Liberal attack ads strike back. First, leader Michael Ignatieff speaks to camera for 1:40, sounding reasonable and so on (left). Then, in some others, Liberals turn the Conservative attack ad grahics back at Harper. Instead of the Conservative's “Just Visiting” tag, they tag Harper with “Just Leaving”, noting how he's the first PM in history to avoid a confidence vote by proroguing Parliament.
Now, there's one important point here: The Conservative ads are airing on prime-time network television across the country. That ain't cheap but what you get for spending all that money is lots of eyeballs. The Liberal ads, clever as they might be, are only out there on YouTube. Many – perhaps hundreds of thousands of Canadians — will see them but, with $20 million or more in the bank compared to a Liberal party which is still struggling to pay off election and 2007-08 leadership race debts, the Conservatives are playing a war of attrition that they have every expectation of winning.
They may expect to win but I think in the end all the money in the world could not save them from insulting attack ad's.
As a commenter on another blog said, it's hilarious that the Liberal ad should claim PM Harper has no plan for the economy – yet the “no plan” budget passed.
How?
Thanks to the Liberals' support. Remember? 70 Liberals voted for it, including Michael Ignatieff.
http://www.howdtheyvote.ca/vote.php?id=649
Yup, Harper prorogued parliament. Martin just ignored it. Which is worse? I'd say ignoring the results of several non-confidence motions because Martin pretended they didn't count is worse.
You also forget to include the REASON why he prorogued parliament. That was also a first (despite Trudeau's minority with the NDP – the most disasterous financial mass destruction in CDN history – it wasn't plotted with separatists prior to or just after an election where the opposition lost ground.)
Why not? Attack ads worked really well for the Liberals in several elections and held Harper to a minority in the first one they lost.
I guess attack ads are only mean and nasty when the other guy does it. At least the media seems to think so (being partisan and all…)
The Youtube video is from someone(s) named LobbyCanada, who claim they are not endorsed by any political party. Clearly it's a partisan video but it seems unlikely to be an official Liberal Party response, doesn't it?
The truth ads as I prefer to call them will in fact work. Canadians do not know Ignatieff and when they see him on TV he comes across as creepy (my wife's words), arrogant and condescending.
His rehtoric does not match reality. When he says Harper has no plan for the economy what is he saying. Harper is not spending eough money? What are his plans if Harper has none?
What does he think about the coalition. According to McLean's (Andrew Coyne) today he is saying the same thing that Harper said back in the day. At the convention Iggy accused Harper of creating disunity in the country. Iggy said at the convention there would be disunity in the country if the coalition took power. As usual for a Liberal Iggy is speaking out of both sides of his mouth.
So Canadians are asking themselves the same thing that the truth ads are asking.
The media, chattering class and of course the Liberals are terrified that the ads will work and so they are pulling all the stops out trying to tell Canadians how they should think about the ads.
The media has lost the respect of Canadians and therefore Canadians will make up their own minds and the ads which use the Count's own words will ring true.
Hmmm, very interesting. I listened to Ignatieff more carefully. Funny he doesn't mention how long he has lived outside the country. 34 years. Is Ignatieff ashamed of admitting how long he was away?
Also, as someone who lived a number of years outside Canada because I was not born here, I am not in the least offended by the Conservatives raising the question of Ignatieff's absence from the country. Suggesting “new” Canadians or those working outside Canada are considered “less” Canadian by the Conservatives is a specious argument.
C'mon, Mr. Ignatieff, let's be honest. How many of those “new” Canadians or people working outside the country come back with ambitions to fast-track their way to 24 Sussex?