Have Tory attack ads gone too far?
That question reverberated Thursday from the twitterverse to the ivory towers of academe after the Conservative party unleashed two new attack ads against Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
The ads purport to ask Ignatieff whether it makes sense during a period of fragile economic recovery to force “an unnecessary election” or to “raise taxes on job creators.” They then flash to a video clip of an animated Ignatieff shouting: “Yes, yes, yes.”
The clip is taken entirely out of context from a partisan tub-thumper Ignatieff delivered Tuesday at a Liberal caucus retreat.
Addressing the issue of whether Liberals are ready for a possible election this spring, Ignatieff actually said: “There is another question, a deeper question: Are we ready to serve the people who put us here? Are we ready to fight for the Canada we love? Are we ready to fight for the Canadian family? What’s the answer to that?
“Yes, yes, yes. Oui.”
Ignatieff also said later in the speech that Liberals are “not seeking to provoke an election.”
The attack ads were posted on the Tory website and went viral within minutes, provoking heated debate on Twitter. A number of tweeters suggested the ads “jumped the shark,” a phrase commonly used to describe a television show that has declined into utter absurdity.
One industrious tweeter posted a parody ad asking whether it makes sense to eat babies during times of economic uncertainty, followed by a patently out-of-context clip of Prime Minister Stephen Harper saying: “I’d be happy to do that.”
Carleton University communications professor Josh Greenberg said political ads are notorious for taking opponents’ words out of context but he said he’s never seen anything quite so blatant.
“It’s kind of devolving into self-satire because it really is that bad.”
Greenberg said he suspected the ads were just an excuse for the Tories to use the clip of Ignatieff shouting to be heard over his cheering audience, making him look “slightly out of control or slightly wacky.”
Some have likened it to the infamous “Howard Dean scream”–the emotional eruption that stopped the Democratic presidential candidate’s 2004 campaign in its tracks.
To the extent that thousands of people viewed the unflattering clip within hours of the ads being posted online, Greenberg said it’s “mission accomplished” for the Tories.
On the other hand, he said the ads could backfire, drawing people to view the video of Ignatieff’s entire speech, which many Liberals saw as a tour de force from a leader who finally seems to have found his groove.
Liberal MP Mark Holland said the Tory ads have presented Liberals with “a great opportunity to shine a light on that speech and on Michael and his capabilities.”
He predicted the ads will also reinforce the public perception of the Tories as nasty political thugs.
“If anybody wanted to know if Conservatives would use quotes dishonestly and out of context for mean-spirited attacks, I guess the answer is yes, yes, yes.”
However, Tory party spokesman Fred DeLorey made no apologies for the ads, insisting they are “fair and accurate.”
“We are accurately representing [Ignatieff’s] on-the-record and frequently stated positions. He will raise taxes on businesses and he does want an election as soon as possible.”
