A militaristic drumbeat in the background. Stark typewriter text. An unflattering image of Conservative leader Stephen Harper slowly coming into focus. It’s obvious how the Liberals are trying to portray Harper in the series of 12 ads they released earlier this week. Painting him and the Conservatives as a frightening party with a hidden hard-right agenda isn’t a new tactic for the Liberals.
In fact, it was tested in the 2004 federal election, and worked. This time around, however, the ads are being criticized as blatantly false, implausible, and simply desperate attempts by a desperate party to capitalize on people’s fear of the unknown.
While the Conservatives made sure to seem wounded by the slanderous accusations made in the ads, they did not hesitate to release a series of their own, which, in keeping with the spirit of smear ad campaigns, conveniently leave out important information, taking some of Paul Martin’s past statements out of context.
And don’t think that the NDP have opted for the high road. Their infamous “boot” ad doesn’t exactly flatter the Liberals, though it’s not nearly as personal as those released by the two higher profile contenders.
And so we are forced to watch in horror as the leaders of this great nation engage in such lowly forms of campaigning.
When politicians choose to take the negative route, they choose to detract from a larger public policy debate. They choose to accept that they may be turning some citizens off voting. They choose to make a joke of the democratic process. What’s more, they reflect poorly on the nation.
Of course, political strategists know this. They just don’t care.
Politicians do what works, and smear ad campaigns are apparently worth the risk, as well as their high price tags.
While the party leaders are addressing a country inhabited by intelligent, well-informed citizens, they are also addressing citizens that are known to respond to sensationalized messages, scandal, and drama.
Politicians know that their best bet is to take the negative route as far as they can, without crossing a very fine line. In so doing, they seek to reinforce existing opinions and raise enough doubt and questions about the opponent. It is all very calculated, very powerful. It is a game, and one they will continue to play until it stops working.
So instead of just shaking our heads at the sometimes appalling behavior we see on the evening news, we should take seriously that part of the onus is on voters. We must keep informed on the issues and demand that parties discuss the platforms instead of the perceived faults of their opponent. When we as voters reward the high road, politicians will be quick to take route.
