You Started It

It's sort of amusing to listen to Conservatives whine about being attacked, not to mention the paranoia about the source, black ops and what not. Who knew a few little YouTube videos could unnerve the Conservatives, to the point of actually trying to block them, and in so doing making it BIGGER than otherwise would have been the case? According to Taylor, this is all justification for the Conservatives to unleash their fury and rain down on the hapless Liberals:

If the Conservatives are looking for an opening to unleash a barrage against Ignatieff and the Liberals this may be it as their actions would appear to be defensive rather than offensive.

Oh, good luck with that rationale. Remember all this talk about putting the economy first and seeking bipartisanship? Well, it's off now, because some anonymous person on the internet made a few videos, some bloggers linked, and that represents a breach of the non-aggression pact, so here comes the shit storm of negativity. Never mind, that our pathetic minions have been wasting time in Parliament to slam the Liberals for weeks, so bad they had their knuckles smacked by the Speaker, this is game on. Please. Gosh, I sure hope the Conservatives are dumb enough to take Taylor's advice.

Just the mere mention of Conservative attack ads brought a flurry of editorials chastising the timing, reaffirming all the unproductive narratives that now plague the Conservatives. If anyone is stupid enough to think the YouTube assault absolves any blow back, my goodness, get some fresh air. That said, you know these people are itching, negativity is what they do best, and there is a sense that the Liberals have the ball. It really won't take much to tilt the balance, lessen the sense of hesitation and pounce.

I have to admit, I hope the Conservatives miss the plot here and unleash their barrage. This isn't 2006, and this isn't Dion, it's nothing of the sort. This is post cluster fuck 2008, wherein Harper blew any remaining political capital to justify his hyper-partisan ways. Haven't you noticed, that even a hint of "old" Harper now brings a wide ranging rehash of all the things we've never liked, and all the reasons why the Conservatives haven't reached their primary goal? Throw in the economy, the very serious circumstance, and going negative for the Conservatives is problematic at best. We WILL pounce on THEIR tactics, and quirky references to some obscure "gritgirl" won't quite cut it, on the "they started it" front.

Here's a plausible theoretical. The Conservatives respond to the "insurgent" attack on YouTube as Taylor refers, and release an ad, detailing what a pseudo-Canadian Ignatieff is, alerting the masses to the elitist which lurks. The ads come out to much fanfare, as everyone digests the shock and awe that is the Conservative machine. What, pray tell, will the Liberals do? It just so happens, that like everyday, a new measure or forecast is released, a fresh piece of data, that confirms the historical mess that is unravelling. Armed with reality, it's pretty easy to see the Liberal response, that accomplishes a great deal. Every time bad news is released, you contrast that real fear in Canadians with the Conservatives wasting time scoring political points. I can literally HEAR Ignatieff now, as he easily pivots and SHOVES the attack right back in their faces. Probably more important, how many pesky scribes will see the disconnect and point out the issue of priorities? How many more reminders of past behavior, rearing it's UGLY head again? You know, there's a reason why the ads haven't come to date, and it's because a few Conservative strategists do have their wits about them. Should a few YouTube videos push people to discard their rational deduction, in the end, I say it will all turn out to be a BOOMERANG.