The NDP released its first real attack ad yesterday. It could have been produced in the Conservative war room -- at least it looked a lot like what has come out of that war room in the last five years. Lawrence Martin writes:
It comes with an ominous voiceover. It shows the prime minister in an unflattering pose – sweating like a dog.
And it takes on the notion that Harper is a superb manager, something he has been repeating -- nationally and internationally -- every chance he gets. Unquestionably, Harper has had a run of good luck. But the policies he has championed have actually weakened Canada's financial position:
On the deficit question the Conservatives can be more fairly attacked because of their exorbitant pre-recession spending which wiped out much of the surplus left by the Paul Martin Liberals. In addition, the government’s elimination of two percent of the GST – a move opposed by the great majority of economists – cut a giant hole in revenues, making the deficit far worse than it would have been.
So, Martin writes, Harper had it coming. The question is: Is this kind of advertising good for our politics? My wife and I live on the north shore of Lake Ontario. We are bracing for the steady drumbeat of political advertising that will cross the water from New York State after Labour Day. It gets nastier with every election cycle. And it's non-stop.
The United States is politically paralyzed. Are we headed for the same fate?
