55 more hours of pre-writ Tory advertising

Taking it to midnight Saturday, that's roughly how many more hours the Conservative Party gets to pump out its "election" advertising without having to bother about pesky Elections Canada spending rules. That's why Prime Minister Stephen Harper is putting off going to the Governor-General until the last possible moment, and why you're getting that fuzzy, feel-good TV commercial featuring Canadians talking about how much they trust Stephen Harper.

More power to 'em. The ad is driving Liberals nuts, with an Ontario organizer sniffing: "At least our ads show diversity."

Fine - show us the ads. Problem is though, the Libs don't have the cash to spend on pre-writ advertising. That's why they had to sit through a couple of rounds of effective Conservative negative campaigns on their leader without being able to put together commercials of their own. The cash-strapped party has to wait until the writ is dropped and campaign financing rules go into effect, not to mention federal election monies for the parties. Once the election is called Sunday, it's on to equal - or more equal - footing.

Comments

[S K]

Just in case you need a break from the ads, Linda:
http://www.BarackObamaForPM.com

Will be interesting to see what the other camps come up with once the money flows...

[corneliousspits]

when i see Mr Harper in that sweater sitting in an easy chair
talking to the camera about his wonderful family life and the great relationship he has with his son, i now knew or realised when Harper will pull out of Afhganistan the year before his son is old enough to join the army.

[...pat.]

Ugh. Those cheesy ads are really bugging me. Sorry, but those warm Harper moments have absolutely nothing to do with the way he leads his party or Parliament.

I wish the writ could be dropped today.

[Timwest]

Why wont Libs donate to a party broke and in debt............

Liberals can't Afford an election Their leader and former leadership candidates can't even afford to pay
back their leadership debts. These debts amount to more than the entire Liberal Party raised in the last quarter. Liberal supporters expect a Liberal government to give out taxpayers money in programs but don't or won't contribute to the Liberal Party nor their Leader and former leadership candidates..What does this say about Liberal
supporters--Gimme gimme gimme! The ultimate greed-get but don't give!

[AJB]

Hey Timwest: What? I'm reading and re-reading your comment, and your premise does not support your conclusion in any way.

1) Spending is up under Harper. Let's give up the old Liberals as tax-and-spend commees rhetoric a rest this election, please. It's getting really tired, and increasingly bizarre.

2) Governments spend PUBLIC money. I think you're trying to make a point about how not giving money to a political party that one votes for indicates hypocrisy in political ideology of the voter. Are all voters supposed to donate money to political parties? Is THAT what you were trying to say?

The truth? Jean Chrétien capped the amount that individuals could donate to national parties. Liberals have traditionally relied on big-ticket fund-raising dinners rather than grass-roots support. The reason for lack of grass-roots support for the Liberals is that they are a moderate party, and it's hard to get worked up and excited about pragmatism and sound fiscal policy.

Any body on this Internet thing actually READ this paper? I swear this is the last time I read a comment page!!

[Werner Sykora]

I have stopped watching CTV altogether until they stop showing those smarmy Harper ads. Wonder if this is affecting CTV's viewership?

[Derek Lipman]

The deliberate attempt of the Conservatives to portray Stephen Harper as a sugary family man will probably backfire. The "I've never been so proud to be a Canadian" and "I like him because he has two small children" ads are an affront to the intelligence of the electorate. Stephen Harper may be a good dad, but who cares? As the authoritarian,intransigent, and micro-managing leader of the weakest minority in Canadian history, he is subpar.

Contrary to the oft-repeated media assertion that Harper is "popular," the election campaign will demonstrate that the Conservative leader is just another Reform party alumn with a vision for Canada that does not connect with the vast majority of citizens across the country.

[Erik Nelson]

I watch these ads and I wonder, "Just how stupid do they think I am?" And I don't like the obvious answer to that question.

[Timwest]

Hey, AJB posted September 06, 2008 at 07:48 AM.........

Why do you think Libs have a 29 year old plane that pours
out the pollution...... This is ALL they can afford.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion is under fire for chartering a 29-year-old, pollution-spewing jet to criss-cross the country campaigning on his Green Shift plan.

After revealed Dion's last minute charter with Air Inuit yesterday, NDP and CPC accused Dion of failing to live up to his green credentials by chartering an aging aircraft that is 35% dirtier than the Conservative or NDP jets.

'HYPOCRISY'

"Dion is prepared to lecture Canadians about the environment but he won't walk the talk. "He's using the dirtiest, least environmentally friendly campaign plane of any party underscoring his own hypocrisy on the environment."