Here’s a negative web attack ad from the Conservatives. Well, at least I assume they’re responsible for this effort as the production values seem a bit too slick for an amateur job, although it’s not authorized and doesn’t mention the Conservatives by name.
Is it possible that the ad was made by “Lisa” the “23 year old animation student living in Canada” who had to “make a youtube channel for class” and only joined YouTube yesterday? Her sole other video is a Carrie Bradshaw interview, but maybe that’s just there to throw people off and give it the look of verismilitude. I love the faux innocent comment that accompanies the video:
Stephane Dion has a new policy advisor: Bob Rae! Yes. That Bob Rae.
My parents hated Bob Rae when I was a kid and I couldn’t believe it when my dad called to tell me he was now helping the Liberals.
I dunno, does that sound a little contrived, or am I just being overly conspiratorial here?
Whatever the case, it’s quite the hit job. I especially like the almost subliminal whispering of “dangerous” and “risky” in the background (listen very carefully) which are then more forthrightly announced at the end. Anyway as “Lisa” would say “Toodles!”
40 Comments
September 19, 2008 at 5:29 am
Apparently the Libs are also resorting to framing Harper in white-and-black imagery. Maybe it’s a trend. Maybe press releases will be cranked out on typewriters and faxed. The brain trusts are hard at work.
September 19, 2008 at 5:41 am
Oh, that’s a time-honoured technique. Black and white always connotes “evil” or “scary”…
September 19, 2008 at 5:47 am
Rae – policy adviser who has others on that team, like Scott Brison.
Rae – who will not be finance minister.
Rae – who reflected and saw the errors of his ways.
Rae – who followed the Mulroney disaster.
Not making excuses, but really there are other factors involved.
So, it appears that the CPC think Dion is doomed and Rae will step in….and they’re preparing for this moment.
September 19, 2008 at 5:57 am
I like how the make it sound as if Rae created the recession all by himself. One can argue with the ways in which he dealt with it, but suggesting that “he threw Ontario into the worst recession since the dirty 30s” is a bit rich.
If we hit the wall in the next six months (unlikely, but not out of the question), can we forever say that the Harper government “threw Canada into it”?
September 19, 2008 at 6:15 am
I agree, and those who hated him for “Rae Days” where the kind who only gave a shit about themselves by not wanting to sacrifice temporarily to save the jobs of thousands. I wasn’t happy to have a smaller paycheck, but when I look back on it, it seemed like the right thing to do. And in fact later on in that decade a private corporation was facing similar decisions of laying off staff and took the decision to reduce hours in order to keep as many jobs as possible. And you know how left-wing international corporate culture is!
The recession was here, and I bet Bob Rae is flattered to think that others think he has that kind of advanced economic skill set that he can bring in economic storms with the same ease as Harper cut our surplus.
Maybe the should have added that Rae is also responsible for the credit crunch and the failing multinationals out there as well.
September 19, 2008 at 6:23 am
If we hit the wall in the next six months (unlikely, but not out of the question), can we forever say that the Harper government “threw Canada into it”?
And if the reverse happens, can we also say that the Harper government “got Canada out of it”?
September 19, 2008 at 6:41 am
Barkman — That doesn’t quite make sense, but yes, if we avoid going into recession, etc. then it would be fair to give them credit for sound economic management. It cuts both ways. Except of course when it comes to the Liberals who, as we know, are eeeeeeevil and had nothing whatsoever to do with the sound economic position of Canada prior to 2006 when everything turned to sunshine and lollipops under Harper.
September 19, 2008 at 6:59 am
Red re “…if we avoid going into recession, etc. then it would be fair to give them credit for sound economic management.”
Too many factors in play, global in scope, etc. for any political party to either claim success or get whacked with the brush of failure. Yeah, spin is spin, but that does not eliminate the underlying dynamics.
September 19, 2008 at 7:08 am
Yes, of course. You and I know that, but I wasn’t going to waste time on a “nuanced” response for our dear friend Barkman.
September 19, 2008 at 7:23 am
Ontario’s economic forecast was bleak when Rae took office in October 1990. The Liberal government had forecast a small surplus earlier in the year, but a worsening North American economy led to a $700 million deficit before Rae took office. In October, the NDP projected a $2.5 billion deficit for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 1991 Some economists projected soaring deficits for the upcoming years, even if the Rae government implemented austerity measures. Rae himself was critical of the federal government’s high interest rate policy, arguing that it would lead to increased unemployment throughout the country. He also criticized the 1991 federal budget, arguing the Finance Minister Michael Wilson was shifting the federal debt to the provinces.
…he may not have handled things well, but if you look at what Harper is doing and what Mulroney/Wilson did…time to think.
September 19, 2008 at 7:29 am
I love the “Chatty Cathie” voice of the narrator. Sounds like Tasha Harridan…er…I mean Kheiriddin.
Truth be told though, all the Conserva-gals sound like like.
I really hate these people.
September 19, 2008 at 7:42 am
[...] you. Update: See also this YouTube on Bob Rae from Canadian Conservative who apparently got it from Red Tory. My thanks to [...]
September 19, 2008 at 7:50 am
Oooh…it’s going viral, and Crock of Lies is crediting you for finding it, Red.
How did you find it, anyway?
September 19, 2008 at 8:03 am
Mmmm… nice one-two-punch video that attacks both the Liberals and NDP.
One of the parties would do well to directly connect Jim “Ontario Blowz” Flaherty, Tony “I’m a Doctor” Clement, and John “Dinosaur Farts” Baird to the Harris regime… The only government garnering more hatred in Ontario than Rae’s NDP.
September 19, 2008 at 8:32 am
Having kept Canada out of what the USA is experencing today as our largest trading partner while other G6 nations are experiencing similar or worse decline like the USA…last I checked Harpers done that with the help of Canadians… actions speak louder then words and having also lived through Rae Days in Ontario and got out while the getting was good only to be hit with the same deal 4 years later in BC I’ve lived through what amounts to Leftist budget strategy’s… If you want to dive Canada into recession vote for Dion and Rae and enjoy Rae Days nation wide. To quote the ad and tag line attached to the big red machine…”Not worth the risk”
September 19, 2008 at 8:34 am
Has no one bothered to watch what happens to the Canadian Dollar under Conservative Gov’t verses Liberals in the last 35 years or more?!?
September 19, 2008 at 8:40 am
last I checked Harpers done that with the help of Canadians
Harper’s done dick all.
September 19, 2008 at 8:55 am
Ed — The rise of the Canadian dollar is due more to the decline of the US dollar during the same period. It’s not quite that simple of course, there are a number of other factors at play such as rising commodity prices that we of course benefit from. As noted here the other day, part of the reason we’ve been spared from the sub-prime mess and the melt-down on Wall Street is due to our tighter regulatory environment and, quite frankly, protectionist policies governing the banking and investment industries here in Canada.
Ascribe it all to Harper if you want, but that’s not actually the fact of the matter.
September 19, 2008 at 9:34 am
The conservatives do pretty well at digging up unflattering pictures of liberal candidates. It totally looks like Dion and Rae are about to make out. Will the liberals put that ridiculous photo of Steve Harper dressed up as a cowboy-cum-leather master in their ads?
September 19, 2008 at 9:38 am
u could be right redtory. just cuz you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that they’re not out to get you.
on the other hand with the editing tools out there now and a bit of skill….. just take a look at some of the spoofs out there.
September 19, 2008 at 9:45 am
The thing that’s suspicious are the newspaper headlines from the period. Bit of a reach for a 23 year-old animation student who, like everyone else in her demographic, is illiterate.
September 19, 2008 at 9:45 am
I’ve been through a LOT of YouTube videos and 98.3% are complete crap. This looks like a professional job. But of course I could be wrong.
Maybe we should get Steve Janke to “analyze” it. You know, if he’s not too busy measuring Garth’s post holes, or whatever he does to fill his spare time…
September 19, 2008 at 9:49 am
Statements like the following are ever so telling and informative…
“Ti-Guy
September 19, 2008 at 8:40 am
last I checked Harpers done that with the help of Canadians
Harper’s done dick all.
better do some reading there Ti-Guy before you take out that big paint brush statement…
http://harpergovernmentaccomplishments.com/?p=300
I also can provide you a link to 216 reasons published by the Toronto Sun in 2006 as to why not to vote Liberal…
September 19, 2008 at 10:19 am
LOL. The Crockerster’s Bullshit “List of Accomplishments”… Oh, that really is too funny. Have another glass of Kool-Aid® there, Mr. Ed.
September 19, 2008 at 10:20 am
http://harpergovernmentaccomplishments.com/?p=300
Ah yes, the work of the unbiased blogging Tory Crux-of-the-matter.
For the contrary opinion on the list, here’sCanadian Cynic’s views on it.
I also can provide you a link to 216 reasons published by the Toronto Sun in 2006 as to why not to vote Liberal…
Oh no, not the Toronto Sun, the one paper of authority and truth in the… enough with the sarcasm, but seriously, the only paper more blindly in love with the Conservatives than the Toronto Sun is the National Post.
September 19, 2008 at 10:26 am
Heh heh. Poor Mr. Ed thinks I’m not aware of Harrisite fraud Crock-0-Shit’s list.
September 19, 2008 at 10:45 am
I also can provide you a link to 216 reasons published by the Toronto Sun in 2006 as to why not to vote Liberal…
Oh no, not the Toronto Sun, the one paper of truth in the GTA. Sarcasm aside, does anyone take the Toronto Sun seriously?
September 19, 2008 at 10:58 am
Hey, if memory servers, the first time Canada went into deficit in 12 years was this spring, under the Conservatives. And the only reason they got out of it was that oil went through the roof (and hence revenues from excise tax and GST) and the government got billions more than expected from the bandwidth auction.
And since the Conservatives have simultaneously increased spending – out spending any Liberal government of the past decade – while cutting taxes, I’ll bet there is a deficit by January. Indeed, I’ll bet that kind of knowlege and projection is why we are having an election right now.
Let’s not forget, this is what Dandy Jim Flaherty did to Ontario back in 2002 – pretend there’s no deficit and then boom, $6 billion out of nowhere.
These aren’t the PCs – the Reformers are the worst fiscal managers around.
September 19, 2008 at 11:23 am
Do they still have “Sunshine Girls” (and Boys)? I think that rules them out of being taken all that seriously. But then, most of the other dog trainers aren’t much better…
September 19, 2008 at 11:34 am
Herr Pavlov, surely you jest!
September 19, 2008 at 11:47 am
Do they still have “Sunshine Girls” (and Boys)? I think that rules them out of being taken all that seriously. But then, most of the other dog trainers aren’t much better…
They still have the “Sunshine Girls.” Unfortunately, the “Sunshine Boy” was discontinued.
September 19, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Can’t say that surprises me. It always seemed a little weird given the paper’s readership.
September 19, 2008 at 12:27 pm
It always seemed a little weird given the paper’s readership.
The Toronto Sun wasn’t always as cretinous or “conservative” (*snort*) as it is now. But like everything else associated with a coarsening, dumbed down middle class, it decayed.
September 19, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Isn’t this just a wonderfully positive and educated group here… looking down noses because we’re all sooooo superior.
You all seem to want to take shots at me or my understanding of facts in every way you can collectively come up with without actually providing a counter discussion or maybe provide actual information to prove me or the references I provided wrong.
I’m not closed minded… if you watch CPAC at all you’ll have seen last night (maybe 2 nights ago) when Nik really summed up the Liberal voter vs Conservative… Liberals vote liberals because they’ll always vote liberal, Conservatives vote conservative because something the party stands for hits home or they strongly relate to…
so, vote Liberal and be a drone or go out and become informed on issues and dealing outside of Canada and what works elsewhere in the world… then come back with some form or frame work or understanding of things outside the microverse of big city thinking and we can have a proper discussion here…
and the old saying about a pig in lipstick definately apply’s to Bob Rae… how much does he really believe in what he says or stands for when he can change political party’s without having to explain himself to anyone…?
September 19, 2008 at 4:03 pm
[...] For those of you who might need your memories jogged, here’s a little something (thanks to Red Tory, of all people; go [...]
September 19, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Of all people. Herumph!
September 19, 2008 at 6:25 pm
HOW DARE YOU ALL LOOK DOWN YOUR NOSE WITH YOUR KNOWING STUFF AND FACTS AND THINGS…
Elitist bastards always telling people about these “facts” and insisting on the “truth” …
I swear to god this dumbing down and the attack on intelligence that parts of the Canadian right have imported makes me want to vomit.
September 19, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I’m not closed minded… if you watch CPAC at all you’ll have seen last night (maybe 2 nights ago) when Nik really summed up the Liberal voter vs Conservative… Liberals vote liberals because they’ll always vote liberal, Conservatives vote conservative because something the party stands for hits home or they strongly relate to…
One study noted that liberal voters saw more shades of grey than conservative ones. Conservatives were more orderly. Liberal were more intellectually curious. (Note, these are conclusions were probably based on liberals and conservatives from the US, so the differences may not hold in other countries… then again, they may with certain segments.)
and the old saying about a pig in lipstick definately apply’s to Bob Rae… how much does he really believe in what he says or stands for when he can change political party’s without having to explain himself to anyone…?
In 2002, Bob Rae, he wrote an editorial in the National Post where he said he parted ways with the NDP because of their stand on Israel and their economic positions. Now this is more than Joe Flaherty ever did with regards to the so-called “Common Sense” revolution. In fact his campaign for the 2002 leadership of the Ontario PC party was that he was going to finish what “Mike Harris” had started. Funny that even PC members rejected Flaherty’s platform.
September 23, 2008 at 12:08 pm
“In 2002, Bob Rae, he wrote an editorial in the National Post where he said he parted ways with the NDP because of their stand on Israel and their economic positions.”
so he’s calling them anti semetics and didn’t like being in a party where their take after the provincial election he was decimated in was the end of their hopes to ever regain any semblance of Power in Ontario again…. ah…. so he joined a party that just distributes anti semetic hate literature during the leadership convention he lost in and who’s form of enviromental planning is to tax people and pay for carbon off sets with those tax dollars…doing nothing to reduce those pesky carbon emmisions… but if it succeeds then there are no added dollars in tax revinue (wasn’t it supposed to be revinue neutral) to pay for the 150 Billion dollars in spending they’ve promised to date in the election campaign…
I see… Okay…bob’s still batting 1000
September 23, 2008 at 12:26 pm
As for the “finish what Mike Harris started” line… Harris thought that industry in Ontario could recover as fast as Oil in Alberta can… or rather he was surounded by advisors that thought that…
The approach was actually quite simple in cut everything and fix what bleeds the most first… the problem is there are way too many factors in Ontario then in Alberta…firstly, and most obvious (looking back) is the plan was flawed by thinking a doomed economy based on jobs that are increasingly being outsourced to cheaper labour forces will recover and provide as much money as a natural resource that’s been going up in value, doesn’t pay wage increases, doesn’t strike, and isn’t affected by an increasing cost due to inflation… the next factor that they screwed up on was the fact Ontario is way bigger then Alberta when it comes to infrastructure and population…much higher operation costs.
I’m not here to get into that though… I believe it can work, probably the most cost effective way to go, but it’s a very painful approach to fixing a broken system if you’re forced to live through it.
One thing though…Alberta doesn’t have provincial sales tax any longer, they are now investing back into their struggling health care system which is the responsibility of the province…so please stop putting that on the Fed’s in your campaigning over on the Left… The provinces receive transfer payments and the Fed’s alot money for health care to the provinces via that mechanism… poor provincial management isn’t the Fed’s fault unless the provinces are willing to sign up for accountability on where they spend the money…. this is what causes all the Priemer Chest pounding and strutting… just watch Danny and Dalton over the campaign… In the past Harper’s told them to get the money they’d have to account where it was being spent and they both went ape…