BC Attack Ad

Here's how Canadians get in the gutter and play the American "attack ad" approach to politics:



Actually, the ad is funny. It does slander and distort, but in a comfy Canadian "polite" way. I'm hoping the Liberals respond with a similarly cute ad built around the theme of the NDP promising "new and improved" fast ferries if they get back in power, like ferries that actually can run between Vancouver Island and Vancouver after spending $300 million in public funds unlike the boat anchors that were built with taxpayer money. This would be a good riposte to the sly "train giveaway" in the above ad. Yep... both parties have misgoverned! So the upcoming election will depend on who you believe will in fact deliver better government.

It is interesting that the Vancouver Sun reported this "political" story in its "entertainment" section: NDP launch attack TV ad on B.C. Premier Christy Clark

Meanwhile, on the national level, attack ads have lost their veneer of comfy Canadian and become more "go for the jugular American attack ad" aura. Here's Rick Mercer in 2009 setting us up for the new era:



His points are dead on. The Conservatives are working overtime to poison the well of politics (and to be fair, the other parties are slip sliding away and giving themselves over to this "new and improved" political campaigning style).

Here's a sampler of Conservative attack ads:





Sleazy!

Here's an example of a Liberal attack ad:



The sad fact is that none of the above enable a voter to make an intelligent choice. At least in the old days the parties would campaign on their platforms (and then ignore them once they were in power). The platform gave you something positive to consider when deciding how to vote. But Canadian politics is morphing into the Mini-Me of American politics, mudslinging and a race to the bottom!