UPDATED: Those Ads, Those Ads! Wait, which ads?

by kadyomalley on Friday, September 11, 2009 10:16am - 38 Comments

Okay, Conservative Party.

ITQ has been considerate enough not to point out that mycampaign.conservative.ca is  … perhaps not quite as up to date* as it could be on the eve of a federal election. But the one thing that we’ve always been able to count on y’all to do was make darned sure that when you unleashed a new ad campaign, we’d know all about it, whether by inviting a select group of journalists to a pre-release launch party out at the Little Shop, holding an off-the-record background briefing at the National Press Theatre, or even just sending out broadcast quality samplers to every earnable media outlet in town.

But just because some of us weren’t glued to TSN during the NFL season opener earlier this week, should we really be deprived of the chance to marvel over your latest diabolically brilliant creation? Since rumours of its existence first surfaced last weekend, ITQ has been searching in vain for the video  — on the party website, on Youtube, spammed throughout the Blogging Tory family, GritGirl-style — but so far, she’s come up empty. Has anyone out there have more luck in tracking it down? And what’s with the stealthiness? It doesn’t sound like there’s anything particularly controversial about the ad itself, so why not use the magic of technology to spread the message beyond Monday night football fans? Aren’t you supposed to be the party that actually gets this stuff?

*Sample talking point for writing letters to the editor offered by the sole remaining Action Alert, which is on the economy: “Lowest unemployment rate in 33 years”

UPDATE: Look! More ads! Or, more accurately, more coverage of ads, courtesy of CP’s Alex Panetta:

There’s a surprising new star making a cameo appearance in Conservative ads attacking Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff: his name is Justin Trudeau.

French-language TV ads that have begun airing in Quebec show the rookie MP blasting a few volleys of friendly fire at his leader.

The ads include clips from an interview Trudeau did during the 2006 Liberal leadership race.

Trudeau was not yet an MP at the time but, being the son of the most revered figure in the party, his comments about Ignatieff made headlines during the race.

Trudeau had endorsed Gerard Kennedy and was particularly critical of the front-runner.

“Ignatieff, he’s a little all over the place sometimes,” Trudeau says in the spot, in a clip drawn from a 2006 TV interview.

“He says this, he says that – he contradicts himself.”

Trudeau then delivers this little parting shot: “For me, he’s not someone with… maybe he has the intelligence, but maybe not the wisdom required.”

Oh, leadership races. What would war rooms do without you?

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  • http://farnwide.blogspot.com/ Steve V

    kady

    The fact this new ads are coming out now, as opposed to rehashing the old ads in the first days, tells me the Liberals caught the Conservatives flat footed. They had nothing in the "can", clearly not expecting us to mount our own ad campaign, and that's why those old ads ran first.

    • Linda out West

      The Liberals caught the Conservatives flat footed! You wish Steve. The Liberals have only one campaign slogan and that is "we must get back into power no matter what Canadians think or believe because it is our right". We don't care if we demanded Harper to keep spending and spending on more stimulus, now we are mad that that he did exactly that. We don't care if we demanded that Harper spend millions or possibly billions more for EI and now that he did that we are mad at his recklessness.. We don't care if we demanded that Harper solve the isotopes crisis even when we spent billions trying to solve the problem and didn't. We don't care if we demanded that Harper bail out the auto workers and then complained about the huge deficit. The Liberal party of Toronto is sitting with their pants down and wondering where to go from here – it is not the Conservatives who do not have a campaign it is the Liberal party trying to figure out what their campaign actually is other than "we need to get back in power no matter what Canadians think". heh Bob Rae – I bet your sitting in a corner rubbing your hands together in glee.

      • dan in van

        Yes, its so different than Harper's hidden battle cause celebre, "I need to keep my greasy hands on the tiller of power at all costs! I've got lies for sale!" Linda, stay classy. Your so-called leader has no credibility when it comes to integrity or honesty, because as we all know his first thought when asked to answer a straight question is "is this for the book?"

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Harbles Harbles

    Google shows this
    " Our TV Ads
    Our TV Ads. … This website is the property of the Conservative Party of Canada and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without express written …
    http://www.conservative.ca/EN/4579/ "
    But the link is dead and there is no cached copy that I can see which is weird I think.
    I

  • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Harbles Harbles

    Google shows this
    " Our TV Ads
    Our TV Ads. … This website is the property of the Conservative Party of Canada and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without express written …
    ” target=”_blank”>http://www.conservative.ca/EN/4579/ "
    But the link is dead and there is no cached copy that I can see which is weird I think.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/ScottFeschuk ScottFeschuk

    i saw the ad last night watching football. apparently, michael ignatieff is still in it for himself. thanks for the update, steve!

    • http://www2.macleans.ca/category/blogs/national/inside-the-queensway/ Kady O'Malley

      So — is it the same motif as JV? New graphics – or just new material inserted into the original ad? Details, we need details, people!

      • http://intensedebate.com/people/LynnTO LynnTO

        The ad I saw featured an Iggy cameo of the "you have to choose the kind of America you want…it's your country as much as it is mine…" variety. Is that new? I stopped listening to "he's only in it for himself" ads years ago.

      • http://intensedebate.com/people/ScottFeschuk ScottFeschuk

        oh hell i don't remember. same typeface and stuff on the "in it for himself" tagline. but the content was more geared to making Canadians wet their trousers at the thought of an election putting at risk the economic recovery we're experiencing from the recession we couldn't being having because we didn't already have one. (i'm paraphrasing.)

      • http://intensedebate.com/people/Ricard_S_Argent Richard_S_Argent

        The one I saw last night here in Toronto was the same Just Visiting ad from the spring. They really are foolish ads.

      • tobyornottoby

        Pittsburgh won 13-10 in overtime. Safety Troy Polamalu was having a great game until his kneww was injured and he didn't play the second half, will be out for 3 to 6 weeks.

    • tobyornottoby

      Luckily I was Just Visiting the Upper Deck Sports Bar at McPhillips Street Station in Winnipeg, or I should say, I was Just Visiting the massive new projection screen at the Upper Deck Sports Bar, so that I could find that out in high definition. I also learned that Canada's political leaders are really, really tall.

  • Andrew (not Potter or Coyne)

    Trying to keep voters mad at the Liberals over calling the election sounds like a loser of an issue to me, especially given that Canada needs some serious governing over the next few years. It also seems pretty clear to me that Harper is interested in an election. He could easily get Layton’s support to get through the fall, and be home free until next fall. It might cost him a few policies he might not otherwise want to pursue, but it’s a small price to pay for another year of governing. It’s pretty clear to me that Harper wants an election, too. He’s just being coy.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Tceh Tceh

      It might cost him (Steve 180 degree Harper) a few policies he might not otherwise want to pursue…

      I'm trying to think of a policy that the Conservatives campaigned on in 2006 and haven't abandoned…beyond the GST reduction, and I'm sure smiling Decisive Steve and Deficit Jim are missing the revenue now. Harper did 180 turns on transparency, accountability, Income Trusts, Kelowna Accord, Atlantic Accord, the elected Senate. I've missed lots I'm sure. They've abandoned all the ideals that put hem in power in the first place.

    • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Tceh Tceh

      It might cost him (Steve 180 degree Harper) a few policies he might not otherwise want to pursue…

      I'm trying to think of a policy that the Conservatives campaigned on in 2006 and haven't abandoned…beyond the GST reduction, and I'm sure smiling Decisive Steve and Deficit Jim are missing the revenue now. Harper did 180 turns on transparency, accountability, Income Trusts, Kelowna Accord, Atlantic Accord, the elected Senate, No deficit…ever!-well perhaps just a small one-oops maybe a whopper.

      I've missed lots I'm sure. They've abandoned all the ideals that put them in power in the first place.

  • an online reader

    " If the Conservatives can succeed at keeping voter anger over an election alive for 36 days," then they will switch to the waste of $300 million asking people what think !

    New Con Ad :
    Cost of PCO – $ 170 million /year (up a mere 25 %) cost of PMO -secret , cost of OLO – secret , cost of M.P. salaries benifits , offices , travel ,added reposibilities , committees , Parliament , entertainment ………etc dig for it but remember as M.P. business we are exempt from Freedom of Information Act .p.s. we will have our 50 or so high paid Cabinet talking heads make feel good announcements one or two at a time each and every day .

  • Anon

    I saw something on the Discovery Channel yesterday, but it didn't have time to register before my reflexes kicked in and I hit the mute button. Some bits of yellow, reminiscent of the Oily the Splot campaign.

    Yellow is apparently the fluorescent fuscia for down-market political ads.

  • keithm@tnt21.com

    New Con ad : Conservative Governments Canada Pension Plan pays $ 2,500.00 in death benifits . Funerals in Canada can cost up to $ 10 K . Let us cut Business tax rate to 10 % so your local Parlour can compete on a world scale . Cananada can punch above its weight and lead India , Pakistan and China in the cost of inturment

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/madeyoulook madeyoulook

      Wha…? Now the taxpayers of tomorrow's Canada owe you your funeral, too?

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_N M_A_N

    The Real Reason Michael Ignatieff Wants to Force an Unnecessary, Opportunistic Election

    http://www.conservative.ca/EN/2459/110486

    - I saw that headline on the Tory website, and i thought it was a new Macleans poll…

  • CAPS

    The fact that the Conservatives launched their latest ads during the NFL season opener is reminiscent of them launching their anit-Dion ads during the Super Bowl.

    What it means to me is that the Conservatives don't like Canada or traditional Canadian products like the CFL (neither does Macleans for that matter or else Feschuck and Reid would be blogging about Labour Day Classics and the like).

    Therefore, the Canadians they are looking to appeal to to don't like Canada either.

    • scf

      You really know how to reach. One non-sequitur after another.

      Let's see, you have concluded that Conservative supporters don't like Canada, and this shown by…. the timing of Conservative television advertisements. LOL

      • CAPS

        I'm glad you put LOL because that means laughing out loud and any intelligent reading of my comment would realise that my tongue was (mostly) placed in cheek.

        As opposed to the ConBots when I make a ridiculous comment it is meant for humourous effect not as an exposition of my philospohical beliefs.

        • scf

          That one is even funnier. You're telling me the first one was tongue in cheek? Wow, you need some practice. But it was only "mostly" tongue in cheek? Hilarious, you're not funny and you're also reaching at the same time! Two strikes at once!

          And the whining in this comment is pretty funny too. LOL

  • Mulletaur

    Why are we so obsessed in Canada with the 'sons and daughters of' ? Pathetic.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

      It's even worse down south.

  • keithm@tnt21.com

    Canadians don't want an election . Do you think Iggy in cahoots with socialists and traitors could draft a fixed election date law as advertised ? Do you think you ignorant little people could ? Give harper a majority Govetnment and he will balance our budget / pay off your debt. without pain . ( – 10 )

    • Bryan L.

      Hummm. He just said that he is going to run up a deficit og over $110BILLION in the next two years. When is he going to balance the budget? No pain? Really?

      As for the fixed election law, Harper proved that to be a sham last year when he broke it and called an election.

    • Bryan L.

      Hummm. He just said that he is going to run up a deficit og over $110BILLION in the next two years. When is he going to balance the budget? No pain? Really?

      Flaherty himself put it best in his speech today. “If a politician tries to tell you that getting back to surplus will be pain-free,” he said, “they are simply not telling you the truth.”

  • ROLFSTEIN

    Harper is running scared. This is the best they got, and its just not sticking.

    They know that the video tape will lead to a collapse in Quebec over the weekend.

    Their natl numbers might maintain because Harpers messaging will resonate in rural areas where they already command most of the seats.

    This was a huge tactical error on Harpers part. Dual messaging has always been what has prevented Harper from getting a Majority.

  • dan in van

    Yep. The CONs are all in for a 'scorched earth' campaign… Where did the reasonable voices of conservativism go to? If they had a leader who wasn't all about destroying his rivals, all about eviscerating parliamentary system, they'd probably have their majority by now…

    • scf

      Where did the reasonable voices of conservativism go to?

      I'm right here.

      And my reason is telling me your words or "destroying" or "eviscerating" are not reasonable.

  • http://phantomobserver.com PhantomObserver

    Funny thing about old ads. I set up a blogpost last week asking if an old 2006 ad was still relevant. The responses so far (as of Friday noon) tell me that there's more — a lot more — wrong with today's Liberal brand than Michael Ignatieff.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/EmilyDee EmilyDee

    Let's not forget this one:

    "Tony Clement painted Stephen Harper as a divisive, unelectable Conservative leader Wednesday in a televised debate notable for the absence of high-profile candidate Belinda Stronach.

    Clement, the former Ontario health minister and acknowledged underdog in the three-way race, was clearly on the offensive against Harper. He suggested the former Canadian Alliance leader will be unable to unify Conservatives and draw Canadians outside the party to its fold."
    CNEWS Feb. 11, 2004

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/AJR79 AJR79

      Turns out Clement was wrong about Harper being un-electable.

      The jury's still out on Justins comment about Iggy having the wisdom to lead, and having the backbone of conviction behind his statements… so far he hasn't impressed me very much, but I had high expectations for him.

  • Andrew (not P or C)

    Kady, I have a question: presumably the Trudeau clip was produced by one of the television networks (or the LPC themselves). Isn't this ad, then, a copyright violation? Is it fair use?

    I thought the CPC got Youtube to pull the wafer caper video due to copyright violations? I can't imagine how this is fair use and that was a copyright infringement?

  • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/EmilyDee EmilyDee

    There are a lot more comments by CP members against Harper, including several by Peter MacKay. In a leadership contest there will always be debate, but once the contest is over all stand behind their leader. That's how it's played.

    Ignatieff is a very smart man who has spent a great deal of time in war torn countries. He visited Rwanda with the UN chief after the genocide and saw first hand the death and destruction in places like Kurdistan and Sarajevo.

    He's seen inhumanity at it's worst and yet still believes in humanity. Stephen Harper won't scare him and the fact that the Tories are going down that road shows how desperate they are.

    But turnabout's fair play so who knows. Maybe someone will show a few clips of MacKay going after Harper … or Stockwell Day … that leadership bid really got ugly with Harper accusing Kenney, Day and Vellacott of all sorts. It's poor politics.

    The Conservatives have been launching national campaign ads for months, the Liberals are just getting started. The Cons are not the only ones with tapes and the opposition parties only need to show the ones that are relevant.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

      Actually, I hear the Conservatives are considering ads where Stockwell Day is critical of Harper.

From Macleans