Archive for the ‘Ad’ Category

This is the second ad in a set of three. The first ad was on education and this one is on the minimum wage (which is pertinent because of it being in the news recently).

Again, as I’ve written before on the set of ads, it’s a set that is now for the most part useless. With Stelmach going other leaders can take his place, reverse his bad decisions, and then make it seem like they’re running against the party in some form of renewal. More than anything else it’s a historical footnote on what could have been released and showcase (and never was). What draws my attention to the ads, though, is that they attempt to portray, quite astutely, the fringe character of both the Wildrose and their leader, Ms. Smith. She is a lady who doesn’t believe in the minimum wage and that ought to scare a lot of people. I feel it’s quite effective to draw attention to this fact.

The Wildrose don’t have a chance in hell in breaking into Edmonton so this ad isn’t in anticipation of any competition there. If we were to look at the situation strategically the Liberals and the Wildrose should be cooperating together to bite into the Progressive Conservative supporters seeing that (a) their supporters don’t overlap (much) and (b) the growth areas are in a shared target: the PCs. So any attack on the Wildrose would almost seem pointless at the juncture this ad was created (some six to twelve months ago) and quite definitely now. So it’s obvious why it wasn’t released.

The problem is that the Wildrose is a threat against every Albertan if it gets into government. If you watch the ad you’ll clearly see that while the Stelmach Tories were only incompetent the Wildrosers will invite a period of anti-unionism and anti-worker legislation unlike ever seen before in the province. If anyone watching what is going on in Wisconsin and the United States right now people who like having atleast a minimum wage or public healthcare have a lot to fear. And these issues have been skated around by Smith and the Wildrose, with a complacent and complicit Albertan media.

So two people have passed me CDs with attack ads. I now have, in my possession, three attack ads blasting the Progressive Conservatives and then the Wildrose-. They’re well written, short, and made to be shared.

What I really like about this set of ads is that not only do they attack the Progressive Conservative but it knocks the Wildrose while adding the failures of the PCs to the Wildrose. It’s wonderful political maneuvering.

I really like this particular ad because it builds on a rising media storyline and that gives it a sizable amount of credibility. While this particular ad targets Stelmach, and is outdated because of it, it still hits at a core point on the PC agenda–defunding schools. Just this week school boards in Edmonton have had their funding threatened, school staff have been cut (while the province announces money for new schools), and the school board there opted to follow through with a strategy of anti-sprawl strategy of school placement. This adds onto the weakening of school boards in general, the PCs denying them funding and support while also subverting their ability to control their resources. And then the ad hammers in the point of right-wing incompetence while taking fire at the Wildrose Alliance and particularly their leader’s past pronouncements.

This is a good ad. It’s truly a shame it’s out of date, however–with Stelmach leaving and the Progressive Conservatives having their leadership race any attacks on Stelmach wont have much, if any, effect on him. It might even help a lot of PCers who are involved in the different leadership camps right now as a jumping board to separate themselves from past PC (and current Wildrose) policies.

Alberta Liberal Caucus Communications just posted a new video featuring Laurie Blakeman.  In the video she’s encouraging Albertans to speak up about how they want to see the land used in the Lower Athabasca region.  Its’ a direct response to the recommendations about the Lower Athabasca Land Use framework.