It's Abbott or me, says Rudd

With a dramatic slide in the opinion polls, Kevin Rudd is reminding the public a
protest vote against Labor could install Tony Abbott in The Lodge.
A disillusioned electorate has delivered another thumping to the Rudd government,
with the latest Nielsen poll putting the coalition in an election-winning position.
After the distribution of preferences, the Nielsen poll, published in Fairfax
newspapers, had the coalition leading Labor by 53 to 47 per cent.
Mr Rudd's message to voters was simple: deliver a similar whacking on election day
and Mr Abbott would be prime minister.
"The truth is if these polls were reflected on election day, Mr Abbott will become
the prime minister," he told ABC Radio.
"The challenge for me, and for the government, is to work harder into the future."
Mr Abbott was keen, however, to stress a coalition victory was no fait accompli.
"It's some time until an election (and) there's a lot of dirty water no doubt to
flow under the bridge," he told Macquarie Radio Network.
"It will be a filthy campaign. Kevin Rudd will not surrender office lightly."
The polls suggest, personally at least, he has reason to be cautious.
Although they are bad for Mr Rudd, they also show a disenchantment with the
opposition leader.
Nielsen shows Mr Abbott is on 41 per cent approval, as is Mr Rudd, while the
opposition leader has a 51 per cent disapproval rating against his rival's 52 per
cent.
But even with both leaders struggling to gain ascendancy, Mr Abbott refused to
capitalise on a damning assessment of the prime minister in the latest Quarterly
Essay.
The profile, by Sydney Morning Herald journalist David Marr, paints a picture of Mr
Rudd as a man driven by rage, fuelled by humiliations suffered in childhood after
the death of his father.
"I'd rather just focus on his performance ... (and that) leaves an enormous amount
to be desired," Mr Abbott said.
Mr Rudd wouldn't buy into a debate over his temperament.
On Tuesday, he will get a chance to see real anger firsthand when he flies to
Western Australia, where there is a direct threat to his authority over the
resources super profits tax (RSPT).
The government will find out just how unpopular the proposed mining tax is when it
holds a community cabinet in Perth on Wednesday.
A Newspoll, commissioned by the mining industry and surveying voters in a handful of
tight seats in WA, Queensland and South Australia, shows 48 per cent against the
RSPT and 28 per cent in favour.
Nearly half - 45 per cent - believe the tax would be bad for the economy, while 31
per cent say it would be beneficial.
Concerns about the impact of the tax on the nation have compounded voter
disenchantment with the government over its decision to shelve an emissions trading
scheme until 2013.
Treasurer Wayne Swan, in an interview for ABC TV's Four Corners program, has
acknowledged some industry concerns may be warranted.
"Some of the concerns are legitimate, and that's why we said we'd work through the
issues," he said.
The Rudd government's honeymoon with the electorate began waning after Mr Abbott won
the Liberal leadership last December and that decline was accelerated by the botched
home insulation program and the asylum seeker issue.
But the relationship with voters began to nosedive after the decision on the
Emissions Trading Scheme, seen as an article of faith by many who voted Labor at the
last election.