The NDP Fight Back with Their Own Ads

[waldo]

Who's to say the NDP and the Liberals wouldn't have launched more of these attack ads if they had as much money in their coffers as the Conservatives? It's never been about taking the high road it's always been about not being able to afford them.

Who's to say? I'm to say? There... I said it! So, uhhh, the reason Harper Conservatives play gutter, bullying politics is because they have the money to do so? Is that what you're saying?

[capricorn]

Who's to say? I'm to say? There... I said it!

Waldospeak is not easy to comprehend.

So, uhhh, the reason Harper Conservatives play gutter, bullying politics is because they have the money to do so? Is that what you're saying?

If you interpret these ads as "gutter, bullying" politics, you need to grow a thicker skin. The Conservatives have more money than the other parties and are putting the funds to good use. BTW, kudos for not having (yet) qualified these ads as "American style".

[capricorn]

The NDP won't be able to afford having these broadcasted on TV very much so the vast majority of Canadians will never see them, unlike CPC attack ads.

True. The NDP is asking supporters to share the ad with their friends and families. The danger here is that the ad will be viewed mostly in NDP friendly territory, equivalent to preaching to the converted. Of course, MSM coverage will help as the curious (like me) will view the ad.

[cybercoma]

What planet are you living on?

haha. I thought your response would be much meaner.

[Newfoundlander]

True. The NDP is asking supporters to share the ad with their friends and families. The danger here is that the ad will be viewed mostly in NDP friendly territory, equivalent to preaching to the converted. Of course, MSM coverage will help as the curious (like me) will view the ad.

Still doesn't reach out to a large number of people, unless it make tv news. The TV is the oh way many older Canadians would see it. Unless you can get these ads in TV you're rarely getting a bang for your buck IMO.

[cybercoma]

The government only has so much money.

It doesn't really help that the government cut the GST, contrary to the advice of many economists.

[cybercoma]

Who's to say the NDP and the Liberals wouldn't have launched more of these attack ads if they had as much money in their coffers as the Conservatives?

That's right. Let's deal with hypotheticals equivalences to support what the Conservative are actually doing. It's not that the Conservatives have been running attack ads outside the writ period for years now. The opposition would do it too if they had the money, so that makes it ok.

No. It doesn't make it ok. It doesn't make it ok that the NDP are doing it now. It can be explained by the fact that the Conservatives released an attack ad about the NDP first. And all of this talk about the Liberals attack ads gloss over the point that they were done after the elections were called.

If I'm wrong on that last point, I'll stand corrected. However, the never-ending campaigning seems to be a feature of the Conservative strategy. And it makes sense. They have more money than they know what to do with, so why wouldn't they? Without any restrictions or regulations around doing so, the other parties either do not respond to the allegations in these ads or go bankrupt trying to fight them.

In this climate, Parliament goes to the highest bidder.

Edited July 11, 2012 by cybercoma

[cybercoma]

The NDP use to let on that they wouldn't resort to attack ads, that they were more positive then that.

Maybe they can trot out the Conservative line:

"They're not attack ads. They're informative ads. We're informing the public about [the Harper Conservatives]."

[cybercoma]

If you interpret these ads as "gutter, bullying" politics, you need to grow a thicker skin. The Conservatives have more money than the other parties and are putting the funds to good use. BTW, kudos for not having (yet) qualified these ads as "American style".

Fear mongering through misleading soundbites, out of context quotes, and unflattering pictures of your opposition is hardly "putting funds to good use." I find it disgusting that the NDP is doing it now and I find it disgusting that the Conservatives are engaging in it. I would be disgusted during an election campaign, but it really pisses me off that this is now 365 days a year roughly 3 years away from an election.

The problem is that the ads work. Enough of them over 3 years' time will alter perceptions and build up a narrative about one's opponents.

I certainly understand why it's being done and I've explained why the NDP is doing it, but I sure as hell don't agree with any of it. I also lay the blame at Harper's feet for running on this strategy of running attack ads years before an election. We saw with the Liberals what happens when they go unresponded. So running these things, no matter who begins it during any given election period, starts a race to the bottom.

[waldo]

Waldospeak is not easy to comprehend.

your perpetual marginalization attempts are weak, timid attempts to deflect

If you interpret these ads as "gutter, bullying" politics, you need to grow a thicker skin. The Conservatives have more money than the other parties and are putting the funds to good use. BTW, kudos for not having (yet) qualified these ads as "American style".

if you interpret 'these (Harper Conservative) gutter, bullying attack ads' as business-as-usual, you need to ratchet your mindset away from the Harper Conservative strident drive to emulate and copy all that is 'American GOP style'.

[waldo]

In this climate, Parliament goes to the highest bidder.

per capricornspeak, one gets the best government that attack ad monies can buy!

[cybercoma]

True. The NDP is asking supporters to share the ad with their friends and families. The danger here is that the ad will be viewed mostly in NDP friendly territory, equivalent to preaching to the converted. Of course, MSM coverage will help as the curious (like me) will view the ad.

I think it was a really smart move. MSM has been spreading it all over the internet and their broadcasts on television. The NDP is getting nearly as much coverage as the CPC at a fraction of the cost.

[August1991]

I thought these NDP anti-Harper ads (in English and French) were lame. The Conservative ads against Dion and Ignatieff were much more effective.

The NDP is going to have to figure out a much better way to attack Harper in 30 seconds.

To start with, I would ignore the French ad. Second, I'd concentrate on the key issue/factor/feature about Harper that troubles swing voters in southern Ontario. (Maybe it's the fact that Harper doesn't appear to play well with others... Dunno.) Research, focus group the idea. Build the attack ads around that idea.

The goal should be to ensure that whatever happens to Liberal suppport, the Tories never rise above 35%.

Edited July 11, 2012 by August1991

[westguy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIH-dknpjVQ

This is the political climate that the Conservatives have created and I find it appalling. Canada under Conservative rule is one non-stop political campaign with parties churning out their respective propaganda.

While I'm disappointed in the NDP for playing along with stupid games, what else are they to do? The Liberals ignored the Conservative ads and it crushed Ignatieff come election time because they had built up a narrative before the writ was even dropped.

Edit: corrected link embedding

the ad is pure leftist propaganda. I suppose the NDP would like us alll to believe that Harper caused the great recession of 2008 or that Canada was immune. Thank god they will never have to govern.

[cybercoma]

the ad is pure leftist propaganda. I suppose the NDP would like us alll to believe that Harper caused the great recession of 2008 or that Canada was immune. Thank god they will never have to govern.

Yeah.. and your party's ads are just the pure unadulterated truth, right? It's all partisan nonsense that has no place outside of an election period.

[madmax]

You people on the Left need to stop equating a lack of ability to give everyone all the money they want with being under attack.

The government only has so much money. It can only fund so much. You guys want it to fund absolutely everything and everyone. It's not possible. That's why, when such spending gets out of line, the govenrment has to, from time to time, trim it back. That happens whether the government is conservative, liberal, social democratic or communist. It really doesn't matter. You can't forever pay out more than you take in. Just ask the Greeks.

Not a fan of the ad.

But it appears you bit and its the debate the NDP are looking to have...

[westguy]

There is truth to the statement. Harper is attacking Canadians that NEED most help. He did change EI and pension and has the largest deficit in Canadian history.If most Canadians asked themselves if they are better off today than 6-7 years ago, I would say the answer would be NO!

oh give it a rest. Harper merely encouraged "EI regulars" to contribute to the economy rather than sit on their seasonal asses. The OAS changes will not take effect for several years. Are you seriously suggesting that Harper caused the deficit when the world was in a major economic meltown? I suggest Harper DID help those of us who still pay taxes and those steps were long overdue.

[Shady]

Yeah.. and your party's ads are just the pure unadulterated truth, right? It's all partisan nonsense that has no place outside of an election period.

I agree that it's usually all partisan nonsense, but I disagree that one should only be able to run a political ad during an "approved" time by the government. That would never survive a legal challenge.

[westguy]

True. The NDP is asking supporters to share the ad with their friends and families. The danger here is that the ad will be viewed mostly in NDP friendly territory, equivalent to preaching to the converted. Of course, MSM coverage will help as the curious (like me) will view the ad.

we ALL know the subsidized CBC will.

[westguy]

Yeah.. and your party's ads are just the pure unadulterated truth, right? It's all partisan nonsense that has no place outside of an election period.

you act like the Cons are the only one playing dirty pool

[punked]

the ad is pure leftist propaganda. I suppose the NDP would like us alll to believe that Harper caused the great recession of 2008 or that Canada was immune. Thank god they will never have to govern.

What recession? You would think if there was such a great recession you speak of in 2008 that by the end of 2008 you know around October Harper would have known about it.

So again lets not talk about your excuses because it seems that your party is a bunch of flip floppers."

[cybercoma]

What recession? You would think if there was such a great recession you speak of in 2008 that by the end of 2008 you know around October Harper would have known about it.

So again lets not talk about your excuses because it seems that your party is a bunch of flip floppers."

He also blew threw that surplus well before that too. Slashing the GST also helped ensure that all these cutbacks would be necessary now.

[punked]

He also blew threw that surplus well before that too. Slashing the GST also helped ensure that all these cutbacks would be necessary now.

That is all well and good but Conservatives rewriting history about the 2008 slump their guy says would never happen even when we were in the middle of it is super rich.

[Keepitsimple]

I think the ad will backfire on the NDP. Regardless of their stand on issues, they were gaining ground with a segment of the population by appearing to be something new and different. This ad shows that they are just like the other parties but just as important, it shows that they too will go "over the top". In the last election, Conservative attack ads were fact-based - even though the Liberals huffed and puffed. The Canadians that the NDP are trying to attract are smart enough to know that we are in a Global financial crisis and that Canada is doing quite well - relatively speaking. Their mistake is trying to convince Canadians that Canada is somehow doing poorly when all the other Global economies are already in the toilet. Good luck to them.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Keepitsimple

[capricorn]

The Canadians that the NDP are trying to attract are smart enough to know that we are in a Global financial crisis and that Canada is doing quite well - relatively speaking. Their mistake is trying to convince Canadians that Canada is somehow doing poorly when all the other Global economies are already in the toilet. Good luck to them.

In a recent global survey commissioned by the Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation, and conducted by global research firm TNS and Dutch consulting firm Anker Solutions, Canadians emerged as one of the most optimistic countries with regard to the state of the economy within the global financial crisis. Full version of this press release along with the survey charts and commentary from a TNS expert is available directly on www.tnscanada.ca/news/CANADIANS-AMONG-MOST-OPTIMISTIC-IN-THE-WORLD-ABOUT-ECONOMY.pdf .

Optimism in Canada, Brazil, and South Africa

Brazil is the most optimistic country in our poll with more than two out of three respondents saying their country is headed in the right direction. Canada, comes in as a strong second: as many as 61 percent of the Canadian respondents believe their country is headed in the right direction followed by South Africa where 53 percent believe their country is headed in the right direction. This contrasts to the US and not surprisingly, Greece where pessimism is highest.

(emphasis mine)

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1004293/canadians-among-most-optimistic-in-the-world-about-economy-but-don-t-like-austerity-direction-global-survey

The majority of Canadians have an upbeat feeling about the state of our economy. The last thing they want is the NDP to upset the apple cart. Yes, there are things the Conservatives did that merit criticism but most Canadians don't appear as ready as the NDP to blacken their entire economic record.