I’ve been yelling for the last couple of years that the first thing the Liberals needed to do to beat the Cons was to raise funds to create effective ads. Using its daunting fund raising skills during the last election cycle, the Conservative party was able to flood the airwaves with negative ads that have been wildly successful, helping bring the right wing party into a majority. The ads were so effective they stole the Liberals’ message from them, assigning a new, tragic image of the Liberals that seeped into the Canadian consciousness.
In the last weeks of the latest election, the Liberals finally fought back. But it was too little, too late. Now Rae is threatening a PR ‘war’ with the Cons. That’s great. But the damage is done. Harper is all powerful. The NDP has overtaken the Liberals.
Why did it take so long for the Liberals to graduate from back seat media drivers to take ahold of the wheel? And, is it a great idea to announce to the Cons that a battle is brewing, giving them more than adequate time to gather their superior advertising work force? Not great war strategy, any way you look at it.
At least the Liberals got the message. It’s been awhile since that has happened. Will Layton also wake up?
