  public perception of him.  Would he have entered otherwise?

"Too much money and not enough sense"

Seriously though.
His main strength is that his opposition is very, very weak.
His main weakness is his UN ambitions that prevents him from focusing on running his own country.

his strengths : he can assign reviews and serious sounding committees like noone else.
He put us into record debt in record time.
proficient in meaningless drivel

his weaknesses: a selfish weak grandstanding showpony who cares not for Aussie.

Well in case you are serious, I will post a serious response.
His strengths are an almost indefatiguable drive, which sees him consistently working very long days, up at 5:00 AM, still working at Midnight is a tough ask for any man, but he regularly does just that.
He has a good sense of reading the electoral mood, and responds to that, which is what inspires the criticisms of being an insincere try hard, so this is both a positive, and a negative for him on many occasions.

He does seem to genuinely want to instigate meaningful change, as is indicated by tackling the health issue, which has been neglected by all governments, of all political persuasions since whitlam brought in medicare almost forty years ago.
Some may question his motives on this, as being inspired by a desire for self-aggrandisement, rather than altruistic ideals for the common good, but that is really an unknown, and those who speculate too vigorously, one way or the other,  merely betray their own prejudices.

He is often a good communicator.
That being said, he can convey both his ideas, and his enthusiasm for his ideas very well, when he wants to, but on the flip side, few men have mastered a greater degree of political nonsense speak than Mr Rudd, and when he wishes to avoid or evade a topic he can rattle off meaningless babble in a seemingly endless stream.

So, ultimate he is a pretty typical modern day politician, and most of the major, and certainly the most venomous, criticisms of him are inspired from a position of political polarisation, that would evaporate quickly if he were on their side of politics, which he most easily could be.

While he no doubt holds personal moral positions, he seems to be the archetypal political pragmatist, and as such can flip flop on great moral questions as easily as a media driven public can.

His strength is that all Labor factions agreed that after Beazley and Latham, Rudd was their last chance for another 3 years (assigning Gillard to be his deputy).


That's his weakness, too.

He is where he is by the will of Labor factions, not the people. Even Labor voters wonder who the hell he is. Not something you could say about any other PM before him.


Rudd is the ultimate 'all thing to all men'. He rose without a trace and will disappear the same way.i

Quote:

Mr Rabbit on the other hand does things like the Ironman contest for example, which was staged to have a similar effect to Kevin Rudd's speech in Mandarin before he was elected, basically to bolster a certain underlying  public perception of him.  Would he have entered otherwise?

Why don't you find a subject you know something about b4 you comment.

Abbott is into exercise  etc  he was already obligated to be in the Ironman months ago.  Years ago he started the charity cycle event he is now partaking in.  He is a surf lifesaver.  He is a member of the local bushfire brigade...  all of which he does because it is part of his personality and lifestyle not because he's looking for public brownie points.

Captain Kruddy is an egotistical cunning hypocritical liar.  His strength seems to be his ability to fool people.

Quote:

He is where he is by the will of Labor factions, not the people.

What's the difference? Surely the labor factions were thinking of election victory.

freediver wrote on Apr 10^th, 2010 at 12:45pm:

Quote: He is where he is by the will of Labor factions, not the people. What's the difference? Surely the labor factions were thinking of election victory.

None of the known Labor personnel had a hope. SO out they wheel Rudd, speaking Laborite pap.
People didn't elect Rudd, they elected the idea of a 'Labor governemnt', a 'non-Howard' government. Rudd is the Chauncey Garginer of Australian politics. When his personality breaks through, he is seen as an insincere blow-hard. He is embraced when his personality is not considered, when he speaks and acts out, the Labor pap.  An accidental PM.
Howard or Keating were actualo, real men. Rudd is a mere idea. Nobody wants the actual man - an ill-tempered bullshitter.

So the will of the people only counts where you deem it to?

mattdefoe wrote on Apr 8^th, 2010 at 6:52pm:

Hello I am doing a project and am researching into the strengths and weaknesses of Kevin Rudd. I am discussing the strengths and weaknesses of him personally as a prime minister and as a leader. I am struggling to find any good information and am wondering if members could please list some strengths and weaknesses for me and why? Currently I have  Stated he is a driven man and prepared to learn. Other than that I dont have an idea. I am not an australian either so dont know what he is like! Thankyou.

Strength: not afraid of fascists!

Soren wrote on Apr 9^th, 2010 at 10:34pm:

His strength is that all Labor factions agreed that after Beazley and Latham, Rudd was their last chance for another 3 years (assigning Gillard to be his deputy). That's his weakness, too. He is where he is by the will of Labor factions, not the people. Even Labor voters wonder who the hell he is. Not something you could say about any other PM before him. Rudd is the ultimate 'all thing to all men'. He rose without a trace and will disappear the same way.

Whoah, someoens on the smart drugs!  :D :D ;D