The federal Tories unleashed attack ads on Michael Ignatieff that the federal Liberal leader’s elitism and, noting how many years Ignatieff lived outside the country, question his commitment to Canada.
The ads won’t work.
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For one thing, they’re aimed at a generation known for being media literate. These are savvy young citizens who can sniff out quotes that are used out of context and know how easy it is to paint a false picture – or any picture you want, for that matter – by cobbling together words and images.
For another, these ads make the Tories look like they haven’t passed civics 101. We don’t elect a president and so putting all the emphasis on the leader doesn’t make any sense. Ours is a Parliamentary system that focuses on team leadership and policies put together by the party. Attack ads like these make the Tories look like wannabe Americans.
Plus – talk about leaving yourselves wide open. How about some attack ads about Stephen Harper, he of the cold heart? I’d love a quote from him on why he passed on the 2006 international AIDS conference. Or how about his famous response to the CBC’s Peter Mansbridge regarding the failing economy, in which he suggested that an economic free-fall offered great opportunities for buying stocks cheap. Top it off with a shot of him shaking his kid’s hand on the way to school.
On the visual side, concentrate on the scary, steely gaze and offer lots of shots of Harper on his own, away from the crowds, whether they’re filled with voters or his own caucus, anything to press the point that Harper’s interested in centralizing power inside the Prime Minister’s Office.
But instead, Ignatieff has issued this appeal.
This is a public relations war the Prime Minister cannot win. The attack ads take aim at Ignatieff’s personality and his motives and, as personalities go, does Harper even have one?
