. . . a genuine coalition of concerned citizens gets together and puts out a reasonable logical argument for early action on climate change limitation (which is really more accurate) and the nasty Coalition comes out before the ad has run and played the man and not the ball. Well, woman technically, but I reckon Cate Blanchett will be man enough to beat Tony Abbott on this one.
Notice that he attacked the woman on purpose, and not Michael Caton, who by my estimate is a far more largely known personality than Cate in the common Australian population anyway. Cate is fantastic, but a lot more people watch him on tv regularly than go to plays in Sydney. Now, I’m not saying Tony Abbott is a misogynist and went after Cate just because she was a girl, but it sure is because he wants to paint her as one of the latte sipping Fabian Society type elite. Because that is what Tony Abbott is into. He’s a bully, and bullies like best to pick on those they think they can physically and mentally intimidate. This means they tend to go after the small, the meek , the feminine or effeminate. Don’t take on Michael, who in the minds of the Australian entertainment public, is the Australian archetype. Go after the chic that is into ballet and will likely never be surpassed in the role of Elizabeth I.
See, because he also wants to attack the the intelligent. He can’t stand the fact that Cate has a mind and a voice and the resources to back herself. The bullies in the conservative branch of the Coalition hate the intelligent, and use their worst tactics on those they despise intellectually. They appeal to the basest of human instincts when they seek out and attempt to influence in the minds of a common voter to hate the intelligent, the artist, the scientist, the professor. Listen to their mouthpiece on 2GB any day of the week.
The Coalition is driven by this portion of their parties (Liberals and Nationals), and their tactics and mindset is evidenced in everything they do, whether it is pricing carbon, opposing the NBN, dealing with cigarettes, pokies or refugees.