07.13.2011 09:07 AM

Of ads, polls and such

Sayeth the Globe:

“The provincial Liberals have learned from this federal Conservative campaign, not just by co-opting its tone, but by starting airing their ads months before the writ actually drops.

…these ads could well make a difference by the time Oct. 6 rolls around.

Liberal MPP Bob Chiarelli has defended their content, saying Mr. Hudak’s promises “have no substance and cannot be backed up by any third party advocate with any credibility whatsoever.”

“There’s no plan, there’s no priorities, there’s no policies. It’s a sham. It’s a scam.”

It’s an argument that could have particular resonance in the GTA, where the city is still coming to terms with its decision to elect a mayor who promised a taxpayer windfall without showing how he would make it possible.

Across the province, communities are facing real needs: crises in health care and education, shortfalls in infrastructure and innovation.

Unless Mr. Hudak and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath can persuade people they have real solutions, and the money to pay for them, Mr. McGuinty’s attack ads just might be enough to earn him another term.”

And the Globe’s Siri Agrell is right, as I wrote in this book: some may say that they don’t like critical ads about a politician’s public record.  But they pay attention to them, and are motivated by them.  As I’ve said a million times before, there’s nothing “negative” about shining a bright light on an opponent’s public record.

The ad released yesterday – seen again above this post – is merely a collection of things the media, not Liberals, have said about Tim Hudak.  The PCs, who can’t take a punch without crying like little babies, have been shrieking mightily about them – on this web site and elsewhere.  It seems their hero Harper is permitted to do ’em, but not anybody else.  Uh-huh. Pot, kettle, black, etc.

Ontario Liberals are indeed in a tough fight to win the support of Ontarians.  After being in government for nearly a decade, and after having made some tough decisions, I’d expect nothing else.  In fact, I had frankly expected we’d be further behind, at this point, than we are.

What you shouldn’t expect is that we will simply roll over and hand over the keys to a dishonest, facile politician like Tim Hudak (cf., said he’d “stop the HST in its tracks,” now plans to keep it; said full-day kindergarten is a “frill,” now claims he’ll keep it; attacked human rights laws repeatedly, now insists he’s changed his mind, etc. etc.).  We won’t do that, because we genuinely believe Hudak is in it for himself, and not Ontarians.  He’s a phony, fatuous fratboy.

And we will therefore fight for every vote until the very last moment.

 

22 Comments

  1. VH says:

    On point ads before the writ? Warren, I can get behind that.

    Hudak’s economic policies, like all conservative economic policies, are a scam. Love the idea.

  2. A. Cynic says:

    It’s about time. The last thing we need in Ontario is another Con government.

  3. allegra fortissima says:

    Might be an excellent idea to pay attention to the NDP, don’t you think? Especially when bills like this are on the table (I wonder whether it ever passed…)

    http://youtu.be/omhPld-FcYM

  4. Outsider says:

    I despised the Harper government’s descent into wallowing in the political mud, U.S. style. I said so here on several occasions. But the Libs would be foolish to try to take the high road this time, especially considering we can count on more of the same from the provincial Tories. I still hate that style of messaging, but if the Tories don’t like it, tough – you reap what you sow. I hope the mud sticks.

    • HarryR says:

      Yes, I really feel your pain.
      It must have been even more distressing for you to have weathered the precedents set by the two previous Lib regimes.

      • Outsider says:

        If you are trying to suggest that the Tories have not been the leading the way to wallowing, then there is no point in talking further with you.

  5. CQ says:

    “To be The Man, you got to beat the man”. Given all three major parties currently, I’m not looking forward to the Fall election.

  6. DL says:

    “That, and Ontarians should still remember how utterly awful the NDP were when they were actually in power.”

    You bet! BOB RAE – the CURRENT LEADER OF THE LIBERAL PARTY OF CANADA was an awful premier. I sincerely hope that Ontario Liberals spend as much time as possible telling people that the national leader of their party was an incompetent – the more they do that – the more people they will drive into the arms of the Ontario NDP. Please make my day!!!

    • TofKW says:

      Yes DL, it was all Bob Rae’s fault. Pay no attention to the rest of the members of the party (the community activists, union heads and poli-sci dropouts I mentioned earlier) that were creating legislation and public policy. Typical partisan dipper dribble, blame the leader and totally ignore the rest of the team. You’re so predictable DL, don’t ever change.

  7. DL says:

    Bob Rae ran the Ontario NDP with an iron fist – some of the saner voices in cabinet tried to talk sense into him – but he just forged ahead with his personal reckless agenda. 100% of what was done from 1990 to 1995 was BOB RAE’s responsibility and his alone. Now that he is a Liberal – the poison has been removed from the NDP and happy days are here again. Now the Liberals can endure the toxicity that is Bob Rae.

    • TofKW says:

      Bob Rae ran the Ontario NDP with an iron fist ? some of the saner voices in cabinet tried to talk sense into him…

      Saner voices talking sense to Bob? Like that time when Ruth Grier was crying in cabinet to get her way, is that how you mean? Oh, wait, that must have been because Big Bad Bob was imposing his iron-fisted agenda to destroy Ontario’s health system against Grier’s better judgement. Ya that’s it.

      I think you mean the more insaner NDP members were against Rae, because he was attempting, at least in the later-half of his term, to lead Ontario like a Robarts/Davis Tory government …you know, the highly successful, moderate, pro-business kind. The ones Ontarians like to re-elect.

      You’re spinning your wheels here DL, even micro-manager extraordinaire Harper doesn’t exert the total control your assigning to Bob Rae. You guys sucked in power and your whole party wears that, from Bob on down.

  8. QMark says:

    “after having made some tough decisions”

    Excuse me? What tough decisions? The very reason the McGuinty government is in a funk is precisely because they failed to make any such tough decisions, preferring instead to kowtow to whatever client group asked for buckets of money – teacher’s unions are just exhibit A – and defer the difficult task of, you know, saying no sometimes (a task which, as Chretienite, I am sure you will appreciate some Liberals are actually capable of when in power).

  9. DL says:

    Maybe McGuinty can invite his federal leader Bob Rae to go on tour across Ontario – giving stirring speeches about how when he was premier he ran the province into the ground and try to convince people that because the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada didn’t know how to run a peanut stand – people should avoid voting for Andrea Horwath of the ONDP. Good luck Bob and Dalton – you’ll need it!

    Notice that the really successful NDP premiers like Schreyer and Doer and Romanow and Harcourt etc…are 100% loyal New Democrats. The two incompetent flops who ran their provinces into the ground – Bob Rae and Ujjal Dosanjh – are now Liberals. Quite frankly if the Liberals want to go rutting through the NDP’s garbage can looking for cast-offs they can be my guest.

  10. Leroy says:

    Seems some polls are telling us that the Liberals messages are beginning to take hold especially in the GTA.

    I think for the most part Torontonians realize that having solid blue in Toronto would be a tragedy. And in the GTA generally where there are municipal governments that lean Liberal (ie Vaughan and Markham) there has been solid honest brokerage. Couple that with strong Liberal candidates in the GTA with solid reputations for civility and honesty (ie incumbants Greg Sorbara in Vaughan, Mike Chan in Richmond Hill and newcomer to politics but well-liked and respected Bernie Farber in Thornhill) the PCs will have a tough fight to hold current seats or beat incumbants.

  11. DB Smith says:

    The Liberals started with a $5.0 deficit, turned it into a $19.0 billion dollar deficit that is being lowered because the Liberals have turned the Province into a have not province that receives will receive $2.3 Billion in equalization payments and support payments and the Liberals managed to do that while killing over 300,000 manufacturing jobs, while raising our taxes, our debt levels.

    So for Liberal MPP Bob Chiarelli to say Mr. Hudak’s promises “have no substance and cannot be backed up by any third party advocate with any credibility whatsoever.” “There’s no plan, there’s no priorities, there’s no policies. It’s a sham. It’s a scam.”
    is at best disengenous – but very Liberal of them.

    • Attack! says:

      McGuinty killed manufacturing jobs? That’s crap.

      The recession, the rising Cndn dollar, and globalization are the primary factors underlying the loss of factory/manufacturing jobs AND the revenue base…

      i.e., the US, our major customer, isn’t buying as much from us both because they don’t have as much money and because our goods cost them and a whole lot of countries a whole lot more than they used to (when our buck was only worth 70c US); other, emerging countries are producing competing goods for a fraction of the price by paying just a fraction of the wages (and sometimes by having dodgier standards; lead-painted Chinese toys, anyone?); our companies AND consumers are enabling that by outsourcing & by not buying Cndn products; and when those manufacturing people get laid off, they pay less taxes and all the businesses they used to support suffer and THEY pay less taxes, too.

      So tell us, Mr/s. Smith, how would a Conservative provincial government have prevented any of that from happening or manage to produce some better outcome? Do tell… and, heck, now you’ve even got the benefit of hindsight. What’s the c. 2000 plan to insulate Ontario from globalization (apart from forcing everyone to lose all their benefits and accept little better than minimum wages so they could no longer afford a home or raise a family well, that is?)

  12. okay says:

    Board of education need to review thier systmes in Ontario toward good
    when you know alot you suffer alot

    Regret will come when you see the past history is gone and see unfairly and not it was your fault it was environment you live it all but world is not perfect and must adopt to it and fight bad and respect good full regret of what children grow here in wrongdoing or see someone take your profit becaue you lable Muslim of how long we can handle it here this will change but not in our life time I am not pesmetic I am realistic to facts you do not live for your happiness you live for all people around you who are link with you happiness for muslim childre it is not happy country to enjoy all kind of freindship easy or trust teacher in this country easy last two month ago one school in Toronot who charge kids $450 for 3 days trip to Ottawa to show them Harper house and member of parlement empty places and I heard two teacher has affair and next month one divorce and mary other teacher who travel togetehr you feel unsafe to send your kids with nonMuslim teacher too without all camera watch them long story I can not say it all to you

    I am not racist if I feel hate toward any race I go to hell as Muslim relgion ban us to be think racist.
    And

    You are wrong some one need to get paid or has free time and rich enough to review all problems and good part of living among NonMuslim people and handle Muslim culture and adopt it in politic and this is reason some one knowledable need to hire in senate to address what you see uncomfortable and what Muslim botehr here and find solution not only complain about them

    Ahmadiah and Isalmiah is not true Muslim and not know best part of Isalm and if Harper give them more mosque because
    they are richer Muslim in Canada

    we can not always believe every body is rich is good and has knowledge you are wrong about that branch of Islam to support them

    Islami not wear hijab too for their women stings
    sorry this is my opinion

    we can not allow to sell country to US for give us ticket to pay them bribe enter to US country because they are rich they know better than us I am not anti US or hate american but not give them free and put them best and we are below abusivly

    we can not sell our coutnry to rich Canadian to force more unfair profit to pay more tax and we need rich and poor and midclass to run country each do job valuable for all of us both sometime
    I am not anti rich nor Islam is not antirich

    I am not respect anybody who do not work and get heritage from father as we see all rich kids are spoil in supermodle or hollywood actors and etc and if children of king and queen like to travel so what they have right to travle and enjoy their wealth and life but not with us force to pay them their travel cost frees that is old fashion not value to me

    ————–

    My only regret of living here is to hear and accept all abuse here over years of see ingorants
    from NonMuslim toward Muslim and nobody stop them
    but must be very strong to help nonmuslim and keep innocent muslim kid safe among them
    and not get influence with them
    otherwise for adult muslim we can live anywhere we do not listen to nonMuslim easy but children do

    who is better than other person is not to annoce he or she is muslim
    but also
    who is better than other that thier heart and intention is toward god and act & think like human

    plus
    living among majority of nonmuslim and stay as Muslim miniroty is very very difficult job is and it is like some one send as mission to help or adopt with new group

    Muslim school has two solutions:

    1) to made more private school in safe area or made private school in mosque

    close friday like other muslim countreis for friday pray

    as saturday is closed for jewish pray
    and sunday for christian

    and allow Muslim kids come on Saturday for continue education or made afternoon on Friday for school dedication

    even month of Ramazan and fasting can give some job break and allow them to study on July extra month to cover month of ramazan fasting time

    there is 100 solution is exist

    made Muslim children in private up to from grade 1 to 12 and up to undergraducate study of 4 years is good

    but in age 24 kid get develop as Muslim and not easy go and change to society and affect to drink or go to dance party

    for master degree and phd if join with nonMuslim children is ok that time

    there is share community that children in Canada grow and understand nonmuslim multiculture and respect and made safty for themselve to not argue too much with them and try to find some kind or link of freinship

    in result
    we need more Muslim has become teacher in Canada and teach Muslim kid and or even help nonmuslim shcool or teach them some good values

    some mandorty course like chemistry or math can share with nonmuslim
    but I recommanded all classes has camera to watch them how to teach kid and not go above boarder or train hate or disrepect or allow them to gain bad culture of west injected to Muslim kid here

    other second solution:

    to made some kind of above in nonmuslim school to adopt with Muslim culture and allow them to get shape and ask to again have camera in classroom and watch nobody abuse Muslim kid who study in majroty with nonmuslim kid and teach them dance or drinking culture to them

    grow based of Muslim innocnet kid with some kind of corrpted school systems and bad teachers can affect increase hate among muslim kid and or act like them or grow confuse or loose their selfconfidence
    In some cases of cities has no choices and private school is expensive unless muslim help mosoque to create cheaper to help their kid grow healthy mind and body and understand good science too
    what is important mathematics do not teach how to be good
    but good teacher principal are main issue
    for first 15 years of age of all young boys and girls

    Muslim feel sick of all abuse nonMuslim media enter to their kids and made fun of them for made themselve up

    people who made some one down are feel down and low and mentally try to do this exercise bullying

    when someone charge Muslim by hate and interfer to their profit to live or eat more expensive and charge you high cost because you are Muslim must pay pentally to food nonMuslim countries food factory. this is also regret and abuse I can not handle it still and fight for it for years!!
    solution Muslim work among each other and get independet in essential here and not allow abuse

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