Canada Kicks Ass
Clark’s attack on B.C. Conservative Cummins falls flat

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Gunnair @ Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:27 pm

$1:

By Michael Smyth, The Province September 17, 2011

Who’s afraid of the big, bad B.C. Tory?

Christy Clark and the Liberals, that’s who, as made plain by their unintentionally ironic assault on B.C. Conservative Leader John Cummins.

The sneak attack features a website with the predictably nasty picture of Cummins –a picture taken by a Province photographer, by the way, and apparently poached off the internet. Hey, Christy: ever heard of copyright laws?

Check out the site for yourself – www.canttrustcummins.ca – and don’t miss the new radio ads that produce more cringes than an episode of The Office.

To paraphrase an old joke: I don’t know what the writer got for those ads, but he should have got life! The radio spots are so dripping in hypocrisy, it’s a wonder the Liberals have the nerve to buy air time for them.

Let’s start with the one that slams Cummins for taking a $100,000 pension for his nearly 20 years as a federal MP, and then jumping ship to the fringe-dwelling B.C. Conservatives.

“So he lives off federal tax dollars, while running in provincial politics,” says the ad. “Another unprincipled politician.”

Yes, another unprincipled politician like – oh, I don’t know – Gordon Campbell, perhaps? The former premier just bagged a $100,000 provincial pension, at the same time he’s sopping up federal gravy as Canada’s newly appointed ambassador to London.

But here’s the most ironic laugh-line of all: “How can you trust a politician like Cummins, who says one thing and does another?”

Wow. Can’t believe they went there.

This from the government that said they wouldn’t bring in the HST and then immediately double-crossed voters, triggering the biggest backlash in B.C. history, and forcing the Liberals to reverse their broken promise less than a month ago.

Even some senior Liberals I consulted were wincing over the wording. But it shows you what a serious threat Cummins has become. They are terrified of him.

“We were not being aggressive enough in going after our opponents,” one Liberal insider explained to me. “We have to start defining Adrian Dix and John Cummins in the minds of voters.”

“Defining” is a nice way of saying “sliming” the other guy with relentlessly negative ads.

But the Liberals’ ads against Cummins are so hypocritical and half-baked, I think they’ll have the opposite effect: raise Cummins’ profile, and legitimize him as a new force in B.C. politics.

“I thank them for the free advertising,” Cummins told me with a chuckle. “It doesn’t matter what they say about me, just spell my name right and keep it in front of the voters.”

As Cummins continues to steal support from the Liberals, the only guy happier about it is – you guessed it – NDP Leader Adrian Dix.

Negative ads not always an answer

When the NDP launched their notorious “Christy Crunch” attack ads – portraying Christy Clark as an “artificially sweetened” breakfast cereal – the premier was not amused.

“This character-assassination stuff? It’s kind of dumb,” she said.

But now that’s she’s using the same tactic, the Liberals hope voters don’t agree with her assessment.

Negative advertising, however, has a spotty record in B.C. politics. It failed miserably for the old Social Credit party. They portrayed then-NDP-leader Mike Harcourt as a “puppet” in a 1991 TV commercial, and still got wiped out by voters.

The New Democrats had better luck with their negative ads against Gordon Campbell in 1996, but couldn’t lay a glove on him after that.

Some negative ads backfire badly. Remember the Conservative ads that seemed to mock Jean Chretien’s facial deformity? The Tories learned their lessons, and used more effective attack ads to destroy Liberal rival Michael Ignatieff.

“Those ads were successful because there an element of truth in them and they were very well done,” said John Cummins. “But these new Liberal ads against me are not very sophisticated. I was flabbergasted when I heard them.”

Gordo to no-show Order of B.C. ceremony

I’m not surprised Gordon Campbell will not attend the Oct. 4 ceremony to receive his Order of B.C. medal after all the controversy.

I think the former premier is secretly embarrassed at receiving this award so soon after leaving office, especially when one of his mentors – former premier Bill Bennett – waited 21 years for his.

The no-show is being put down to a scheduling conflict. But I think Campbell wanted to avoid a media circus, and actually would have preferred to receive this award many years from now, when British Columbians have a more mellowed view of his record.

   



Freakinoldguy @ Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:02 pm

The more the Marrionette with the mouth uses it the more I dilike her and her cronies.

I guess we've only got a little less than 2 more years of good old Christie giving her Gordon Campbell impersonation before she's consigned to the political closet where she should have stayed.

   



Gunnair @ Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:11 pm

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:
The more the Marrionette with the mouth uses it the more I dilike her and her cronies.

I guess we've only got a little less than 2 more years of good old Christie giving her Gordon Campbell impersonation before she's consigned to the political closet where she should have stayed.


Agreed. Better looking than Campbell, but that's it. :lol:

   



Freakinoldguy @ Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:52 pm

It's gonna be a long wait till 2013. :roll:

Watching the news she's apparently travelling the province spouting her job creation rhetoric..........only problem is she conveniently forgot that Vancouver Island is still part of the Province and has decided to give us a pass.

Much like the Soup Nazi,it'll be......................Vancouver Island Bah, no jobs for you. :lol:

   



Gunnair @ Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:53 pm

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:
It's gonna be a long wait till 2013. :roll:

Watching the news she's apparently travelling the province spouting her job creation rhetoric..........only problem is she conveniently forgot that Vancouver Island is still part of the Province and has decided to give us a pass.

Much like the Soup Nazi,it'll be......................Vancouver Island Bah, no jobs for you. :lol:


That's it! Seperate!

   



Freakinoldguy @ Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:59 pm

I guess i'll have to dig out my old "Republic Of Vancouver Island" ball cap.:lol:

   



Zipperfish @ Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:26 pm

$1:
“I thank them for the free advertising,” Cummins told me with a chuckle. “It doesn’t matter what they say about me, just spell my name right and keep it in front of the voters.”


That's when you know you're up against an old pro, right there. God I love cheezball BC politics. Sounds like the "Christy Crunch" ads were actually pretty good.

   



Gunnair @ Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:42 pm

Zipperfish Zipperfish:
$1:
“I thank them for the free advertising,” Cummins told me with a chuckle. “It doesn’t matter what they say about me, just spell my name right and keep it in front of the voters.”


That's when you know you're up against an old pro, right there. God I love cheezball BC politics. Sounds like the "Christy Crunch" ads were actually pretty good.


You missed it?

Here... just for you.



:lol:

"Can something taste... mean?"

   



Zipperfish @ Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:54 pm

Gunnair Gunnair:

You missed it?

Here... just for you.



:lol:

"Can something taste... mean?"


T'anks Gunny, but the bandwidth sucks over here. I'll have a beard longer than a Talib before a youtube video winds up. :lol:

   



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