Thank goodness for Newton’s third law. It is the law of physics that says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It also seems to be a law of politics. It just works differently. It is like those commercials being given intense exposure on Ontario television recently to introduce provincial Conservative leader Patrick Brown.
The brain-trust behind Mr. Brown might be wondering why they have spent so much money. The expense has produced a win-one-lose-one effect. It seems for every two people they have introduced to Mr. Brown, one of the two dislikes what they see. What we are starting to hear in many parts of Ontario are negative reactions.
The first mistake the Conservative hierarchy made was the commercial about his speech problems as a child. The close up of him speaking with his lips covering his teeth is designed to draw sympathy. His problem as a child was a stutter—which can be influenced by an overbearing parent or relative but can also be corrected with patience and confidence.
And then there is the ad that says if you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual/transgender or queer (in case you might have been wondering what LGBTQ means) there is room for you in the Conservative Party. We doubt this commercial is having much impact on the target audience.
But the ad is certainly annoying a much larger group that could have been some of Mr. Brown’s base vote. It reminds the religious (social) conservatives of Patrick Brown giving them the back of his hand once he had their support in stealing the leadership of the Conservative Party. It reminds them that he is quite capable of being a two-faced son of a bitch.
For those of us who have watched Patrick Brown’s uninspiring career in politics over the years, we have little sympathy for him. He is a conniver and a user. His only real supporters in the Conservative Party are people who think they can use him to return Ontario to another Mike Harris type laissez-faire government.
If you had been wondering why the Ontario Liberals have not responded to the Conservative advertising? Why would they need to?
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Copyright 2017 © Peter Lowry
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