Monday, January 29, 2007

Hooray for Attack Ads

I was an in studio guest on the Gary Doyle Show recently and at one point during the interview Gary said he thought "negative political attack ads" were bad for democracy.

Immediately I disagreed, telling him "I love attack ads." Indeed, I have produced dozens of them over the years.

A shocking admission, I know.

In Canada we are supposed to hate attack ads. Canadian politicians especially hate attack ads because they are so impolite and rude.

Back in 2004, for instance, while he was still leader of the Opposition, Stephen Harper denounced "American-style" attack ads and pledged he would never use them.

Yet we now learn the Tories are airing anti-Dion "American-style"attack ads on TV.

And right on cue, Liberal leader Stephan Dion says he is outraged.

"Harper has nothing positive to say about his own record,” Dion told CBC Newsworld. “Being unable to say anything positive about [himself], he wants to spend all this money to try to attack me in a very negative way.”

Yeah right, Stephane it's terrible.

But wasn't it your party that set new lows for nasty attack ads in the past two federal elections?

So maybe my love of attack ads isn't so shocking after all.

In fact, maybe the only difference between me and the politicians is that I'm more honest, although being more honest than a politician is not much an accomplishment.

It's like bragging that your skinnier than Michael Moore.

For more on my view on this check out this column I wrote a while ago for the Vancouver Sun.

Media Update:

I will be discussing this issue on the aforementioned Gary Doyle Show at approximately 12:50 EST and on Adler Online at about 4:15 PM EST and on the Jim Duff Show at about 4:45 PM EST and on The World Tonight with Rob Breakenridge at 8:40 PM EST. And I will also be talking about this tomorrow morning at 7:45 AM EST on The CHQR Morning News.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just like the media to be the ones coining the ads as "attack ads". Maybe they should have viewed them first before they hyped the nation into a frenzy about what I saw to be the honest truth about a politician who wants folks to believe one thing but when he walked-the-walk did something very different.

Truth hurts. Liberals either need to suck that up or continue fighting amongst themselves(as the one ad portrays Iggy going after Dion - "we didn't get the job done"
PERFECT!

Anonymous said...

I'd agree with attack ads provided that political parties weren't funded by a $1.50/vote subsidy by the taxpayer.