Because he didn't have the courage to lead? That seems to be what you're saying. How do we know it's because the voter is addicted to spending? In the 2007 election Rudd got in using "This reckless spending must stop" as a theme of his campaign speech. The ALP then got voted out when they couldn't deal with the deficit issue. There's nothing to suggest in any of that that voters won't accept tough spending decisions if they perceive them to be necessary. Abbott chose not to be transparent about his agenda at the 2013 election because he's a political coward, something he paid for by losing his job.
