Before Thomas Mulcair was able to give his NDP leadership acceptance speech, the HarperCons launched an Alerte-Info-Alert email missive to reporters, who dutifully reported it:
“Thomas Mulcair is an opportunist whose high-tax agenda, blind ambition and divisive personality would put Canadian families and their jobs at risk,” said a statement by Conservative spokesperson Fred DeLorey.
“Mulcair has said he would bring back a risky, job-killing carbon tax which would raise the price of everything — even though Canadians overwhelmingly rejected carbon taxes,” warned DeLorey.
No surprise that the HarperCons would launch an attack on Mulcair but I didn’t expect them to send it “literally the minute” he won and before he even starting speaking. I wonder how long it will take for them to launch their attack ads, like they successfully did with previous Liberal leaders Dion and Ignatieff.
Earlier this week, the Conservatives attacked “interim” Liberal leader Bob Rae for his record as the NDP premier of Ontario during the recession in the early 90s.
I have no doubt this latest attack will be successful. As far as we can measure something like that, we will soon see Bob Rae’s poll numbers decrease. And if the HarperCons are successful with their nascent attack on Mulcair, Canadians who have no clue who he is will sour with him just like they did Dion and Ignatieff.
It is no wonder that, as Mulcair noted in his inaugural press conference as leader this morning, 40% of Canadians didn’t bother to vote in the last election and even worse 65% of young people age 18-25 didn’t bother to vote.
We must come together and figure out a way to fight back against this negative campaigning and politics of fear that the HarperCons have been able to deploy so effectively, just like their Republicans cousins south of the boarder under the tutelage of Karl Rove.
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