To re-cap. Gillard is a socialist running as a conservative this election. Her whole life is engrossed by politics. She knows no other life. Failure at politics would represent failure at life. She has more at stake than Abbott this election.
If Gillard loses this election her political career will be over. She lied to and stabbed Rudd in the back to grab power. She did so on the premise that it was needed to ‘save’ the ALP from election defeat. If Gillard were to lose the election there would be no going back. The only thing she would have to show for her political career would be her superannuation and de facto partner – who is only known for running red lights in Gillard’s Toyota Camry. Really scrapping the barrel in terms of relationships there PM. (I heard an outrageous rumour that both Gillard and her defacto partner are homosexuals in a relationship of convenience).
By contrast no one expected Abbott to be the opposition leader a year ago and an opposition has not defeated a first term government in decades. So expectations are under control. If Abbott loses he will likely assume an opposition front bench role and take solace from his wife and children, the fact that he helped get rid of Rudd and his manly pursuits and hobbies.
Gillard therefore is desperate for victory in a way that many of us cannot imagine. When the pressure starts building Gillard will first stumble, trip and then fall and get up and start lashing out at anyone near by. Much like how Rudd is undermining Gillard now. It will get ugly.
The first signs of this pressure are already beginning to show on Gillard. At a recent press conference about the internet she messed up a range of details, from the election date, Rudd’s electorate, confusing Nauru and East Timor. On the Alan Jones show she couldn’t remember when her corporate tax rate cut was coming into effect. Combined with constant questions about Gillard’s relationship with Rudd, get ready for a boil over at some point.