Reply To: Donald Trump

[Davis]

American style attack ads used to be a really big no-no in Canada…especially after a nasty ad in the 90s that reduced a massive majority government to only 2 seats. A decade later…the current conservative government started up with bitchy adds and then went nuts with it. And not only during elections campaigns. They did these vicious attack ads all year long generally smearing the leaders of other parties relentlessly. None of the other parties joined in…they were the better party…Canadians don’t buy into nasty ads after all. The conservatives went on to win three elections in a row. Slowly the other parties joined in but first simply with negative adds. Recently they have joined in with the attack ads as well. Now ads are prominent in Canadian election campaigns and they can be nasty from all sides.

Along with major limits on political party donations…two Scandanavian countries (Denmark and Sweden) banned (in part) the nastiest of ads through the argument of libel. Eventually they did away with TV ads all together. Egad…the idea that political parties spread their platform by…gasp…revealing their platforms in speeches, debates and rallies and pamphlets and canvassing. Imagine attracting voters by saying what your party stands for instead of exposing your opponents for the acid blooded vampires they are waiting to eat your children?

Voting rates went up…people actually went out of vote more…and no one complained or missed nasty mudslinging at all.

This would never work in some countries. Because…freedom and stuff.