The new Liberal ads are out. Let me say up front that they are good. They manage to have a negative message softened by the folksy music and they repeat some of the same themes as the infamous ad of the last campaign (Iraq and Guns - in retrospect Harper's reaction
to the ban on banned weapons really neatralized what must have appeared to be a winning strategy for the Liberals)
It confirms the Liberal strategy is (and always) to make the election (in English) into a direct election of the leader. They want the ballot box question to be, who do you want to be Prime Minister, Stephen Harper or Paul Martin?
It is similar to their strategy in Quebec in which they have tried to turn it into a referendum on Canada. This managed to shake the federalist vote away from the Bloq Quebecois right into the welcoming arms of the Conservatives.
And consider the SES Research polling on leadership. The trend is moving towards Stephen Harper on best Prime Minister. Maybe these ads are designed to try to turn this trend around. But if it doesn't that ballot box question could backfire completely.
