Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
Were they the first? There's been attack ads going both ways for as long as I can remember (though much much less than in the US).
Even if they were the first, I don't think it's an ideological thing that being liberal requires one to run attack ads, so I don't think it's fair to blame it on the left.. better to blame it on the ones who did it, not on what side of the political spectrum they happen to be on.
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Oh, I doubt very much they were the first. Negative campaigning is likely as old as democracy. But I do think the Liberal attacks noted were the catalyst of the worsening situation we are encountering. And while Alberta was a right-centre battle, I do think the overall polarization is right-left with the centre getting squeezed out. That's pretty much what happened in the federal election, and it isn't a good thing in my mind. I don't like the federal Liberals because they've made it clear for 30+ years now that they don't like Alberta, but Canada needs three strong national parties.