It was a battle of the opposites. On one side we had ex-Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, 54, a former diplomat with baby-face looks, devoted wife and family, carefully cultivated religious persona and impeccable CV. Opposed was current Prime Minister Julia Gillard, 51, ex-lawyer, atheist with a WASP-ish demeanor, a live-in partner and a career in the rough and tumble of leftwing Australian politics.
He strides the world scene fighting climate change and other evils. She is happy to admit little interest in foreign affairs. His power base is grass-roots Queensland in the north; hers is the politicized salons of Adelaide and Melbourne in the south. He is popular with the national electorate. Opinion polls have shown her popularity trailing the opposition parties badly. The only thing that both have in common is membership in the Australian Labor Party.
Yet, when it came to a showdown for the right to lead that party and replace Gillard as prime minister, Rudd was trounced, 71 to 31. Why?