The federal Conservative party will launch another series of attack ads on Liberal Leader Stephane Dion tomorrow, characterizing him as weak and unable to move his party on Senate reform, the Times Colonist has learned.
The cross-Canada anti-Dion advertisements, to be announced in Ottawa today, will appear on English-language TV and radio stations May 30 and be broadcast for at least a month.
These ads will be the third set of attack ads against Dion. All this negativity begs the question- nothing positive to offer? Why is it, that a government that "gets results" can't seem to cobble together a thirty second commercial to laud the achievements?
I actually think this round will backfire, if the Liberal rebuttal is pointed. The growing perception, that the government is bereft of new ideas, finds further foundation. Canadians want to know where the country is headed, instead all the Conservatives offer is an attack. A desperate attempt by the government to stop the slippage in the polls and their own failings.
Attack ads often work, but the frequency and the recurring theme, might prove to be a turnoff. I would argue that the second set of attack ads didn't have the same resonance as the first. Canadians will start to see a pattern with the government, that supports the "mean-spirited", hyper-political themes that are starting to develop.
UPDATE
More details on the ads:
The ads mock Dion for joking recently that he was the most influential opposition leader in a generation.
He made the remark in a speech where he noted that Prime Minister Stephen Harper only started caring about climate change when the opposition forced him to.
The ads also poke fun at Dion for saying that some environmentalists had called him a hero.
“A hero? He can’t even get his own Liberal Senators to pass a bill limiting Senate terms,” says one TV ad.
“Some hero. Leaders have what it takes. Stéphane Dion is not a leader.”
In the new radio ads, the dark sound of a diminished organ chord is struck at every reference to the Liberal party.
The ad campaign, coupled with a website -- notaleader.ca -- is seen by observers as a desperate attempt by the Conservative Party, which is flagging in the opinion polls, to shore up support in Alberta and British Columbia where Senate reform is considered a priority. The ads are to be shown starting tomorrow.
Desperate indeed.
10 comments:
That website is just sad, "Kyoto's Dog Blog" is an embarassing piece of work.
I found Kyoto's dog blog to be racist.
I'm tired of the Conservatives attacking Dion over being a dual citizen.
What's next? Anti-Jew?
I would love to have a list of the conservatives who have donated to the party and send them the site to show them where their money goes.
Pathetic doesn't cover it...you can smell the desparation.
Back in April I posted about how Harper's governance was troubling me. Here's the link, but I'll save you the time, here's the salient point I was making:
Harper's only passion seems to be to keep the Liberals out of power at all costs. He hates the Liberal party and anything associated with them with such a ferocity that he has sold out his party's principles, made deals with the NDP and BQ, and would probably sell his mother to keep the Liberals down. I hope I'm wrong, but that is the only aspect I'm reading from the man.
That's not leadership, it’s certainly not vision, and it is of no benefit to the citizens of this country. It’s just governance from spite and hate, and those are qualities that repel me.
You're right that attack ads work, but after a while you have to start pointing out WHY you are better, not just why THEY are worse.
Staying negative will start hurting you more than it will your opponent, and the electorate will start tuning you out. Crying wolf phenomena and all that. Funny how none of the cons are getting that, especially given how it backfired for the Liberals not so long ago.
"Funny how none of the cons are getting that, especially given how it backfired for the Liberals not so long ago.'
Someone should pull out the old Harper quotes, wherein his response to attack ads and negative politics was "Liberal desperation". We aren't even in an election campaign, and this is the fourth(i was wrong earlier, when I said three) set of attack ads. Even when you go the Conservative website, you see more pictures of Dion than Harper, which speaks to the nature of this government.
Apparently, the Conservative didn't allow cameras into the press conference today, to announce the ads. The thinking, force the media to play the ads. Judging from the early reaction, it doesn't look like the Tories will get the same play as prior, and I note a hint of blowback. By the time we actually get to the election, Canadians may well tune out.
BTW, that website is amateurish. Other than partisans, it will have no impact, except to make the Tories look childish.
Ah, but I'm told Stephen Taylor thinks this and the Kyoto blog on it are the greatest thing since sliced bread... so it MUST be cool ;)
scott
It's no EcoFraud, now that was clever.
Canada's New Government; a bucket half full or a bucket half empty or......is 1/2 offering just too much credit?
Well we have this.
Harper suggested Thursday the ads were a "desperate" measure that would backfire.
"To treat the electorate as if they're imbeciles is a strategy that will backfire and that's what the Liberal party has done from the beginning of this election campaign. I will let the Liberals descend into the gutter. They will be punished accordingly," said Harper.
Then this in 2006, "Voters should be aware, when they see that ad, when they see all these other ads, to have a great deal of skepticism about where this so-called information is coming from, what the context of it is, what the truth is."
Oh Harper, hypocrite is thy name.
The other thing about the ad of course, is that it lies. It implies that Dion supports 45 year term limits. He's clear and has suggested between 10 and 15 years, in order that 2 consecutive majority governments could not stack the Senate.
Is no conservative embarassed by this site? I cannot believe that every conservative would pleased by being treated like a 12 year old?
knb
Good catch!
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