Tories to Run Negative TV Ad Campaign

[Fortunata]

Opposition parties oppose. The Cons did it for years, now it is the Libs turn. The NDP pick and choose what they support and oppose by the government by how many votes it will get them in the next election. The Libs are doing no different than the Steve party did before they were elected. Hello, Steve ... you WERE elected by our (faulty they may be) rules to govern; quit acting like an opposition party. The ads do show that they only have opposition mentality, not governing mentality.

As for being unCanadian if you don't give Steve a pass on his mistakes - BULLTWEET. The most patriotic thing you can do is hold a government responsible and accountable; you can't do this by giving him a pass. The old Con mentality of if you don't agree with me you're not a real Canadian just shows how inflexible and narrow minded the hard core Stevies really are. What a joke that is.

[Canuck E Stan]

I'll throw it back to you. do you have any proof that they weren't on TV?

Assume they werent. So the media is lying to us, then? Rogers saying the ads were effective was a fabricated story? Well, quite the conspiracy theory there. The ads are on the net though, and they were produced and released by the conservative party. So whether or not they aired (which they more likely than not did air), they are still out there in the public domain for anyone to see.

That stuff should be saved for election time.

mtm,

Get a grip, you're working yourself into a frenzy, not healthy you know.

I saw one on CTV the other day.

Thanks newbie, that's all that I wanted to know.

[mtm]

I don't think the NDP do things in parliament based on the support they get based on it. If that were the case they would get a few more votes. They have taken some unpopular but principled stands (Afghanistan) that did not win them any favours in popular opinion. They may not be everyone's favorite in terms of their beliefs but they tend to be the only ones that stick to them. And as an example in NS where they are the official opposition, they don't act as OTAE (Opposition to Absolutely Everything), they do actually praise Rodney McDonald when he (rarely) avoids corruption and does a good thing. I think that when you vote NDP you know you will get someone who will do what they say they are going to do, except stealing diamonds, and will work with anyone in the other parties to try and get it done. That is their unique advantage. The other parties can't and won't do that.

Of all the parties they tend to take a stand on things they believe in, and do tend to at least ostensibly try to get things done. Nobody is perfect, but lets not totally discredit their role. Do we really want a two-party system with the Bloc dictating our fate? (Well maybe you do, but I dont). Democratic choice is a wonderful thing. I sometimes wish our system could just drop the strict party lines and work together for uh....ideas that work...er...where have I heard that slogan before?

[BC_chick]

mtm,

Get a grip, you're working yourself into a frenzy, not healthy you know.

Brilliant!

From arguing semantics to personal attacks.

Sound "conservative" logic.

Perhaps one of these times you'll address the point.

[mtm]

hey, don't blame him, it works.

They win elections on it.

Maybe one day John Q. Public will get wise to it. We can hope.

[margrace]

Of course the ads are on TV. I saw one a few minutes ago and like a lot of adds they really turn me off. Why don't the people who produce these grow up.

[jbg]

Now, getting on topic here, to why this relates to the TV ads. While the Liberals are leading the Opposition by opposing, Harper is trying to govern by opposing. This latest move is a pre-emptive attack on the Liberals, against what they supposedly stand for. But Harper is leading the GOVERNMENT. As such, he should not be performing partisan business on behalf of his party, he should be governing the country.

I guess you should learn a few things about running a successful minority government. Running such a government is always a blend of governing and opposing. Even in the US, where Clinton effectively ran a "minority government" (though one not subject to removals on confidence votes, though damn close to removal after impeachment trial), he had to run what was called the "non-stop campaign". His position was always that he was the outsider campaigning for the people against "Washington".

I think its a shame that the NDP have been marginalized as a "socialist" bunch of lefties. Theyve proven they can work with anybody, right or left. They dont care who leads the minority, they can just get to work and try and get the other two to implement some of their ideas and strategies. I wish that Stephie and Stephane would be so accomodating as to try and actually make things work, instead of automatically opposing each other. There are commonalities between all three parties, but due to the system they will never work out anything mutually agreeable.

NDP can work with anyone? Really? Besides joining in the non-confidence motion in November '05, I don't know what "work" they've done.

[mtm]

the liberal budget, the so called "NDP budget", the Cadman one. Layton was instrumental in getting that changed and passed.

and hopefully the "clean air plan" can be helped by the NDP. Come on, see this kind of partisan stuff bugs me. You think those 29 people just sit there in Ottawa and don't do anything? They work hard and do a lot, usually for the causes that none of the big two want to take on.

I know its in some people's best interests if the NDP weren't there but to completely marginalize them like what you just did is unfair and wrong.

It really bothers me when people discredit a party's relevance just because they don't agree with their policy or political orientation. If you ask me who I'd rather have on my side, Alexa McDonough or Paul Zed, I can tell you who I would want, regardless of if their party was in power. I looked on howdtheyvote.ca, and zed spoke one of the least of any MP's in all his time in the Martin government.

I think that there is no party in Parliament that shouldn't be there, and that if Canadians elected them they have a purpose and mandate to be there. They do work hard for us, some harder than others, but there are your go-getters and your slackers in all parties. The NDP tend to be more hard-working because they have lesser numbers so each has to take more duties on.

I don't care if you disagree with my vote or my point of view, but don't resort to cheap shots of an entire party that you can't back up. Tell Libby Davies, Olivia Chow or Bill Blakie that they arent working hard enough and they just sit around and do nothing for anyone.

The NDP are the only ones who have at least tried to make the minority work. In the position they have, that is their role anyway. But I support that role, instead of the liberal 'we oppose everything you do' and the conservative 'we oppose everything we think you may stand for in advance' stance.

[geoffrey]

Come on, see this kind of partisan stuff bugs me. You think those 29 people just sit there in Ottawa and don't do anything? They work hard and do a lot, usually for the causes that none of the big two want to take on.

The NDP worked with the CPC to protect the Great Bear Rainforest, one of the most amazing areas of Canadian ecology.

http://www.raincoast.org/proj-rainforest/index.shtml

And who said conservatives like I can't be tree-huggers.

[madmax]

Of course the ads are on TV. I saw one a few minutes ago and like a lot of adds they really turn me off. Why don't the people who produce these grow up.

There is no doubt that these are "negative" adds. They are American Style Hatchet jobs, but not nearly as bad as some of the scummy stuff you see from Democrats and Conservatives south of the border. The Liberals have run fear campaigns and scare tactics that were very effective up until 2006.

The current CPC adds, I first wondered, "why bother" no one cares, but these adds have been very very effective in crippling any momentum Dion had with Environmentally concerned voter.

And really, since I have no use for the Pro Iraqi War Ignatief, (He and Harper can compare notes on what went wrong), I get quite a kick out of using him to criticise Dions Environment record.

WHile the adds are a hatchet job, the element of truth that is behind them are what are forming the opinion. Not the hatchet job itself.

No different then those Joe Clark adds the Liberals ran in the late 70s early 80s.

More bad adds to come in Quebec. IF they go overboard, the blowback can be devastating. If they go just the right measure, more gains will be made in Quebec.

[jdobbin]

The Tories are launching new negative ads today.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/070213/...tory_attack_ads

The three new ads are to be broadcast in French to Quebec audiences starting Wednesday. They focus on Dion's environmental record, his relationship with Jean Chretien, the sponsorship scandal, and his stance on the fiscal imbalance.

They take a much different tone than the English ads released last month, using humour and parody to communicate the Conservative message.

Asked why the Tories are running the ads now, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier suggested it's a pre-emptive strike against the Liberals.

Given how people were turned off by the last set of ads, I wonder why they are bothering again.

[madmax]

NDP can work with anyone? Really? Besides joining in the non-confidence motion in November '05, I don't know what "work" they've done.

The NDP get limited opportunity to implement their policies. These occur in minority parliments federally and usually don't occur that often.

The NDP saved the Martin Government when the Conservatives walked away from supporting the budget. It was a Conservative friendly budget, and not an NDP friendly budget. The Libs worked with the NDP to rewrite the budget.

The NDP were then ignored by the Liberals and they choose to govern and act as if they were an untouchable Majority. The Liberals had already called an election, when Martin said he would have an election after the Sponsership report. The Liberals were then going to shop and buy votes across the country during this period and felt they didn't need the input from the NDP on anything else.

Such Arrogance from Liberal governments is not unusual, and they believed with the NDP low in the polls they would support them regardless of being ignored.

The NDP joined Harper and the Duceppe, and brought down the government roughly 6 weeks earlier, but this was of little real concern since MPs would have been on Holiday for most of the period that the election covered.

The NDP and the CPC haven't got alot done yet. There was alot of work together between Pat Martin and John Baird on the accountability act. I believe it was Johns ability to work with NDP counterparts that helped move him over to the stalled Environment portfolio.

There has been CPC actions towards the environment, whether these are old Liberal Plans or not, they are instigating them. They may have chosen to do this on their own, however, there are a number of these projects that are having CPC and NDP co-operation in BC.

The next road block is the committee on the environment. All these speakers are there to stall action and little else. I believe that if the NDP doesn't make any headway in this file, that they will pay for it at the polls. Which may be what the CPC strategists want.

But you never know. I do know that the NDP have some of the best people in parliment, and not simply warm bodies in safe seats. Bill Blakie probably has the safest seat, but he has been around since the flintstones.

Once A party gets large, it is not unusual to have lesser type individuals elected in ridings where your party is popular and the candidate an unknown.

[madmax]

Given how people were turned off by the last set of ads, I wonder why they are bothering again.

All indicators show that Liberal Supporters are turned off by the adds. Otherwise the adds are having the effect expected. People don't like negative adds, many get turned off by politics because of them. But the idea of negative adds are to hurt the other guy more then yourselfs. And these appear to be doing just that.

Polls showing Dions Leadership are falling rapidly. This would suggest the adds are effective.

[newbie]

I guess you should learn a few things about running a successful minority government. Running such a government is always a blend of governing and opposing. Even in the US, where Clinton effectively ran a "minority government" (though one not subject to removals on confidence votes, though damn close to removal after impeachment trial), he had to run what was called the "non-stop campaign".

And did Clinton run negative ads during a non-election period? Don't think so.

[jbg]

There is no doubt that these are "negative" adds. They are American Style Hatchet jobs, but not nearly as bad as some of the scummy stuff you see from Democrats and Conservatives south of the border. The Liberals have run fear campaigns and scare tactics that were very effective up until 2006.

Are the Yanks the bogeymen for everything bad up there?

[Wilber]

There is no doubt that these are "negative" adds. They are American Style Hatchet jobs, but not nearly as bad as some of the scummy stuff you see from Democrats and Conservatives south of the border. The Liberals have run fear campaigns and scare tactics that were very effective up until 2006.

Are the Yanks the bogeymen for everything bad up there?

Need you ask?

[jbg]

There is no doubt that these are "negative" adds. They are American Style Hatchet jobs, but not nearly as bad as some of the scummy stuff you see from Democrats and Conservatives south of the border. The Liberals have run fear campaigns and scare tactics that were very effective up until 2006.

Are the Yanks the bogeymen for everything bad up there?

Need you ask?

Yes. It shouldn't be that way. We're one of the better neighbors you could have, unless you enjoy your relationship with your other border country, Denmark, over Hans Island.

[madmax]

There is no doubt that these are "negative" adds. They are American Style Hatchet jobs, but not nearly as bad as some of the scummy stuff you see from Democrats and Conservatives south of the border. The Liberals have run fear campaigns and scare tactics that were very effective up until 2006.

Are the Yanks the bogeymen for everything bad up there?

Are you overly sensitive?

As George Bush says, "I've been in more then one Rodeo". US style politics and add campaigns have been in the gutter since I was a kid. The Terminator, attacked PUKE CAMPAIGNS run by the Democrats. In fact, dirty politics in the US is almost a kind of badge of honour. Push Polls derived by Karl Rove are considered brilliant. Bush campaigns for the Republican Nomination were nasty smears.

This isn't about a Bogeyman, it's about acknowledging the level of political engagement by spin doctors south of the border. Many of these people are hired North of the Border.

There are Hatchet jobs done in the US. It's a fact, and the CPC isn't operating on that level in these adds.

If you want a bogeyman, I would consider Putins silencing of opposition and media more of a bogeyman then the various puke campaigns that have occurred in US elections.

But the topic is not "bogeyman" it is "NEGATIVE TV ADD CAMPAIGN"... something that is not unknown in US politics.

[madmax]

Yes. It shouldn't be that way. We're one of the better neighbors you could have, unless you enjoy your relationship with your other border country, Denmark, over Hans Island.

We are the best neighbor you could have!

[Wilber]

But the topic is not "bogeyman" it is "NEGATIVE TV ADD CAMPAIGN"... something that is not unknown in US politics.

Or Canadian. Witness the last two Liberal campaigns. What's the old saying about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?

[Topaz]

Harpo at times reminds me as a "schoolyard bully" or "spoiled kid" and he show this characteristics at times in question period. He appears to be desperate again, as much as he was when trying to bring down Martin govt. Pity!!! I think most Canadians voters don't like ads as this and WE, ALL know about the FORMER Liberal party and I wish he spend more time on the environment and health care and less time on his panic attacks! Isn't he taking his anti-depression pills?? Something he shares with Bush!

[Keepitsimple]

I just took a look at the French ads on the Conservative website. My elementary French allows me to follow along. I think they are really going to do well in Quebec. They are funny, witty, and they have a point. Even if you can't understand French, have a look - and a chuckle......my apologies to Liberals.

[geoffrey]

I just took a look at the French ads on the Conservative website. My elementary French allows me to follow along. I think they are really going to do well in Quebec. They are funny, witty, and they have a point. Even if you can't understand French, have a look - and a chuckle......my apologies to Liberals.

The French ads are more effective than the English ones I think... much higher production value anyways.