Review of Peter Hartcher article Rudd insults
17/11/24 03:02 Filed in: Politics
Review: Peter Hartcher’s Takedown of the #MSM’s Rudd Beat-Up
Peter Hartcher’s latest piece* expertly dismantles the #MSM’s absurd campaign against Kevin Rudd, exposing it as a Murdoch-driven vendetta disguised as diplomatic concern. For those who don’t have a subscription to The Sydney Morning Herald, let me give you the gist—and why it’s worth dissecting.
The #MSM’s Faux Outrage
Sky News and their ever-helpful sidekick, Peter Dutton, are frothing about Rudd’s past criticisms of Donald Trump, calling him everything from a “village idiot” to a “traitor to the West.” The narrative? Rudd can’t possibly represent Australia in Washington after daring to speak his mind about Trump.
But here’s the kicker: Trump’s entire administration is filled with people who’ve called him far worse. His vice president-elect, JD Vance, once labelled him “America’s Hitler,” and half his cabinet is made up of former critics who’ve since been “converted.” As Hartcher notes, Trump values converts, not sycophants, and Rudd’s sharp wit is hardly going to disqualify him.
Enter Duplicity Dutton and His Double Standards
Peter Dutton, who loves to cry foul, has conveniently ignored his own Shadow Minister for bum fluff, James Paterson, who has tweeted negatively about Trump at least three times. Where’s the outrage there, Peter? Is Paterson exempt from your Trump loyalty litmus test because he’s on Team LNP? Or is it just easier to target Rudd because he’s made it clear the Murdoch empire is a “cancer on our democracy”?
The Murdoch Media Circus
This isn’t about Rudd’s competence—it never was. As Hartcher highlights, Rudd has bipartisan praise for his expertise on China, strong relationships with incoming Trump officials, and a track record that makes him indispensable in Washington. The Murdoch media’s obsession with tearing him down reeks of revenge for Rudd’s push for a royal commission into media ownership.
If anything, the calls to sack Rudd show the #MSM’s desperation to appease Trump, even though Trump himself couldn’t care less. Remember his confused response about Rudd during an interview? “I don’t know much about him. I heard he was a little bit nasty.” Hardly the grounds for a diplomatic incident.
The Real Takeaway
The #MSM, Sky News, and Dutton’s crew are playing a dangerous game of appeasement, one that undermines Australia’s sovereignty. Instead of focusing on the real issues—like the fact that the Coalition left a diplomatic mess for Labor to clean up—they’re peddling Murdoch’s vendetta as news.
Hartcher’s piece is a refreshing dose of reality. It exposes the hypocrisy of Dutton’s camp, the sycophancy of Sky News, and the Murdoch machine’s grip on Australian media. For those of us who can’t stomach another day of this nonsense, it’s worth the read—or at least worth sharing this review to shine a light on the circus.
Kevin Rudd isn’t the problem—the #MSM’s propaganda is. Let’s call it what it is: a farcical distraction from the real issues, dressed up in the thinnest veneer of concern.
*https://smh.com.au/world/north-america/murdoch-s-ruddicide-will-fail-here-s-why-trump-will-warm-to-our-kevin-20241115-p5kqy9.html