Ruddism. Define. Two words.
February 11th, 2009 by Kim | Published in Levity, Politics | 135 Comments
Overland has a great competition going. Entries are open only to subscribers (who can win a prize). We, of course, totally encourage subscriptions to Overland, but in a “temper democratic” and with a “bias Australian”, LP readers might like to have a go at the challenge set. Your prize will be the acclaim of the cyber masses!
In his forthcoming essay for Overland 194, Bob Ellis defines Ruddism as ‘muscular timidity’. We’ve got five copies of Jeff Sparrow’s book Communism: A Love Story to the best two-word characterisations of Kevin Rudd’s style.
Update: Courtesy of Jeff Sparrow from Overland, there is now a prize – a free sub!
Update [by MB]: The contest is now closed and the finalists have been announced!
aspirational banality?
your votes?
Even in this post-neoliberal age, you can’t have a competition without a material prize. In the spirit of incentivation (now there’s an old Liberal slogan people don’t use often enough!), we can offer an Overland sub to whomsever LP judges worthy. If they’re already a subscriber (as they should be), they can have a copy of the Communism book (I hear it’s very good). Kim, perhaps you could email me when you have a winner.
HowRuddism.
Two words sort of.
Careful conservatism.
You know what
Hi Jeff.
Any chance of a preview copy? I can put it on my blog. It gets a few visitors occasionally! (I am for example doing one of Rick Kuhn’s Deutscher Prize winning book on Henryk Grossman. Only 18 months late!)
Morally Bankrupt.
This is purely on the basis of Rudd/Swan’s utterly cynical attempt to link the latest fiscal stimulus package with bushfire relief, hoping to force Turnbull’s hand.
This from The Age: ‘In a letter to Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull last night, Mr Swan said it was “a matter of common sense that monies within this plan dedicated to social housing, to school construction and the assistance of local government would be delivered first to those in natural disaster-affected areas”.’
Indefensible you’ll all agree I’m sure. How they must hold bushfire victims in contempt to use them in such a brazen fashion.
BBB
Faux-compassionate conservatism (can a hyphenated word be considered one, or is it really two?).
Willy Wonk
Indeterminate interminability.
Monochrome chameleon.
Gillard’s predecessor.
James Scullin
Smug authoritarianism.
Bingo Bango Boingo in a moral panic @ 8 said:
Well, the OO tells us:
Silly you, don’t you realise that this is meant to be a punning thread about Rudd, and not a whoring spinzone for Turnbull?
pointless hyperactivity.
No Katz, he’s Enid Lyons with the ability to act.
Joe’s widow always said she thought Theodore was the only one who knew what to do during that era.
Of FFS. Wake up.
BBB
Wonkish Wowser
Going forward
In the spirit of no #1, ‘bold banality’.
Anglican Distributism
Tolerant Howardism
Not Keating
Nerdy Negrin
Paint Dry
Not Socialist.
Apologise, forget.
What Environment?
Kevin 010.
industriously inert
aspirational regression.
Zzzz… Wha?
Diet Howard
Variable Absolute
Same old, same old. Two words? As much as he wants us to think he is propsing some brave new ways of dealing with “unprecendented times”, he really is just doing what anyone else would do. However i think that “bold banality” is the best so far
Malcolm Mauler.
Working Families.
#31 LOL!
Ersatz Socialism
Scholarship Boy
As the Vietnamese would say ‘same, same’.
But they’d say it with a smile on their faces, something that we have yet to learn how to do.
Cheerfully bankrupt.
Vast Improvement.
….from a very low base.
Grey Coal
Hollowman Combover
Neonatal Neoliberal?
Hale Kevin
Bland Beast
Howard-lite
Me-Too
More o’Same
Diplomatic Core
Symbolic Politician
Control Freak
Great Facilitator
Path-of Least-Resistance
I am always surprised at the way commentators and agitator invest so much faith in politicians. There is some deep urge within us that responds to the lure of salvation by a messiah.
I prefer to remain a hard-bitten cynic on the subject of politicians promises. I dont like being conned or disappointed.
Rudd set the expectations bar fairly low in his campaign and has so far managed to clear it effortlessly. Throughout 2007 I predicted that Rudd would continue tapping the deep vein of conservative populist centrism, so successfully mined by Howard.
The Rudd twist in cultural matters is to pay lip service to some elitist concerns though ostentatious displays of symbolic politics whilst keeping on-side with the populace in behind the scenes substantive policy. eg make the Apology whilst keeping the Intervention.
Lofty rhetoric and down-to-earth reality fits his personality. Back in 2008 I observed “[h]e strikes me as too cautious – a natural diplomat – to make any bold moves ahead of public opinion.”.
Lots of bloggers criticised me for this party-pooping view. They seem to have gone suspiciously quiet of late.
[GRAND THEORY ALERT]
More generally, the task of the post-modern politician is to navigate the path of least resistance between the the elites largely Right-wing, fashion-driven policy initiatives and the populace’s largely Left-wing, tradition-bound political responses.
(Elites are normally Right-wing since they are interested in establishing the higher-status rulers. The populace is normally Left-wing as they are interested in empowering the lower-status ruled-over. Change the strata’s ideological signs in Culture War issues.)
This often results in politicians getting into some uncomfortable postures. Which is why they invest so much money in spin-doctors and spend so much time hanging around celebrities to improve their popular cred.
@3 – thanks, Jeff! :)
I am never surprised when some commentators find it impossible to limit themselves to two words.
Can we restrict all future LP posts to 2 words?
I cacked m’self!
Meh.
Uncle Kev.
As in “She’ll be right, Uncle Kev’s got ya back.”
populist pander
moderate zealot
Shovelready Familyman
Blair Two
Sorry aiden, i just saw your 10.27 on the senate thread
Poseidon Adventurist?
(oops, it’s for Overland, not Quadrant)
2050 Shifty?
Hammy Potter?
Holy rolling
Unctuous analism
Kruddy Marxism
Fabian Christianity
Nanny Statism
Lamer Loserdom
Meager Beaver.
or, relatedly:
Giles Illingworth
(the captain who couldn’t turn the Queen Mary around)
Ambigious Precision
oops again, that should have been:
Cyril Illingworth
Squeaky Twerp
bullshit artist?
We should also define Ellis in two words: Hole. Arse.
.
That’ll do it. :)
unctious technocracy
Howard Zero
Howard’s End
consummate conservative
Precision perspirationalism
Blonde Ambition
Titanic Balance
I vote for Jaa at #55!
Runner-up – yeti at #27.
My own unworthy contributions:
pale stickler
bureaucratic mastermind
clever dick
least square
‘Boldly banal’, as an alternative to my earlier suggestion.
assertive mediocrity?
“boldly banal”
You lop off those two b’s, then you got something you can work with.
By George, j_p_z, thats him!
He’s botty contemplator if ever there was one.
Agressively timid
Timdily agressive
Startlingly Henderson
Non-secular humanist
Closet Orwellian
I want that book …
Mickey Mudd
This one could also be used as a pseudonym:
Ernest Catchphrase
Eunuch Mandarin
Why bother?
Overland `satire’??!!
Temper (Democratic).
Iced Vo-Vo
Stimulus, stimuli.
Tin tin
colonic irrigation
Magic Pudding
[apologies to Norman Lindsay and his "little bundle of piffle"]
http://nationaltreasures.nla.gov.au/%3E/Treasures/item/nla.int-ex6-s17
Keep in mind the prize goes to the best definition of Ruddism all. great thread, btw :)
Machiavellian populism
soggy Saoism
I like Why bother and Diet Howard best.
pusillanimous pomposity
.
overcompensating parochialism
Frenzied Inaction
‘Unhappy Already?’
“Keep in mind the prize goes to the best definition of Ruddism…”
‘What’s Ruddism?’
’1. P-KB1 (?)’
‘Hinayana Ruddhism’
Extreme centrism
Massive minimalism
Minimalist extremism
Try Hardism
Petulant me-ism
Lord Wow-Sir!
Compassionate obfuscation
Punctilious omnipresence
Keyhole government
Full-strength shandy
Interdepartmental visionaries
Stimulatio praecox
Puppetry (of the) Pedants
Ruthless Equivocation
Cautious Caution
Midnight Toil
inspired (you might say) by FDB’s last…
‘Fearful Symmetry’
(you have to take ‘fearful’ in the now-ish meaning, not Blake’s meaning…)
’1. P-QR2 (???!)’
(listening to the Mats at the moment)
‘Sixteen Blue’
heh, Katz!
Star Bores
Nasty thread this – not even remotely objective or witty. All of these comments would sit nicely on Janet Albrechtson’s blog today. Et tu, LP?
Whilst I’ve still got the Mats in my player, the theme seems like it’s more widely relevant… viz., the Obama/Dems’ childish, revanchista, so-callled “stimulus” crime could be as perfectly well legislated to the tune of “Barry’s Got a Boner”.
L’on y danse, de tous en France.
You’re right, Patricia. How about Howard Slayer.
Interesting that you invoke objectivity Patricia. Seems to me you’re too partisan to countenance humourous criticism of your tribe.
There’s nothing stopping you from contributing a positive 2-word definition of Ruddism by the way.
nasty?
c’mon, we’re just showing that not all LP posters are slavish admirers
Petulance-R-Us
Agreed FDB – had just come from Albrechtson! After a decade of despair it’s such a relief to have something like good government again, and holding itself together too! I worry because the left so often tears itself apart.
“Cool change?”
Good one Patricia,
when Victoria’s hot, a “cool change” is just about the best gift, apart from rain
Pontius Pilot
He leads us in the hand-wringing, then appeases the masses, while the crisis continues, muted now as the masses are otherwise simulated
I’ll add to “Cool Change”
Pinko Pragmatism
Rosy Realpolitik
Machiavellian Mild
“… then appeases the masses, while the crisis continues, muted now as the masses are otherwise simulated…”
Would indeed that the masses were simulated.
Bulimba Blairism?
Oooh, but they are, Japerz daaaarling.
FDB — It may be, it may be. It is possible. (Stevens)
Don’t know (my calendar is screwy) if it is/was/shall be the Feast-day of Saint Valentine over there at present (and why no post?), but if so, in the spirit of the guy who wrote the chorus to “Alex Chilton,” the great line “How do you say I love you/ To an answering machine?” and of course “I Will Dare,” I wish you all a happy Valentine’s Day.
Nothing you can say
But you can learn how to play the game.
It’s easy.
All you need is love. (and a corny horn-charts sting)
Love is all you need.
anal retentive
bonhoeffer bonza
TsIilWts
Did you see the lads perform that song live on an international TV hook-up (nascent satellite technology) circa 1968? Huge number of performrers: it was quite a feat.
“love is all you need, love is all you need, love is all you need ["she love you, yeah, yeah, yeah!], love is all you need…”
Risk-averse radicalism
Studied populism
Krudd Everywhere
I’m confused about this being part of the Overland competition – or is it an ancillary? Anyway, my last best effort
“Pinko Realpolitik”
stimulated package
Ruddy Realpolitik
Is this thread/competition stll open?
Yep!
We might close it off on the weekend and let the judging begin!
Cultural Queenslander
U’know what?
Oopps, “you know what” was already mentioned by aj @ Comment 6
As a statement it pretty well sums up Rudd I think. Another variant, given the similarity of Rudd with Howard in practice on topics such as climate change, energy, pork-barreling on a massive scale (rhetoric and grand gestures aside) would be:
What’ll u’know?
“U’know what?” and “What’d u’know?”
earnest mediocrity
Update [by MB]: The contest is now closed and the finalists have been announced!