I think you are right Chuck. It is the same with welfare.
This is a party that has made an art form out of middle class welfare and tax cuts. Aussie voters may get a shock with Rudd's economics and find that he is more interested in Education and Health "infrastructure" which is likely to lead to higher wages for teachers and medical professionals with no real improvement in outcomes and thus less to spend on Howard/Costello style middle class welfare.
One cannot help being suspicious that the ALP's clone of Howard may not last too long in leadership, particularly if he remains as conservative socially and as pro-American alliance as he is now and actually takes the razor to the PS.
It may not be the "unionists", who are probably as right wing as most in the Liberal party, but the left wing of the party that could, unless he changes tack, be his undoing. Guess that faction hopes it is not seeing the real Rudd.
